Industry Spotlight - Benefits Outsouring
Contributed by Lea Stabler, PMP

(reprinted with permission - originally published Feb 2018)

This month, our Project Management spotlight is on Benefits Outsourcing. This is the practice of managing benefits data for a corporate client. The client’s objective is to offer good or better service to their employees as economically as possible. Projects require management of client relationships, software development for rules engines, data conversion activities, and developing operational guides and call center scripts. The work involves assuming and on-boarding historical and current benefits data along with the rules that govern that data. Waterfall methodologies are used for data, operations, and call center components as, typically, there are few changes. Software development and rules conversion teams have moved to Agile.

Industry Spotlight-Distribution Supply Chain
Contributed by Scott Casstevens, PMP, M.S.

(reprinted with permission - originally published Jan 2018)

This is the first in a series of articles that focus on Project Management in different industries. This month’s spotlight is on wholesale distribution supply chain in the grocery industry.   Scott Casstevens, Business Analysis Group Manager, provides us with a vignette of the Project Manager/Business Analysis role at Associated Grocers of New England. 

Because grocery distribution is a low profit margin industry, the roles of Business Analysis (BA) and Project Management (PM) are tightly integrated. The BA requires fluency in both disciplines and methodologies. BAs at Associated Grocers research solutions to problems and technology options for the senior team, then lead the implementation using Agile or Waterfall processes.  BAs architect the project in every detail, making implementation easier and risks easily identifiable. 

Four Key Questions on Gratitude
by Star Dargin

(reprinted with permission)

What's the big idea?

Gratitude belongs in business. In 2015 Americans gave an estimated $373.25 billion to charity. That was the highest total reported in 60-years. Yet, less than 30% of us bring gratitude into work.

Science can prove gratitude is not just a soft skill or fluff. The benefits are powerful, personally, mentally, and achievement wise. Gratitude has a huge ROI with no negative side effects. It's the primordial soup that allows for the basic human needs of growth and connection. It is a value, a principle, a feeling. It exists in every major religion. Most successful leader have some form of gratitude as a practice and value. Appreciation is the business code word for gratitude.

Identifying the Workforce Development Needs of Your Team
Presentation Review by Bernadette Donnelly

The October Chapter Meeting, “Identifying the Workforce Development Needs of Your Team”, was presented by Dr. Kathy DesRoches, Program Director for the Masters in Leadership Program at Granite State College.  Here is the review.

Why is developing teams Important?

When you manage a team, how well it performs often depends on how well you've trained and developed your people. Individuals need ongoing training and development to help them become more effective and take on bigger and more significant challenges/responsibilities. More than this, they need help learning new skills as the nature of their work—and of your organization—changes.