Chapter Meeting

Brian Nathanson, PMP

Topic: Embracing Risk

When: May 12, 2005
5:00-7:15 p.m.
Where: Summit Lake Winery
Capitol View Room (upstairs meeting room)
1707 South Summit Drive
Holts Summit, MO 65043-2100
(573) 896-9966
Directions to Summit Lake Winery
Cost: Cost is $16.00.

Please RSVP to pmivpfinance@pmimidmo.org. Anyone with special dietary needs may call Karen Alexander at 573-635-9979 or send an e-mail to pmivpprograms@pmimidmo.org.
Menu: Pork Tenderloin
Chicken Wings w/Raspberry Sauce
Stuffed Mushrooms
Fresh Fruit
Curry Almond Spread
Mini Cheesecakes
Agenda:
5:00 Social
6:00 Program
7:00 Business Meeting
7:15 Adjourn

About the Program:

Embracing Risk

"Risk" is a hot topic in management today. Conversations among managers abound regarding "too much risk," "avoiding risk," "what are the risks?," etc. Conventional wisdom holds that: "risk" = "unpredictability," and that "high risk = bad, while low risk = good." The truth, however, is that risk is an obvious natural result of attempting to do something new. Since all projects are unique undertakings by definition, they unavoidably possess some level of risk.

This program will engage participants in a discussion about risk and promote the perspective that risk, in and of itself, is not a negative thing. It is how we respond to risk that can be positive or negative. As part of the discussion, the topics to be covered include:

  • What is risk?
  • What is risk tolerance?
  • Why is knowing your own risk tolerance and that of others extremely important?
  • What are the different types of risk?
  • What is the prescribed method for managing risks?
    • Planning
    • Identification
    • Decomposition (Risk Breakdown Structure)
    • Qualification
    • Quantification
    • Response Planning
    An integral part of the program will be the use of personal anecdotes and case studies to illustrate the concepts discussed.

    Speaker Biography

    Brian Nathanson, PMP

    Brian Nathanson, PMP, is an Associate Principal in the Reston, VA corporate headquarters of Tier Technologies, a leading provider of transaction processing and systems integration services for public sector clients. He has 5+ years experience in software development and implementation, including 3 years of project management experience for enterprise-scale web-based systems. Prior to joining Tier, Mr. Nathanson learned project management fundamentals while working for KPMG Consulting (now BearingPoint), one of the original Big 4/5 consulting firms. He has presented courses on Project Management Fundamentals at the Government Technology Conferences and also teaches internal PMP preparation courses at Tier (with a 100% pass rate for his students taking the examination). Mr. Nathanson has a BBA in Information Systems & Human Resources from George Washington University and is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management.