Zach Herman, Director, IT Project Management Office, UC San Diego Health
- Fell into project management by chance; mentor revealed the career path.
- Importance of mentorship and embracing new opportunities.
Podcast
Overview
In this episode of TBCY, host Ashutosh Garg interviews Zach Herman, Director of IT Project Management at UC San Diego Health and author of Project Management Made Practical. Drawing on over 20 years of experience in portfolio management, Zach shares real-world wisdom from leading transformative projects and teaching the next generation.
00:01:02- What led Zach into project management?
- Fell into project management by chance; mentor revealed the career path.
- Importance of mentorship and embracing new opportunities.
00:02:25- What was a transformative project at UC San Diego Health?
- Led rapid rollout of CA Notify (Bluetooth COVID exposure alerts).
- Built a call center serving millions in just weeks—during the holidays
00:04:01- How has teaching shaped his leadership style?
- Finds joy and purpose in teaching.
- Focuses on servant leadership and coaching to help others avoid common mistakes.
00:06:51- What makes project management “practical”?
- Warns against over-complicating PM.
- Shows it’s relatable—everyone manages projects in their everyday lives
00:08:04- Biggest project management mistakes organizations make?
- Skipping the planning phase for speed.
- Clarifies the difference between being “agile” and simply “winging it.”
00:09:49- Handling conflicting stakeholder priorities?
- Prioritizes stakeholder, risk, and communication management.
- Flexibility and mediation are key to success.
00:11:17- Role of technology in project management?
- Tools help with administration and data management; AI is a major time-saver.
- Human skills (especially communication) remain irreplaceable.
RESOURCES:
Learn more about Zach Herman: LinkedIn
Enjoyed this podcast?
Why “Made Practical”? Zach noticed PM often gets too “over-engineered.” Everyone manages projects (yes, even a grocery list counts). His message is simple: Strip away the jargon, make PM accessible to everyone. Share your thoughts in the comments and spread these insights with friends!
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Profile
- Fell into project management by chance; mentor revealed the career path.
- Importance of mentorship and embracing new opportunities.
