Episode 142: PM Simplicity

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In Episode 140 I spoke with Jerry Manas on how to manage complexity on projects. We discussed his general approach and then (in the premium episode) we looked at a case study and learned how Jerry actually does it. We saw here how he uses simplicity, clarity and focus not just in theory but on his projects.

But Jerry is not the only project manager out there who feels that we need more simplicity.

Sean Henriques MBA PMP, feels exactly the same way. In fact, he feels so strongly about it, that he went ahead and wrote The PM Simplicity Guide at http://www.scribd.com/seanhenriques/d/27897513-Project-Management-Simplicity and makes it available to everyone for free. Sean and I discuss the concepts and philosophies behind PM Simplicity and how you apply it on your projects.

PM Podcast Episode 142Transcript

Episode Transcript

Below are the first few pages of the transcript. The complete transcript is available to Premium subscribers only.

Podcast Introduction

Cornelius Fichtner: This is The Project Management Podcast™. We bring project management to beginners and experts. Find us on the web at www.pm‑podcast.com or send your emails to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Cornelius Fichtner: Hello and welcome to Episode #142. I am Cornelius Fichtner.

This is The Project Management Podcast™ for the 19^th of March 2010, nice to have you with us.

In Episode 140, I spoke with Jerry Manas on how to manage complexity on projects. We first discussed his general approach and then later on in the premium episode, we looked at a case study and learned how Jerry actually does it. We saw here how he uses simplicity, clarity and focus not just in theory but on his projects.

But Jerry isn’t the only project manager out there who feels that we need more simplicity.

Sean Henriques feels exactly the same way. In fact, he feels so strongly about it, that he went ahead and he wrote “The PM Simplicity Guide”. Sean and I discuss the concepts and philosophies behind PM Simplicity and how you apply it on your projects in today’s episode.

This episode is sponsored by the 7th Annual Project Management Conference for the Drug & Device Industry. The conference takes place from April 12^th-14^th 2010 at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Learn about cutting-edge tools and techniques to help you lead your team confidently and walk away with clear strategies for achieving project, program and portfolio success. To learn more, please visit www.IIRusa.com/pdd.

And here is an announcement that will interest you if you are a PMP® or PgMP® because you can win 21 PDUs for free: On April 2nd 2010, we are going to launch The PDU Podcast™ and the website for this is www.pducast.com - that's P-D-U-C-A-S-T dot com.

In this new podcast, I welcome world class speakers and their full-length feature presentations on project management topics. Each month, we have a new presenter, a new topic and as a subscriber of The PDU Podcast™, you will earn at least one PDU month after month, fully automatically and reliably. And because you already know how to use a podcast, well after all you’re listening to this one here, earning your PDUs with The PDU Podcast™ now because extremely simple.

Today, we are giving away 2 one-year subscriptions to The PDU Podcast™. And in the first year, we actually have 21 PDUs that you can earn through that particular podcast. As always, one of these licenses is reserved for the subscribers of the Premium Project Management Podcast. They are automatically entered into this drawing and the other license is for anyone who is listening for free.

So if you would like to try and win a license then simply send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – that’s This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and don’t forget that dash, that’s important. Put "free" into the subject line and send that email off before March 31st 2010. We will announce the lucky winners here on this program.

And now, the interview:

Sean Henriques is a PMI certified (PMP) project manager that comes equipped with an MBA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He organizes information and people in building solutions. He is also a collaborative technologist with over 15 years of experience in the Entertainment and Media, Finance, Consumer Products and Education verticals. As a project leader, his biggest skills are in the areas of Project Management, Business Process Re‑engineering, Process Mapping, as well as Software Development and Implementation

Enjoy the interview.

Podcast Interview

Female voice: The Project Management Podcast’s feature Interview: Today with Sean Henriques, author of the PM Simplicity method.

Cornelius Fichtner: Hello Sean and welcome back to The Project Management Podcast™.

Sean Henriques: Hi! Thank you! Thanks for having me.

Cornelius Fichtner: Oh, very to have you. Thank you very much for coming on such a short notice for most of all. Let me begin with the first question here. We want to talk about PM Simplicity – Project Management Simplicity. What is PM Simplicity?

Sean Henriques: Well basically, it’s distillation of the tools and techniques that I have identified over the years that were useful in delivering projects with minimum of fuzz and minimum of complexity.

Cornelius Fichtner: Okay and why did you develop it?

Sean Henriques: Well, I wanted to be consistent in how I delivered projects and also I wanted to be consistent in how I coach other project mangers. One of the things that was happening was I was getting tapped to coach other project managers and I wanted to be more consistent in how I coach them as well so that’s basically what I want to do is jot down some of the key deliverables, when you would need them and some of the watch outs that you want to avoid when working on your projects.

Cornelius Fichtner: Okay and you said “I wanted to be consistent.” That meant that at the company that you were working, they didn’t have a project management methodology and you basically developed your own, is that what I’m hearing?

Sean Henriques: Basically, yeah! That’s basically it. I have had the good fortune of working in different companies and obviously, you’ll get experiences of different realities let’s say so in this particular company, there was a huge gap. They had a real need for some standardization in how projects were being delivered and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Cornelius Fichtner: Okay. Who is PM Simplicity for?

Sean Henriques: I’d say it’s for basically your audience. People that are interested In pursuing the PMP credential and they may or may not be project managers today, but t hey want to get that credential and they want to make sure that they’re delivering the right things for their projects, not over-delivering.

Cornelius Fichtner: What about somebody who is already a PMP?

Above are the first few pages of the transcript. The complete PDF transcript is available to Premium subscribers only.