This week, Skye Learning is excited to spotlight Deb Pontes, an Agile Transformation Coach at Fidelity Investments. Pontes is a subject matter expert for Skye’s Integrating Agile Into a Waterfall Environment

Pontes has significant experience as an Agile Coach, Scrum Master, project manager, and program manager. She’s passionate about innovation-based change as well as making information easily consumable and readily available. Pontes is an OSA-Certified Trainer and co-author of the OpenSpace Agility Handbook™.

Jim Stewart, PMP^® and CSM^®, is a project manager with over twenty years of experience who has overseen multi-million dollar international programs. A consultant, trainer, and mentor, Stewart helps organizations incorporate best practices, set up project management offices, run project planning workshops, and more.

Stewart is also a subject matter expert for Skye Learning’s PMP^® Exam Prep Course and CAPM^® Exam Prep Course, which prepare learners to pass the exams while providing all required professional development units (PDUs).

Jim Hannon has an extensive background in Agile coaching and project management with diversified experience across the information technology and financial services industries.  He is currently an Agile Coach and Director of the Agile Transformation Office at Fidelity Investments. Hannon is also a subject matter expert for Skye Learning’s Agile Team Challenges and Integrating Agile and Waterfall.

Project managers have a number of options when considering the use of Agile project management practices. They can adopt an Agile methodology, such as Scrum, and use it "full-strength" throughout the project, or they can take a blended approach and pick-and-choose Agile tools and techniques to incorporate into a traditional project framework. Understanding the differences between an Agile approach and a traditional project management approach can help you decide if Agile should be used for your next project. Check out our latest infographic to learn more.

Project managers have a number of options when considering the use of Agile project management practices. They can adopt an Agile methodology, such as Scrum, and use it "full-strength" throughout the project, or they can take a blended approach and pick-and-choose Agile tools and techniques to incorporate into a traditional project framework. Understanding the similarities between an Agile approach and a traditional project management approach can help project managers successfully employ Agile practices in their next project. Check out our latest infographic to learn more.

This week, Skye Learning would like to spotlight Rich Maltzman, PMP^®, a subject matter expert who has contributed to numerous Skye courses, including our PMP^® Exam Prep Course, CAPM^®  Exam Prep Course, and Six Sigma Black Belt Exam Prep Course.

Maltzman is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)^® with decades of experience in project management. He is the Learning and Professional Advancement Leader at a major telecom supplier and the Co-founder and Principal of EarthPM, LLC. Maltzman also contributed to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)^® Guide, 4^th Edition, and authored the book Green Project Management, published in 2010.

Once you’ve assembled your team, it’s important to focus on building a positive team environment. As a project manager, you will be responsible for dealing with both the good and the bad. Positive team morale can eliminate project setbacks, issues, and miscommunication. Check out our latest infographic which covers ten tips for building a positive team environment.

One of the biggest mistakes a project manager can make? Management consultant Johanna Rothman says it’s the tendency to get involved in the project work itself. “As soon as you get stuck doing the work on the project, your project is doomed because you're not taking a look at the entire context of the project,” she says.  Check out our latest Skye Learning video for more of her words of wisdom. 

Scrum is one of the most popular methods of agile project management, and it comes with its own specialized language: it's a universe filled with sprints and sashimi, scrum masters and product owners and user stories .Our latest Skye Learning video explains it all for you.

One of the most important, and most complex, tasks for any team leader or project manager is effectively managing the people assigned to the project. Experienced project leaders know that successful projects are not the culmination of elaborate procedures, complicated tools, or elaborate techniques; they succeed because the people involved are integrated, organized, and empowered, which then frees them to put their skills to use in the most effective way possible.