New World, New Ways of Managing Risk

06/09/21 • 16 min

Few project leaders saw COVID-19 coming. That points to a new mindset required to identify, manage and mitigate risks throughout the project life cycle. Gone are the days of a risk register dutifully filled out and then tucked away in a desk drawer. Guests are:
Michael O’Connor, PhD, PMP, PgMP, director, strategy and project management at Medtronic, Minneapolis: O’Connor talks about building risk management into projects from the start and communicating risk across the enterprise.

Ernest Seto, PMI-RMP, PMP, project manager, Linde Engineering, Munich: Seto discusses emerging risks teams should consider as well as how companies can create a culture of risk resilience.

Key themes

[00:56] The new risk landscape

[01:50] Mitigating risk with leadership and planning

[05:57] Creating a culture of always-on risk awareness

[10:16] Building risk resilience

[11:49] Establishing processes to track and manage risk

[14:52] Making project teams more resilient to risk

Ernest Seto, PMI-RMP, PMP, project manager, Linde Engineering, Munich: Seto discusses emerging risks teams should consider as well as how companies can create a culture of risk resilience.

Key themes

[00:56] The new risk landscape

[01:50] Mitigating risk with leadership and planning

[05:57] Creating a culture of always-on risk awareness

[10:16] Building risk resilience

[11:49] Establishing processes to track and manage risk

[14:52] Making project teams more resilient to risk

Previous Episode

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution: Safety, Efficiency, Equity

More than a year ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Today, vaccines are rolling out, and it’s up to governments working with project teams to get shots into arms quickly, safely, efficiently and equitably.

Our guest is Kate Elder from Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). She discusses how the group’s teams are working with governments to administer COVID-19 vaccines, pushing for global vaccine equity and diversifying vaccine production.

Key themes

[01:19] COVID-19 vaccine campaigns are underway—but there’s still work to do

[03:52] How MSF works around the challenges of vaccine distribution

[05:55] Advocating for COVID-19 vaccine equity

[08:41] Diversifying vaccine manufacturing

[10:49] Pushing for innovation and knowledge sharing

Next Episode

What’s Next for Project Leaders?

On Projectified®’s 100th episode, we hit the fast-forward button to see what The Project Economy might look like over the next decade. One thing is clear: Our changing world demands a new kind of leader. Guests are:

Marcelo Tocci, PMP, commercial aviation, program management office and deputy program director, Embraer, São Paulo: Tocci discusses the need for future-focused project leaders to concentrate on innovation and delivering value to society as well as the bottom line. He also talks about adapting to change with hybrid—using the right approach for the right project.

Kris Sprague, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, head of clinical project planning and scheduling at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, New York, USA: Sprague discusses the increased demand for project talent, and how he sees remote work, artificial intelligence and automation shifting traditional ways of working. He also shares how he sees next-gen leaders putting a greater focus on a project’s social and environmental impact.

Key themes

[01:11] High demand for project talent

[02:20] Project leaders to be more digital, innovative and outcome-focused

[04:12] A changing world of work demands adaptability and agility

[10:32] Trends to watch: Remote work, artificial intelligence

[18:07] How younger people are changing how projects are led