Show and tell

A journey of discovery is in store for visitors to the Project Challenge spring event in Birmingham this month. Here, we round-up a few of the highlights from the show which promises new ideas, fresh thinking and the latest tools to help manage project resources more effectively.

With confidence beginning to return to the market place, excellent project and programme management will be absolutely key to driving us forward, said event organiser Richard White. Project Challenge brings all the latest developments and initiatives under one roof and its all free for visitors!

The big story of the show is the first official UK introduction to the new version of one of the leading project management solutions, the much-anticipated Microsoft Project 2010. Microsoft is the Platinum Sponsor of Project Challenge and will have a dedicated seminar zone where delegates can attend free presentations. Many of its official partners and customers will be there, too, offering a rich mix of content around technology solutions, common project management challenges and best practice delivery.

Microsoft is proud to be the Platinum Sponsor of Project Challenge and have the opportunity to showcase Microsoft Project 2010 to the wider project management community, said Juliet Strong, product manager for Microsoft Project 2010 in the UK.

This is a great show which enables us to have deep conversations with our customers and partners about practical project management issues.

It is one of several leading names exhibiting and presenting at Project Challenge, such as Oracle, Computer Associates, Planview and CPS to name but a few. There is a rich mix of 40 presentations from thought-leaders and practitioners as well as the exhibition showcasing products and services from some 70 companies.

All visitors are eligible to attend the presentations, which will be delivered from open zones within the exhibition hall. Project Challenge runs from April 28-29 at the NEC in Birmingham. For further details or to register, visit www.projchallenge.com

Hot topics

Project politics, how to win the argument for a project management office, managing and delivering change and dealing with those challenging conversations are just a few of the hot topics from an impressive line-up of speakers at Project Challenge.

Dr Christopher Worsley of CITI always draws a crowd, and this time he is taking the darker side of project politics as his subject and how project managers can deploy their skills as weapons to play the game and win.

Michael Cooch and Adam Cowmeadow of Accenture will also be offering advice on winning, this time on proving to senior management that a project management office is a valuable asset, not an unnecessary overhead.

The importance of saying what needs to be said, however tricky, is the topic from Andy Taylor of People Deliver Projects. Professional actors will bring the talk to life and involve the audience!

Brandon Conrad of Matchware will demonstrate how to save time and money on project planning and management, through mind mapping to defining the scope of a project in a way that everyone can follow. Using the power of technology to collaborate with all the people involved in projects is the subject from Allen Ruddock of Transformis Consulting. Using Microsoft SharePoint, he will give a step-by-step demonstration.

Ninth Waves Andy Robinson tackles the practical steps to make the adoption of a PPM solution as smooth as possible and gain some quick wins. Drawing on customer experiences he will outline how a large organisation can move from using PPM in a single department to across the enterprise.

Andrew Hudson from ChangeDirector will explain how taking a best practice, agile approach to strategy through portfolio and benefits management, could help public and private organisations manage costs and maintain quality.

In the dedicated Microsoft presentation zone, visitors can discover more about the new generation of collaborative work management solutions from Microsoft Project 2010. There will also be presentations from Microsoft partners and users on how project management toolsets can help address those everyday challenges and extend through other technologies for choice and flexibility.

Exhibitors

There will be plenty to see and do over the two days with 70 companies exhibiting, some for the first time and others with new or improved products and services. Here is just a taste of what will be on offer.

Risk Decisions will be showcasing its Predict!4 software, a leading risk management application providing solutions to help companies reduce risks and exploit opportunities in projects.

Asta Teamplan project portfolio and resource management system is now available as a FREE 30-day trial. Complimentary CDs will be available on the stand.

ChangeDirector v3.7 includes standard configurations for agile strategy, performance and risk management linked to project portfolio and benefits management capabilities to form an integrated framework.

New to Project Challenge, changethreesixtys presentation shares for the first time the policing success stories of delivering effective change in West Midlands Police.

Delegates to the CPS stand adjacent to the Microsoft zone will be able to take part in a complimentary discovery session into how Project 2010 could benefit their business.

To discover more about PRINCE2 Masterclass workshops and the latest on Agile and DSDM Atern, head over to the TCC stand.

The new MatchWare MindView 3 Business Edition is a powerful mind mapping tool for capturing, developing and presenting ideas and information, with seamless integration with Microsoft Office applications.

In a Project Challenge first, Dylanmae features PM Learnings team based, project, programme and portfolio management gaming simulations, offering fun while learning and with each simulation qualifying for 7-8 PMI PDUs.

People Deliver Projects invites you to have a difficult conversation with a free one- to-one session to help with technique, influencing and personal impact, and even recreate the character of the person you find difficult.

Planview is demonstrating a new version of its software, Planview Enterprise 10.1, offering vision and depth in portfolio management for all involved in planning and executing strategic organisational goals.

Compuwares next release PPM solution continues to take advantage of new technologies such as Silverlight and includes support for web-based mobile devices.

Project in a Box is showcasing its fully portable Personal edition that can be operated from a USB stick, together with the Small Team edition for up to 20 users and the first ever licensed product to help implement MSP Method Template.

Radtacs pragmatic agile approach demonstrates that SCRUM and Agile is scalable, works with PRINCE2 and can be successfully applied in large and critical projects.

Spoce launches its online PRINCE2 e-learning. Features include GMTV presenters, interactive tasks and visualisation mind maps.

Team PM invite visitors to come and meet the team and get a great discount on PRINCE2 and other project management training.

Newquay Professional will have experts available to meet project managers or contractors to discuss advantages of tax planning. There will be welcome packs, examples and freebies to take home.

APM The Association for Project Management has over 17,500 members and support the development of project professionalism through its Five Dimensions of Professionalism.