NEWS and VIEWS... Management Solutions Group Seminar Selected for PMI Global Congress-EMEA Gary's going to Italy!   Management Solutions Group's popular seminar, Project Management Tools, Techniques, Templates, and Tips was selected as one of just eight seminars to be offered at PMI's Global Congress 2010-EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). The seminar will be delivered by MSG president Gary Heerkens in Milan, Italy on May 13-14. A Tip of the Guru’s Hat Management Solutions Group President gets a shout-out from Dr. Kerzner at the PMI Global Congress As part of his closing keynote address at the last PMI Global Congress-North America, legendary project management guru Dr. Harold Kerzner specifically mentioned Management Solution Group president Gary Heerkens. Dr. Kerzner’s comments were in reference to Heerkens’ efforts over the past several years to move project management toward becoming a more “business-centric” discipline. Kerzner cited the now-popular book, The Business-Savvy Project Manager, characterizing author Heerkens as “a man ahead of his time.” The Odds Are...6 out of 10 in 2010! The ‘Project Management MBA’ program slated to appear in six U.S. cities in 2010 Management Solutions Group’s popular workshop, The Project Management MBA: Two-Day Crash Course! has been scheduled to appear in six of the ten US cities where PMI’s SeminarsWorld series is being offered in 2010. This program has been a top-seller for PMI, and is available as an onsite program for any interested organization or company. Better Sooner Than Later PM Network moves 'The Business of Projects' column up one month   Beginning in 2010, the Project Management Institute’s monthly magazine, PM Network®, will begin publishing the quarterly column ‘The Business of Projects’ one month earlier—in February, May, August, and  November.   Written by Management Solutions Group president Gary Heerkens, the column addresses the critical relationship between the world of project management and the world of business. The business side of projects is one of the main focus areas of MSG’s training and consulting practice. For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow Gary Heerkens honored as a Fellow of IAPPM Management Solutions Group president Gary Heerkens has been honored as a Fellow of the International Association of Project and Program Management (IAPPM). IAPPM is a project and program management community created for new and practicing business professionals. It is a highly member-interactive organization that stresses interactivity via writing articles, helping junior members, contributing to process standards, and assisting SIG's or chapter projects. In honoring him as a Fellow, IAPPM recognizes that Heerkens ‘has made a distinguished contribution to the field of Project Management on a Global basis’. Stirring the Pot PMI Global Congress presentation causes a buzz Gary Heerkens’ presentation at the 2009 PMI Global Congress in Orlando got the desired reaction. Entitled ‘A State of the Union Address on Project Management: A Profession in Crisis’, the presentation contends that project management—and project managers—have suffered a considerable decline in respect over the past 15-20 years. Among the many comments to be found on various blogs and on Twitter were these: — “For me, the most thought-provoking--and controversial--presentation at PMI's Global Congress was by Management Solutions Group president Gary Heerkens, who took on what he called the dark side of Project Management, something, he says, we all know exists but no one wants to talk about. Let's hope Heerkens gets an invite back next year....this was a much needed gut check for the profession and, as I talked with others who attended the session, was one of those sessions that just stays with you and makes you think. We need more of those.” — “I was very impressed by Gary’s candor in making a presentation about such a delicate subject.  We all need to hear his message, as painful as it is, and to start working actively to get our profession back on course.” — “I've been attending PMI Congresses since 2002, in the US, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and AP (Asia-Pacific), and this presentation was far and away the most thought-provoking one I have seen to date.” This presentation is available to any group that is seeking a dynamic speaker (and topic!) for their next event.