Free Lunch and more!

Posted on | November 6, 2008 | Author: | jont | No Comments

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I managed to get some time out of the office this week to attend The APM North West Branch lunch for local corporate members in the European Capital of Culture. As ever I got lost in Liverpool, but eventually managed to find the venue in time for the start.

The venue was Chung Ku, which not only managed to rustle up an excellent lunch but also provided a stunning vista across the watery expanse of the River Mersey.

As is its wont, the lunch provided an excellent networking opportunity and the opportunity to catch up on the challenges being faced by differing organisations and sectors.

It was interesting to listen to Graham Woodward, chairman of the APM North West Branch committee, giving his update on APM’s pursuit of a Royal Charter which appears to have been wholeheartedly supported by a large number of organisations and institutions. Unfortunately this large amount of support has now led to a slight slippage in the anticipated timeline, as the Privy Council works its way through this large list of “supporters”. So Phase 1 of the process is ongoing, and planning for Phase 2 (the register of practitioners) is also in hand. Graham reported that membership of the APM is on the increase and growing faster all the time! It would be interesting to understand the correlation between increased membership and the APM’s pursuance of a Royal Charter.

After lunch, Dusty Miller of Sun Microsystems shared his thoughts and observations on “Sustaining Project Management in a Global Company”, sharing his perspective from the challenges Sun have faced as their business evolves. This stimulated a lively debate and sharing of thoughts and observations from the floor. On a personal note, it took me back to the challenges we faced at Hewlett Packard as we built a Professional Services Organisation.

So, good lunch, good use of time and as ever thanks to the APM North West Branch committee for their continued efforts!