Speaking at PMI-OC’s 25th Anniversary Event – June 7, 2014 – The Hero’s Journey
I’m very honored to be a speaker at the PMI Orange County Chapter’s 25th Anniversary event:
My topic will be “The Hero’s Journey: An immodest proposal for a radically new project management framework epistemology” which I presented at the PMI-LA dinner meeting on May 8, 2014. Below are details from the PMI-OC page:
Track 2 – Future PM Focus
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Room: Tuscany A
Don Kim
“The Hero’s Journey: An immodest proposal for a radically new project management framework epistemology”
Presentation Abstract
“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.” – David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748)
Many of the methods, tools and techniques outlined in such frameworks as the PMBOK, Agile, Prince2, EVM, etc., do an adequate job of outlining the processes to capture such evidentiary information that have become industry standards. The inevitable problem arise when attempting to follow such prescriptions because the “real world” is complex, uncertain and in many ways, irrational but these simplified models presume a simple, certain and rational world.This speaker will make the bold, audacious and immodest proposal that the current frameworks or paradigms only represent at most, 5% of the actual human cognitive processes and accounts for the rampant failure of the current PM dogmas. What the speaker will attempt to do is to discuss a new epistemological (theory of knowledge) PM framework that accounts for the remaining 95% of human cognition that propels us to know, act and make decisions. Come to this event to learn how fields in behavioral economics, complexity theory, software and architectural patterns, as well as Jungian psychology pave the way for a brand new PM framework epistemology!
About the Speaker
I live the very life of constant career transitions as I was a one-time aspiring PhD student in philosophy who became disillusioned with the whole tenure process and decided to do something else. I somehow became an owner of several franchise businesses (which included an Arco AM/PM gas station, mail and shipping center, etc.) while also teaching myself to program software during my free time and selling it on the side. I found a way to leverage these skills to transition back into the workforce initially as a software developer. This included a short stint in a start-up cutting code for an artificial intelligence call center system, to working for a boutique consulting company developing web applications for Fortune 100 companies.
A major shift in my career occurred, when I discovered the field of project management that seemed to integrate and reconcile technical knowledge, emotional intelligence and business management skills into a perfect marriage. I have never looked back. In about the last decade, I have been involved in the field of project management initially as corporate employee and now as an independent consultant, trainer, coach, educator and writer which includes being an instructor at four universities and colleges, writer for several industry publications and event speaker. I am the founder and owner of one of the world’s most popular PM portal website at www.projectation.com.
