Calendar of Events

Presentation Description

Description of Topic/Presentation:

At this event, we will discuss the book "Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life" by Tonianne DeMaria & Jim Benson. In this book, the authors provide an introduction to the Kanban way of working and discuss how to leverage the system to become more effective in all that we do in our personal, professional, and social lives.

Together, we’ll explore how the two tenets of visualizing work and limiting the amount of work-in-progress encourages us to become more effective in doing our work and what we work on through understanding the context for our tasks, deciding on what are our priorities, and working with laser-focus on what’s important to us.  The goal is to be effective, not simply productive.

In a project environment where success depends on effectively deciding on what is the most important thing to do next, this methodology will help project managers understand that one thing at a time may seem slow but is faster than multitasking, ultimately guiding projects towards faster delivery with focused priorities.

Click here to learn more about the PMI-OC Book Club!

Learning Objectives from the Book:

1. Learn about the Kanban way of working.
2. Learn how visualizing work provides a sense of scope as to what work needs to be done in a project.
3. Learn how limiting work-in-progress leads to faster work done through focus on the most important priorities and encouraging us to finish tasks that we’ve already started before moving on to other work.

Learning Objectives from the Meeting:

1. Improve understanding of how use of the Kanban method could improve project outcomes and delivery in real-world project environments.
2. Discuss the book with others.
3. Gain more perspective through integrating the perspectives of others.

If You Have Questions/Need Help

If you have any questions or need help, please reach out to the Book Club team at book-club@pmi-oc.org.

Speaker Bio

Tonianne DeMaria & Jim Benson

Jim Benson:

“My career path has taken me through government agencies, Fortune 10 corporations, and start-ups. Through them all my passion remained consistent - applying new technologies to work groups - in each case asking how they can be leveraged to collaborate and cooperate more effectively. I love ideas, creation, and building opportunities. I love working with teams who are passionate about the future. I love pushing boundaries. I love inclusion. My goal with all technologies is to increase beneficial contact between people and reduce the bureaucratic noise which so often tends to increase costs and destroy creativity.”

Tonianne DeMaria:

Tonianne DeMaria is an American consultant and writer who has spent her career adapting workflow-management methods from manufacturing and software development for use by individuals and small teams. With Jim Benson she co-authored "Personal Kanban," which translates the visual workflow practice familiar to Toyota production engineers and software development teams into a two-rule personal system — visualize your work, limit work in progress — that the authors argue addresses the central failure mode of personal productivity systems: trying to do too many things at once and finishing few of them on a predictable schedule.

Location

This session will be delivered via online webinar. The link will be sent to all registered attendees before the book club meeting begins. 

PDU Accrual

Should you want PDUs for reading the book, you may personally report to PMI 1 PDU per hour of reading. Additionally, your attendance to the virtual meeting will result in one (1) PDU which will be reported to PMI on your behalf, via a PMI-OC volunteer, 2-3 days after the event.  The Book Club asks that you please completely read the book prior to attending the virtual event.  If you register for this event, but do not attend, you may still report PDUs for reading the book but may not report or receive additional PDUs for event engagement.

Time

5:50 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Early Login/Networking

6:00 p.m. - Event Start

6:00 p.m. to 6:05 p.m. - Book Club Introduction

6:05 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. - Book Overview

6:15 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. - Initial Book Rating

6:20 p.m. to 6:55 p.m. - Discussion

6:55 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Post-discussion Book Rating

7:00 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. - Upcoming Events

7:05 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. - Next Book, Door Prize, Feedback Survey

7:10 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. - Group Photo & Networking/LI Profile Sharing

7:20 p.m. - Event Concluded & Adjourned

Cost

Registration Cutoff Date and Time: Must register by August 18th, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

This will allow us time to send the meeting link to all participants at once.

PDUs: Ways of Working (1 PDU for Meeting Attendance + 1 PDU Per Hour of Reading)