At the PMCamp Barcelona

On October 6–7, 2017, I had the opportunity to attend the second PMCamp in Barcelona. PMCamps are unconferences focused on project management. For me, these are exactly the kind of events where project managers can talk openly and practically about real-world successes – and failures – far from academic theories. I'm a huge fan of the PMCamp in Munich, but couldn’t attend this year due to time constraints. So I looked for an alternative and chose Barcelona.

There were significantly fewer web project managers in attendance compared to Munich – but that can be a real advantage if you’re open to insights from other industries. While I didn’t come away with many direct applications for my daily life as a project manager at a digital agency, the sessions, one-on-one conversations, and perspectives from other countries and sectors really gave me food for thought – and that, in my opinion, is exactly the goal of a PMCamp.

I found the following statements/topics particularly inspiring:

• https://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2016/sep/19/alistair-brownlee-gives-chance-win-helps-brother-jonny-video shows a runner at the end of his strength. His brother catches up, supports him, and even pushes him across the finish line before following himself. That’s project work in a nutshell. It’s not about individual wins, but about reaching success together. Sometimes, that means putting your own interests aside and lifting others up.
• I attended a session on “Mindfulness” – a topic that’s been with me for years in my personal life. Mindfulness is about being present and focused – and that’s hugely valuable in daily project work. I’ve also noticed that practicing mindfulness helps me stay calmer, which is a big asset in high-pressure environments.
• Another session shared practical tips for giving successful talks and presentations – something that’s part of my everyday work. Super helpful!

• A session on "Homeless Entrepereneur" presented the concept of an organization in Barcelona that promotes homeless people as founders http://www.homelessentrepreneur.org/index.php/en/. The key message for me was that the main difficulty is working with people who have no knowledge of project management. Project management is much more than a bit of planning, a bit of organizing, talking to people and everything else you can do "on the side". The interrelationships are so complex that I have regained more understanding for my everyday life when I have to deal with people whose main task is not project management!
• In another session, role plays were used to practise how to give feedback so that the person feels motivated and it is not perceived as negative criticism. This may sound simple, but in the exercise it was not. We practiced in groups of 3. One person observed the conversation very closely, gave feedback and analyzed the observations. A session from which I can take the most for my everyday life! Because giving feedback of any kind basically fills my whole day.

After the event, there was still time to discover Barcelona and do some sightseeing – and to wear flip-flops outside for the last time this year.