There are many excellent courses, presentations, blog posts and books on project management. This presentation looks at 'must have' tools & skills for the smallest to largest project - beyond the textbook to the sanity savers for project managers.

1. ProjectManagement:
CriticalSkills
SLA2017Sunday@4:00
Rebecca Jones,
Director, Branches & Neighbourhood Services
@ Brampton Library
rjones@bramptonlibrary.ca
2017

2. Today
– Project management methodologies and tools
– PM skills
– Proven techniques (learned the hard way) for managing projects in an
information service or library organization
– Shine a light on PMI: Project Management Institute @ www.pmi.org

3. Project
Temporary:
• With a defined beginning, expected deliverable, a defined ending and
• Functions with in a clear scope with set resources
Unique:
It is not a routine operation
It is a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a specific goal
Team:
Who don’t usually work together
PMI

4. PM Processes:
PMI
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Closing

5. PM
Knowledge
areas:
PMI
Integration
Scope
Time
Cost Quality
Procurement
Human
resources
Communications
Risk
management
Stakeholder
management

6. Thank you Samepage labs inc. https://www.samepage.io/blog/wtf-collaborative-project-management-anyway
who credits this to Pico Consulting

7. That’s the dream

8. When we wake up
Project Phases
Phase 1: Uncritical acceptance
Phase 2: Wild enthusiasm
Phase 3: Dejected disillusionment
Phase 4: Total confusion
Phase 5: Search for the guilty.
Phase 6: Punishment of the innocent.
Phase 7: Promotion of nonparticipants.
7

9. Project manager’s reality…
What my
colleagues
think I do

10. Project manager’s reality…
What my
organiztion
thinks I do

11. Project manager’s reality…
What I
really do

12. `
Project manager
critical skills
a.k.a…... sanity savers

13. Be sure it’s
a project
– One off – in response to a specific opportunity
– Unique scope of work
– Cost constraints, with:
– Costs that can be identified in advance
– Separate budget
– Time constraints, with:
– Fixed duration
– Defined start and end point

14. Clarify it in a
project charter
– Charter, charge, outline – call it what you will:
– Draft
– Document
– Discuss
– Define
– Decide
– Detail who is accountable for what

15. Project
Charter
Well defined
qualitative &
quantitative
outcomes
Begins to
clarify costs &
resources
Explicit scope &
out of scope
Key stages/
dates,
milestones
Specifies team
members,
stakeholders &
who is to do
what role
Articulated
assumptions,
drivers &
restraints

16. Yourfirstquestions
Objective
What will be in place
then, that isn’t in
place today?
Measures
What will success
look like?
Target
Date
Expected Steps

23. PM Processes:
PMI
Initiating
• Scoping
• Plan steps
• Identify resources
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Closing

24. RESPONSIBILITY MATRIX: RASCI
Prepare a RASCI chart for each decision or activity you undertake. It clarifies roles and prevents blind-
siding. List important decisions and activities down the side. Put people involved at the top of the columns.
Fill in the boxes:
R = Responsible (only one R in each row)
A = Accountable/Approves
S = Supports “R”
C = Consulted by “R”
I = Informed (even after the fact)
Decision/Activity/Task: ________________________________________________________
Activity/Function/
Decision To be Taken
Individual’s
Name
Individual’s
Name
Individual’s
Name
Individual’s
Name
Individual’s
Name
Confirm
who
is doing
what

25. And hold
them to it
– Most problems with projects are the result of people:
– not understanding where they are going
– how their job fits
– what’s expected of them
– Concentrate on these 4 C’s:
– Context
– Communication
– Clarity
– Confidence
85/15 Rule

26. Co-draft a
project plan
– Simple list
– Post its
– Flow charts
– Critical path analysis
– Gantt charts
– Project management software

29. Consider a
tool that
fits your
culture
Soooooooo many:
Asana
Trello
Basecamp
Microsoft’s Project

30. Apps to consider

31. Basecamp.com
Apps to consider

32. Apps to consider

33. Apps to consider

34. Find
Murphy &
manage
the critter
– Risk assessment
– Probability
– Severity
– Action to manage
– Quality
– Standards
– Accessibility issues

35. “Projects are successfully
realized when uncertainty is
well managed”.

36. Sanity skills
?
– Influencing
– Conveying
– Communicating
– Never assuming
– Checking in, checking up, checking requirements
– Celebrating
– Reviewing
– Learning
– Ending and turning over

37. rjones@bramptonlibrary.ca
REBECCAJONES
Thank you!
Slides & templates @ www.dysartjones.com