The ‘Aha’ Moment: PM Influencer Series

In our series, The Aha Moment, we chat with influencers in the PM & PPM space and get to know them better. We ask a bunch of questions, some biz related and some not so biz related, in order to understand what makes them tick and find their aha moment.

This month’s feature is Agile expert and author of ‘Agile Beyond IT’, Adrian Pyne. Read on to find out how he overcomes his biggest professional challenges PM career ladder, the origins of his name, and the first guest he’d love to host on his fictional late night talkshow….

Professional Stuff…

Q. What is your job title and in which industry are you working in?

A. Director, working in Management Consulting

Q. What is something unique that most people do not know about you?

A. I was named after the Roman Emperor Hadrian

Q. What led you to this career?

A. Accident and opportunity

Q. What is the biggest challenge in your profession? How do you overcome it?

A. Organisation cultures toxic to projects. To be overcome by changing to cultures supportive of projects, e.g. by having a Chief Projects Officer on the Board.

Q. Why should every organization have a PMO?

A. Not every organization needs one. IF an organization has a significant investment in project based activity, there needs to be fit for purpose governance. An enterprise PMO is the best proven vehicle for this.

Q. What’s the most difficult thing about managing stakeholder expectations?

A. Understanding stakeholders

Q. What advice would you give to up-and-coming professionals like yourself?

A. Use this ‘equation’ to build their capability: Capability = Talent + Knowledge + Experience + Judgement

Now for the Fun Stuff…

Q. If you were the host of a late night talk show, who would you invite as your first guest?

A. The Roman emperor Hadrian

Q. What fictional place would you most like to live in?

A. Falco’s Rome (Lindsey Davis)

Q. If you had an unlimited supply of one thing what would it be?

A. 18 year old single malt scotch

Q. What three items would you choose if stranded on a desert island?

A. Bowie knife, magnifying glass, moisturiser

Q. Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

A. Nicholas Hoult probably

If you want to connect with Adrian, look him up on LinkedIn. Thank you Adrian for hanging out with us and answering our questions!