Paper (3): Tappan ‘Zen’ Bridge: Case Study of the New NY Bridge Project
Abstract: The NY New York Bridge Project will result in a replacement bridge for the 61 year old Tappan Zee Bridge. The new bridge is needed to replace the deteriorated current bridge which crosses the Hudson River and joins the New York Counties of Rockland and Westchester. This is a significant project as this replacement bridge will be one of the world’s longest and widest bridges. It will also be one of the most expensive bridges at an estimate cost of $4 billion. It is expected to be completed in 2018. The urban dictionary defines Zen as a state of focus which involves a togetherness or oneness of body and mind. It is a way of being and it is a state of mind. It is also an approach to an activity which emphasizes simplicity and intuition over traditional thinking or focus on goals. In this way, the New NY Bridge project is one which seeks to create harmony with the community and project stakeholder, including those on the project team. This project is an excellent case study of how both risk management and stakeholder management support project management and the achievement of project objectives. This paper reviews the practices being used in the construction of the New NY Bridge, and how they relate to effective project risk and stakeholder management.
Paper (4): Agile for Non-IT Practitioners
Abstract: In today’s world of fast paced technology and continually changing requirements and project scope, the need for Agile Project Management has greatly increased. Responding to this demand, the PMI® (Project Management Institute) launched the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)SM certification in the past few years. The result of this certification (which continues to be the most rapid growing of the PMI certification) is the creation of a new space where Project Management and Agile Practices for Software Development meet. The foundation of Agile is the Agile Manifesto for Software Development. Agile has been used for software development for a number of years, even prior to the creation of the Agile Manifesto in 2001. The success of Agile for software development projects has bread interest in employing it in many other fields. How can Agile practices be used for projects which are not software or IT in nature. This presentation will provide guidance on how Agile can be used beyond software development projects and how one can move from traditional project management to Agile project management. What is Agile Project Management and when does it make sense to use it? How Agile practices are incorporated into traditional project management. Recommendations for implementing Agile Project Management will be introduced.
Biography: Susan Parente is a project engineer, consultant, speaker, author, and mentor who leads large complex IT software implementation projects, and the establishment of Enterprise PMOs. Ms. Parente’s focuses on risk management and Agile project management. She has 16+ years experience leading software and business development projects in the private and public sectors, including a decade of experience implementing IT projects for the DoD. Ms. Parente is also an Associate Professor at Post University in CT. She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester in NY and has a MS in Engineering Management from George Washington University in DC. She is also PMP, CISSP, PMI-RMP, PMI-ACP and ITIL certified, and is a CMMI and ISO 9001 Practitioner.
Ms. Parente is a Principal Consultant at S3 Technologies, LLC. Her company’s focuses on revitalizing projects through the use of risk management. S3 Technologies does this by teaming with clients, stakeholders and vendors and using risk management to deliver project successes. Ms. Parente trains and mentors project managers in the area of project and risk management. She is also an Agile project management generalist. Ms. Parente has developed a methodology which she uses to implement risk management programs for both small and large clients and is currently completing her manuscript for a book on implementing risk management.
