Project Description
Project Management
Collaboration for Increased Productivity.
I drove my pick into the ground, one of many swings that would occupy most of my free time over summer vacation. I swung again, this time making a slightly wider opening in the earth, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a pair of large feet.
I looked up and saw a tall man, his head cocked awkwardly to the left, with a short mustache, staring curiously over my shoulder, smiling. His long arms shook in short bursts that spread throughout his entire body, occasionally tipping his balance. He was one of many struggling with Cerebral Palsy who frequented the area where I was working. I smiled and said hello. He nodded and slowly spoke out a short, blurred response that I didn’t understand.
The 111-foot-long trench I was digging was for him. It would hold a drainage system designed to alleviate flooding in front of the United Cerebral Palsy greenhouse facility, eliminating a safety hazard for the many patients who sometimes injured themselves slipping on the water and ice. I was 15 and this was the first project I ever managed, the culmination of many weeks of planning that included consulting with plumbers, soliciting volunteers, and procuring donations to fund the work for my Eagle Scout project. And I’ve been managing projects ever since.
The skills I began developing as a Scout would later be valuable as I worked in media. As an editor (a project manager with subject-matter expertise in writing and visual communication), I managed hundreds of projects – books, multimedia productions, magazines, special projects, and websites. I would again find project management skills valuable as an entrepreneur. Working for several startups, I managed various projects from developing complex websites to finding a viable way to manufacture novelty pajamas. And it’s an approach I use as an educator, designing curriculum for various workshops I teach.
How I use Project Management?
Applying Principles and Processes that Transcend Industries
UNCHARTED: Building an Outdoor-Exploration Movement
As a founder of a startup devoted to elevating, inspiring, empowering, and uniting people through exploration, I manage various projects under tight budgetary and schedule constraints, including the development of a new website community to help outdoor recreation travelers more easily find information and resources to make their experiences better.
Pink Bunny Pajamas: Find a viable, cost-effective way to mass produce pajamas and pink slippers.
While working as the project manager for a startup devoted to helping fans of the movie, A Christmas Story, relive their childhood with Pink Bunny Pajamas I, was tasked with finding a cost-effective way to produce pajamas and pink slipper accessories. I led a team in securing a cost-effective manufacturing contract that doubled sales and delivered a product that received high customer reviews.
Bambi’s Story: A Campaign for Organ Donation
While working for a mid-sized media company, I learned firsthand how important using project management leadership and team-building skills can be in producing life-changing results. I discovered that an average of 20 people die each day waiting for life-saving organ transplants. In an effort to help an organ donation non-profit increase awareness about the need for donations, I thought showing the human side of those statistics would be an effective way to inspire change. I led a team in directing a multimedia production about Bambi Thomas, a young mother waiting for a heart transplant. I persuaded management to allocate time for the project, recruited co-workers for my team, networked with medical professionals, and negotiated a strategic alliance with an organ donation non-profit network. This led to the distribution of the production throughout North America and Europe in several languages. The project was awarded public service honors for saving lives.
Eagle Scout Project: Design and Construct a Drainage System for the United Cerebral Palsy Greenhouse
As a 15-year-old scout on summer vacation, I oversaw the design and construction of a French drainage system to eliminate wet and slippery surfaces along the parking lot and sidewalk adjacent to the United Cerebral Palsy’s greenhouse facility. The non-profit organization uses the facility to help those with developmental and acquired disabilities to enhance their everyday lives. Patients often slipped and hurt themselves because of the flooding. I consulted with plumbers, procured equipment and supplies, and brokered donations to fund the project, leading to a viable solution that eliminated the safety hazard at the facility.
How I Keep Current?
Seeking Knowledge through Learning and Experience
After years of managing projects across various industries, I deepened my understanding of project management by pursuing graduate-level training at Villanova University in Applied Project Management. The four-course program, designed for business professionals, mid-level managers, and project managers, emphasizes how to develop and lead improvement initiatives for generating measurable growth in return on investment, sales, customer satisfaction and retention, market share, speed-to-market, employee satisfaction, and employee motivation.
I also earned the globally-recognized Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential, demonstrating extensive knowledge and mastery of project management concepts, tasks, and techniques that can be applied across industries and methodologies. Credential holders must have at least 3-5 years of experience leading and directing cross-functional project teams, earn a minimum of 35 hours of formal project management education, and pass the PMP(®) certification exam. Sixty professional development units are required every 3 years in technical project management, leadership, and business and strategic management.
