Author: John Riopel

John Riopel, MCP, MCTS, PMP has over 25 years of experience as a Program/Project Manager in government service and commercial industries.  His technical background in Microsoft Project spans the entire evolution of the Microsoft Project toolset, with a deep understanding of how to apply these technology constructs and concepts to real-world project management challenges.He is President and CEO of PM Providers, a full-service project management consulting firm dedicated to delivering business results with project management solutions.

Webinar: ProjectTalk – Project Team Insight – Using Project Sites and Templates

  Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: Any project’s biggest asset is usually it’s project team. Yet we often find it hard to fully engage and leverage the experience, knowledge, and expertise of our most important resource! In this edition of ProjectTalk find out how to capitalize on the power of SharePoint and PWA by turning your Project Site into insight! We’ll take a look at the various ways you can customize your Project Site to collect and manage important project details and get your team working on the same page for an exponential boost in team communications, productivity and business value! And we’ll take a look at using the power of templates to repeat your success! Join us for another edition of ProjectTalk with PM Providers’ Matt Davis and John Riopel on the MPUG Web-Radio Network! About ProjectTalk: ProjectTalk is the live interactive web-radio show featuring real-time demonstrations of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. If you’d like to participate in the show, ask a question or offer a comment simply type it into the Q&A Tool, then raise your hand using the ‘raise your hand’ tool, and we’ll un-mute your mic so you can join the conversation! Just like talk radio! And anyone who participates live on the show will receive a stylish MPUG T-Shirt or other great prize! Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: The Sneak Peak and the Art of Tracking

  Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: In this session we will discuss Assignments and Tracking in Microsoft Project. Please join us to find out the details behind these two elusive topics within Microsoft Project. Where are they hiding and how to make them work for you! Sneak Peak (Pun) in Project 1. Definition of Assignment Units and Peak Units 2. What views in MS Project support seeing the Assignment Units and Peak Units values 3. What happens when you assign and change assignments, duration or work values The Art of Tracking 1. Learn about Microsoft Project Baselines 2. Entering Actuals into Microsoft Project (Methods and Locations) 3. Comparing Actuals to Baseline Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this event, attendees will be able to explain the differences between Assignment and Peak Units and they will be able to explaing how to enter progress into Microsoft Project. About the Presenters: John Riopel has over 25 years of experience as a Program/Project Manager in government service and commercial industries implementing and managing internal, civil, commercial, and government projects. John’s technical background in Microsoft Project spans the entire evolution of the Microsoft Project toolset, with a deep understanding of how to apply these technology constructs and concepts to real-world project management challenges. John is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP)® by the Project Management Institute (PMI)®, a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Enterprise Project Management Technologies, a Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS), and serves on the Board of Directors for the Microsoft Project Users Group (MPUG) Boston Chapter. Learn more about at www.pm-providers.com Bonnie Biafore is the author of twenty-six books including Project 2010: The Missing Manual, Successful Project Management (award-winner in the 2012 STC International Competition), QuickBooks 2013: The Missing Manual (now Intuit’s Official Guide to QuickBooks), Your Project Management Coach, and more. She has recorded Project 2010 Essentials, Project Management Fundamentals, and Managing Small Projects for Lynda.com. Her first novel, Fresh Squeezed, a comedic thriller with hit men and stupid criminals is now available in print and e-book. Learn more at www.bonniebiafore.com. Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: Project Talk – Formulas in Project and Project Server

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: You have decided to put calculations into Microsoft Project or Project Server? Sounds simple! So join us on Project Talk with your ideas and questions. Learn the steps needed to develop and display views that contain Formulas and Graphical Indicators from PM Providers’ John Riopel and Matt Davis! We’ll dig into Microsoft Project and Project Server to understand what options are available for building formulas and some of the application specific fields! Join us for another fun and informative edition of Project Talk on the MPUG Web-Radio Network! Project Talk is an interactive ‘radio show’ and web-session featuring real-time demonstrations and discussion of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. Just like talk radio! Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: Project Talk – Effective Program Management Techniques in Project Server

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Event Description: Whether or not you have the PgMP designation or other alphabet soup after your name, sooner or later you’ll probably need to direct, manage, or coordinate efforts across a collection of projects. Welcome to Program Management! But what’s different about managing Programs vs. Projects? And how can we leverage the capabilities for Project Web App to plan, execute, monitor and control multiple projects within the context of a Program? PWA has features and capabilities specifically geared to helping you to manage the complexities of Program schedules and related information, while streamlining team communications and driving accountability. Find out how to take advantage of PWA to drive your programs home in this edition of Project Talk! Project Talk is an interactive ‘radio show’ and web-session featuring real-time demonstrations and discussion of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. Just like talk radio! Project Talk is sponsored by PM Providers. Driving Results with Project Management Solutions. Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: Project Talk – Agile Projects with Project, Again

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Presenters: Matt Davis, John Riopel ‘Agile Projects with Project, Again. And Again!’ We’ve had lots of feedback and interest in approaches to using Microsoft Project to manage Agile project schedules. So the Project Talk guys will be taking on running Agile project schedules again! Check out our other recordings of Project Talk! Project Talk is an interactive ‘radio show’ and web-session with real-time demonstrations of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. Project Talk is sponsored by PM Providers. Driving Results with Project Management Solutions. Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: Project Talk – ‘Got Version Aversion? We’ve Got the Cure!’

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Technical Category of the Talent Triangle. Speakers: Matt Davis and John Riopel   Got Version Aversion? We’ve Got the Cure! With all the talk about Project 2013 some of you may feel a little left behind! Still on Project 2003? 2007? Just getting started with 2010? Maybe it’s time to take a step back and find out what all the fuss is about! The Project Talk guys will cut through the hype (as usual), and give you the real deal on the various versions of Microsoft Project. Cure your Version Aversion and find out what you’ve been missing! Join PM Providers’ Matt Davis and John Riopel for Project Talk! Project Talk is an interactive ‘radio show’ and web-session with real-time demonstrations of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. Project Talk is sponsored by PM Providers. Driving Results with Project Management Solutions. Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: Project Talk – “It’s Budget Time! What’s In Your Portfolio?” Getting started with Strategic Portfolio Management Part 2

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Strategic Category of the Talent Triangle. Presented by Matt Davis and John Riopel Project Talk is an interactive ‘radio show’ and web-session with real-time demonstrations of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. Project Talk is sponsored by PM Providers. Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]

Webinar: Project Talk – “It’s Budget Time! What’s In Your Portfolio?” Getting started with Strategic Portfolio Management

Project Management Institute (PMI)® Professional Development Units (PDUs): This Webinar is eligible for 1 PMI® PDU in the Strategic Category of the Talent Triangle. Presented by Matt Davis and John Riopel WebnLearn: Project Talk – The Live Web-Radio Talk Show from MPUG – – “It’s Budget Time! What’s In Your Portfolio?”  Getting started with Strategic Portfolio Management It’s time for the annual budgeting process for many of us.  And that can be one of the most mysterious processes known to mankind!  What goes on in this back-room meetings?  And how are next year’s projects really selected?  What’s the project list look like today?  Probably different than it did yesterday!  How can we, as project management professionals and PMO professionals, get this process under control? As usual, the ProjectTalk guys have some opinions on the subject, and some tips for how to get Strategic Portfolio Management started in your organization.  Join us as we explore the approach to Strategic Portfolio Management and how to start leveraging the functionality of Microsoft Project Server 2010 to get your project portfolio under control. Project Talk is an interactive ‘radio show’ and web-session with real-time demonstrations of common project management and scheduling issues and how to address them using Microsoft Project and other tools. Project Talk is sponsored by PM Providers.   Have you watched this webinar recording? Tell MPUG viewers what you think! [WPCR_INSERT]