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Project Management 101
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Chris Van Patten
November 16, 2014
Business
1
2.5k
Project Management 101
First presented at WordCamp Toronto 2014, on 16 November 2014.
Chris Van Patten
November 16, 2014
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Transcript
PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
@ C H R I S VA N PAT T
E N
None
@ N A R J C A S T
B L A S T O F FA P P.
C O M
PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
Coordinating the various elements of a project to complete it
on time and on budget
WHY?
We’ve all had those projects.
It doesn’t need to be that way!
PLAN!
Plan the project before you win the project.
Start with your proposal
Not writing proposals? You should.
Not writing proposals? You should. (You don’t even have to
share them with the client!)
Proposals help you set expectations
Proposals help you share your process
Proposals help you define success
BE HONEST
Bluster will come back to bite you. BE HONEST
SETTING DEADLINES
SETTING DEADLINES (or not)
1. Make a detailed list of deliverable components
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
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
WORKING WITH A TEAM?
Include them in the scheduling process
Assign tasks early
Spread out their deliverables
REMEMBER…
We haven’t even won the job yet!
WE WON!
How do you meet the expectations you’ve set?
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
…will not solve your problems
…but it can help.
WP OPTIONS
P2
O2
More…
Just because you can use WordPress doesn’t mean you should
use WordPress.
NON-WP OPTIONS
Trello
Basecamp
Asana
TRY THEM ALL
There’s no one right answer.
Use what works for you and your team
ESSENTIAL FEATURES
1. Ability to assign tasks
1. Ability to assign tasks 2. Ability to set due
dates
1. Ability to assign tasks 2. Ability to set due
dates 3. Basic task discussion
SHOULD GIVE MY CLIENT ACCESS?
PROS
1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page PROS
1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves
you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS
1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves
you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS CONS
1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves
you time in communication (email/ phone) PROS CONS 1. Information overload for clients
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
MIDDLE GROUND
Share a “high level overview” project with broader tasks
KEEPING CLIENTS HAPPY
Sync-up meetings
Communicate consistently
Don’t overshare
Raise problems early
Let go of your pride!
PLANNING FOR THE END
Address hosting, passwords, and domains at the start of a
project, not the end
Get a launch list in place in the first few
weeks, revising as necessary
PLANNING FOR AFTER THE END
Create a plan for website maintenance
Who’s responsible for the project when you’re done?
A LITTLE PLANNING CAN GO A LONG WAY
You won’t solve every problem on day one
(But you will solve many of them.)
THANKS :)
@CHRISVANPATTEN ! cvp.me/wordcampyyz14