Project Management 101

First presented at WordCamp Toronto 2014, on 16 November 2014.

Transcript

1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
2. @ C H R I S VA N PAT T E N
4. @ N A R J C A S T
5. B L A S T O F FA P P. C O M
6. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
7. WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
8. Coordinating the various elements of a project to complete it on time and on budget
9. WHY?
10. We’ve all had those projects.
11. It doesn’t need to be that way!
12. PLAN!
13. Plan the project before you win the project.
14. Start with your proposal
15. Not writing proposals? You should.
16. Not writing proposals? You should. (You don’t even have to share them with the client!)
17. Proposals help you set expectations
18. Proposals help you share your process
19. Proposals help you define success
20. BE HONEST
21. Bluster will come back to bite you. BE HONEST
22. SETTING DEADLINES
23. SETTING DEADLINES (or not)
24. 1. Make a detailed list of deliverable components
25. 1. Make a detailed list of deliverable components 2. Get a calendar (or white board or whatever) and lay out the project components week by week
26. 1. Make a detailed list of deliverable components 2. Get a calendar (or white board or whatever) and lay out the project components week by week 3. Better safe than sorry — always give yourself much more time than you think you need
27. WORKING WITH A TEAM?
28. Include them in the scheduling process
29. Assign tasks early
30. Spread out their deliverables
31. REMEMBER…
32. We haven’t even won the job yet!
33. WE WON!
34. How do you meet the expectations you’ve set?
35. PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
36. …will not solve your problems
37. …but it can help.
38. WP OPTIONS
39. P2
40. O2
41. More…
42. Just because you can use WordPress doesn’t mean you should use WordPress.
43. NON-WP OPTIONS
44. Trello
45. Basecamp
46. Asana
47. TRY THEM ALL
48. There’s no one right answer.
49. Use what works for you and your team
50. ESSENTIAL FEATURES
51. 1. Ability to assign tasks
52. 1. Ability to assign tasks 2. Ability to set due dates
53. 1. Ability to assign tasks 2. Ability to set due dates 3. Basic task discussion
54. SHOULD GIVE MY CLIENT ACCESS?
55. PROS
56. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page PROS
57. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS
58. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS CONS
59. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS CONS 1. Information overload for clients
60. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS CONS 1. Information overload for clients 2. Limits your flexibility
61. MIDDLE GROUND
62. Share a “high level overview” project with broader tasks
63. KEEPING CLIENTS HAPPY
64. Sync-up meetings
65. Communicate consistently
66. Don’t overshare
67. Raise problems early
68. Let go of your pride!
69. PLANNING FOR THE END
70. Address hosting, passwords, and domains at the start of a project, not the end
71. Get a launch list in place in the first few weeks, revising as necessary
72. PLANNING FOR AFTER THE END
73. Create a plan for website maintenance
74. Who’s responsible for the project
 when you’re done?
75. A LITTLE PLANNING CAN GO A LONG WAY
76. You won’t solve every problem on day one
77. (But you will solve many of them.)
78. THANKS :)
79. @CHRISVANPATTEN ! cvp.me/wordcampyyz14