PMFORUM Breaking News

The PMI^® Global Congress 2010-Asia Pacific taking place in Melbourne, Australia from 22-24 February will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (pictured), and will include papers and presentations in ten Areas of Focus. If you are in Australia or near by, on-site registration is open now - don't miss this big event. For information, visit www.pmi.org/AP10.

Areas of focus are broad topics addressing the core features and emerging challenges of the project management profession, around which the congress programme content is developed. Sessions at PMI Global Congress 2010-Asia Pacific will be in the following areas of focus:

•  Advanced Project Management Skills (ADV) - additional knowledge and skills for individuals who have been practicing project management for more than five years.
  

•  Communications (COM) - all communication skills - including negotiating and influencing skills, oral presentation skills and effective writing skills.
  

•  Consulting Skills (CON) - skills and knowledge necessary for individuals to grow their consultative talents.
  

• General Business Skills (GBS) - areas of knowledge that everyone in business needs to understand including, but not limited to, legal and financial issues.
  

•  New Project Management Trends (TRN) - new project management trends that may impact the industry in the coming years.
  

• Professional Development Skills (PDS) - not just personal developmental opportunities at conferences or educational institutions, but also including mentoring, use of online learning and other areas of self-study.
  

• Project Management Issues (ISS) - problems and issues directly related to being a project manager, including regional issues and topics.
  

• Project Management Tools (PMT) - tools (e.g., software) to assist project managers in completing their assignments.
  

• Research (RSC) - Papers presented on research topics with a clear application to the practice of project management. Applied research is essential to validate theoretical methods and processes that are new to project management and to provide insight into the value of research to real-world problems and applications.
  

• Teaming (TMG) - Working in teams is a skill anyone in business needs. How to select, manage and work with a team, both local and virtual, is a necessity in all business environments.

The keynote speaker for the PMI^® Global Congress 2010-Asia Pacific in Melbourne will be Mr. Scott Berkun (pictured right), former Microsoft executive and best-selling author of "The Myths of Innovation" and "Making Things Happen". The conference will also include many other speakers, professional presentations, panel discussions and networking opportunities. Project management professionals and executives of project-oriented organizations are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn, network, meet PMI leaders, and advance their organizations' interests at this global event. www.pmi.org/AP10.

With over 500,000 members and credential holders in 180+ countries, the Project Management Institute (PMI^®) is the world's largest member-based project management organization. Since 1969, PMI has impacted more than one million practitioners, businesses, governments, students and training organizations. PMI's products and services include standards for project, program and portfolio management and five professional credentials, including the widely-recognized Project Management Professional (PMP^®) certification. PMI has members, components, accredited universities, recognized service providers and stakeholders worldwide. For more information, visit www.pmi.org.