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Effective project management allows you to get more done.
Effective project management allows you to get more done.
It is project management that is Just Right.

A discipline that plans, organizes and manages resources to bring about the successful completion of specific goals and objects.
A discipline that plans, organizes and manages resources to bring about the successful completion of specific goals and objects.

Constraints!
Constraints!
Scope
Cost
Schedule
All Centered Around Quality

Project management itself often becomes a huge constraint and burden on management.
Project management itself often becomes a huge constraint and burden on management.
It believes it is an end to itself.

Make it all about facilitating.
Make it all about facilitating.
And less about “the discipline.”

Waste
Waste
Resource Bloat
Silos
Obscurity
Frustrated Team

Increased Costs
Increased Costs
Multiplicity of dashboards
Multiplicity of politics
Silos
Obscurity
Inaction

HELP MAKE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN
HELP MAKE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN
“The only thing in abundance is mediocrity”
-Peter Drucker

Solve Problems
Solve Problems
Build Solutions
Deploy Solutions
Support Solutions
HELP ACCOMPLISH GOALS

Developer & member of a team.
Developer & member of a team.
You solve and facilitate solutions for your client.

Manager who’s job is to get people of different skills and backgrounds to work together.
Manager who’s job is to get people of different skills and backgrounds to work together.
You are judged by the results you deliver for your client.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE CLIENT.

“The only results that matter are
EXTERNAL”


-Peter Drucker

Effective Project Management
Effective Project Management
Is a set of habits for making the best use of
OTHER PEOPLE’S TIME
so that the team can
GET MORE DONE.

Time Management
Time Management
Is a set of habits for making the best use of
YOUR OWN TIME
so that you can
GET MORE DONE.

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COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
EXPECTATIONS
ESTIMATES

help your client

COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION

The only problem worth solving is the one the client defines.
The only problem worth solving is the one the client defines.
Let the client frame the problem and then solve that problem.

Listen to your client

Your time and money will be spent most effectively if it is focused on solving your client’s problem.
Your time and money will be spent most effectively if it is focused on solving your client’s problem.
(and your client will happier)

When you communicate, the only thing that matters is what is understood by either party.
When you communicate, the only thing that matters is what is understood by either party.

When you are talking, it’s what the other person hears.
When you are talking, it’s what the other person hears.
When you are listening, it’s how much you understood.

Cater Communication to Context
Cater Communication to Context

PLANNING
PLANNING
ACTIVE
WAREHOUSE
Cater your communications to each phase.

Is where you define a project’s goals, the time table, budgets, resource allocations and risks.
Is where you define a project’s goals, the time table, budgets, resource allocations and risks.

DON’T EVER WRITE A SPEC FOR A CLIENT

A spec document is an extremely useful document for your INTERNAL team.
A spec document is an extremely useful document for your INTERNAL team.
It is the wrong tool for a client.

Tastes better.
Tastes better.
Less filling.
Exactly the right tool for the client.

All bullet points.
All bullet points.
Only a few questions.
Answered in one or two sentences.

Consider them issues
Consider them issues
(not endless)
Threaded message board with due dates or an issue tracker
Meeting as a last resort -> only when necessary

Project goals
Project goals
Time table
Budget & resource allocation
Risks

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Your time and money will be spent most effectively if you are using the right tools with your client.
Your time and money will be spent most effectively if you are using the right tools with your client.

Use the planning phase to get sign-off from higher-ups.
Use the planning phase to get sign-off from higher-ups.
OR
Use it to sign-off and empower the people who will run the project.

Is where the deliverables are worked on and the plan is put into action.
Is where the deliverables are worked on and the plan is put into action.

Its where everything that can go wrong does.
Its where everything that can go wrong does.

Make Sure You Communicate.

Automatic emails when something changes.
Automatic emails when something changes.
Wiki, software, emails, message board, calls and even meetings.
How often? Depends on length of the project.

Goals update
Goals update
Schedule
Budget
Need information?
Risks

Don’t Hold Back
Don’t Hold Back

>30% =bring it up as a risk
>70% =bring it up as a fact
=100% =too late
=death spiral of despair

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Is when the project moves to a different phase in the lifecycle. It is no longer being built but rather maintained, archived or shelved.
Is when the project moves to a different phase in the lifecycle. It is no longer being built but rather maintained, archived or shelved.

Lessons learned and final comments.
Lessons learned and final comments.
Fresh, but not blaming.
Record immediately.
Wait two days to share them.

COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
EXPECTATIONS
ESTIMATES

Make a good project feel bad.
Make a good project feel bad.
Make a bad project feel even worse.
Or, a bad project can be a “learning experience”

Manage expectations
Manage expectations
Manage expectations
Manage expectations

Use that asymmetry.
Use that asymmetry.
Trust your expertise.

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Is not a knock on you.
Is not a knock on you.
You are sharing your expertise.
You are helping your client.

Your time and money will be spent most effectively if you communicate and change the plan to reflect how the client’s problem is being solved.
Your time and money will be spent most effectively if you communicate and change the plan to reflect how the client’s problem is being solved.

COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
EXPECTATIONS
ESTIMATES

Estimates allow you to measure perception against reality so you can improve pricing, scheduling, expectations management and productivity.
Estimates allow you to measure perception against reality so you can improve pricing, scheduling, expectations management and productivity.

“Everything measured improves”


-Dan Gilbert

Tracking Time

Track time on tasks
Track time on tasks
Track against calendar dates
Compare estimates to actuals
Keep a record of the estimates

Create a task list (doubles as spec).
Create a task list (doubles as spec).
Buckets of at least 20 hours.
Consistent descriptions and/or work types.

Effort DOES NOT = Duration.
Effort DOES NOT = Duration.
Track start dates and end dates.
Learn what times are most productive for which activities.

Duration = 2x effort + (1 day/2 days of effort).
Duration = 2x effort + (1 day/2 days of effort).
or
Duration = 4 x Effort

As a line item or
As a line item or
As additional hours or
As a proportionate increase in rate.

1 hour of pm per 5 hours of production time.
1 hour of pm per 5 hours of production time.
1 hour of am per 7 hours of production time.

Monitor your time profitability.
Monitor your time profitability.
It’s a window into how long it really takes to do things.
It can be brutal.

It is a goldmine of information for you or for any organization.
It is a goldmine of information for you or for any organization.
It is the key to visibility and process improvement.

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Your time and money will be spent most effectively if you can learn how to solve your client’s problems better.
Your time and money will be spent most effectively if you can learn how to solve your client’s problems better.

Results are on the outside
Results are on the outside
Listen to your client
Cater communications to context
DON’T EVER WRITE A SPEC
Communicate
Manage Expectations
TRACK YOUR TIME

help your client

Make it a habit.

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Use 1-2-3 to Prioritize Tasks

Let your people know what it is they should be working on at any time and what tasks are more important than others.
Let your people know what it is they should be working on at any time and what tasks are more important than others.

When assigning out tasks via email or other tool preface the subject line with 1, 2 or 3.
When assigning out tasks via email or other tool preface the subject line with 1, 2 or 3.
1 –do it soon
3 –do it when you can
2 –do it before 3 and after 1

Your resources are spent most effectively when they are working on the right things at the right time.
Your resources are spent most effectively when they are working on the right things at the right time.

Use the Launch Countdown method

To be effective you need to manage your own work.
To be effective you need to manage your own work.
That means using some structure to define how you produce creative deliverables.

The Launch Countdown Method is a simple naming convention to help you keep track of where you are on all your assets.
The Launch Countdown Method is a simple naming convention to help you keep track of where you are on all your assets.

Every asset goes through three phases.
Every asset goes through three phases.
3 –needs to be started
2 –asset is in progress
1 –ready for launch

Put the number 3, 2 or 1 ahead of every asset’s name.
Put the number 3, 2 or 1 ahead of every asset’s name.
You’ll know what stage its in.
You can juggle your work.
You can give information on its state. And it creates a super handy list on your computer’s file systems.

Prioritize tasks
Prioritize tasks
Use Launch Countdown Method

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