Making sure the juice is worth the squeeze - Manage Digital 2019

We have begun to describe our projects with words like “Responsive,” “Flexible,” “Fluid,” Agile,” and “User-Centered,” but we continue to manage our projects the same way we always have. How can we deliver on new, grand promises without completely changing our thinking about the work and how we manage it?

At the end of the day, projects don’t fail for technical or design reasons, they fail because of the people involved. Rather than the old ideas of focusing on the “iron triangle” of project management (scope, budget, and timeline), let’s take a step back and talk about the people involved in our projects.

I will share lessons I have learned the hard way from working on and running technical projects over the last 20 years that prove we need to put people first. And I’ll show you how focusing on people can make both your teams and your projects thrive.

Transcript

1. Rob Harr MAKING SURE THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE. @robertharr
2. HELLO!
6. YMMV!
7. “Making sure the juice is worth the squeeze.”
8. Our long term business plan is to have happy, healthy, well adjusted humans and families.
9. The power of words. #1
10. Resources Talent
11. I am in the talent business.
12. People are our biggest asset.
13. Agency. Studio.
14. “How are you?”
15. Thank you notes.
17. Accountability.
19. People over process. #2
20. Running a business is hard.
21. Running a profitable business is even harder.
22. Running a profitable business while treating people like humans is a constant struggle.
23. Projects don’t fail for technical or design reasons, they fail because of the people involved.
24. 2 kinds of Companies: Talent Producers Talent Consumers
25. Apprenticeships.
26. People buy people, not process or brands.
27. A good portfolio is merely table stakes in finding work. TAN GEN T!
28. What gets measured gets done.
29. Humans.
30. Achievable Goals vs Aspirational Goals
31. Make better mistakes.
32. Everyone has a superpower.
33. The humans in front of us.
34. The best part of our companies is that they are made up of humans. Humans sometimes suck. The worst part of our companies is that they are made up of humans.
35. Effective collaboration. #3
36. If you can’t say no, it’s not collaboration.
37. We confuse getting along for effective collaboration.
38. Conflict can be healthy.
39. Have difficult conversations.
40. Diversity
41. Diverse teams help make collaboration more valuable…
 while also increasing the potential for conflict.
42. Our clients are wanting to be collaborated with.
43. Discovery projects.
44. Scope Budget Timeline
45. Project Manager Client Team
46. The best predictor of project success is how our stakeholders feel about it. TAN GEN T!
47. Client Happiness = A small delta between project expectations and project reality. TAN GEN T!
48. Client TAN GEN T!
49. Managing Client Expectations TAN GEN T!
50. Setting Client Expectations TAN GEN T!
51. Research Vendors Vendor Selection Negotiation Project Expectations Set TAN GEN T!
52. Research Vendors Vendor Selection Negotiation Project Expectations Set Expectations Managed TAN GEN T!
53. “We want to work with you,
 rather than for you.”
54. Lean into learning. #4
55. We love having a plan.
56. We often correlate progress with decisions being made.
57. and it is killing our projects.
59. Last responsible moment (LRM) : A strategy of not making a premature decision but instead delaying commitment and keeping important and irreversible decisions open until the cost of not making a decision becomes greater than the cost of making a decision.
60. Not a justification for procrastination.
61. Last possible moment
62. I believe as an industry we often care more about how we get to the end, then the results.
63. Embrace the unknown.
64. It is ok to not have all of the answers.
65. “That is a great question, let me get back to you with an answer.”
66. Discipline > Motivation TAN GEN T!
67. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices MicroCash updated Future P&L updated $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s All-Team Demo Forecasting updated TAN GEN T!
68. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning yoga Coffee Afternoon Golf league Morning Lifting Coffee Morning Lifting Coffee Weekly Breakfast Blocked Lunch TAN GEN T!
69. Wearing in the rut. TAN GEN T!
70. Embrace learning during the project.
71. “We’ll know more about your project tomorrow than we do today.”
72. It is ok to punt to future you.
73. One of the ways to make you have regrets in life is only to chase things you are sure to catch.
74. There are seasons for all things. #5
75. The people and clients you start with will not be the people and clients you end with.
76. Surviving Growing Thriving
77. Surviving Growing Thriving
78. Ending well.
79. The end of things often colors how they view the whole.
80. Treating people like humans should not be a differentiator in our businesses. But it is.
81. Alumni.
82. People have different values in different contexts. TAN GEN T!
83. Accept the fact that you will be completely wrong about things that you are sure you learned.
84. What makes the juice worth the squeeze?
85. What makes the juice worth the squeeze? The people.
86. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business:
87. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1:
88. If you ever become annoyed by a client, it is only because you’re not charging them enough money. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1: Rule 2:
89. THANKS! @robertharr rob@heysparkbox.com