Section 1 PMI-Portland Chapter Communications



Project Management Institute – Portland Chapter

2007 Membership Satisfaction Survey

Analysis – Recommendations

____________________________________________________

Submitted to

The PMI – Portland Chapter

Board of Directors

__________________________________________________

by

John C. “Jake” McMichael, PMP

Director of Quality

July 23, 2007

Section 1 PMI-Portland Chapter Communications

Analysis

1. Results were generally consistent with those of the prior year, except for Q9 (Vocal & mail communication is efficient and courteous) which was off 10.6 points.

2. Vast majority are completely satisfied with receiving an electronic (versus hardcopy) copy of the newsletter.

3. Some comments that the newsletter is a bit difficult to navigate, suggesting html links to various pages instead of a straight .pdf file.

4. Only 38.6% think that the job posting process meets their needs; with 52% being ambivalent on this issue.

5. Use of, and frequency of, email blasts appears appropriate.

6. Although 2/3 of the membership feel the chapter web site is convenient and easy to use, about 34% do not agree or strongly agree that the web site is convenient and easy to navigate.

a. Cost information for educational opportunities is not provided up front; must go looking for it on registration form.

b. Downloading archived Newsletters and dinner and pre-dinner presentation material appears to be a problem for some.

7. Only a “small” (about 58%) majority of the membership feel that the chapter’s vocal and mail communications is efficient, courteous and meets their needs and expectations.

Recommendations

1. Continue with the electronic distribution of the newsletter

a. Consider both HTML and PDF format.

b. Send electronic copy of email not later than the 10th of the month.

2. Continue using email blasts to notify the membership of activities and events.

3. Continue web site initiative started last year to ease burden of downloading and make navigation easier.

4. Establish an educational section on web site. Add links to web site for P.M. educational material that are in the public domain. Templates, how-to’s, articles, etc.

5. Continue to upgrade the PMI-Portland Members only section that would include the educational section, templates, job postings, meeting and roundtable minutes and presentations, etc. Chapter meeting handouts & Roundtable minutes section seems to need particular attention.

6. Continue to upgrade job postings on web site; proactively solicit job postings. This is a major responsibility of the VP Operations. (through a volunteer Director)

7. Explore the potential problems with vocal/voice/mail communications (Q9).

Section 2 PMI-Portland Chapter Event Administration

Analysis

1. The vast majority of the Chapter membership is satisfied or very satisfied with scheduling and registration at the various Chapter functions and events.

2. Although still a sizable majority consider the check-in process to be quick & easy, there was a drop of almost 15 points in this category.

3. A significant number of comments addressed the location and dates of monthly dinner meetings and special events, indicating a desire to change or modify locations/dates.

4. Some Sporg registration concerns. (from comments)

a. Sporg should be able to “remember” more attendee info.

b. Comment 10. – Hard to find costs for events

c. Comment 11 – Integrating registration with email messages

Recommendations

1. Board should consider staging the monthly dinner meetings at several locations around the greater Portland area to accommodate the widespread population of the membership. (See San Francisco Chapter for model.)

a. A further, perhaps longer term, consideration is the whole concept of starting a “Silicon Forest” Branch of the PMI-Portland Chapter that would accommodate the Beaverton-Hillsboro-westside of the greater Portland area.

2. Publicize that Sporg does have a process for “remembering” membership information for future event registrations.

3. Board should consider having “new members only” events, perhaps in parallel with pre-meeting educational session and/or networking time.

Section 3 PMI-Portland Chapter Breakfast Roundtables

Analysis

1. In comparison with the previous year, there is a considerable and disappointing drop off in the favorable response majorities in Q17-Peer networking, Q18-Discussion of real-life problems, Q19-Positive take-aways from sessions, Q22-Comfortable and open forum, and Q23-Participation from all attendees.

2. Large size issues with the N.W. Roundtable

3. Location issues for some people

Recommendations

1. The Board should consider adding several additional Breakfast Roundtables around the greater Portland area. Recommended additional locations are Downtown, East side, and Lake Oswego (Kruse Way.) REPEAT

2. Board should consider adding Roundtables at different times of the day throughout the Portland area. A brown bag P.M. lunch & learn at noon at a downtown location or Lake Oswego is recommended as a starter. Consideration of after work/before going home venues is further recommended. REPEAT

3. Recommend the Board continuously promote and advertise the benefits of the Breakfast Roundtables, pointing out what occurs, their value, and why one should attend. REPEAT

4. Recommend the Board create a small committee to investigate the reasons for the considerable drop off in satisfaction levels (in Questions 17, 18,19, 21,22, and 23) regarding the Breakfast Roundtables. Identify corrective actions and implement same.

Section 4 PMI-Portland Chapter Pre-Dinner Educational Sessions

Analysis

1. The responses to the three questions in this section were very close to those received last year.

2. A great majority (~74%) of members agree that the pre-dinner educational session presenters are experienced, knowledgeable and accomplished presenters; and a vast majority (84%) consider these sessions to be important or higher.

3. An increasing majority of over 72% of the members agree that an outstanding variety of meaningful project management educational topics are presented.

4. Some members noted that some presentations were not much more than a sales pitch for the product or service being presented. REPEAT

5. Several concurrent learning sessions in separate rooms could accommodate the experienced PMs as well as the less experience, new members. REPEAT

Recommendations

1. Recommend the Board consider establishing two tracks for pre-dinner educational sessions; one for new member/new project manager (P.M. basics/tools) and one track for the more experienced P.M. (Advanced P.M. concepts.) REPEAT

2. Recommend that the Board consider a 5:00 p.m. start time for the pre-dinner educational sessions, allowing them to run for one hour; overlapping by a half hour into the Networking hour. (Those attending the pre-meeting sessions would then have only a half hour of networking prior to dinner.) REPEAT

3. Recommend that the Board ensure that educational presentation material is posted on the chapter web site for use by the chapter members.

4. Suggest an annual theme for the pre-dinner educational sessions be adopted and followed.

5. Recommend the Board consider an additional noontime (one-hour) educational presentation on a monthly basis at a downtown location.

Section 5 PMI-Portland Chapter Monthly Dinner Programs

Analysis

1. The vast majority of the membership considers the dinner meetings important, that the meeting location and facility, and program and program speakers meet their needs.

2. Several of the comments submitted complained about the location.

3. There was a seven point drop from previous year in regard to the Doubletree facility meeting the membership needs.

4. There was a seven point improvement from previous year regarding the usefulness of the dinner presentations in member’s PM line of work.

5. There was a nine point drop from previous year regarding opportunity for networking at dinner meetings. One comment was that it is too “freeform” for job seekers.

Recommendations

1. Recommend the Board consider conducting several dinner meetings a year in various other locations around the greater Portland area. REPEAT

2. Recommend the Board consider reducing the dinner meeting networking time to one-half hour. REPEAT

3. Recommend that the selection of presentation topics be very closely related to project management. Further recommend that the dinner meeting presenters be briefed to make a strong link between their topic/presentation and project management.

4. Recommend continuing with the “Job Seekers/Hiring” table at the dinner meeting and promote/advertise same. This permits interested parties to exchange information in person.

5. Recommend that the Board maintain official greeters to roam the room at dinner meetings to ensure a friendly warm environment, especially for the newcomers. REPEAT.

6. Recommend team with the Program Management Forum (PMF) to obtain high caliber speakers.

Section 6 PMI-Portland Chapter Workshops

Analysis

1. Over 90 % of the respondees (that attended workshops) consider the workshops to be important, very important or extremely important. This is an overwhelming majority.

2. Only a small majority (53.5%), and a drop of 12 points from previous year, think that the workshops are well advertised and promoted.

3. A less than majority (46.6%) agrees or strongly agrees that the workshops content is thoroughly explained prior to the event.

4. High costs appear to be a non-incentive for participation

5. Attending workshops during the week is a problem for some members.

6. Number of workshops in 2005-06 appears to be appropriate.

Recommendations

1. Recommend the Board reinstate the quantity and quality of workshops presented in the 2005-06 year. Year 2006-07 saw a drop off in numbers, promotion and advertising

2. Recommend the Board consider scheduling several workshops on the weekend. REPEAT

3. Recommend the Board consider reducing workshop registration costs, perhaps planning on no profit, a break-even approach. REPEAT

4. Recommend hold workshops in widely diverse areas of greater Portland. REPEAT

5. Recommend that the workshop content be varied to address the diverse beginner, intermediate, and the advanced project manager needs and requirements. REPEAT

6. Recommend that the Board ensure that the workshop content is thoroughly explained well prior to the event, detailing the P.M. experience level. Further, costs should be noted in the early marketing of the event. REPEAT See 1. above.

Section 7 PMI-Portland Chapter PMP Certification Prep Course

Analysis

1. Vast majority (of those attending the course) consider the PMP Prep Course important or higher..

2. Only 55% concurs that the existing class format and structure (one 3-hour night class per week) works for them. This is a drop of 16 points from previous year.

3. Only 51% agrees or strongly agrees that the course helped them prepare to take the test for PMP certification. This is a drop of 10 points from previous year.

4. Only 52% concur that the syllabus and course content is professionally relevant and meaningful. This is a drop of 13 points from previous year.

5. Only 52% concur that the course helped them prepare to take the PMP certification exam. This is a drop of 7 points from previous year.

6. Complaints from comments included:

a. Lack of standardization or organized as a single reference

b. Speakers are not current (e.g., this author took the exam 13 years ago)

7. It is assumed that more succinct comments and meaningful constructive feedback can be found in the evaluation forms from the individual class sessions.

Recommendations

1. Recommend continue to conduct two PMP Courses during the year. REPEAT

2. Recommend continued effort to standardize the overall presentation material and bring cohesion to the various modules.

3. Recommend PMP Course administrators find more current instructors.

4. Recommend PMP Course administrators brainstorm reasons for considerable drop off in satisfaction levels regarding Q47, 48, and 49.

Section 8 Networking

Analysis

1. An overwhelming majority of respondees feel that Networking is a vital service offered by The PMI Portland Chapter.

2. A vast majority of respondees feel that the existing Networking opportunities provided by the various chapter venues are reasonable and adequate.

3. Pertinent comments included;

a. Reducing networking time to 30 minutes

b. Utilize mixer activities; more variety in networking opportunities, more ways to network

Recommendations

1. Recommend the Board consider reducing the dinner meeting networking time from one hour to 30 minutes. REPEAT

2. Recommend the Board consider (particularly if 1 above is implemented) several one hour dinner meeting structured networking sessions where “birds of a feather” may migrate and network together. [Break room or rooms and table seating into various industry/interest/SIG segments (including a new member area) with signage and directions.] REPEAT

3. Recommend the Board officers enhance the networking experience of the membership by serving as greeters, introducers, and moving around constantly during the networking time. See Dinner Meeting recommendations. REPEAT

4. Recommend the red, blue, green dot (on nametag) approach. See Benchmarking results, analysis ands recommendations from January 2007

Section 9 PMI-Portland Outreach Programs

Analysis

1. A majority (64.4%, down 7 points from previous year) of respondees agrees or strongly agrees that outreach to the community, and to chapter members (potential, present and past) is an important and practical activity of the Chapter.

2. A great majority (76%) of respondees agrees or strongly agrees that a P.M. mentoring program is an important chapter function.

3. Mentoring (to PMI-Portland Chapter members) has been talked about for years, but little has been accomplished.

Recommendations

1. Recommend the Board pursue a vigorous Outreach Program with greater Portland area businesses, community enterprises and education/training organizations. REPEAT

2. Recommend that the Board establish and maintain a viable Project Management Mentoring Program. REPEAT

Section 10 Professional Development Units (PDUs)

Analysis

1. An increased majority (67%, up by 6 points) of respondees feel that the Chapter provides sufficient quantity and variety of settings to earn PDUs.

2. An increased majority (59.6%, up by 10 points) of the respondees feel that the Chapter provides sufficient guidance and information regarding the earning and posting of PDUs.

Many of the comments indicate that the Chapter is weak in advertising opportunities for earning PDU’s. This area of chapter services needs “beefed up.” REPEAT

3. There is definitely a need for “hand holding” our chapter members in helping them with PDU knowledge, and logging.

Recommendations

4. Recommend the Board establish a committee whose task it is to generate local processes to enhance the Chapter PMP members’ capability and capacity to earn and log PDUs. REPEAT

5. Suggest continued advertising and marketing the various PDU earning processes. REPEAT

6. Suggest establishing internal Chapter processes to ease the burden of PMPs logging their earned PDU’s. REPEAT

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download