project management for people who dread project management
DESCRIPTION
Project management is not most creative or development professionals’ favorite topic. You want to get through the administrative work and on to the fun of design and/or coding. But that administrative work is critical. Not only is it key to the success of most gigs, but it’s also key to growing your career. Perspectives from a veteran project manager will help creatives and dev stop dreading the “project management” part of projects. We’ll learn strategies for managing clients, setting timelines, and managing people. We’ll share our favorite tools (hint: not spreadsheets) and great ways to make management more egalitarian. We’ll even prove project management can be fun!TRANSCRIPT
Project Management for People Who Dread ProjectsChristina Inge
WordCamp Boston 2014
Why Do You Dread Projects?
The Work
Goals of the
Work
The Stuff
Around the
Work
What you love
What you manage
The Pieces
Resources
Timelines
Expectations
What Project Management Is
Managing the pieces
And the people
Towards the goal
Keeping Projects on TrackYou Are the Boss Now
Know Your Hurdles
• Over-optimism
• Competing priorities
• Team expectations
• Corgis
Beat Those Hurdles!• Be prepared
• Anticipate, don’t react
Over-Optimism• Take the time you think it will
take
• Triple it
• No really
• Don’t be afraid to say “This is the time it takes to do it right”
• Shyness often masquerades as over-optimism: you don’t want to be the person to say it will take time
• But that’s your responsibility as a leader
Competing Priorities• Prioritize
• Evaluate
• Build consensus
• Decide
Team Expectations• Communication
• Benchmarks
• Checkins
• Morale
Corgis• Totally random things always happen
• Often at the last minute
Tactics & the PracticalAka The Nitty Gritty
Tactics
Team
• Communicate more• Listen• Keep everyone informed of
(mostly) everything—there’s no such thing as “need to know basis”
Technology• Use project management tools• Be willing to train
Time• Delegate wisely• Manage scope• Done is better than perfecct
Project Management Tools• Needs to something
you, your team, and your client will actually use
• Nothing is sadder than an empty project platform
Factors
Choose something
you’ll actually use
Technical skills
Cognitive style
Cost
If something’s in
place, use even
if not optimal
Some Favorites
Remote Teams• Regular communication, not
just tactical but emotional
• Reduce the issues around timezones or needless burnout ensues
• Build a sense of camaraderie
• Use collaboration tools
The EmotionalOr, Zen and the Art of Project Management
From Geek to Manager• Confidence
• Identity
• Communication
Multiple Loci of Power
Extroversion & Introversion in Leadership
Thank You! • ChristinaInge.com
• Twitter: @christinainge
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/ChristinaInge