Calendar

PMI/CVC and INCOSE/CVC

are pleased to announce a live joint Fredericksburg dinner meeting, Oct 13, 2021

Topic: “The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962; In Extremis Project Management”

Abstract: At the height of the Cold War, the United States, under the leadership of a youthful and, some would argue, unproven president Kennedy faced off with the USSR, led by the cantankerous Premier Khrushchev.  In the balance was the fate of the entire world. The tumultuous and now famous thirteen days that precipitated the negotiated peaceful resolution have been viewed and reviewed through thousands of interviews, hundreds of books and dozens of TV shows and movies; yet the ordeal has never been analyzed through the lens of project management and project leadership. 

Clearly, these events predate the development of the formal discipline of project management – or at least project management as we know it today. However, in hindsight, nearly the entire concept of the operation; from the composition and the conduct of the crisis management team to the documentation required, to the timeline covered and the approach to solving the problem, were what we would now include as key tenets of the practice of project management.

In just the last few years, more and more information has been declassified and documented, offering even greater proof of the incomparable danger we faced during the fall of 1962. It was a crisis like no other with the stakes at the highest level yet known to the human race. And so, it was a project like no other. The price for failure was almost certain death for millions in the US and the USSR and a world on the brink of total destruction.

This was indeed a project that was initiated under duress. It was a project that no one wanted to maneuver through but there it was – an in extremis project; a crisis project that had to be led, managed and concluded to meet very strict parameters because there were no other acceptable alternatives. This project was overseen by a sponsor, led by a project manager and impacted millions of stakeholders and their children, and their children’s children – and you are one of them.

Speaker: Mr. David Maurer, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (retired)

Dave Maurer brings a wealth of experience as both a career military officer, senior leader within the private sector and a project manager.  His corporate leadership pedigree includes service as Executive Vice President and Director for several firms in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. As a contractor for the Department of Labor and the PM, he oversaw the global delivery of more than 47,000 multi-day employment workshops to over 1.3 million service members and spouses over a 7-year period. He has also served as the program manager for several other training and support initiatives focused on members of the armed services, veterans, and their families, including understanding their VA benefits and TRICARE accessibility. He is the author or co-author of several books on leadership and project management and is a member of the National Speakers Association.

Schedule:        5:30-6:15 PM              Registration and networking

                        6:15-8:00 PM              Dinner and presentation

PDUs: This event qualifies for 1.5 PDUs in Technical Project Management

Dinner: Attendees will be responsible for their own meals, cost will average $15-$25.  Bar drinks will be available for purchase.

Location: Park Lane Tavern, Spotsylvania Towne Center, 1 Towne Center Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA 22407, (540) 548-0550, in the back of the main mall.

Registration: Please register by Oct 6 at www.pmicvc.org.  On the website, under the communities tab, select Fredericksburg, and then upcoming events, then register.  We would like to give the restaurant a head count so they can properly prepare.

 Questions: Dr. Gregory Chambers, Fredericksburg Dir., gchambers426@msn.com.  (540) 287-1191 mobile.

CDC Guidelines will be followed.

Registration: Please register by October 6, 2021.