Whether you’re organizing an event, renovating or rearranging a space, creating a program, or implementing a grant, you’re managing a project. Project management can help you manage projects more effectively and efficiently. Learn tools and techniques for successfully planning, organizing, and administering projects. To best respond to the constantly changing library world we will be sharing principles and concepts from design thinking and agile project management. By the end of this workshop, participants will: Receive a basic overview of iterative and agile-like project management from a design thinking perspective Gain knowledge to successfully manage a project cycle from start to finish through hands-on activities and exercises Receive a project management toolkit Learn about tools, strategies, and techniques to manage projects and teams better

2. Ice Breaker Team Challenge
1. Look through the box on the table. In the box,
you’ll find your icebreaker item (a binder clip, a
paper clip, or a rubber band).
2. At your table, come up with as many uses for
the item & write them on post-it notes.
3. Pair up with someone with a different item.
4. Come up with as many ways that both items can
be used together & write them on post-it notes.

3. Introductions
1. Name
2. Institution/Organization
3. What do you hope to learn
today?

4. What is Project Management?
Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI) defines "a project as a temporary
endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. The temporary
nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end. The end is reached
when the project's objectives have been achieved or when the project is
terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for
the project no longer exists.”

5. History of
Project
Management
1910 Gantt Chart
1950s Critical Path Method
1950s Program Evaluation & Review Technique

6. Approaches to Project Management
Usability Process
A nonlinear, flexible, iterative process

7. Project Manager
ACTIVITY: Do a SWOT analysis of
yourself as a project manager.
SWOT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
What kind of skills should a
project manager have?

8. “When it comes to project management,
it’s the people that matter.”
Thomas Lechler

9. Project Manager Qualifications
Desired Skills and Experience
● MLS degree from an ALA accredited library education program
● 5+ years of progressive supervisory/management experience in
a public library system
● Experience coaching, mentoring, developing and managing the
performance of staff
● Excellent communication skills with people at all levels
● Demonstrated ability to apply clear and reasoned judgment and
engagement with complex issues
● Strong collaboration and critical thinking skills
● Strong customer service orientation
● Excellent project management skills
● Strong technology skills

10. Project Manager Qualifications

11. Project Team
“The optimal size (and composition) of
teams is debated and will vary depending
on the task at hand. At least one study of
problem-solving in groups showed an
optimal size of groups at four members.
Other works estimate the optimal size
between 5-12 members or a number of
members that can consume two pizzas.” -
Wikipedia

12. Managing Team Conflict
● Exercise power
● Avoid/Withdraw
● Call in project sponsor
● Compromise/Consensus
○ Dot-voting
○ Quaker model
● Delegate
● Solve the underlying problem, not the
symptom
● Acknowledge and listen
● Agree to disagree
● Call a meeting

13. Tips on Running Effective Meetings
● Don’t be afraid to end a meeting early.
● Keep meeting small, prevent social loafing.
● Keep in mind the 2 D’s of meetings. Discuss
and decide.
● Meetings with vague purposes, such as “status
updates” are rarely a good use of time.
● Save communication and updates for emails.
● Throw out Robert’s Rules of Order.
● Have a designated notetaker.
● Walk and Talk. Try standing or walking
meetings.

14. A Few More Tips on Running Effective Meetings
● KISS - keep it small and simple.
● Meetings can also be done over the phone or online.
● Make sure everyone is participating and call out people who are not.
● Send out an agenda beforehand and be clear about meeting objectives.
● Parking lot it. Set aside issues or topics that can’t be resolved right then.
● Make sure EVERYONE leaves the meeting with a clear task/job with
deadline for next meeting.

15. Breaks are the key to
productivity & more
effective project
management.
(Let’s take a break.)

16. Choose a project to work on
Launching a New Service Website Redesign
Planning a Program New Signage
Launching Book A Librarian Outreach
Purchasing for Collection Staff Training
New Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS) Grant
Merging Departments
Designing a Children or Young Adult
Section
Organizing an Event

18. Did you successfully
complete the project?
How is the project going?
What’s the project
purpose, scope, and plan?
What are the tasks,
milestones, and
priorities of the project?

19. Design
Your project plan should answer
questions like: What are your
project goals and outcomes?
Your project plan can also be used
as your project pitch/elevator
speech.
What’s the project purpose,
scope, and plan?

20. Design
● Be SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant, Time Based)
● Beware scope creep
● Schedule - backward/reverse
planning
● Stakeholder analysis
● How will you evaluate success of
project?
● Environmental scan
● Maintainability and sustainability
● Costs benefit analysis
● Identify risks and potential
problem areas
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned

21. Develop
What are the tasks, milestones,
and priorities of the project?
ACTIVITY: Prioritize using the
MoSCoW method which activities
and tasks need to be done in 2
months.
MoSCoW method
Must have
o
Should have
Could have
o
Would like to have

22. Develop
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Build in buffer time
● Describe work in # of hours
● How to deal with scope creep
● Work in beta
● Soft launch
● Prioritize using MoSCoW
method

23. Analyze
How is the project going?
ACTIVITY: Choose one of the
methods to analyze your project in
progress & discuss how you would
use this method.

24. Analyze
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Keep in mind that project
analysis can be done at any
stage of project
● Qualitative & quantitative
● Identify problem areas
● Analyze the project itself
● Analyze the process

25. Did you successfully complete
the project?
DISCUSSION: How do you
evaluate your project?
Should we do surveys or
evaluations? What kind of questions
should you ask? How do you get
people to fill out surveys?
When is a project finished? When
can you as project manager end the
project?
Evaluate

26. Evaluate
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Keep a project management
journal
● Outcome based evaluations
● Qualitative and quantitative
● Don’t forget to celebrate

27. Project ownership (for
both project managers
& project teams) is key
to better project
management.

28. People Interact Consultancy
~It’s about people.
We work with libraries and nonprofits to implement creative solutions to effectively improve individual
and organizational performance. Our objective is to enhance organizational effectiveness by focusing
on the human element. Our services include impact-based evaluation, unconferences for
organizational development, and leadership and career development. http://bit.ly/peopleinteract
Presentation slides: http://peopleinteract.wordpress.com/blog