Federal, State, and Local Government Professionals Invited to Learn and Share Project Management Best Practices at D.C. Forum; Event Hosted by the Center for Business Practices to Be Held from September 13-15 at the Capital Hilton

Business Wire, June 20, 2006

HAVERTOWN, Pa. -- As agencies prepare their fiscal budget submissions, more and more are focusing on project management as a way to overcome the ongoing organizational challenges associated with limited resources and poor project performance.

Government practitioners will have the opportunity to learn innovative solutions and practical strategies that will help them improve project management practices within their organizations at the Center for Business Practices' (CBP) Fall 2006 Benchmarking Forum, Project Management Practices for Federal, State, and Local Government (September 13-15, Capital Hilton, Washington, DC).

The Forum will provide attendees with a participative learning environment to exchange key success factors and core best practices, brainstorm new approaches to overcome the challenges of implementing project management initiatives and improvements, and build a network for ongoing discussion and future problem-solving.

"The financial value of formal project management is increasingly recognized among government agencies, yet government project leaders are challenged with finding the right approaches and practices that will move their programs forward more quickly," said Jim Pennypacker, director of the CBP. "What's so unique about our forums is the depth of peer information exchange - the kind of 'here's what worked for me' insight that can actually be put to use the moment they leave the forum."

Attendees will leave the Forum with a clear understanding of best practices, how they are effectively used in other organizations, and how they can help their organizations optimize their project management value. Results from the Forum are compiled, and a comprehensive summary report is provided to all participants.

Limited to just 40 attendees, the Forum involves a high degree of attendee participation that includes breakout group discussions, reporting best practices to the overall group, and providing feedback to case presenters. Thought leaders and senior practitioners presenting case studies include:

--Lynn Hersey-Miller, Chief Program Officer, State of Delaware

--Alan Levine, CIO, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

--William R. Taylor, Director, IT Investment Management, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security

--J. Kent Crawford, PMP, PMI Fellow, CEO, PM Solutions

--Rudy Rodriguez, CIO, Stat of Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services

--Steve Lavelle, Program Manager, Project Management Office, New Jersey Department of Transportation

Key topics covered in the two-day forum include:

--Optimizing Human Capital with a Strategic Project Office

--Securing Buy-In from Senior Leadership

--Measuring and Reporting Performance

--Getting Folks to Accept Change

--Managing Project Portfolios Within and Across Agencies

--People on Projects: Finding, Keeping, Developing, and Rewarding Them

--Developing and Maturing the Project Management Office

The CBP is also hosting two, half-day workshops prior to the forum, titled Managing and Controlling Portfolio Performance and Measuring Project Management Performance on September 13, also at the Capital Hilton.

The cost for the two-day forum is $795. Registration for a half-day pre-forum workshop is $495 per workshop. Discount pricing is available for attending both the Forum and workshops, or if you have three or more registrations from the same organization.

For more information and to register, contact the CBP toll-free at 877-813-5193 or visit http://www.cbponline.com/benchmarking/governmentforum.htm.> About the Center for Business Practices(R)

The Center for Business Practices (www.cbponline.com) is the research and publishing arm of the management consulting and training organization PM Solutions. The CBP promotes effective strategy execution through sound portfolio, program, project, and performance management by capturing best practice knowledge and integrating it into actionable, fact-based information available through research reports, books, and benchmarking events.

Editor's Note: Members of the media interested in attending the Project Management Benchmarking Forum can contact Megan Maguire Kelly at 610-269-2100, ext. 225 or mkelly@schubert.com for a free registration.