PM Pitfalls—DPM:UK, Manchester 2015

Being a project manager is easy… said no project manager, ever. There are plenty of hazards, perils and obstacles waiting to get in the way of running a project smoothly, making us want to tear our hair out on a daily basis. There are ones of our own making (yes, we are human), or caused by our team or the client. There are also external factors lurking around every corner just waiting to derail our projects.

In her talk, Suze goes through some of the common pitfalls facing us every day on our projects—as well as ones we least suspect—and how best to tackle and overcome them. All while keeping a smile on our faces and our sanity intact!

Transcript

1. PM PITFALLS Suze Haworth @suzehaworth
2. How to plan for the unknown! ! PM PITFALLS
3. How to plan for the unknown! ! PM PITFALLS
4. How to plan for the unknown! ! PM PITFALLS How to think like an action hero…
5. pitfall! ˈpɪtfɔːl/! noun! noun: pitfall; plural noun: pitfalls! ! ! 1. 
 a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty."the pitfalls of buying goods at public auctions"! ! ! synonyms:! ! ! hazard, danger, risk, peril, difficulty, issue, problem, catch, snag, stumbling block, drawback; informal banana skin ! "the pitfalls of setting up an office at home”! 2. ! a covered pit for use as a trap.
6. pitfall! ˈpɪtfɔːl/! noun! noun: pitfall; plural noun: pitfalls! ! ! 1. 
 a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty."the pitfalls of buying goods at public auctions"! ! ! synonyms:! ! ! hazard, danger, risk, peril, difficulty, issue, problem, catch, snag, stumbling block, drawback; informal banana skin ! "the pitfalls of setting up an office at home”! 2. ! a covered pit for use as a trap.
7. pitfall! ˈpɪtfɔːl/! noun! noun: pitfall; plural noun: pitfalls! ! ! 1. 
 a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty."the pitfalls of buying goods at public auctions"! ! ! synonyms:! ! ! hazard, danger, risk, peril, difficulty, issue, problem, catch, snag, stumbling block, drawback; informal banana skin ! "the pitfalls of setting up an office at home”! 2. ! a covered pit for use as a trap.
8. Risk vs uncertainty
9. Risk vs uncertainty • Risk: the events and issues that can be foreseen, so mitigation can be put in place
10. Risk vs uncertainty • Risk: the events and issues that can be foreseen, so mitigation can be put in place • Uncertainty: the unknown issues that you can’t plan specifically for that can derail your project
11. The client
12. The client
13. The client • Know your ‘enemy’
14. The client • Know your ‘enemy’ • Pre-empt their concerns
15. The client • Know your ‘enemy’ • Pre-empt their concerns • Check in regularly
16. The tech
17. The tech
18. The tech • Try not to over rely on your tools
19. The tech • Try not to over rely on your tools • Back up
20. The tech • Try not to over rely on your tools • Back up • Consider a generic contingency response plan
21. The PM—you!
22. The PM—you!
23. The PM—you! • You don’t have to do everything
24. The PM—you! • You don’t have to do everything • Make sure you delegate tasks to the right members of the team
25. The PM—you! • You don’t have to do everything • Make sure you delegate tasks to the right members of the team • Try to minimise the single points of failure
26. The team
27. The team
28. The team • Ensure there are back ups
29. The team • Ensure there are back ups • No single point of failure - again! (Hint, this is important)
30. The team • Ensure there are back ups • No single point of failure - again! (Hint, this is important) • Work fast to isolate the single points of failure, and put in place actions to get rid of them
31. So an action hero…
32. So an action hero… • Knows the enemy
33. So an action hero… • Knows the enemy • Keeps things simple
34. So an action hero… • Knows the enemy • Keeps things simple • Takes on a sidekick
35. So an action hero… • Knows the enemy • Keeps things simple • Takes on a sidekick • Makes sure they don’t have single points of failure
36. So an action hero… PM • Knows the enemy • Keeps things simple • Takes on a sidekick • Makes sure they don’t have single points of failure
37. And finally…
38. And finally… Never let an explosion knock you over, just keep on going…
39. Thanks!! ! Suze Haworth @suzehaworth