CHAPTER MEETING & GUEST SPEAKER
"Research Reflections of a Modified e-Delphi of Project Scope Creep in the Engineering Construction Industry"
March 7, 2023

Your PMI-CRB Chapter Board is pleased to continue its efforts for the 2023 Program Year to enhance and provide value to the membership by offering Monthly Chapter Meetings. 

Please join the PMI-CRB Chapter for our On-Site or Hybrid (Virtual) on March 7th, 2023. 

Note - We have limited Virtual seats, (100) and limited On-Site seats (100 seats - first come, first serve) available at CG & Public House.

Please select the appropriate ticket type (Virtual or On-Site) when you are registering:

• • If you choose the virtual option, you will receive link instructions on March 6th, 2023 after 6pm. 
    • Important! - the Zoom meeting starts at 06:30 PM
  • If you select the On-Site option, please come to CG & Public House Event Center Meeting Room at 05:30 PM for Networking. Dinner service starts at 06:00 PM. Dinner is included within the registration fee.
    
    • Buffet style dinner includes: Chicken Parmesan with Marinara Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese, Spaghetti Noodles, Rosemary Yukon Potatoes, Grilled Vegetables, Green Salad, Garlic Bread, Dessert. For Gluten free or Vegetarian Entrees, during registration choose the option "Yes, I am requesting a Gluten free or Vegetarian Entree" or email [email protected] by 3/3/2023.

CHAPTER MEETING & PRESENTATION

05:30 PM - Arrive at CG & Public House Event Center Meeting Room for On-Site Meeting 
05:30 PM - 06:00 PM - Networking
06:00 PM - 06:30 PM - Dinner & Networking
06:30 PM - On-Site/Virtual/Zoom Meeting/Presentations Start
06:30 PM - 07:30 PM. - "Research Reflections of a Modified e-Delphi of Project Scope Creep in the Engineering Construction Industry“ by Melissa “Mel” Slater, Ph.D.

   Melissa “Mel” Slater, Ph.D.

Dr. Slater was recently conferred as a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration Specializing in Project Management from Northcentral University in San Diego, California. Her research topic was entitled, A Modified e-Delphi of Project Scope Creep in the Engineering Construction Industry. Having over 30 years of project work experience in the Engineering Construction industry, with more than 20 years of project management and leadership positions; she worked her way up the ranks from a 19-year-old, board drafting intern. Leading design teams, junior staff, and managing multi-million-dollar programs of multiple-projects, with AIA, BOA and IDIQ contract performance and management has given her broad experiences. She is most comfortable within a team atmosphere that fosters coordination, communication, and synergy in problem solving. 

Working globally with people of different countries has opened her mind to how different cultures approach business. With a proven track record of successfully delivered, highly technical Commercial, Heavy and Light Industrial, Pharma-Biological, Petro-Chemical, and Federal projects; she has made many global contributions. She is presently in her fourth year of teaching as an Assistant Professor of Project Management at Columbia Basin College (CBC) in Pasco, Washington. Dr. Slater moved to the Tri-Cities from Charleston, South Carolina in 2010 to take a job at a local firm and quickly realized that she hit a glass ceiling professionally. She went back to college in her early 40’s to the CBC’s second cohort for the Bachelor of Applied Science in Project Management. 

She was an honor student, and a grant recipient from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) program that helped many local students to pursue a career in project management. This program was designed originally to help strengthen the bench for the Hanford site. She was selected out of her peer group to speak on behalf of the CBC program at a DOE press conference and interviewed with local television news and Tri-City Herald as a DOE Grant success story. From there, a month after she graduated from CBC, she pursued and completed a Master of Science in Project Management from City University of Seattle, Washington. She was selected from her peer group by the Program Director of the City U program and interviewed for the Seattle Times as “On The Rise in Project Management”. Dr. Slater poignantly selected academic programs that are accredited by the Project Management Institutes’ Global Accreditation Center (GAC). 

Her belief in Project Management Institute as an industry leader of project management education was what led her decision making. Her passion for the discipline, and elevating her colleagues and students are obvious to anyone that has the opportunity to meet her. With the teamwork of the faculty of the Project Management Program at Columbia Basin College, they have grown the program into a national program with students across the United States. This local program is ranked 4^th in the nation for project management education and is the first college in the country to have the “trifecta” of PMI GAC accreditations – having the 1-Year Certificate, 2-Year Associates of Applied Science, and 4-Year Bachelor of Applied Science all PMI accredited. This year, Dr. Slater was announced as the President of Project Management Research for the Institute for Neuro and Behavioral Project Management by CEO Dr. Joshua Ramirez. She sees herself as a motivator, and a research driver for the future of project management. She espouses curiosity in combination with perseverance.

Her favorite quote is: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.  – Napoleon Hill 

A Modified e-Delphi of Project Scope Creep in the Engineering Construction Industry

The purpose of this Modified e-Delphi study was to examine and explain how project managers in the EC industry in the U.S. currently manage project scope, identify contributing factors of scope creep, and find strategies to reduce occurrences of scope creep in EC future projects. Despite existing project management standards, tools, and best practices, 25% of Engineering Construction projects in the United States of America experienced growth beyond original planned scope by 30%. A total of 18 subject matter experts were recruited through a combination of purposive selection and snowball sampling. The conceptual framework was related to the control scope process in conjunction with theoretical framework of the theory of the temporary organization within the structure of the project life cycle. 

The methodology for this Modified e-Delphi had three rounds of data collection and analysis. The results based upon three research questions included the top ranked actions, tools, and strategies selected by the subject matter experts. The findings of this study helped to ascertain not only the importance of using a control scope process. It was found equally important for project managers to understand how to identify the triggers of scope creep to successfully apply the strategies, processes, and tools of project management. Additionally, a logic tie between project scope and project scope creep in the engineering construction industry and the theory of the temporary organization was found.

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MEETING TYPE - Hybrid (Virtual) & On-Site Meeting 
ON-SITE VENUE - CG & Public House Event Center Meeting Room, 9221 W Clearwater Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336
DINNER MENU - Buffet style dinner. Dinner is included within the registration ticket and fee. 
NO HOST BAR - As always, a No Host Bar will be available during the Networking.
REGISTRATION - Required no later than Monday, 3/6/2023 at 5:30pm immediately preceding the Tuesday meeting. 
EARN PDU - Earn 1 PDU under the "Business Acumen" category by attending this organization meeting.
CANCELLATIONS - please check our Cancelations & Refunds policy. 

We Hope You Can Join Us For Our Event!