Exertus Procuratio:

Quick tip: Monitor the stress levels of your project team.

2008-03-01T14:51:00.009-05:00

I'm having a lazy Saturday morning. I've enjoyed a leisurely coffee, read the paper, and am listening to some jazz. Its a pleasant way to start the day. More importantly, I'm not thinking about the past week's work and its toil. I'm relaxing and de-stressing.

Taking time to de-stress is an important part work /life balance. By taking time to focus on other activities and relaxation, it replenishes your energy.

With this in mind, keep an eye on your project team and monitor their stress levels. If you recognize a team member is suffering from being over-stressed, be sure to address the situation . You can do so by creating an opportunity for your team member to de-stress:

Relieve some deliverables and move them to another resource
Discuss some solutions with their manager such as recommending that the resource should take some time for themselves.
If its a very busy time, and everyone is working hard to get projects completed, be sure to thank your project team for all their hard work.
If your team is working late, if you can, try and support your team by attending to administrative and support tasks like: ordering dinner; keeping office lights on; getting the team coffee.

Each interactive group have their own methods of dealing with stress. If you help your project team manage their stress levels, it will create a more cohesive group. And a much happier team.

Plan for common project delays: 5 Point checklist

2008-02-17T20:58:00.010-05:00

Often even the most diligently planned projects sometimes are susceptible to small slippages. And even the most experienced Interactive Project Managers sometimes are caught off guard by what should be anticipated delays. Good PMs will account for unanticipated delays by creating a buffer or "cushion" between key Milestones.

However, there is a way to predict re-occurring delays. Here is a simple check-list to account for the most prevalent ones:

Holidays
Let's start with an easy one; your office's Holiday Schedule. Create "Non-working" days for each of the Holidays. Also anticipate that the day before the Holiday is a very unproductive day and should likely be considered a "Non-working" day as well.

When working with International teams, it is important to address Holidays in the foreign country as well. Once the appropriate Holidays are determined, associate only those affected.
Vacation
As your project resources are assigned, send them an email and find out what vacation time they may have upcoming and book it as “non-working” time in your timeline. If you can, see if your resources can anticipate who may be substituting in during their vacation, and create a hand-off meeting a week before the vacation time.
Multiple Revisions
Its difficult to get a deliverable accurate without changes on a first attempt. Leave an opportunity for your team to have a couple of revision cycles. This may be a politically sensitive, but this is not demonstrating a disbelief in the ability of the team, but rather an understanding of our collective work schedules and mistakes do happen. We are only human.
Client and Senior Management Decision Delays
Often times a project can be delayed due to Client or Senior Management stakeholders due to delayed decisions on key budget or scope elements. If these decisions milestones can be predicted, provide a leeway of a couple days to reach a decision.

If the stakeholders require further time to provide a decision to the project team, the project is then delayed and cost overruns and rescheduling can then be addressed.
Knowledge Transfer
Within the interactive agency world, resources on a project may be transfered, or may resign and requiring a knowledge transfer. This may be the most difficult situation to plan for. Tnasfering ownership between the departing resource and the new incoming resource can hopefully be completed without during a point in the timeline that does not required them to complete a deliverable. As this situation cannot be affectively anticipated, it is simply a good policy to cushion this time into each phase of the project.

And if it turns the project finishes early, just simply ask for forgiveness.

Scanning articles around the Net

2008-02-01T16:37:00.001-05:00

Work is keeping me busy these days, as I am involved in a large website redesign project. But, I do keep an eye on other Project Management Blogs around the "inter-web". Here are a few articles that I thought might interest you:

1. Good Project Managers are hard to find!
The Project Hut is a great place to find the latest interactive discussions. This article will likely confirm that good Project Managers are in high demand - even in Brussels. It's nice to know that you're wanted.

2. Why A/B Split Email Testing Is Invaluable
Gina Lijoi continues to write excellent articles, and this one is no exception. In her latest posting she explores the concept of executing slightly different email executions under one project release. Without giving away the punch-line, this tactic will provide your clients with definitive advantage.

3. Do you think "Work" is broken?
Marc Orchant thinks so. In this interesting article, Marc explores how to fix the workplace's current email, meeting and behavioral bad habits. Very interesting.

Enjoy!

Illustration: "Man and Coffee"
Copyright: Evgeny Ivanov

8 Tips on how to improve managing interactive projects

2008-01-15T19:37:00.000-05:00

I wrote down a few reminders to myself this morning on what successful habits did I have last year which I could continue to expand on this year. I managed to identify 8 key Project Management traits that enabled me to successfully deliver projects last year. However, similarly to a golfer who continuously works on his/her swing, I need to continue working on my skills as they are not always 'at the ready' in every situation.

Here is the list of successful skills / habits I identified:

1. Observe / Anticipate: There is definitely a soft skill that Project Managers can all work on. The skill of observing how your team works together. Through this skill you can then begin to predict behaviours for future projects and possibly identify future challenges and risks. Nobody can really predict the future with 100% accuracy - but being able to anticipate possible challenges enables you to lead the team with foresight.

2. Research: Understanding the technology that will be the foundation of the interactive project assigned to you can help in your ability to deliver it on time and budget. At the start of a new project, take some time to do research and ask questions of the tech team. Nobody is expecting you to execute the work, but understanding the tasks at hand will help in ensuring your project structure enables the team to succeed.

3. Facilitate: Once the project is underway, provide assistance to your team members in facilitating their tasks. small and mundane tasks are the bane of everyone's existence. Taking ownership and facilitating tasks, such as; scheduling meetings, booking rooms, reviewing and gathering creative assets for hand off to tech teams can all help ensure a smooth project execution.

4. Negotiate: As all good project managers know, our greatest skill is negotiation: especially in the task of negotiating more time to complete a project than maybe required. It will help account for mitigating any unanticipated risks that may occur. Or, you may just deliver the project ahead of schedule. Be aware in your negotiations that you are striving for an outcome that is beneficial to the existence of the project.

5. Tracking: Keep an eye on your team's progress on an regular basis. Watch for signs of slippage - and address it as soon as possible with the resource. Tracking their progress will provide you with a clear picture of your project's process - and enable you to correct projects that are slide off-track. However, be conscious that there is a threshold with every resource between "status updates" and "nagging". Find that balance and you will not seen as a "whipping stick" roving the hallways "PM'ing" everyone.

6. Lead time for resources: If possible, provide resources with advance notice of projects and their expected participation. This will enable the resources- and help structure their priorities. And more importantly it demonstrates respect for the resources' time.

7. Document: Be a stickler for status and tracking documentation. This task can be the most time consuming but the content that you capture is pure gold.

8. Communicate: Be sure to meet with your team members to understand their status - be it formal or informal. Also be the fountain of knowledge for the project. And if you are unsure of an answer, seek out the answer quickly. Ensure your interactions are timely, and crucial to facilitating your resources end goals. When required, schedule efficient meetings.

Kicking off 2008 on the right foot

2008-01-14T21:48:00.001-05:00

Another lengthy day of meetings. Everyone is optimistic that the group is going to achieve great success in 2008. If you are attending similar meetings these days (or hearing about them) I suspect that probably your teams are full of ambitious plans as well. Possibly, they are suggesting a Social Media project or two as an opportunity to think "outside the box".

Very exciting.

As a project manager, however, this is the time of year that I get nervous. I watch as the thinking around the marketing campfires take on a distinctive strategic air, and there is little interest in executional details. I guess it is understood that those details will be worked out later, at some point, — right?

Often when these plans do arrive at the PMO, somewhat conceived and sold through to the project stakeholders (senior management, clients etc.) - I feel like the big bucket of cold water, splashing a resounding "no" - or - "we need to look at the facts" - or - "what is our budget on this" - or - " I don't think we have the resources at that time" all over these once dry plans.

I understand that the marketers are attempting to conceive of a brilliant strategic plan and solving a communication problem, while being innovative; all at the same time. Meanwhile, as project managers, we are attempting to ascertain scope and goals and establish the project's structure and resources. Two trains of thought heading in different directions.

How can we bridge this gap?

Let me suggest to my marketing, pr, and account services brethren to contemplate an opportunity to achieve great communication success: reach out to the internal project management teams as soon as possible to help you in your planning development.

Bridging this gap in the early part of the year by including your project manager to help you plan, will enable your strategic thinking to achieve an easier reality.

"Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans." :Peter Drucker

Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 Server Pack 1 Update

2008-01-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

Microsoft has released Service Pack 1 for the Microsoft Office 2007 Suite.

Download it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/

The fixes cover a bunch of different applications and platforms, so it will take some consideration in rolling it out.

Be Productive.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T21:17:00.000-05:00

New Year's Resolution: write more blog posts

I hope that everyone has spent a good holiday season. I've been relaxing at home and helping my girlfriend recover from a wisdom tooth surgery. I've had a quiet holiday season, playing games and watching movies - and eating way too much. This afternoon I was reminded that it is the time of year to review what has been accomplished. And while 2007 has been a great year of accomplishments there are some improvements that I want to make in 2008.

Thank you for your support in 2007 and let's make it a great 2008!

Best PM Movie Quote

2007-11-28T19:16:00.000-05:00

Inspired by an newsletter (email) that I received from Gantthead.com. With their message of Holiday Cheer, the team at Gantthead.com raised my awareness about their new Project Management T-shirts. Each of the designs present a twist on semi-famous movie quotes. Given that "...the attendees at the PMI show in Atlanta and the Microsoft Office Project Conference in Seattle loved [their] gantthead t-shirts... " - it made me think of what would be my favourite PM Movie quote.

Well — definitely no contest.

Pulp Fiction (1994).
Scene: Winston Wolfe (played by Harvey Keitel) interacting with Jules and Vincent who have a bloody car to clean up.

If I'm curt with you, it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast, and I need you guys to act fast if you want to get out of this. So pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the f&#!-ing car.

If you want to check out Gantthead's T-shirts, head on over to their store.

Leggo my Resource!

2007-11-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

How often has this happened to you? You've planned out your timeline, assigned resources and managed your costs to ensure a successful delivery of your interactive project. Only to have the "rug pulled out from under you".

Your team member announces to you that there is a conflict of priorization between your deliverables and other projects assigned.

In larger organizations, the element of priorization is a very real risk on every project. Typically, there are well over 30+ projects underway. Each of these project are assigned a Project Manager, who is responsible for managing their resources and ensure that they have an understanding of what tasks require their attention over any given week. However, each Project Manager may encounter impacts to their project as a result of delays from another project running parallel. The impacts may include their resource attending to other tasks outside of your project deliverables. And now we have a conflict of prioritization

At such times, I would give anything for an application that would provide Project Managers with a notification system that would resolve such conflicts. This web-based application would have the ability to capture all the current tasks for all resources on any given week - identify the hours assigned and determine conflicts based on hours assigned. Then once the conflicts were identified, the application would communicate to the affected Project Managers with the affected tasks and affected resources.

My team and I currently resolve such conflicts between resources and their tasks through prioritization meetings / negotiations. We escalate any unresolved issues to the management team for resolution. While this process DOES resolve the issue, it does have its draw-back;

It is a very manual process
It increases the number of meetings through the course of a week
Resolutions take time away from productivity and delay projects

I am on the hunt for a better resolution to this issue - and will provide a follow up to this posting when I find any further solutions.

Continue to extend your project's success

2007-11-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

With the deployment of the client's new website to the production server, or the click of "send" and the fifty-thousand emails are sent out – the interactive project team breaths a sign of relief. The project is completed. The team worked hard, there were some long nights, and challenges to overcome. But all that has diminished now into memory, as the round of "congratulations" and "great job" circulate amongst the team members and with senior management.

Still — there is no better feeling than when a project is launched.

And as the team members begin focusing, almost immediately, on other projects -- the project manager begins the process of closing out the project. From my experiences in the past, this task is by far the most difficult to remain focused on. With the project launching, the drive and motivation of the team relinquishes - as the pressure to complete the job dissipates. However, closing out the project accurately and effectively may be the most important task a project manager can contribute to their organization.

A proper close out process will extend the memory of the organization by providing the ability for any future project manager to quickly research and acquire the details of every interactive project completed since the groups inception. And as we all know, many interactive projects are replications of previous projects - usually with slight modification to the deliverables.

Through a detailed close-out process, a project manager can identify and archive the following information which will enable the next PM to provide the client continuity with their next interactive request:

Artwork
Copy
Developer Code (e.g. XML, Flash, Javascript, HTML etc.)
Resource names and hours recorded
Define the Project's final deliverables
including any change orders
List of specific Assumptions, Risks and Mitigations identified
Costs and write-offs
Brief description of any learnings that resulted from the project
Brief description of any successes that resulted from the project
Acquire Feedback from team members on their impression of the project and its processes

In the world of interactive projects, a key ability expected of the entire team is to respond to the client's request with speed and accuracy. The project manager can greatly assist with this expectation by extending the breadth of legacy knowledge through a proper close-out process.

A further article on Project Close Out processes can be found at Gantthead.com.

(Note: In order to access Gantthead articles you'll have to complete the free sign-up form.)

I'd like to hear about what your thoughts are on Project Close Out processes - and what different ways your group completes and archives projects.

Write back and let me know.
Be productive.

30 Second posting: Links to online productivity apps

2007-11-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

From time to time I come across good links. I discover some of them in other blogs, some are sent to me from other project managers, and some spotted in a posting to Digg.com.

By the way, check out digg.com if you haven't yet - there is always an "ah-ha" article there. And if not there, then definitely at lifehacker.com.

Here is a quick list of 5 productivity online apps/sites that may help you in your project management activities:

1. Remember the milk: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
Stay organized and distribute task to yourself and other with this online application.

2. BaseCamp: http://www.basecamphq.com/
Basecamp provides tools tailored to improve communication between team members collaborating on a project.

3. Copperproject: http://www.copperproject.com/
Copper is an online collaboration tool used by creative teams to better manage clients, projects, tasks, files, billing and events [Mashable:]

4. Taskbin: http://www.taskbin.com/
Collaboration webapp Taskbin shares and manages to-do lists among groups. [Lifehacker:]

5. Simply Get things done: http://www.simplegtd.com/
Webapp Simple GTD manages your task, project and contexts lists in a user-friendly, dynamic interface. [Lifehacker:]

Be productive.

Book Review: The Art of Project Management

2007-11-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

The Art of Project Management
By Scott Berkun
.....................................
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pub Date: April 2005
ISBN: 0-596-00786-8
Pages: 392

Synopsis
I have countlessly revisited the information and council that Mr. Berkun has organized within this book. As a former Microsoft team leader, Mr. Berkun provides the reader insight into the day-to-day challenges facing both software and interactive project managers. As noted in the review of the book's features found on Mr. Berkun's website, this key reference book boasts 16 chapters on the critical and common challenges of leading projects and managing teams.

My expectation of the book initially was not high. Often times, these books tend to be overly complicated with formal project management discourse and inpractical examples. I was very surprised with the content's of this book. The book is filled with practical management idems, leadership skills, negotiation tips and more – in a well-written and structured form. “ …it feels like a nice long talk with someone who is being completely honest about the way things work …”, (Chris Campbell, bitdepth.org, June 2005).

“The Art of Project Management” is separated into four distinct sections; how to ensure a project has proper focus and clear priorities (Planning); how to get the most out of meetings (communication); successully accomplishing feature-level design (Design); and what to expect as a project moves from inception to finish (Build and Close-out). Within these sections, Mr. Berkun reveals his thoughts regarding soft-skills. These are the skills exuded by successful Project Managers and are often described elusive and difficult to explain. Mr. Berkun identifies these soft skills, provides contexts where they can be applied, and provides practical day-to-day examples on conflict resolution, leadership, mitigation, and how to close a project successfully.

This book is an excellent reference for most new and even experienced project managers alike. It is must have for your reference library.

Days versus Hours

2007-11-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

A discussion happened this week that I think you may be familiar with. It started with the all-to familiar question: "... so, when can you have that finished?"

Often time it is a difficult question to answer. Our brains try to calculate all the possible sub-tasks, possible conflicting priorities, and what else have I got to do this week.

It is however, a question that project managers, our resources, and stakeholders grapple with constantly; and it is a struggle to help balance everyone's needs.

Each of our needs are different:

Clients want it done immediately;
Resources needs to understand the priority of the task and determine how best to complete it given all the other tasks at hand; and
We are trying to ensure that the future is predictable.

As the discussion progressed – when can you have that finished? – the discussion turned to how long will it take to have that task finished.

And we entered the real critical question at hand — how long.

I've discovered that there is a difference between hours and days. And it came as a revelation. I say revelation, because, the tool that I use to plot out the projects tasks, milestones and delivery dates did not do this automatically. Microsoft® Project assumes there are 8 hours in a day.This is its default setting. I recall once in a discussion with a resource - he asked me: "Really, you think that I sit for 8 hours straight doing nothing but your task?" ... um, good point.

The difference between hours and days is the difference between effort and duration. How long a task is going to take requires the direct understanding of how much effort will the task require to complete the job.

If you were tasked with painting the outside of a cottage - how quickly could you get it done? It would depend on how big the cottage was, how many coats of paint were required, how fast you could get a side done, did you have another painter to help you, etc.

Within the interactive world, similar questions are required. And your resource, or possibly their manager can help in determining the amount of effort to complete the task - including if there are any advantages of engaging more than one resource to complete the task. Once an understanding of how much effort the task will require and possibly resource levels, can we now look to see what will be the duration.

I wandered around my office, and observed the manner that most people work, and its interesting. My resource was right. Not many people sit 'chained' to their desks for a complete day without moving. There are the obligatory bathroom breaks, getting lunch, mid-day coffee, stretching of the legs, getting clarification from another collegue, scheduled meetings, and likely a few smoke breaks too. I soon realized that the most that I could hope for from a day's productivity would likely be 5 hours a day.

Not the "8" that Project assumes.

The good news is that Project doesn't leave you hanging. While it is hidden when you first launch the program, you can add in a new column that will help you fine-tune your timelines. And the column is called WORK. To access it, right-click at the top over Duration and select add a column from the drop down menu that appears. A dialogue box will appear, and select Work from the Field Name drop-down. Now you have control over the hours for each of the tasks.

Note: If you find that when you change the hours - the days change to match and it begins to cause your timeline to extend in duration, be sure that each of your tasks are Fixed Work. You can find this by Right-clicking on the task row; select Task Information; go to the Advance Tab; and change the Task type to Fixed Work

As I adjusted my hours to match the amount of effort that was provided to me, and accounting for the assumption of 5 hours of purposeful work in a day, I was able to see that my initial calculation of how many days the task would take was short. I adjusted the duration to a more appropriate time, and confirmed the target with my team. The overall concensus was that the timeline was more realistic and the level of confidence to complete the work was strong.

Hours versus Days has enabled me to create a more accurate timeline and empowered the team to reach for an achievable goal and be productive.

Welcome

2007-10-27T13:45:00.000-04:00

I'm hoping that you may help me explore the realm of interactive project management. I think it is safe to say that this first post will likely be the shortest. Well, hopefully it will. You may already have a great knowledge about how best to succeed in delivering a product, a strategy, provocative advertising, mobile campaign to the marketplace. Which is good. As I have too some experience in this. But together we can only gain further insight.

With this in mind - I start out this blog. Its an opportunity for me to grow. And please jump in with your thoughts anytime you like.

I recognize that I am not the first to dive into this realm. I'd like to extend to you a few links to other PM Blogs that I have enjoyed reading and gaining knowledge from:

1. PM THINK:
http://www.pmthink.com/
by Jerry Manas

2. Interactive Project Management:
http://ginalijoi.blogspot.com/
by Gina Lijoi

Be Productive.