AACE RMS March Meeting THURSDAY: Project Controls Challenges of the GMI Program on March 18th

Dear AACE RMS Members:

Please join us this Thursday, March 18th for a very interesting presentation from one of our own members on a fascinating project. See detailed project information below:

Project Controls Challenges of the Global Precipitation Measurement
Microwave Imager (GMI) Program

Presented by Tom Ziegler, PSP Ball Aerospace

The(GMI) program at Ball Aerospace is part of an international mission to measure tropical rainfall on our planet. In combination with NASA and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), the Ball GMI program will provide global coverage and temporal sampling to improve rainfall data and real-time precipitation monitoring. The GMI sensor will accomplish this by measuring the microwave energy, in several frequencies, given off by precipitation on earth then transfer the information to the ground. This will extend scientific and societal applications of existing, yet aging, precipitation monitoring satellites.

The topic of the presentation will be a program overview followed by a discussion of GMI scheduling methods/challenges, including metrics, supplier inputs, and Critical Path analysis.

Tom Ziegler - PSP is a Ball Aerospace Scheduler that, in addition to working on GMI, has participated on Earth's next Ozone sensor at Ball and has previously worked at Boeing - St. Louis on several Department of Defense programs.

You can register online on our website or email Terry Morrison directly.

Please RSVP by the 16th so we can get an accurate headcount.

A couple of other notes....

* I remind everyone who is an AACE member to PLEASE VOTE for our AACE International President, and board members. You all should have received an email this week with a link to the voting page from AACE headquarters. It is extremely important that we all have a voice in who we want running our organization. I did it, and it took me less than a minute to fill out the voting form!!!!! So please take the time to do this as well.

* Also, good luck to everyone taking the certification exam this weekend! I commend your dedication to this time intensive but crucial milestone in your professional development!!!

Highest Regards,

Anamaria Popescu

VP RMS

Meeting October 15th, 2009

Dear AACE Members and Future AACE Members:

Please join us for our upcoming AACE International meeting held on October 15th starting at 5:30 pm in the Denver Tech Center. The topic for this month is:

How Will AACE Help Improve Your Professional Equity?

Presented by Martin Darley CCC, AACE Region 5 Director

Encourage your fellow project management and controls professionals, including graduate students and co-workers at the beginning of their careers, to attend. It will be a very informative presentation, really exploring in depth the benefits of AACE to your professional career.

And if sharpening your professional skills and intellect is not motivation enough….what about free food?

THE FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO RSVP GET IN FREE!!!-
RSVP to: terrymorrison200@yahoo.com


When:
Thursday, October 15, 2009

Time:
5:30 – 6:00 Social and Networking

6:00 – 6:45 Dinner

6:45 – 7:00 Business Meeting
7:00 – 8:00 Speaker Presentation

Cost:

$20 RSVP
$25 Walk In at the Door

$10 Student and 1st Time Guest


Location:
Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center
10250 E. Costilla Ave., Centennial, CO

Additional meeting details are included in our section’s attached newsletter including membership registration forms and certification information. So please take time to review the newsletter and let us know how we could make it more beneficial for you.

We will also have a membership raffle, giving away one free membership to AACE International and the RMS.


I look forward to seeing everyone in October and in the following months. We have a great year planned out for all of you!

Many Regards,

Dr. Anamaria Popescu, P.E.
Vice President-Rocky Mountain Section of AACE International

Meeting - September 17th

Dear AACE Members and Future AACE Members:

Please join us for our upcoming AACE International meeting held on September 17th starting at 5:30 pm.

The topic for this month is:

Schedule Collaboration on the Mars Science Laboratory with Multi-Users and Tools

Presented by Thomas Barnhart and Julie Owen

Encourage your fellow project management and controls professionals, including graduate students and co-workers at the beginning of their careers, to attend. It will be a fascinating presentation with two outstanding speakers.

And if sharpening your professional skills and intellect is not motivation enough….what about free food?

THE FIRST 10 PEOPLE TO RSVP GET IN FREE!!!

When:
Thursday, September 17, 2009

Time:
5:30 – 6:00 Social and Networking

6:00 – 6:45 Dinner

6:45 – 7:00 Business Meeting
7:00 – 8:00 Speaker Presentation

Cost:

$25 Member/ Non-Member

$30 Member + 1st Time Guest

$10 Student

Location:
Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center
10250 E. Costilla Ave., Centennial, CO

Additional meeting details are included in our section’s attached newsletter.

http://www.aacerms.com/current/currentnewsletter.pdf

I look forward to seeing everyone in September and in the following months. We have a great year planned out for all of you!

Many Regards,

Dr. Anamaria Popescu, P.E.
Vice President-Rocky Mountain Section of AACE International

AACE Certification Exam Application Deadlines Have Changed

Since the actual exam dates have changed to 3 times during this upcoming year instead of the normal two. That means that the exam registration deadlines will be earlier than in past years. I would like to make sure anyone who visits our webpage will know when the next Exam Date here in the Rocky Mtn area will be scheduled.


AACE Certification Exam Application Deadlines Have Changed

Please note the AACE 4th Quarter Exam will be on November 7, 2009 (not in December as in years past). The deadline for early registration is August 25, 2009 and the regular deadline is September 8, 2009. Submit your application online at www.aacei.org/certification/ The Rocky Mtn Section will be hosting an exam on November 7, 2009, and any other national scheduled Exam Date.


Thanks,
Carole Venters, CCC

May Meeting: RTD West Corridor Construction

AACE Rocky Mountain Section May Meeting Notice
Location tour- Meet at the Park & Ride at Broadway & I 25 for tour by Bus
Location dinner- Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza, 550 S. Broadway, #C
DATE: Friday, May 15th

TOPIC – Annual Field Tour: RTD West Corridor Construction
West Corridor at a Glance

• The West Corridor light rail project is part of FasTracks – RTD’s voter-approved 12 year comprehensive plan to expand quality transit service in the Denver metro region.
• The West Corridor is a 12.1 mile light rail transit corridor extending from Denver Union Station to Jefferson County, through Denver, Lakewood and Golden.
• Community changes include tree removal, permanent street closures and permanent street widening.
• Twelve stations are proposed for the West Corridor, including Auraria West, Federal/Decatur, Knox, Perry, Sheridan, Lamar, Wadsworth, Garrison, Oak, Federal Center, Red Rocks Community College and Jefferson County Government Center.
• The ridership projection is 29,698 per day by 2030.

Project Overview:

• The West Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) began in 2001 and identified impacts on the community and environment, as well as mitigation measures.
• The final EIS was issued in fall 2003 and a Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) was received in spring 2004.
• In November 2004, the FasTracks initiative was passed by voters providing funding for a regional rapid transit system including the West Corridor.
• In early 2007, the West Corridor project team conducted an internal Value Engineering (VE) exercise to look at ways the project could be more efficient and cost-effective.
  Utility relocation and early construction began in early 2008

SCHEDULE: 1:00 - 3:00 Bus Tour
4:00 – 5:30 Pizza
5:30 – 6:00 Business Meeting

MEETING PLACE:
Tour - Park & Ride: Broadway & I 25
Restaurant - Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza, 550 S. Broadway, #C

DATE: Friday, May 15, 2009
COST: Pizza is complimentary!
You may attend the meeting afterward if you can’t make the tour.

RSVP Bob Van Gundy @ 303-804-2337
Email: robert.vangundy@aecom.com

No later than: Thursday, May 14, @ 10:00am
Don’t forget to make a reservation for your guests!

April Meeting: Total Float Distribution

AACE Rocky Mountain Section April Meeting Notice
Location - Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center, 10250 E. Costilla Ave.
DATE: Thursday, April 16th

TOPIC – Total Float Distribution: A SANE Way to Manage Schedule Contingency

By- Dr. Anamaria Popescu PE

CPM based analysis was first proposed in the 1950’s, but not used in claims analysis until the late 1970’s. Float ownership debates and contractual modifications began about a decade after that. “Solutions” designed to overcome the inherent problems with float apportionment, unfortunately, have done more harm than good. In fact, numerous claims have cited these float management techniques as contributing factors.

For years in the United States, float has generally been distributed among stakeholders on a “first come first served” basis, but with generally poor outcomes. In Canada, the contractor is considered to own the float. But what happens if the contractor expends all the float?

A more recent development is the use of critical chain scheduling (CCS). This methodology has its own problems, including implementation issues. In this paper we describe a new approach that distributes float in an objective manner to the activities that have a greater tendency to experience delays. This approach also complements project level contingency management. The procedure of float distribution is described in detail, then illustrated with a case study.

Dr. Anamaria Popescu is a partner with Blue Marble Risk solutions, which is a professional advisory firm specializing in risk mitigation and dispute resolution of capital projects. Anamaria is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and earned her B.S, M.S., and PhD in Civil Engineering with a specialty in Construction Engineering and Project Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Her experience in project controls, project management, and construction claims spans multiple disciplines including heavy civil, commercial, power plants, oil and gas process facilities, and airports. She also has taught short courses in construction claims, project controls, scheduling, and Primavera Enterprise implementation.

LOCATION: Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center, 10250 E. Costilla Ave.

DATE
Thursday, April 16, 2009
TIME

COST

5:30-7:00 Networking & Dinner
7:00- 8:30 Business Mtg. & Speaker

$20 Members

$30 (for both) Members with a first-time guest

$10 Students and Unemployed Members

RSVP
Bob Van Gundy @ 303-804-2337

Email: robert.vangundy@aecom.com

No later than: Wednesday,
April 15, @ 10:00am
Don’t forget to make a reservation for your guests!

February Meeting - Solar Energy Today

AACE Rocky Mountain Section February Meeting Notice
New Location - Holiday Inn 4849 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80216

DATE: Thursday, Feb 19th
TOPIC – SOLAR ENERGY TODAY

By- Jeff Scott, President of SolSource, Inc.

Jeff Scott is President of SolSource. Jeff's passion for green building and energy efficiency began in the early nineties while studying architecture in Japan. During his seven year stay, Jeff came to understand and appreciate the Japanese philosophy of "task, not mass", modular scale and designing for the human space. This knowledge and passion eventually led Jeff to Colorado, where he utilized the same approach to found SolSource in 2004. Linking his belief in sustainable design to strong environmental values and business skills, Jeff Scott now leads one of Colorado's most successful solar energy companies. Jeff Scott holds two B.A.s (Business and Computer Science) from Miami University of Ohio. He served as President of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society during 2008.

LOCATION: Holiday Inn 4849 Bannock St, Denver, CO
(map in newsletter)

DATE
Thursday, February 19, 2009
TIME

COST

5:30-7:00 Networking & Dinner
7:00- 8:30 Business Mtg. & Speaker

$20 Members

$30 (for both) Members with a first-time guest

$10 Students and Unemployed Members

RSVP
Bob Van Gundy @ 303-804-2337

Email: robert.vangundy@aecom.com

No later than: Wednesday,
Feb. 18, @ 10:00am
Don’t forget to make a reservation for your guests!

January Meeting - Earned Value Management System

AACE Rocky Mountain Section January Meeting Notice
Location - Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center, 10250 E. Costilla Ave.

TOPIC – Earned Value Management System- a Roundtable Discussion
(Facilitated by three industry professionals)

By- Randy Wyandt, Rose Blackburn, Ken Cressman

The panel will discuss the EVMS systems being used, the success of use, and the future of EVMS. Earned Value Management (EVM) is a project management technique for measuring project progress in an objective manner. EVM has the unique ability to combine measurements of scope, schedule, and cost in a single integrated system. When properly applied, EVM provides an early warning of performance problems. Additionally, EVM promises to improve the definition of project scope, prevent scope creep, communicate objective progress to stakeholders, and keep the project team focused on achieving progress.

Mr. Wyandt is the founder and President of Vastco Project Systems Inc. He is a 1980 graduate of the University of Akron, College of Engineering. His career has spanned from beginnings as a field engineer to Project Construction Manager. In 1999 he started providing project controls consulting services for Premcor Refining in Port Arthur, Texas. This effort evolved into VPS. Previously he has worked for several of the nation’s largest Engineering and Construction firms. Past experience includes projects in the following areas: oil refineries, steel production, aerospace, mission control center, plastics, pharmaceuticals, bio-technology, chemical production, medical research facilities, power generation, offshore drilling platforms and prisons. He has extensive experience in all phases of projects from project development through to start-up and commissioning of facilities.

Rose Blackburn, CEO/Founder and her partners founded QuantumPM in 2000 to provide portfolio and project management expertise to large enterprises. Since then, Rose has led the company’s growth and expertise in consulting, training, and technology development. Prior to establishing QuantumPM, Rose was the director of Portfolio Management for MediaOne. Her career includes over fifteen years of experience in large-scale project and multi-project (program) management in information technologies for the telecommunications industry within both the US and international markets.

Date: Thursday, Jan 15th 2009

Location: Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center, 10250 E. Costilla Ave.
(map in newsletter)

Time:

5:30-7:00 Networking & Dinner
7:00- 8:30 Business Mtg. & Speaker

Cost:
$20 Members
$30 (for both) Members with a first-time guest
$10 Students and Unemployed Members

RSVP
Bob Van Gundy @ 303-804-2337

Email: robert.vangundy@aecom.com

No later than: Wednesday,
Jan. 14, @ 10:00am
Don’t forget to make a reservation for your guests!

November Meeting - Construction Industry Institute & Benefits of the CII Database

AACE Rocky Mountain Section November Meeting Notice
Note new location - Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center, 10250 E. Costilla Ave.

TOPIC – Introduction to the Construction Industry Institute & Benefits of the CII Database
By- Keith Molenaar & John Zimmerman

This month’s Speakers are Dr. Keith Molenaar, who will present an informative Introduction to the Construction Industry Institute (CII ) and John Zimmerman who will present information on CII’s Project Definition Rating Index for Industrial Projects.Dr. Keith Molenaar is a returning speaker and professor from the University of Colorado Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering. John Zimmerman is currently the Engineering Quality Manager for the Jacobs Denver Office. John has over 30 years experience in the Environmental Remediation and Engineering fields, serving as Project Manager, Program Manager, and Operations Manager.

DATE: Thursday, Nov 20th

LOCATION: Embassy Suites Hotel Denver Tech Center, 10250 E. Costilla Ave.
MAP: www.EmbassySuitesDenverTech.com

DATE
Thursday, November 20, 2008
TIME

COST

5:30-7:00 Networking & Dinner
7:00- 8:30 Business Mtg. & Speaker

$20 Members

$30 (for both) Members with a first-time guest

$10 Students and Unemployed Members

RSVP
Bob Van Gundy @ 303-804-2337

Email: robert.vangundy@aecom.com

No later than: Wednesday,
Nov. 19, @ 10:00am
Don’t forget to make a reservation for your guests!

Elements of the Project Planning & Scheduling Process

AACE Rocky Mountain Section October Meeting Notice
Note new location - Earth Tech, 5575 DTC Parkway, Suite 200 (map in newsletter)

TOPIC - Elements of the Project Planning & Scheduling Process
By- Mr. Robert VanGundy, PMP, PSP

The objective of this presentation is to provide AACE-RMS members and guests the elements involved in the Project Planning and Scheduling Process with application to the AACE Total Cost Management (TCM) Principles. Presentation will include definitions, planning and scheduling concepts and tools, steps used in project planning and scheduling, best practices, and some lessons learned. This will be an interactive presentation and audience participation is encouraged. This would be a good overview and review for the AACE Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) Certification exam.

Mr. Van Gundy is a seasoned project management professional with over 27 years of project management and project controls experience. Mr. Van Gundy holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) Certification from AACE. Mr. Van Gundy passed the first PSP certification exam offered by AACE and holds Certificate No. 34. Project experience ranges from small to the very large and complex with total project dollar values ranging in the thousands to over 1 billion dollars. Mr. Van Gundy is employed by Earth Tech AECOM as a Senior Projects Controls Professional starting in November, 2004. Previous employers include Harrison Western Corporation, URS, Edward Kraemer and Sons, Weston, and Rust Environmental.

DATE: Thursday, October 16th

LOCATION: Earth Tech, 5575 DTC Parkway, Suite 200, Greenwood Village, CO
map- http://maps.google.com/maps?q=5575+Dtc+Parkway,+Englewood,+CO+80111&spn=0.004546,0.011497&t=h&iwloc=A&hl=en

SCHEDULE :
5:30 - 6:00 Pizza & Networking
6:00 - 7:30 Program & Questions
COST: Free for everyone!

Note: Anyone arriving after 6 pm will need to follow directions on the door - the building doors will lock at 6 p.m. Call 303-478-5072 for entrance after 6.

RSVP- No later than:
Wednesday, Oct 15th by 10am
TO: Bob Van Gundy @303-804-2337
robert.vangundy@earthtech.com


Don't forget to RSVP for your guests!
Visit the AACE RMS Web Site at:
www.aacerms.com