Where is the Home Team? Who Gets to Belong?
“We understand the human need and desire to belong. By promoting diversity and supporting the removal of societal barriers, we aim to contribute to more inclusive and accessible spaces for all.”—Aponwao Ideas ——————— The Search for a Home Team I grew up in a country where the national pastime was béisbol, despite being a […]
The Plan That Keeps Paying Back
“The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” — Kakuzo Okakura, ——————— When Alejandra and I developed the baseline for our annual backpacking trip back in 2019, we did so with a deliberate project management mindset. We were conscious that this wasn’t a one-off event; it was a repeatable process. […]
Beyond Firefighting: How We Use Data to Catch Project Glitches Early
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” — Sherlock Holmes (created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) As program managers, we’ve all been there: staring at a project that’s veering off track, trying to figure […]
The Strategy is in the Room: Planning Projects on Human Connection
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” — Isaac Newton An algorithm looks at a project and sees a set of data points to be optimized; we look at a project and see the complex human dynamics required to make it work. While AI can process information, it cannot capture the implicit lessons […]
Operating at the Limits: Deconstructing the “Reckless” Illusion
“There is no adrenaline rush. If I get an adrenaline rush, it means that something has gone horribly wrong.” —Alex Honnold Most people look at a sheer rock face and see an impossible hazard; Alex Honnold looks at it and sees a problem to be solved A View of the Possible Since I was […]
Planning the Future: How Young Students Are Applying Project Management to City Design
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.“ A. Einstein City of Wenatchi Project On behalf of the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF), I had the pleasure of serving as judge for the Washington State region of Future City 2025–2026, the ultimate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics […]
Newton’s Third Law Meets Empathy and Compassion: The Seattle/King County Clinic and the Power of Human Connection
“To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.” Isaac Newton For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction In physics, Newton’s Third Law tells us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In human terms, we witness this truth not just in mechanics but in our communities, […]
Finding the Path: How Strategy Becomes Impact
THE PATH FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING Like walking together through a dense forest, strategic initiatives require attention, collaboration, and adaptability, navigating complexity, assessing risks, uncovering opportunities, and moving towards a shared destination. Strategic planning is often seen as setting long-term goals, prioritizing actions, and creating a roadmap to guide decisions and allocate resources, but it can […]
Thinking Under Pressure
Our most valuable approaches when thinking strategically under pressure are a systems-thinking lens and a deliberate, disciplined practice of critical thinking. They enable us to ascend to 35,000 feet, filtering out distractions, to pinpoint ground-level issues. Amid pressure, it’s vital to step back, assess, and dissect the situation, fostering calmness to devise optimal solutions. Chaos, […]