Army of Awesome

This was the closing keynote at DPM:UK in Manchester UK on 1/28/16.

DPM? What’s that mean? It means Digital Project Manager. Okay? What’s that mean? Think about it—very few people know what it is you actually do every day. Even your mum scratches her head when you explain your job.

You need a simple explanation for the awesomeness that you unleash at work every single day. We all do. We also need a set of standards by which we all operate, because there is no path to follow when it comes to DPM. That ends now. This presentation will rally the DPM community around a set of principles that elevate and strengthen us individually, and as a community of practitioners. Let’s get fired up about what we do and who we are!

Transcript

1. brettharned.com @brettharned ARMY OF AWESOME DPM:UK 
 January 28, 2016
2. brettharned.com
 brett@brettharned.com
 @brettharned Digital PM Consultant & Coach digitalpmsummit.com
 @digitalPMsummit pathfinderdpm.com
 @pathfinderdpm everydaydpm.com
 @EveryDayDPM Hi, I’m Brett
3. I HAVE QUESTIONS.
4. Who came into their career straight out of university as a DPM (or is a student)?
5. Who holds the title “digital project manager” (or something similar)? 
 …for more than 5 years?
6. Who would consider themselves an Accidental PM?
7. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT!
8. A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS DPM
9. AGE: 5 CAREER GOAL: DOCTOR SKILLS: ART, PLAY, ORGANIZING TOYS
10. AGE: 13 CAREER GOAL: DOCTOR SKILLS: ART, READING, WRITING, SCHOOL TO-DO LISTS, ORGANIZING CDs
11. AGE: 21 CAREER GOAL: ??? SKILLS: ART, WRITING, SOCIALIZING, QUESTIONING EVERYTHING
12. AGE: 31-CURRENT CAREER GOAL: DIGITAL PM SKILLS: WRITING, PLANNING, LEARNING, SOCIALIZING
13. CURIOUS. ORGANIZED. COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. HELPFUL. COMMUNICATOR. DETAIL ORIENTED. COURAGEOUS.
14. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT!
15. WE’RE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE NEEDED
16. BUT DO THEY REALIZE IT?
17. “WHAT DO YOU DO?”
18. NON-INDUSTRY
 PERCEPTIONS
19. “Manages, coordinates, executes and implements the development and sometimes maintenance of digital projects such as websites.” 
 VANESSA BURK EXECUTIVE CHEF
20. “So what kind of projects do you manage then?” 
 MR. MAN IMMIGRATIONS OFFICER
21. “YOU’RE FIRED!” DONALD TRUMP BUSINESSMAN, REALITY TV “STAR” HAS PUBLICLY FIRED MANY PMS
22. “You help teams organize their work.” 
 SUSAN HARNED (MY MOM)
23. THEY KINDA GET IT… BUT THEY DON’T REALLY.
24. INDUSTRY
 PERCEPTIONS
25. “DPMs keep projects moving. They maintain a clear grasp of the big picture, while noticing (and addressing!) little issues before they turn into headaches. They’re experts at articulating what’s happening, who’s responsible for it, and when it needs to get done, so no one—team, clients, stakeholders—leaves a conversation unsure what they’re supposed to be doing.” 
 SARA WACHTER-BOETTCHER CONTENT STRATEGIST AUTHOR, CONTENT EVERYWHERE @sarawb
26. “As far as I can tell project managers do nothing. But if they stopped doing it then I am pretty sure everything would fall apart. In some ways they are like oxygen. What they do is invisible and you take it for granted right up until the moment it isn’t there anymore.” 
 PAUL BOAG UX CONSULTANT AUTHOR, DIGITAL ADAPTATION @boagworld
27. “Digital project managers are the stage managers of the Internet. They keep productions running smoothly, from the first rehearsal to the final bow. As the communications and organizational hub for all things creative and technical, they ensure that all disparate parts are working in unison, overseeing the cast and crew and pitching in when necessary. Without them, the director's vision would never become reality, and all of us would be out of work.” 
 WHITNEY HESS EMPATHY COACH
 CO-HOST, DESIGNING YOU @whitneyhess
28. “A project manager captains the ship. Pilots the aircraft. Conducts the orchestra. Mans the torpedoes. Drives the bus. Alone they are nothing— but with the right process and team and resources—they are vital. They are everything.” 
 NANCY LYONS CEO, CLOCKWORK AUTHOR, INTERACTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
 PEOPLE, PROCESS, PIXELS @nylons
29. “Project management is like sweeping up after the elephants, only less glamorous.” 
 JEFFREY ZELDMAN FOUNDER, HAPPY COG, 
 A LIST APART, A BOOK APART, AN EVENT APART AUTHOR, DESIGNING WITH WEB STANDARDS @zeldman
30. THEY GET IT… BUT WE CAN DO BETTER.
31. WHAT IS OUR PLACE WITHIN THE GREATER PM COMMUNITY?
33. WUT?
35. BUT WE DON’T GET IT. AND THAT IS OUR FAULT. WE’RE SOMEHOW RELATED.
36. I WILL FIND ANSWERS
38. SOURCE: https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/brief-history-of-project-management.php
39. SOURCE: https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/brief-history-of-project-management.php … DPM!!!
40. HOW DO WE MAKE OUR MARK?
41. WE NEED STANDARDS
42. 5 DPM PRINCIPLES
43. WE ARE…
44. CHAOS JUNKIES
45. WE THRIVE ON PROBLEMS BECAUSE WE KNOW WE CAN SOLVE THEM
46. WE BREAK PROCESSES TO MAKE NEW ONES
47. WE DON’T SIMPLY FOLLOW TEMPLATES. WE ASK QUESTIONS. WE SEEK ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS. WE MAKE OUR OWN TEMPLATES IF WE NEED THEM.
48. CHECK THESE OUT & ADAPT THEM brettharned.com/blog
49. WE MANAGE WITH OUR MINDS, NOT WITH TOOLS.
50. MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATORS
51. WE SPEAK: MARKETING, IT, FINANCE, LEGAL, DESIGN, UX, CONTENT STRATEGY, CODE, AND MORE
52. EMPATHY. EXPERTISE. CONSISTENCY. WE SPEAK WITH:
53. ONE-ON-ONES. STATUS.CHECK-INS. WE CREATE ROUTINES: EMAIL. PHONE. BASECAMP. SLACK. MEETINGS.
54. WE LISTEN AND TAKE CUES FROM OUR TEAM AND CLIENTS
55. LOVEABLE HARDASSES
56. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
57. BUILD TRUST: 1. BE HONEST 2. BE RELIABLE 3. COMMUNICATE 4. ADMIT FAULT
58. WE ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF OUR TEAMS.
59. I’M NOT YOUR SECRETARY.
60. CONSUMMATE LEARNERS & TEACHERS
61. WE LEARN ON THE JOB
62. WE LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER
63. http://teamgantt.com/guide-to-project-management/continuous-pm-learning/
64. WE TEACH SO WE CAN: 1. BUILD TRUST 2. GAIN PREDICTABILITY 3. TEST NEW IDEAS 4. COMMON UNDERSTANDING
65. TEACHING= WIN-WIN
66. PATHFINDERS
67. BUDGET & TIMELINE STRATEGIC PATH
 & SUCCESS
68. ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF DELIVERABLES, PROCESS, TOOLS & EXPERTISE.
69. BE CONFIDENT. BE A LEADER. MAKE WORK FUN.
70. WHERE WILL YOU TAKE US?
71. DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGERS OF THE WORLD UNITE
72. A VERY BRIEF EXERCISE
73. WE ARE…
74. AWESOME #weareDPM
75. everydaydpm.com #weareDPM
76. THANK YOU! brettharned.com @brettharned
77. COMING SOON: pathfinderdpm.com @pathfinderdpm TRAINING A BOOK