This document provides an overview of project management and leadership. It discusses the roles and responsibilities of a project manager, including working with stakeholders, translating requirements, managing expectations, and communicating status. It introduces common project management frameworks like waterfall and agile methodologies. It emphasizes the importance of vision, managing expectations through the triple constraint of scope, time and cost, and focusing on people over processes through effective leadership and communication.
5. “A project manager
is the person
responsible for
delivering a project
on time,
within budget,
and within scope.”
- Random Boss Guy
6. A project manager
• Works with stakeholders/customers to
understand their needs and wants (and the
difference between the two)
• Translates requirements into words and
pictures that can be understood by team
members of all skills and interests
• Understands the status of the project and
can discuss it with the appropriate level of
detail with staff at all levels
7. A project manager
• Discusses and presents solutions
• Motivates the team to do good work
• Understands the project management
process enough to see when things are
missing
• Sees and communicates the “big picture”
• Manages everyone’s expectations
9. “Project managers were the only
ones who could talk about the
process, not just the product.
And, usually, [they] were the only
ones who had the
charm to do it.”
- Author and PM Frank Ryle, in a 2012 interview with Fast Company
39. Diving Into the Waterfall
•Sequential process with defined phases
•Each phase is completed before the next
one starts
•Predictable and structured
40.
41. The Benefits of Waterfall
•It’s easier to uncover issues earlier in the
process
•People like predictability
42. But I Might Drown!
•People rarely know what they want until
they see what they don’t want
•No one knows for certain that what
you’ve designed will work
•Ch-ch-ch changes happen constantly
43. Get Agile!
•Individuals and interactions
over processes and tools
•Working products
over comprehensive documentation
•Customer collaboration
over contract negotiation
•Responding to change
over following a plan
44. Agile 101
•Self-organizing teams commit to
delivering pieces of functionality
•Features are defined in “user stories,”
which represent bits of the final product
from the user’s perspective
•Work is organized into iterations, or
“sprints”
45.
46. You want me to be a what?
Agile, and particularly Scrum projects,
have structured roles and meetings.
47. Product Owner
Decides what will be worked on next, and how
each user story will deliver business value
Scrum Master
Removes “impediments” from the team
and encourages following the process
Team
Self-organizes and self-assigns, then
demonstrates how their work delivers value
48. Sprint Planning
Everyone meets to discuss the product backlog and
decide what they’ll commit to
Daily Scrum
A short, daily meeting where commitments
and impediments are discussed
Sprint Review
The team meets to show off their work
Sprint Retrospective
When the team discusses what worked
...and what didn’t
49. The Benefits of Agile
•Allows for continuous feedback and
refinement
•Encourages group effort
•Embraces inevitable change
•Helps customers see something sooner
•Progress is defined by how well business
needs are met and real deliverables, not
speculation
50. Not So Fast There...
• Requires continuous feedback from
engaged stakeholders
• Everyone has to be OK with less
predictability
• Sometimes it’s hard to define “done” (this
is where an MVP comes in)
• Failure is part of the job
54. Leadership
is the art of getting someone else to do
something because s/he wants to do it.
Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower
34th president, military general, and all-around nice guy
55. No Matter the Goal,
No Matter the Framework
10 Ideas to Lead with Success
56. 1. Care About People
Embrace your emotional intelligence
57. 2. Care About Making
Good Stuff
Do what you can to ensure the best work
possible, because you want to
58. 3. Share the Vision
When the stars align, the vision will match
both your personal goals
and your company’s goals
59. 4. Be, Like, a Good
Communicator, OK?
Work to gain understanding, be a good
listener, and use spell check
60. Seriously. Be a good
communicator.
Explain complex concepts in appropriate
terms and respect your audience.
63. 7. Be Open
Ask questions, be honest,
admit your mistakes
64. 8. Learn the New “No”
“No” is never just “no;” always work to
present a solution
65. 9. Get Out There
Find a community, read blogs, talk to other
PMs, go to conferences
66. 10. Be Yourself
This above all, to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any
[employee, boss, co-worker, or friend].
Polonius, in Hamlet, Act I, Scene III (with a wink to the Bard)
68. References and Sources
Books and Guides
Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process
N. Lyons and M. Wilker
Project Management: A Practical Approach
FranklinCovey
The Complete Signet Classic Shakespeare
S. Barnet, Ed.