Help, My Website Project is Going Off the Rails - Now What?
- 1. HELP! My Website Project Is Going Off The Rails NOW WHAT? @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 2. Erin Brinen ● 9 years experience running large scale digital projects ● DPM to Account Manager ● Higher Education project consultant ● Knows her stuff What you don’t know ● Degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology ● I love Drupal, my toddler and coffee @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 Account Manager
- 3. Jessie Johnston ● 10 years experience working in Higher Education ● Developer to DPM ● Higher Education Instructor ● Knows her stuff What you don’t know ● Degree in Wildlife Biology ● #PSEWEB related tattoo @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 Digital Project Manager
- 4. Why are we giving this presentation?
- 5. Because, at the beginning of a project ...
- 7. But in reality ...
- 8. Web Projects Are Tough Some harsh realities that we have learned: ● What you WANT isn’t always what you NEED ● There are MANY ups and downs throughout a project ● The final product RARELY matches the original specifications ● There are ALWAYS surprises along the way @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 9. Setting Yourself Up for Success
- 10. “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” - Benjamin Franklin Image Source - https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=200166
- 11. Let’s start at the beginning
- 12. Defining Your Goals ● Why are you doing the project? ● Who is your audience? ● What do you want people to do on the site? ● Who needs to be involved? ● What does success look like? ● Establish a timeline and budget! @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 13. Getting Buy-In ● You need to SELL your project to higher ups ● How will your project help the organization? ● Know who will be part of the approval process and speak towards their needs ● Create an internal project charter and clearly define timelines, budget and measurable objectives @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 14. Selecting The Right Team
- 15. ● What makes a great team? ● Straddling Silos ● Getting the right people in the room ● Internal vs. External @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 From the Higher Ed Side
- 16. ● Flexibility ● Open, honest and transparent communication ● Dedicated project team ● SME (Subject Matter Expert) ● Trust and accountability @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 From the Agency Side
- 17. The Process
- 18. Understanding the Process ● There are two common project management philosophies that are traditionally used for website projects; ○ Waterfall ○ Agile @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 19. Understanding the Process “Waterfall project management - is a sequential, linear process of project management. It consists of several discrete phases. No phase begins until the prior phase is complete, and each phase’s completion is terminal—waterfall management does not allow you to return to a previous phase.” @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 Source: https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/waterfall-project-management-methodology
- 20. Understanding the Process “Agile project management focuses on continuous improvement, scope flexibility, team input, and delivering essential quality products. Agile project management approaches include scrum as a framework, extreme programming (XP) for building in quality upfront, and lean thinking to eliminate waste.” @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 Source: https://www.dummies.com/careers/project-management/agile-project-management-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/
- 21. Understanding the Process ● Many web project follow a blended process that combines the best of both methodologies. ○ Waterfall is used to establish a set of features for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ○ An Agile approach is then used to complete a series of sprints, with functional deliverables @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 22. Common Tools and Strategies ● Embrace Meetings (really) ○ Status Updates/’Sprint’ Notes ○ IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) ○ Living Documents @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 23. Tools: Living Documents @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 RACI Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed RAIDRisks, Assumptions/Actions, Issues, Decisions/Dependencies AND
- 24. Tools: RACI & RAID @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 25. Tools: Visualizing ● Gantt @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 ● Kanban
- 26. This all sounds great!
- 27. But ...
- 29. Do projects go off the rails? WHEN
- 30. Anytime!
- 31. The Common Pitfalls @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 25% Misalignment post discovery and planning 75%Misalignment approaching the end of development AND
- 32. Do projects go off the rails? WHY
- 33. What Derails a Project? ● Breakdown in communication ● Assumptions (Show vs. Tell) ● Incorrect tools or tactics ● New stakeholders, change in Project Champion ● Insufficient resources ● Lack of accountability @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 34. Do we get back on track? HOW
- 36. Challenging Conversations ● Be open, honest and transparent ● Book a meeting to review project concerns ● We call these Project Interventions @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 37. Project Intervention Tips ● Include project stakeholders and higher ups ● Why has the meeting been called? Define desired outcomes ● Review impact on timelines and budget ● Create a plan to get the team project back on track @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 38. Project Intervention Tips ● Compromise, give-and-take ● Mutually invested in success, “We are in this together!” ● Document decisions, update your RAID ● Re-group and re-energize @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 39. Do we avoid Project Interventions? HOW
- 40. Project Gating ● Mutually agreed upon Project Gates ● Full stop or checkpoint ● Pass / Fail @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 41. Project Gating ● Project success metrics ● External requirements ● Cross-reference larger group, stakeholders @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 42. Sample Agenda Project Gate ● Align via Project Mission Statement ● Timeline (On Track OR Off Track) ● Budget (On Track OR Off Track) ● RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Decisions) ● Risk Management ● Change Management ● Pass OR Fail @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 44. Rebuilding the Relationship ● It is important to have a good working relationship ● Get the project team out for a bonding experience. The power of face-to-face is amazing! ● In the end, everyone wants to enjoy the experience ● Re-enforce that both sides are in this together @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 45. Web Projects Are Tough
- 47. Coping Strategies ● Face-to-face communication ● Pause and re-group ● Celebrate successes, discuss challenges ● Put yourself in their shoes ● Coffee! @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 48. Final Words
- 49. Final Words ● Website projects always have hiccups along the way ● Set clear expectations throughout the project, ensure alignment (Show vs. Tell) ● Project interventions are a good thing! ● The relationship is important, as both sides are in this together ● Come up with ways to keep your team energized throughout the project @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018
- 50. ● ‘Side of the desk’ PM can be good and bad ● PM takes more time than you expect (the 20% rule) ● Don’t be afraid to slow down (yourself or the project) ● There’s no shame in loving spreadsheets @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 Final Words
- 51. Erin Brinen, Account Manager Jessie Johnston, Digital Project Manager @digitalechidna @digitalechidna #PSEWEB 2018 Thank You!