Cutting Through the Chaos

Our superhero PMP guest today is Sree Karanakarun! Born and raised in India, Sree earned a degree in engineering and began her career as a mainframe IT developer. She quickly advanced through roles as a Business Analyst, Project Coordinator, and Project Manager, spending over 20 years in healthcare project and program management. Then, she made a bold career pivot—leaving healthcare to become a Senior IT Project Manager for Douglas County, Colorado, managing projects in the community government sector. In this episode, Mathew and I will dive into what it’s like to switch industries completely and explore her superpower: cutting through chaos as a project manager. 🚀 2:00 – Introduction to Sree Sree shares her journey in IT, healthcare, and government project management. 4:00 – Walking in the Shoes of the Team Her rise through roles—Business Analyst, Tester & QA, Developer, Architect, and Project/Program Manager. 5:00 – Speaking "Developer" as a PM Understanding terminology, methodologies, workflows, and processes to bridge teams effectively. 6:00 – Seeing Through the Chaos Using experience to close the gap between business and technology. 7:00 – Solving Puzzles Balancing tools, technology, and teams. How PMs build trust and highlight contributors. 10:00 – Representing vs. Doing the Work A PM’s role in ensuring work is accurately represented. 11:30 – Healthcare Project Management is Like an Ocean Managing large-scale projects with a broad perspective. 12:18 – Staying High-Level Focusing on the big picture without getting lost in details. 13:12 – Industry Terminology Matters Each project is a stepping stone; knowing sector-specific terms is key. 15:48 – The Significance of Healthcare Projects Critical, mission-driven work with lasting impact. 16:30 – Healthcare Project Types A look at the projects shaping the industry. 19:25 – Shifting to Community & Government Projects Exploring public sector work and its effect on daily life. 21:00 – A Universal PM Language PMs share common processes and challenges across industries. 22:40 – Emotional Intelligence in PM A crucial skill for managing teams and stakeholders. 25:00 – Strategic Thinking & Seeing Through Chaos Lessons from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 27:00 – Understanding People in Projects Navigating stakeholders, leadership, and team dynamics. 27:30 – PM Appreciation Every Day Recognizing project managers' contributions. 28:56 – Group Projects & Collaboration Why teamwork is central to success. 31:00 – PMI Mile Hi Chapter Discussing PMI’s role in the PM community. LINKS: PMI-Mile Hi Chapter: https://www.pmi.org/membership/chapters/north-america/united-states/colorado/mile-hi-chapter PMI.org Chapter Listings: https://www.pmi.org/membership/chapters Project Insight Website: projectinsight.com Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS