Army of Awesome, Digital PM Summit 2016

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 mom 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 who we are and what we do!

Transcript

1. brettharned.com @brettharned ARMY OF AWESOME
2. I HAVE QUESTIONS.
3. …for more than 5 years? Who holds the title “Digital Project Manager” (or something similar)? 

4. Who came into their career straight out of university as a DPM (or is a student)?
5. Who would consider themselves an Accidental DPM?
6. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT!
7. A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS DPM
8. AGE: 5 CAREER GOAL: DOCTOR SKILLS: ART, PLAY, ORGANIZING TOYS
9. AGE: 13 CAREER GOAL: DOCTOR SKILLS: ART, READING, WRITING, SCHOOL TO-DO LISTS, ORGANIZING CDs
10. AGE: 21 CAREER GOAL: ??? SKILLS: ART, WRITING, SOCIALIZING, QUESTIONING EVERYTHING
11. AGE: 31-CURRENT CAREER GOAL: DIGITAL PM SKILLS: WRITING, PLANNING, LEARNING, SOCIALIZING
12. CURIOUS. ORGANIZED. COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. HELPFUL. COMMUNICATOR. DETAIL ORIENTED. COURAGEOUS.
13. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT!
14. WE’RE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE NEEDED
15. DO OUR TEAMS AND STAKEHOLDERS REALIZE THEY NEED US?
16. “WHAT DO YOU DO?”
17. NON-INDUSTRY PERCEPTIONS
18. “A Digital PM manages, coordinates, executes and implements the development and sometimes maintenance of digital projects such as websites.” 
 VANESSA BURK EXECUTIVE CHEF
19. “So what kind of projects do you manage then?” 
 MR. MAN UK IMMIGRATIONS OFFICER
20. “You help teams organize their work.” 
 SUSAN HARNED (MY MOM)
21. “YOU’RE FIRED!” DONALD TRUMP REALITY TV “STAR” HAS PUBLICLY FIRED MANY “PMS”
22. THEY KINDA GET IT… BUT THEY DON’T REALLY.
23. INDUSTRY PERCEPTIONS
24. “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
 DESIGN FOR REAL LIFE @sarawb
25. “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.” 
 PAUL BOAG UX CONSULTANT AUTHOR, DIGITAL ADAPTATION @boagworld
26. “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
27. “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
28. “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
29. THEY KINDA GET IT… BUT WE CAN DO BETTER.
30. WHAT IS OUR PLACE WITHIN THE GREATER PM COMMUNITY?
32. WUT?
34. BUT WE DON’T GET IT. AND THAT IS OUR FAULT. WE’RE SOMEHOW RELATED.
35. I WILL FIND ANSWERS
37. SOURCE: https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/brief-history-of-project-management.php
38. SOURCE: https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/brief-history-of-project-management.php … DPM!!!
39. HOW DO WE MAKE OUR MARK?
40. WE NEED STANDARDS
41. 7 DPM PRINCIPLES
42. WE ARE …
43. CHAOS JUNKIES 1
44. WE THRIVE ON PROBLEMS BECAUSE WE KNOW WE CAN SOLVE THEM
45. WE BREAK PROCESSES TO MAKE NEW ONES
46. WE MAKE OUR OWN TEMPLATES IF/WHEN WE NEED THEM. WE DON’T SIMPLY FOLLOW TEMPLATES. WE ASK QUESTIONS. WE SEEK ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS.
47. CHECK THESE OUT & ADAPT THEM brettharned.com/blog
48. WE MANAGE WITH OUR MINDS, NOT WITH TOOLS.
49. MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATORS 2
50. WE SPEAK: MARKETING, IT, FINANCE, LEGAL, DESIGN, UX, CONTENT STRATEGY, CODE, AND MORE
51. EMPATHY. EXPERTISE. CONSISTENCY. WE SPEAK WITH:
52. ONE-ON-ONES. STATUS.CHECK-INS. WE CREATE ROUTINES: EMAIL. PHONE. BASECAMP. SLACK. MEETINGS.
53. WE LISTEN AND TAKE CUES FROM OUR TEAM AND CLIENTS
54. LOVEABLE HARDASSES 3
55. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
56. 1. Be Honest 2. Be Reliable 3. Communicate 4. Admit Fault (when it’s yours to admit) BUILD TRUST:
57. WE ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF OUR TEAMS.
58. I’M NOT YOUR SECRETARY.
59. CONSUMMATE LEARNERS & TEACHERS 4
60. WE LEARN ON THE JOB
61. WE LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER
62. http://teamgantt.com/guide-to-project-management/continuous-pm-learning/
63. 1. Build Trust 2. Gain Predictability 3. Gain Consensus 4. Test New Ideas WE TEACH SO WE CAN:
64. TEACHING= WIN-WIN
65. LASER-FOCUSED 5
66. FACT: PEOPLE COMPLICATE PROJECTS
67. WE FOCUS ON PROJECT GOALS
68. -NAPOLEON HILL, 
 AMERICAN AUTHOR, 1883-1970 “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
69. WHAT IMPACTS PROJECT GOALS? EVOLVING BUSINESS NEEDS FEEDBACK (OR LACK THEREOF) BRILLIANT IDEAS! 
 UNINFORMED STAKEHOLDERS SHRINKING BUDGETS MISSED DEADLINES NEW REQUIREMENTS 
 POOR COMMUNICATIONS
70. GOALS CHANGE IT’S OKAY, I PROMISE
71. DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL GOALS
72. It’s too easy to forget about yourself when you’re responsible for everyone and everything else.
73. • Set achievable goals • Discuss them with someone • Plan for them • Check in on them regularly • Adjust as you see fit BE SURE TO:
74. HONEST, ALWAYS 6
75. CULTIVATE A REPUTATION FOR STRAIGHT TALK
76. • Difficult conversations • Outcomes you might not be prepared for • Not being liked immediately THIS CAN MAKE FOR:
77. “Sometimes telling the truth will not make people happy, or make you the winner of a popularity contest. In some cases you may suffer from ‘loss of grace’ for telling the truth or for standing up for what is right.”
 -THOMAS M. CUNNINGHAM, US NAVAL ACADEMY FIRE DEPT.
 Leadership 101: Integrity
78. We don’t cover up mistakes; we illuminate them with the intent of not repeating them.
79. We stay transparent when it comes to scope, budget, and timeline changes.
80. We resolve conflict by remaining neutral and honest about causes and solutions.
81. -MICHELLE OBAMA, 
 FLOTUS “When they go low, we go high.”
82. PATHFINDERS 7
83. BUDGET & TIMELINE STRATEGIC PATH
 & SUCCESS
84. ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF DELIVERABLES, PROCESS, TOOLS & EXPERTISE.
85. BE CONFIDENT. BE A LEADER. MAKE WORK FUN.
86. WHERE WILL YOU TAKE US?
87. WHEN YOU GET A MINUTE…
88. WE ARE…
89. AWESOME #weareDPM
90. THANK YOU! brettharned.com @brettharned pathfinderdpm.com @pathfinderdpm