DPL Forum Workshop

Projects are journeys. We’ll discuss the things that can cause project heartburn: identifying and understanding project stakeholders, moderating feedback, keeping clients happy, keeping teams engaged, and keeping budgets intact. We’ll share ideas, talk about our experiences, and discuss the various methods we use to deliver digital products.

This two hour workshop was presented at the DPL Forum in Stockholm, Sweden on Apri 21, 2016.

Transcript

1. PROJECT SCENARIOS WORKSHOP DPL FORUM :: STOCKHOLM 
 21 April 2016
2. brettharned.com
 brett@brettharned.com
 @brettharned Digital PM Consultant & Coach digitalpmsummit.com
 @digitalPMsummit pathfinderdpm.com
 @pathfinderdpm everydaydpm.com
 @EveryDayDPM Hi, I’m Brett
3. hello. YOUR TURN
4. DPM CHALLENGES
5. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A DPM?
6. WE ALL SHARE THE SAME CHALLENGES. LET’S FIX THEM TOGETHER.
7. PROJECT SCENARIOS DISCUSSION & PRESENTATION
8. HELP THEM: Your clients don’t understand what your team does (design, UX, development, etc.), how your projects work, or the effort involved for everyone. How can you, as a project manager, help your clients understand all of these things? 1.
9. THE FIRST MEETING: • Set the tone for the project • Review your scope together • Talk about roles and responsibilities • Discuss preferred modes of communication • Always communicate next steps
10. IDENTIFY STAKEHOLDERS • Project Owner/Core Team • Primary Stakeholders • Secondary Stakeholders • Management • Executive
11. GRAB THIS RESOURCE http://brettharned.com/blog/workshop-resources/
12. KNOW YOUR PRODUCT & STAKEHOLDERS Conduct your own research to dig deeper on: • Goals/Outcomes • Partnerships and outlying dependencies • Potential issues and risks
13. IMPORTANT FACTORS TO DISCUSS: • Product ownership and decision making process • Stakeholder interest/involvement levels • Key outages, meetings, deadlines and driving factors • Related or similar projects, goals, and outcomes • The best ways to communicate with partners and stakeholders
14. GRAB THIS RESOURCE http://brettharned.com/blog/workshop-resources/
15. GRAB THIS RESOURCE http://brettharned.com/blog/workshop-resources/
16. ALWAYS KNOW YOUR TEAM • Expertise • Interests • Collaboration and communication styles • Availability and workload
17. PROJECT RESEARCH IS NOT JUST ABOUT DESIGN
18. DESIGN CONFUSION: Feedback can be difficult. You might expect an approval but hear the following:
 • 5 stakeholders love the design • 3 dislike it but cannot explain why • 2 have not provided any feedback…yet This is the kind of thing that will drive designers mad…and kill timelines and budgets. How can you help, project manager? 2.
19. MODERATE PROJECT MANAGERS GOOD FEEDBACK
20. 5 TIPS TO GET BETTER FEEDBACK
21. 1. Prepare Everyone for a Good Presentation
22. 2. Observe and Take Good Notes
23. 3. Set Ground Rules on How You Accept Feedback
24. 4. Be Clear About Your 
 Feedback/Revision Plan
25. 5. Facilitate Healthy Conversation
26. TO ASK NEVER QUESTIONS ???????????????? ???????????????? BE AFRAID
27. DEFEAT SCOPE CREEP: You deliver what you think is an amazing product and your client says, “This feature is not working the way we expected.” 
 This can kill your budget, extend your timeline, and upset your team. How can you, as the PM, help? 3.
28. ARE ALWAYS PREPARED PROJECT MANAGERS GOOD) FOR THE WORST
29. WRANGLE DOCUMENTS • Scope • Strategy Brief • Requirements • Project Plan • Status Reports • UX & Design Deliverables
30. Let me refer back to the estimate/scope and get back to you.
31. ESTIMATES ARE NOT EXACT
32. estimate noun noun: estimate; plural noun: estimates ˈɛstɪmət/ 1 1. an approximate calculation or judgement of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something. uppskattning
33. ARTICULATE EFFORT • Dissect the issue or feature • Discuss goals • Determine impacts • Budget • Timeline • Show your estimates, be transparent
34. A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a method by which you can visually represent the composition of a project by breaking down all project stages and aspects into their smallest possible components.
35. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE
36. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: 
 WIREFRAMES BRAINSTORM Internal Meeting Personal Brainstorming DESIGN
 Create Wireframes Internal Team Review Internal Iteration
 PRESENT Prep presentation Review with Client Collect Feedback (x3) Iterate (x2) Total Time: 2 days Total Time: 10 days Total Time: 15 days
37. BREAK EVERYTHING DOWN IN TO SUB TASKS
38. OTHER ITEMS TO DISCUSS If scope changes, these things may change too: • Timeline • Requirements • Budget • Resource availability • Quality of work
39. SEEMS EASY, RIGHT? If you get stuck: • Don’t be afraid to ask questions • Ask colleagues for opinions • Check project histories (if you have them) • Remember it’s just an estimate!
40. ALWAYS IS HAPPENING ON YOUR PROJECTS KNOW WHAT & AVOID SURPRISES
41. http://teamgantt.com/guide-to-project-management/taming-scope-creep/
42. QUESTIONS?
43. THE DIFFICULT CONVERSATION: The designer on your team has been negative about the project from day one. You’ve done your best to handle it, but the rest of the team has started to complain, because one person is affecting team morale and the work is suffering. How can you, as the PM, address the issue and help everyone get along? 4.
44. PREPARE YOURSELF • Understand the issue • Understand the impacts • Put yourself in the other person’s shoes • Think through the potential outcomes
45. MEET 1-ON-1 • Explain the issue; be honest & direct • Listen • Be open to (and ready for) emotions • Be understanding • Don’t leave without a next step or a resolution • Keep it between you; Preserve the relationship
46. ALWAYS FOLLOW UP
47. HANDLE (ISSUES HEAD ON
48. Q&A
49. THANK YOU! brettharned.com @brettharned
50. COMING SOON: pathfinderdpm.com @pathfinderdpm TRAINING A BOOK