Project Management 101 (Barcelona edition)

A revised version of my Project Management 101 talk for WordCamp Barcelona 2015.

Transcript

1. PROJECT
   MANAGEMENT
   101
   

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2. @ C H R I S VA N PAT T E N
   

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4. PROJECT
   MANAGEMENT
   101
   

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5. WHAT IS PROJECT
   MANAGEMENT?
   

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6. Coordinating the various
   elements of a project to complete
   it on time and on budget
   

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7. WHY?
   

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8. We’ve all had those projects.
   

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9. It doesn’t need to be that way!
   

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10. PLAN!
    

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11. Plan the project before
    you win the project.
    

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12. Start with your proposal
    

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13. Not writing proposals? You should.
    

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14. Not writing proposals? You should.
    (You don’t even have to share them with the client!)
    

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15. Proposals help you
    set expectations
    

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16. Proposals help you
    share your process
    

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17. Proposals help you
    define success
    

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18. BE HONEST
    

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19. Bluster will come back to bite you.
    BE HONEST
    

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20. SETTING DEADLINES
    

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21. SETTING DEADLINES
    (or not)
    

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22. 1. Make a detailed list of deliverable
    components
    

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23. 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
    

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24. 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
    

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25. WORKING WITH A
    TEAM?
    

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26. Include them in the
    scheduling process
    

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27. Assign tasks early
    

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28. Spread out their deliverables
    

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29. REMEMBER…
    

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30. We haven’t even won the job yet!
    

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31. WE WON!
    

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32. How do you meet the
    expectations you’ve set?
    

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33. PROJECT MANAGEMENT
    SOFTWARE
    

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34. …will not solve your problems
    

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35. …but it can help.
    

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36. WP OPTIONS
    

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37. P2
    

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38. O2
    

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39. More…
    

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40. Just because you can use WordPress
    doesn’t mean you should use WordPress.
    

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41. NON-WP OPTIONS
    

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42. Trello
    

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43. Basecamp
    

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44. Asana
    

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45. TRY THEM ALL
    

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46. There’s no one right answer.
    

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47. Use what works for
    you and your team
    

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48. ESSENTIAL FEATURES
    

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49. 1. Ability to assign
    tasks
    

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50. 1. Ability to assign tasks
    2. Ability to set due
    dates
    

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51. 1. Ability to assign tasks
    2. Ability to set due dates
    3. Basic task discussion
    

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52. SHOULD GIVE MY
    CLIENT ACCESS?
    

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53. PROS
    

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54. 1. Keeps everyone on
    exactly the same
    page
    PROS
    

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55. 1. Keeps everyone on
    exactly the same page
    2. Saves you time in
    communication
    (email/phone)
    PROS
    

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56. 1. Keeps everyone on
    exactly the same page
    2. Saves you time in
    communication
    (email/phone)
    PROS CONS
    

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57. 1. Keeps everyone on
    exactly the same page
    2. Saves you time in
    communication
    (email/phone)
    PROS CONS
    1. Information
    overload for clients
    

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58. 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
    

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59. MIDDLE GROUND
    

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60. Share a “high level overview”
    project with broader tasks
    

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61. KEEPING CLIENTS HAPPY
    

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62. Sync-up meetings
    

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63. Communicate consistently
    

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64. Don’t overshare
    

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65. Raise problems early
    

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66. Let go of your pride!
    

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67. PLANNING FOR THE END
    

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68. Get a launch list in place in the first
    few weeks, revising as necessary
    

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69. Address hosting, passwords, and domains
    at the start of a project, not the end
    

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70. PLANNING FOR
    AFTER THE END
    

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71. Create a plan for website
    maintenance
    

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72. Who’s responsible for the project

    when you’re done?
    

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73. A LITTLE
    PLANNING
    CAN GO A LONG WAY
    

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74. You won’t solve every problem on
    day one
    

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75. (But you will solve many of them.)
    

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76. THANKS :)
    

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77. @CHRISVANPATTEN
    cvp.me/wordcampbcn15
    

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