Project Management 101 (Barcelona edition)

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

Transcript

1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
2. @ C H R I S VA N PAT T E N
4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
5. WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
6. Coordinating the various elements of a project to complete it on time and on budget
7. WHY?
8. We’ve all had those projects.
9. It doesn’t need to be that way!
10. PLAN!
11. Plan the project before you win the project.
12. Start with your proposal
13. Not writing proposals? You should.
14. Not writing proposals? You should. (You don’t even have to share them with the client!)
15. Proposals help you set expectations
16. Proposals help you share your process
17. Proposals help you define success
18. BE HONEST
19. Bluster will come back to bite you. BE HONEST
20. SETTING DEADLINES
21. SETTING DEADLINES (or not)
22. 1. Make a detailed list of deliverable components
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
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
25. WORKING WITH A TEAM?
26. Include them in the scheduling process
27. Assign tasks early
28. Spread out their deliverables
29. REMEMBER…
30. We haven’t even won the job yet!
31. WE WON!
32. How do you meet the expectations you’ve set?
33. PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
34. …will not solve your problems
35. …but it can help.
36. WP OPTIONS
37. P2
38. O2
39. More…
40. Just because you can use WordPress doesn’t mean you should use WordPress.
41. NON-WP OPTIONS
42. Trello
43. Basecamp
44. Asana
45. TRY THEM ALL
46. There’s no one right answer.
47. Use what works for you and your team
48. ESSENTIAL FEATURES
49. 1. Ability to assign tasks
50. 1. Ability to assign tasks 2. Ability to set due dates
51. 1. Ability to assign tasks 2. Ability to set due dates 3. Basic task discussion
52. SHOULD GIVE MY CLIENT ACCESS?
53. PROS
54. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page PROS
55. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/phone) PROS
56. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/phone) PROS CONS
57. 1. Keeps everyone on exactly the same page 2. Saves you time in communication (email/phone) PROS CONS 1. Information overload for clients
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
59. MIDDLE GROUND
60. Share a “high level overview” project with broader tasks
61. KEEPING CLIENTS HAPPY
62. Sync-up meetings
63. Communicate consistently
64. Don’t overshare
65. Raise problems early
66. Let go of your pride!
67. PLANNING FOR THE END
68. Get a launch list in place in the first few weeks, revising as necessary
69. Address hosting, passwords, and domains at the start of a project, not the end
70. PLANNING FOR AFTER THE END
71. Create a plan for website maintenance
72. Who’s responsible for the project
 when you’re done?
73. A LITTLE PLANNING CAN GO A LONG WAY
74. You won’t solve every problem on day one
75. (But you will solve many of them.)
76. THANKS :)
77. @CHRISVANPATTEN cvp.me/wordcampbcn15