PMIWDC

Carlos Rojas is executive director of information technology for Cascades Technologies, Inc. (CTi). As a certified Project Manager Professional, Mr. Rojas has fourteen years of extensive experience and success managing information technology projects. His responsibilities include directing long-term IT solutions, policies and procedures in support of CTi clients.

Recently appointed to manage and orchestrate the Business Transformation Group, Mr. Rojas spearheads CTi’s newest line of business. The group evaluates the operational uses of Information Technology and identifies the general and specific areas where state-of-the-art technology will enhance an organization’s operation.

He is also responsible for NextGenPMO implementations using methodologies (CMMi), best practices (PMi & ITIL) and other tools (Microsoft Project Server and SharePoint). This NextGenPMO Portal solution is used internally at CTi and has been utilized by customers such as DOL (Software as a Service - SaaS) and CSC for the modernization of the NC State Medicaid Management Information System.

A native of Colombia, Mr. Rojas holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from San Buenaventura University and a Masters Degree in Information Systems from George Mason University. He was also nominated Employee of the Year in 2005 by the Dulles Chamber of Commerce.

Previously, Mr. Rojas managed the process improvement group, enabling CTi to achieve the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 2 rating. He also implemented CTi’s dashboard to track schedule, cost and performance according to EVM.

Next Gen Tools for Project Managers
As the number of projects grow within an organization, so does the risk of failure as resources get stretched and oversight lags. It becomes increasingly important to define project management processes and develop metrics and best practices for keeping the projects on time and within budget. Common problems affecting project performance include:

• Projects lack of clearly defined processes;
• Ad Hoc is the norm and there isn’t a clearly defined methodology, process or procedure;
• Lack of tools and resources to effectively manage, communicate, collaborate, and share information.

For many companies these problems are successfully addressed by bringing subject matter experts and automation tools to support the processes and the methodologies in use. By doing so, organizations will not only mitigate some of the project related problems but will:

• Provide Project Managers with:
  • Data Management capabilities
  • Centralized views for team members and project managers
  • Project dashboard and metrics
  • Project Workspaces for team collaboration
  • Consolidated Reporting
• Support methodologies (PMI and CMMi) in areas such as:
  • Project Planning
  • Measurements & Analysis
  • Requirements Management
  • Risk Management
  • Monitoring & Controlling
• Manage more efficiently the limited resource pool
• Expedite consolidated status reporting
• Accelerate the decision making process in relation to standards, resources, and priorities.

After this presentation, you will know about some of the Next Generation tools that will help address the items above. You will know the benefits of working with Microsoft Project Server, SharePoint Services, and other automation tools to reduce cost, improve productivity, and meet compliance guidelines for the projects you are responsible for. You will be equipped with enough information to make any changes and/or recommendations to ensure the organizations’ success and yours at the same time.

1. Some visitor parking is usually available in the front, but additional parking is available behind the building.
2. Enter through the main front entrance and tell the receptionist that you are going to the PMI meeting in the auditorium, and you will be directed where to go.