Aponwao

Aponwao will be present at the 2024 Sound Transit Contracting Expo: Partnering for Progress, and would love for you to join me! You can register for this event on RingCentral Events here: 👇

🌟 Reflecting on Washington Procurement Connect 2024! 🌟 What an incredible experience at the Washington Procurement Connect 2024 conference, held at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center! A huge thank you to Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, Ernesto Perez, Shana Barehand, Tara C. Smith, Cedric Austin, and ALL the volunteers who made this event possible. Additional thanks to Pamela Duncan, Jackie Bayne, David Puente, Jr, CDE Javier Valdez for your insights and shared experiences in the fireside chat panel. (BTW, we all loved the chimney 🔥 !) The Collaborative Contracting: Forming Powerful Alliances for Government Bids session presented by ZENOVIA HARRIS, MPA, CDP was insightful and I found it validated our company's approach so far. And… to everyone who stopped by the Aponwao Ideas booth, thank you. It was fantastic to connect with so many Washington State procurement professionals and inspiring small business entrepreneurs. I genuinely appreciate the meaningful conversations and connections we've formed. I'm eager to see where these new relationships take us! Alejandra Moreno; Janeé Lester, ACC; Beth Schubert BSN RN; Jessie Upp, MSLD; Taylor Sageman; Jackie Estep; Jesse Malhotra; Danielle Lord, PhD; Eric Read; Aleeta (Angel) Davis; Chami Ro; Darling Nava; Joshua L.; Alicia Koné (she/her/hers); Washington State Patrol; Alisha Miller; Tyeshia Hail; Yarnika Khanna; Virginia Tapia; Skagit Valley College; Jonté Robinson; Kellen Maloney; Riley Gibson. #WashingtonProcurementConnect #SupplierDiversity #Networking #WomenSmallBusiness #WomenEntrepreneurs Greater Tacoma Convention Center photo: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0

🌟 Looking Forward to Washington Procurement Connect 2024! 🌟 Excited to announce that Aponwao will be hosting a booth at the Washington Procurement Connect 2024 conference this coming Tuesday, October 8th! This incredible event brings together “small, diverse, and veteran-owned businesses to connect with procurement professionals from across state and local government sectors—counties, cities, schools, ports, commissions, and more”. 🏛️ With a mission to advance positive social impact, Aponwao offers expertise in project management, focusing on planning, scoping, and delivering tailored solutions across industries by using project management as a tool of inclusion. Whether you're navigating complex or small projects or seeking innovative solutions that promote equity and sustainability, we’d love to connect and discuss how we can contribute to your success. A huge thank you to Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, DES, for providing this platform. Looking forward to meeting entrepreneurs and potential new partners! 🙌 #WashingtonProcurementConnect #SupplierDiversity #ProcurementSuccess #GovernmentContracting #SmallBusinessExpo #DoingBusinessWithWA"#WomenOwnedSmallBusiness #WomenEntrepreneurs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below, the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, the seat of state government, featuring its iconic dome and elegant classical architecture. Photo Attribution: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0

🌟 Shout Out to Alejandra! 🌟 I want to take a moment to celebrate Alejandra who delivered an incredible presentation at the PMI Global Summit 2024 in Los Angeles! Through thorough planning, extensive research, and relentless practice, she truly shone with her topic, "Nurturing Atypicality: A Transformative Leadership Approach to Diversity." Alejandra stepped away from the current politicized narrative that views diversity as merely a box to check. Instead, she offered the audience a fresh perspective on nurturing atypicality—not just in ourselves but also within our teams and projects. Her presentation outlined two key takeaways: 1️⃣ A new model for fostering atypicality that empowers individuals to embrace their uniqueness, and the uniqueness of their teams, and their projects. 2️⃣ Practical steps to apply this model in assessing current workplace structures, enabling attendees to create actionable plans that genuinely promote, embrace, support, and reward diverse perspectives. Ale, thank you for inspiring me day in and day out.

In the summer of 2019, my daughter and I embarked on a six-day hiking journey to honor Diego, my son, Alejandra’s twin soul brother. From July 17th to July 22nd. Diego had passed away in 2018, and the six-day journey represented the span between the days of his birth and his death. The journey? A mix of sadness and determination. Though experienced hikers in tropical mountains, we were unfamiliar with multi-day hiking in the US Pacific Northwest. However, we were equipped with our project scoping methodology that has guided us through many professional projects. Bridge&Map was used to fit the unique demands of this project. A planning method used in multi-million-dollar projects was perfectly suitable for a personal endeavor. With our roles as project managers we distributed responsibilities aligned to our fortés. Three main constraints guided planning: 1️⃣ Duration: Six days and five nights. 2️⃣ Distance: Within Washington State lines. 3️⃣ Weight: Light enough backpacks for long hikes but with all the essentials to be away from civilization for that period. Food, water, shelter, gear, essentials, and logistics were meticulously integrated into the project. Research became our greatest ally. Joined the local trails association, studied weather patterns,  how to get clean water, and learned about the wildlife—hello, bears!🐻 REI's workshops and practical advice were a lifesaver. Every decision was well-informed and with a solid plan, excitement, nervousness, and courage we took off to execute. From the start, things didn't go as expected. Pouring rain on day one caused trail closure due to a landslide🌧️🚧. However, we had assessed risks during the planning phase and quickly shifted to our Plan B. Though hours away, this plan had a terrain and attributes that placed it as the backup plan. Setting up and breaking down camp, cooking meals, and wandering expeditions kept us very busy. By the end, we were both exhausted and deeply proud. It wasn't just a hike. Surrounded by stunning views and times of quiet reflection, we felt a profound sense of peace, knowing we'd honored Diego’s memory in a truly meaningful way. 🌄 What we learned? Planning and efficiency are not just about achieving practical goals but also about creating space for moments of profound significance. The effect of planning made our tribute to Diego successful. ➡ In-depth preparation: Understanding the project and details to make informed decisions. ➡ Adaptability: Our Bridge&Map methodology used for complex projects had worked wonders. ➡ Efficiency: A key benefit of planning. To date, we've taken five annual trips. After 2019, the planning became replicable—the only difference each year is the location, which involves new maps, travel arrangements, and minor adjustments to clothing. Curious about this year? Our trekking journey will take us to a forest in Denmark 🌳🇩🇰. No bears, just a venomous viper snake called an adder 🐍!!! From the 17th to the 22nd.

Playing ‘ADVISOR’ in Scrabble on a triple word score nets you at least 33 points, plus the coveted 50-point bonus for playing all seven tiles in a single turn. In business and Scrabble alike, strategic moves and expert advice can make all the difference. At Aponwao, one of our key offerings is our Owner/Executive Advisory services, dedicated to the pivotal initiation phase of projects. This service is instrumental in connecting the vision of a project with its execution, ensuring a robust start and maintaining momentum throughout. Aponwao’s approach begins with a thorough assessment, analysis, and evaluation of existing information, laying a solid foundation for informed decision-making. Key stakeholder engagement is prioritized to align all parties with project goals and objectives from the outset. Our Owner/Executive Advisory services include: 📝 Project Initiation and Planning: Defining project goals and objectives; project charter, project governance, and organizational structure. 📑 Contract Management Support: Review, evaluation, and insights to contract documents, including Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Information (RFI) documents, Statement of Work (SOW), project deliverables, and other program-related tasks. Assisting in the selection of contractors. 👥 💬 Stakeholder Engagement and Communications: Developing a comprehensive communication plan to clearly delineate key stakeholders' engagement needs and expectations, and their coordination. 💡Integration Management: Conducted under a systems thinking approach, interconnecting all project elements. 🚦Project Risk Assessment: Identifying project risks and creating corresponding mitigation plans. 🌐 Comprehensive Program Management Plan: Serving as the roadmap and GPS, streamlining the navigation across all areas of Program Management. All support is framed with Aponwao's Bridge&Map methodology which guides projects seamlessly from problem identification to execution strategy. Through our Owner/Executive Advisory services, Aponwao aims to provide a strategic, well-structured foundation, promoting effective management and strong alignment with projects’ objectives. While many variables out of our control can influence project outcomes, Aponwao's expertise helps set the stage for informed decision-making and coordinated execution. Like in Scrabble, projects will score high when the right moves are made strategically at the right time. Will your next move be a winning one?

Integral to our work scoping and planning projects are interactions and conversations with a variety of stakeholders. Depending on the needs for a particular project, we may facilitate one or several of the sessions below: * A collaborative brainstorming * A one-on-one interview * A project status report * A group workshop * A tailored team session These all require a different preparation and approach, but two things always hold true. The need to: 1. Establish clear communications & 2. Create an appropriate environment Clear communications are key not just during a session, but both before and after. Prepared and knowledgeable stakeholders are more likely to be engaged in, and contribute to, having an effective session. ➡️ Before session: To facilitate transparency and clear expectations, we share session details and an agenda ahead of time. This to ensure everyone has a clear understanding of why they’re in attendance, and what is expected of them regarding the session and/or the topics to be covered. Because we value diverse perspectives and approach our work with a collaborative mindset, we explicitly open the lines of communications to encourage questions and constructive input ahead of the session. ➡️ During the session: We like having Interaction Guidelines with which we set the tone for the session. Depending on the session and its purpose, the distribution of space and time among those in attendance will vary. Effective facilitation is a bit of a dance in that it can require fluid content and time management, collaborative engagement, active listening and conflict resolution. ➡️ After the session: Using the session agenda as the outline, we create a session digest. We highlight any key points made and/or themes identified, provide relevant resources, and list any action items or next steps to come out of the session. For some, this communication piece will close the loop. For others it will continue. All stakeholders should have a clear understanding of what is expected of them, if anything, after the session. The session environment is impacted by both space and the people in that space. Using the purpose of the session as guidance, we create an environment that will facilitate the best outcomes. We take into consideration different perspectives, levels of access, ways of working and styles of communicating. Purposely answer questions such as: * Does the session need to be in-person, virtual, hybrid? * If a working session will be done in person, are there tables or other surfaces where people can work and gather? * Accounting for basic human needs: where can people access bathrooms, water, quiet, etc? Centering people in our work always leads to more productive, engaging and effective sessions. Projects are nothing without the humans who do them. #AponwaoIdeas #EffectiveFacilitation

What is the Bridge&Map methodology? Imagine standing on one side of a river, with an idea or project goal somewhere on the other side. The B&M step-by-step process is akin to building a sturdy bridge and creating a detailed map, ensuring that we not only cross the river successfully but also navigate the terrain beyond. B&M helps guide the building of the project GPS, if you will. We often start out knowing what we want or have to do, but the how to do it can be nebulous at best. How to do it in the most efficient manner and without risking forgetting something? Well, that’s an even bigger challenge! At Aponwao, at one point or another, we’ve asked ourselves: * How can we improve operational and work-flow efficiency? * How can we establish long-term, impactful programs? * How can we work toward measurable, sustainable change? Bridge & Map is the blueprint we use to navigate our way through all of these questions, starting with an initial project idea and following it all the way through to a ready-to-execute roadmap. We do this for our internal, as well as our external projects, and we do it in three strategic stages: ➡️Starting point: Project prompt (this can be a new idea, a new issue within a project, or a hard-to-describe project-related obstacle) FRAME - this first stage is building the access point to the bridge, and the purpose is to set the frame of mind for the scoping work ahead. Focusing on systems thinking and communications, we set the tone for automatically considering how different aspects are connected and related, and what the flows of communication will be like. ENCOMPASS - the second stage is building the bridge itself. Starting with a general brainstorm and continuing to gather collaboratively, all the materials and perspectives needed to have an integrated, high-level overview of the project. Critical thinking in this stage is key to assess and determine the interconnectedness of various project areas. DISTILL - this third stage is designing the map. Considering the complexity of the project, the information gathered in stage 2, and the frame of mind established in stage 1, we implement various project management processes to create an output that will guide execution. ➡️End point: Integrated and reliable project GPS This repeatable model has served us so well, that we created Aponwao in order to share it with others. Visit our website for more information, or schedule a call to explore ways to collaborate. Link in our bio and in the comments below. #AponwaoIdeas #ScopeDefinition Photo by Glen Jackson on Unsplash

Alejandra's exceptional journey and perspective have profoundly enriched both her life and Aponwao. She has navigated a less traveled path, and as Aponwao's co-founder, she has shaped our company with her distinctiveness—her individuality serving as a powerful differentiator and a remarkable dimension of strength. Her innate ability to perceive and empathize transcends conventional boundaries, empowering Aponwao to approach challenges with fresh eyes and open minds.

Aponwao is thrilled to share that our very own Alejandra Moreno has been selected as a speaker at the Project Management Institute Global Summit in Los Angeles, this coming September. This is a tremendous honor and a testament to Alejandra's expertise and dedication. As her business partner and, most proudly, her mother, I am deeply moved by this achievement. I am immensely pleased to see her recognized for her valuable contributions and outstanding leadership. Her topic: 🌱 "Nurturing Atypicality: A Transformative Leadership Approach to Diversity" As she eloquently stated: "Embracing diversity is embracing the unique human experience. [...] Truly embracing diversity is recognizing that there are different ways of looking, expressing, living, believing, thinking, working, communicating, and then deliberately and intentionally creating a space where people are encouraged and supported in showing up fully." Please join me in congratulating Alejandra on this well-deserved opportunity. Lizzie Lee Co-founder