Start From Within: #RyersonSA PD Conference 2016 Managing Projects: Experiences from Two Non-Project Managers By Ian Ingles & Keitha Prospere This past year, Ian Ingles and Keitha Prospere engaged in several projects across multiple areas of focus and of varying sizes. Both Ian and Keitha are relatively new to their individual roles within Ryerson SA and took on several key projects over the past year. As two “non” project managers, they will share their experiences, the challenges encountered and what was learned working on a variety of projects across different areas of focus in a post-secondary educational environment. Ian and Keitha will present the tips, suggestions and best practices they discovered through their own unique journeys in new roles within Ryerson SA.

1. Student Affairs
Ryerson University

2. Managing Projects – Experiences from
Two Non-Project Managers
Presented by
Ian Ingles & Keitha Prospere

3. AGENDA
● Introductions
● Learning Objectives
● Backgrounds & Major
Projects
● What We’ve Learned?
● Your Reflection
● Summary

4. Please share your
● Name
● Title or Role
● Department
● One of Your Projects

5. Learning Objectives
● Gain useful tips and advice about how to
approach your next big project
● Enhance your knowledge of navigating
the “Ryerson” environment with its
various policies and procedures
● Gain an awareness of common pitfalls
with various types of projects so that you
can plan around them

6. Telling Our Stories – Major Projects of 2015-16

7. Major Projects of 2015-16 cont’d
Ian Ingles, Operations Manager, Ryerson Career Centre
● Building of a new employer CRM for the Career Centre
● Building a new one to one appointment booking
system for the Career Centre to support the new
(2014) faculty based model
● Construction and renovations in and around the POD
60 area

8. Some pictures (Ian’s Projects)

9. Major Projects of 2015-16 cont’d
Keitha Prospere, ISS & UHIP Administrator, Student Life
5 Student Life Offices Moved to POD60

10. Major Projects of 2015-16 cont’d
Student Life Hiring Carousel

11. Major Projects of 2015-16 cont’d
Student Life Budget

12. Some Tools Of The Trade
● Spreadsheets
● Asana
● Gliffy
● Jing

13. Networks – How They Help
● The importance of building your network
internally at Ryerson
● You probably won’t know everything but it's
important to know who to ask if you don’t
● Someone may already be doing or has done
what you are trying to achieve
● Collaboration becomes much easier when you
have a strong network!

14. Importance of Communication
● Share information even when you don’t think
it's necessary - get a 2nd opinion or another
pair of eyes on things
● Realize that certain items will elicit a stronger
response from your colleagues than other
things (e.g. Paint!)
● When possible, offer choices
● Stakeholders need to be aware
● Keep track of your tasks and costs

15. Ryerson Policies & Procedures
● Understand that the process to pay for certain things
changes depending on what it is and how much it costs -
P-cards, PO’s, cheque req’s, etc.
● The scope of your project can impact your timelines and
cost if it expands beyond what you originally thought and
involves other departments (i.e. Ryerson Projects office,
Campus Facilities, CCS, etc.)

16. Forming a Strong Project Team
● Important to have the right people on your team
● Do they have the skills, the time and do they have a stake in the
success of the project?
● Do the members of the team understand the full scope of the
project?

17. Top Lessons Learned - Ian
● Communicate regularly (weekly worked best) even if you think you
don’t have the time
● The power and importance of seeking multiple quotes
● Question your contractors & vendors vigorously
● Think beyond the project completion date - planning for the future and
for change
● Use as few different systems as possible to track your project
● Account for contingencies
● Constantly remind yourself to focus your energy on the big items

18. Top Lessons Learned - Keitha
● Do you know where you are going? (Vision)
● Who will lead?
● Can you work through your fears?
● Can you share responsibility or delegate tasks?
● Can you be patient and calm when things don’t
go as expected?
● Can you compromise and meet the needs of
everyone?

19. Project Management Life Cycle

20. A Moment of Reflection

21. Summary
● Try your best to get the project completed
● Build your Ryerson network
● Keep up the communication!
● Know the Ryerson policies & procedures relevant to your project
● Form a strong project team
● Always lessons to be learnt - not always done to perfection
● Manage and prioritize the important things while keeping an eye on
the smaller tasks