What’s a typical day in your
current role?
Are you kidding? There’s no typical day.
I’m constantly communicating and
maintaining relationships from when I
wake up to when I go to sleep.
What’s a favorite project you’ve
worked on?
Integrating services among three international delivery centers. It’s complex
and challenging, but working with different cultures is very interesting.
What is a must-have skill for
project managers?
The ability to completely understand
the situation and communicate it at
any level.
What’s something most people
don’t know about project
management?
Although project managers are
thought of as technical specialists, our role is more
about people skills.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Paolo Birsa, PMP
Location: Mogliano Veneto, Italy
Title: Senior project manager
Organization: IBM
Sector: IT
PH
OT
O
BY
M
AT
TIA
B
AL
SA
MI
NI
Although project
managers are thought of
as technical specialists,
our role is more about
people skills.
n Know anyone who should be featured on this page?
Email pmnetwork@imaginepub.com.
What’s your project
management mantra?
Always remember the “human side”
of projects as a driver of success.
What’s the best part of your job?
The moment I realize my team and
customers are happy and on the
same wavelength.
What made you want to volun-
teer as a PMI chapter director?
I first went to chapter meetings to
enhance my skills, but I was hooked
by the family-like atmosphere.
What’s the best book you’ve read
recently?
The Design of Everyday Things by
Donald A. Norman. It’s an ingenious
guide to smart product design that
shares many principles with agile.
If you could give
someone an honorary
PMI credential, whom
would it be?
Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction—cold,
fast and effective. For him, a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®
certification ad honorem!
