Chapter 1 project management—it’s not just about following

CHAPTER 1
Project management—it’s not just about following a template or
using a tool,
but rather developing personal skills and intuition to f ind a
method that
works well for everyone. Whether you’re a designer or a
manager, Project
Management for Humans will help you estimate and plan tasks,
scout and
address issues before they become problems, and communicate
with
and hold people accountable.
“The craft of digital project management finally has its bible.”
CARL SMITH
Bureau of Digital
“Harned provides specific guidelines, motivational tips, and
empathetic advice that will align your
teams and elevate the way you plan, run, and manage your
projects.”
AHAVA LEIBTAG

President, Aha Media Group
“Finally, digital teams have a reference book that covers
everything they need to know about
project management, from scoping and budgeting to managing
teams and clients.”
KAREN MCGRANE
author, Going Responsive
“Brett’s done the thinking about how to make your projects
successful, and distilled it into what
you really need to know to deliver on your targets time and time
again. Recommended.”
ELIZABETH HARRIN
creator of A Girl’s Guide to Project Management
Cover Il l us tration by Jason Kernev ich l I nter ior Il l
us trations by Deb A ok i
P
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O
J
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C
T M
A
N

A
G
E
M
E
N
T F
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R
H
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A
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S B
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T H
A
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D

P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T F O R H U M A N S
Helping People Get Things Done
B R E T T H A R N E D Foreword by Greg Storey
w w w. rosen f eld med ia. com
MOR E ON PROJ ECT M A N AGE M E NT FOR H U M A
NS
htt p : / / rosen f eld med ia. com / bo ok s / projec t- ma
nagement- f or- hu ma ns /
Rosenfeld Media
Brooklyn, New York
Brett Harned
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
FOR HUMANS
HELPING PEOPLE GET THINGS DONE
Project Management for Humans
Helping People Get Things Done
by Brett Harned
Rosenfeld Media, LLC
540 President Street
Brooklyn, New York

11215 USA
On the web: www.rosenfeldmedia.com
Please send errors to: [email protected]
Publisher: Louis Rosenfeld
Managing Editor: Marta Justak
Illustrations: Deb Aoki
Interior Designer: Danielle Foster
Cover Design: The Heads of State
Indexer: Marilyn Augst
Proofreader: Sue Boshers
© 2017 Brett Harned
All Rights Reserved
ISBN-10: 1-933820-51-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-933820-51-4
LCCN: 2017934297
Printed and bound in the United States of America
http://www.rosenfeldmedia.com
mailto:[email protected]

iii
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Who Should Read This Book?
Project management is not just a role—it’s a critical skill that is
required in everyday life. Whether you’re organizing a party or
building a website, you need the skills to complete a task
successfully
(and we all know that isn’t always easy). So this book is not
just for
project managers, but it’s also for people who find themselves
in a
position where they need to organize and lead projects.
What’s in This Book?
The purpose of the book is to provide a solid foundation on
leading
projects, including the following:
• Information on what project management is and how you can
adapt principles and processes to your needs
• Project management techniques to help run projects
effectively
• Better ways to communicate and collaborate with multi-
functional teams and clients
• Simple techniques for estimating projects
• Ways to build and manage project plans
What Comes with This Book?
This book’s companion website ( rosenfeldmedia.com/books/
project-management-for-humans/) contains a blog and

additional
content. The book’s diagrams and other illustrations are
available
under a Creative Commons license (when possible) for you to
down-
load and include in your own presentations. You can find these
on
Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/rosenfeldmedia/sets/.
iv
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
I’m not a project manager. In fact, I know nothing
about what project managers do. Can you tell me
a little more about it?
The role of a PM can certainly be a mystery—particularly when
it’s
not done well. There are specific characteristics that make a
great
PM, like being a clear, calm communicator, or adaptable and
flexible.
And there are a ton of tasks that many PMs take on, such as
creating
estimates, crafting process, and reporting on project status
among
others. It’s equal parts technical and soft skills. Check out
Chapter 1,
“You’re the PM Now,” for the full details on what makes a good
project manager.
I keep hearing about Agile, but I can’t tell if it’s
right for me. Is it?

People tend to think that Agile means “fast,” but in the context
of
project management, it’s a formal method that is characterized
by
the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent
iteration
and adaptation to meet a goal. It’s made up of formalized roles
and
meetings or “ceremonies” that help guide projects. There is a lot
to
consider when adopting a new process: project types, goals,
budgets,
and people. It’s best to learn a little about other processes and
discuss
the pros and cons with your team before just diving in. To learn
more
about project management methodologies and digital project
man-
agement principles, check out Chapter 2, “Principles over
Process.”
I’m terrible at estimating projects. How can I
get better?
Hey, creating accurate estimates is tough work. As the word
“esti-
mate” implies, there is a lot of guesswork involved. However, if
you
want to get closer to a really good estimate, you should examine
projects or tasks and break them down into subtasks to
determine a
level of effort. You’ll find that information in Chapter 3, “Start
with
an Estimate.”

Frequently Asked Questions v
I’m nervous about talking to my client about
how our project is going to be over budget and
probably late. Do you have any tips for how I can
handle this?
You’ve got to be comfortable addressing sensitive or difficult
issues
head on when you’re leading projects, because they tend to
come
up quite often. Whether you’re worried about scope creep or
you
need to address a performance issue with a team member, it’s
best
to take a measured approach that is empathetic and gets straight
to
the point in order to resolve it quickly. Check out Chapter 9,
“Setting
and Managing Expectations,” to learn about how to set and
manage
expectations better in order to avoid some of these
conversations,
and Chapter 8, ”Navigating the Dreaded Difficult
Conversation,” for
some tips on how to navigate the conversation itself.
vi
CONTENTS
How to Use This Book iii
Frequently Asked Questions iv
Foreword x
Introduction xii

C H A P T E R 1
You’re the PM Now 1
What Is a Project Manager? 3
The Role vs. the Title 4
The Qualities of Good Project Management 6
Typical PM Tasks 9
The PM Is the Backbone 15
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) 20
C H A P T E R 2
Principles over Process 21
The World of Project Management Methodologies 23
Devise a Methodology That Will Work for You 31
Principles for Digital Project Management 33
TL; DR 36
C H A P T E R 3
Start with an Estimate 37
Set the Stage for Solid Estimates 39
Estimate Time and Materials vs.
Fixed-Fee Projects 48
Apply a Work Breakdown Structure 49
Estimating Agile-ish Projects 55
Estimate Tasks for Agile Projects 60
Get Your Estimates In 63
TL; DR 63
Frequently Asked Questions vii

C H A P T E R 4
Getting to Know Your Projects 65
Start with Research 68
Getting the Most Out of Stakeholder Interviews 69
Identify the Players 71
Talk About the Work 75
Getting to Know Your Clients Can Help! 76
Heed the Red Flag 77
TL; DR 82
C H A P T E R 5
Create a Plan 83
Project Plans Will Help You 85
Before You Create the Plan 87
Formalize Your Plan 93
What You Really Need to Know 102
Get Planning 106
TL; DR 106
C H A P T E R 6
Managing Resources 107
Set the Stage for Organized Resource Planning 109
Match Resource Skills to Projects 111
Save Yourself and Your Team from Burnout 112
Stakeholders Are Resources, Too 113
TL; DR 114
C H A P T E R 7
Communicate Like a Pro 115
Solid Communications Earn Trust 118
It’s Not About You 119
Set Communication Expectations 120

viii Frequently Asked Questions
Be Open to Collaboration 121
Quick, Simple Communication Tactics 122
Body Language Speaks Volumes 128
TL; DR 128
C H A P T E R 8
Navigating the Dreaded Difficult
Conversation 129
The Anatomy of a Difficult Conversation 132
How to Conduct a Difficult Conversation 137
Meeting Means Talking and Listening 139
Finding the Right
Solution
143
The Most Difficult Conversation I’ve Ever Taken On 144
Say Hello to Agreement and Goodbye
to Disagreement 146
TL; DR 147
C H A P T E R 9

Setting and Managing Expectations 149
We All Have Expectations 152
Pre-Kick-off Meetings 154
Assign Project Roles with a RACI Matrix 156
Document Requirements 157
Manage Expectations 161
TL; DR 168
C H A P T E R 1 0
Scope Is Creepin’ 169
Managing and Embracing Change 171
Tame the Scope Creep 174
It’s Not Easy, and It’s Not Scary Either 177
TL; DR 180
Frequently Asked Questions ix
C H A P T E R 1 1
Facilitation for PMs 181
People Make Projects Difficult 183
Brush Up Your Facilitation Skills 184

Facilitation Techniques 186
Determine Meeting Roles 194
Make It a Productive Meeting 195
TL; DR 198
On and Up 199
Index 201
Acknowledgments 209
About the Author 210
x
FOREWORD
A
fter more than 20 years of creating and making things for
the internet, I’ve learned a thing or two. And when it comes
to project management, I’ve found the following to be true:
• Project management is hard. Variables like virtual teams,
absen-

tee stakeholders, unknown technology, and scope creep can turn
seemingly simple projects into mission impossible. Sometimes,
it
takes every ounce of your energy, patience, discipline, and all
the
soft skills you can muster to even complete a project, much less
make it great or timely.
• Project managers are routinely underappreciated. Let’s face
it—
if you’re good at your job, your contributions often go
unnoticed.
And typically, the spotlight is given to other disciplines, like
design and development.
I am a designer by trade, but I’ve often been put into a
leadership
position. Which means that I’ve had to practice project
management
out of necessity, not by choice. Until now, there have been very
few
resources available to help practitioners like me understand how
to
manage people and projects. So when Brett told me that he was
writ-

ing this book, I said, “Take my money!” because Project
Management
for Humans is sorely needed.
Having worked with Brett for the past seven years, I knew
firsthand
that he’d earned his knowledge the hard way. There’s nothing in
this
book that Brett has not lived through, dealt with, and, at the end
of
the day, delivered as a project manager.
There are two audiences for this book: the dedicated project
manager
and everyone else who finds himself or herself tasked with
leading
projects and teams (designers, developers, strategists, and
executives,
for example).
For all you project managers out there—whether you’re hoping
to
learn new ideas, change career paths, or validate the hard work
that
you’re already doing—this book provides the advice and ideas

you’ll
need to handle any project situation, no matter how complex.
Foreword xi
For the designers and developers who are taking their first steps
into
project management, you’re in good hands. The road ahead
will not
be easy; pay heed to Brett’s advice in the following chapters,
and
it will help you form great teams and launch successful projects
and products.
Finally, a word to the wise: if you are leading projects or teams,
seek
out the fellowship of your peers. This book is just a start, and it
will
certainly help you take giant leaps in your career. However, col -
laborating with your peers will give you even more confidence
and
enable you to achieve victory often.

Go forth and be great!
—Greg Storey
Austin, Texas
@brilliantcrank
xii
INTRODUCTION
W
hat do you want to be when you grow up?
It’s a question we’re asked from a very young age.
I knew the answer as soon as the question was posed:
pediatrician.
I spent the earliest years of my school career preparing myself
for
medical school, without ever actually thinking about why I
wanted
that job. When I finally enrolled in college as a pre-med

student, I
decided to go on rounds with my family doctor just to see what
it
was all about from the physician’s point of view.
Best idea I ever had, hands down.
I won’t speak of the things I saw, but I will say that I left the
office
before lunch and went home to tell my parents it was not the job
for me. When they asked, “What is the right job for you?” I had
no
real response. So, after a year of trying (forcing) biology as a
focus, I
changed my major to English. I liked writing and thought that
would
be a good place to start.
When I graduated, I went to the career services office at my
univer-
sity and they handed me a giant book of jobs that English
majors
might take. That wasn’t helpful, so I found my own opportunity
at a
start-up as an editor. It was a unique role, because I was able to

test
my strengths: writing copy, managing video shoots, learning
HTML
and Flash, creating site maps and wireframes, using Photoshop .
. .
managing projects. It was an experience I’d never give back,
even if
I did have to go through the highs and lows of working for a
start-
up that eventually fizzled out, dashing my dreams of becoming
a
22-year-old millionaire.
When I left that job by way of a layoff, I found myself looking
for
focus. I reflected on what I did best so that I could find the
right fit
for me. In the end, I recognized that I was:
• Organized
• Curious to learn more

Introduction xiii
• Willing to help others
• Comfortable asking uncomfortable questions or addressing
tricky situations with people and projects
• Courageous
• Detail oriented
• A connector
• A communicator
It took me a few years to find the right fit, but I finally found
my
calling: project management. For the reasons above, and others
to be
discussed in this book, I’ve found that it takes a certain
something
to be a project manager, and it’s partly ingrained in you and
partly
learned.

N OT E K N OW YO U R ST R E N GT H S
I’ve always kept that list of my characteristics in my back
pocket,
because I knew that it would help me to zero in on what my
strengths are as an individual. It has also helped me to assess
the
“fit” on any potential job and project opportunities. If you’re
hav-
ing a hard time figuring out the right role for you, try doing the
same and making some connections in your community to help
you land in the right role. It’ll make you happier.
Project managers reading this excerpt will most likely identify
with a
similar story. Many PMs—particularly digital project
managers—fell
into the role with little to no guidance or formal training. Like
many

before us, we have worked hard to do what feels right in the
role,
and have adapted systems, processes, frameworks, and
guidelines to
benefit us, our teams, and our projects. This book embraces that
DIY
style of project management: being deeply involved, testing
ideas
and methods, failing, and coming out better. Those are ideals
that
resonate with anyone in the digital industry. We’re still coming
up
with new ways of working, and we always will, because we
innovate.
xiv Introduction
N OT E T RY S O M E T H I N G N E W
Because digital projects are still somewhat “new,” the way they
are managed is also new. So the minute you come up against

the “It’s the way we’ve always done it” comment, challenge it
by
referencing all of the advancements that have been made in the
industry. After all, advancements often call for new ways of
think-
ing and new approaches.
Whether you accept it or not, you are a project manager. Sure,
you
may identify as a designer, content strategist, developer (or any
of
the many roles and titles there are in our industry), but as a
human
being, you are a project manager. Think about the most basic
things
you do in life, and you can apply project management to all of
them:
making dinner, moving, applying to college, attending a
conference,
even a night out with friends or a vacation. You’re required to
plan,
estimate, and communicate. And it’s not that hard.

This book explores the core functions of project management
through the lens of everyday interactions and situations,
because
there is an aspect of project management in a lot of what we do
as
humans. The personal stories included in this book are intended
for you to have a laugh (sometimes at my expense) and help you
draw the connection from daily, nonwork situations to real -life
project situations. By calling out these topics in unique,
personal
scenarios, you’ll find that you do not have to hold the title
“project
manager” to actually be a project manager. In fact, you’re likely
managing projects—and dealing with a variety of issues—in
some
way every day. And no matter what you do or whom you work
with,
if you follow some of the advice herein, you, too, can be a
successful
project manager.
CHAPTER 1

You’re the
PM Now
What Is a Project Manager? 3
The Role vs. the Title 4
The Qualities of Good Project Management 6
Typical PM Tasks 9
The PM Is the Backbone 15
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) 20
The heartbreaking truth of being
the project management speaker.
I

had the privilege to speak at Web Design Day, an excellent
conference hosted by Val and Jason Head in Pittsburgh, PA, in
2011. Naturally, my topic was project management, and I spoke
to a room full of designers and developers . . . with a project
manager
(PM) sprinkled in here and there. I knew the room was not full
of
“my people,” and I was excited about it, because I firmly
believed
that PM skills were necessary for anyone to be successful in
project
work. I was up for the challenge and willing to take a risk,
knowing
that I might put some people to sleep. I made my presentation,
which
covered some PM basics, and was met with a positive response
and a
good number of questions. It was energizing!
After my session ended, I had a line of people waiting to
introduce
themselves, start a discussion, or ask a question. I was flattered
by
this until I spoke to the first person in line, who said, “I’ve

never
worked with a good project manager.”
It was like he had shoved a rusty dagger right into my heart.
Really
hard. And it hurt!
I recovered quickly, and we talked about the expectations of
PMs,
how they could help him as a developer, and what their projects
together might look like. At the end of the conversation, I
decided
that maybe the PM in question wasn’t that bad. Perhaps the role
and
the expectations of that PM were never truly set. I offered my
advice
and asked him to have an honest conversation with his PM
about
what’s needed from his role and how they could partner to make
the work stronger.
I like to think that my advice helped and that an unknown,
wayward
project manager succeeded. I know that the conversation made
me

even more eager to champion the cause of digital project
manage-
ment and set some standards for the industry.
What Is a Project Manager?
Let’s state the obvious here: project managers guide and
facilitate
projects with a keen sense of budget, scope, timeline, staff, and
all of
the complicated places in between. No matter where they work,
what
kind of projects they manage, or what their title is, project
managers
are the men and women on the front lines of projects, defending
their teams, clients, and projects from miscommunication,
missed
deadlines, scope creep, and any other failures. They champion
the
well-being of the people involved in their projects and look to
make
4 Chapter 1

or facilitate strategic decisions that uphold the goals of their
projects.
That’s a hefty job description, and it requires a fine balance of
man-
aging the administrative details of a project and its people.
While
PMs are often lumped in the “behind-the-scenes” aspect of
projects,
to be highly effective, they need to be part of the bigger
strategic
project conversations.
PMs are not robots. They are not on your team just to take notes
and
make sure that you’re recording your time properly. Yes, they
do
work in spreadsheets and follow up on deadlines at possibly
annoy-
ing rates of speed. But they are not the team’s secretary. They
are
the project facilitator and sometimes the guiding force that
makes
important conversations, debates, and decisions happen. That
means
that while managing the operational side of the project, they

also
must be fully informed on the conversations that are happening
on
projects so they can drive action in the right direction.
There are so many intangible tasks and qualities of project
managers
that it’s not uncommon for people not to fully understand just
what
a PM does and if they need one or not. Here’s the thing: you
always
need a PM, no matter what. That PM might be called a
producer,
account manager, designer, or even developer.
N OT E T H E E X P E C TAT I O N S O F T H E R O L E
Anyone can be a project manager, as long as that person is clear
on the expectations of the role. If you’re playing a part-time
PM, be sure to discuss what’s expected of you in the role and
use some of the tactics in this book to guide your PM journey

with ease.
The Role vs. the Title
There are many organizations that do not formally employ
project
managers. In that case, the project team absorbs the role of the
PM.
So, in this scenario, you’ll find a designer or developer leading
client
communications, project planning, and any other necessary
tasks
taken on to keep the project rolling. Either way, it’s not about a
title.
It’s about the fact that keeping up on the project is a necessity
of get-
ting the work done successfully.
No matter where you work, if you’re operating projects with
dead-
lines and budgets, you need someone to manage them. It’s very

possible that your company has a well-established process and
employs someone with those three all-important letters at the
end
of their name, like a PMP® (Project Management Professional)
or
a CSM (Certified ScrumMaster ®). It’s also very possible that
you
have an established process, but don’t work with an actual
project
manager by title. Chances are, you work with someone who
handles
the PM-like stuff. Maybe she doesn’t have the formal title of
“project
manager,” but she’s doing the job of a PM, and there is
absolutely
nothing wrong with that.
N OT E F O R M A L P M T I T L E S A N D T E R M S
While digital might be new, project management has a rich his-
tory that dates back to the creation of the pyramids. Think about
it—everything is a project. However, it wasn’t until 1969 that
the

Project Management Institute was formed. Since then, many
organizations and practices have been formed to help project
managers become better at their jobs. With that recognition
came the creation of formal titles, certifications, and many
varia-
tions of the role itself. If you’re looking for more information
on
the history of PM, check out www.projectsmart.co.uk/history-
of-
project-management.php.
Upon review of those points, you may decide that bringing i n a
part-
time or freelance PM is a better route for you and your
company. You
can find these people all over the place, as the market for
freelance
project managers has grown significantly in recent years. Here
are

some things you might want to consider when bringing a
capable
PM resource onboard:
• Every company works differently, so be sure to be clear about
the
expectations of the PM role.
• Get your company’s and project’s onboarding docs or training
together ASAP so that you can feel comfortable that they are
fully up to speed on day one for the new hire.
• It takes time to get to know a team and a new company, so be
open to this new person and willing to answer as many ques-
tions as needed. It will make that person feel more comfortable
and successful in the long run.
• Make sure that the rest of your team welcomes the new person
(and role) to the team and includes her in the project.
https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/history-of-project-
management.php
https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/history-of-project-
management.php

6 Chapter 1
• Introduce this person to your team and your clients in a way
that makes her feel included, needed, and a full part of the team.
This person will have great responsibility, so you want that to
be embraced.
• Provide access to tools, email, meeting spaces, and resources
as
you would with a full-time employee.
• Have an open door policy so that the PM feels comfortable
discussing issues with you.
What matters the most is that you clearly define the
expectations of
the role before dropping someone into it. Take time to think
through
what project management means to your organization and then
identify the type of person you want to fill that role. That will
lead
you to success.
The Qualities of Good Project

Management
No matter what your background or organizational makeup is,
there are certain qualities that you must embrace and principles
you
should follow to do the job well. Sure, you’re going to have to
show
some interest in creating project plans, estimating projects,
keeping
the project budget intact, and facilitating great communications,
but
in order to really do a great job as a project manager, you have
to
keep your work organized and your teams informed and happy.
This
can be especially difficult when your budgets are tight,
resources are
overbooked, and client expectations seem to shift weekly.
That’s the
life of a project manager.
The core competencies of a good project manager are rooted in
your
ability to navigate rough and still waters with the same level of
effort
and ease. It’s one part technical expertise and three parts

emotional
intelligence. Consider these core qualities for being a great PM,
and
check out the PM principles in Chapter 5, “Create a Plan”:
• Eagle eye for project issues
• Clear, calm communicator
• Empathetic
• Adaptable and flexible
• Curious
• Invested in the work
Eagle Eye for Project Issues
Each project is unique and comes with its own set of goals,
challenges, clients, team members, ideas, conflicts, budgets, and
deadlines. That’s a whole lot to wrap your head around. Here’s

the
thing: as the PM, you’re dropped right in the middle of all of
those
issues, so you’ve got to have your finger on the pulse of
everything.
You’re constantly concerned about the well-being of the project
and
the team, as well as the happiness of the client. Chances are,
there’s
going to be a speed bump or two, and it will be up to you to
resolve
them. If you’re good at what you do, you’ll spot those issues
before
they become big problems and handle them with ease.
Clear, Calm Communicator
Communication is a huge part of project management. Being
trans-
parent, direct, and very clear about important project
information
will make any detail or situation easier to handle. It’s also
important
to let your own style and personality shine through in your com-
munications when the time is right. The best project managers
are

true chameleons when it comes to communication. They have
go-to
methods and tools to help facilitate project communications, but
when it comes to one-on-one conversations, they adapt to what
will
help them encourage the team, build relationships, prevent and
solve
issues, and even share difficult news.
N OT E M O R E O N CO M M U N I C AT I O N S
Chapter 7, “Communicate Like a Pro,” is all about good
communi-
cation practices. Jump ahead to find better ways to communicate
with teams and clients.
Empathetic
Conflict happens, and as a project manager you have to set your
emo-
tions aside and do what is best for your project. This means
putting
yourself in the shoes of the people you’re dealing with—
whether it’s

a team member or a client—to understand intent, motivations,
and
possible outcomes. To truly understand an issue, you …
Running head: PROJECT PLAN
1
PROJECT PLAN
4
Project Plan
Student’s Name
Date
Project PlanSection 1: Summary

The project is on the construction of an adult education center
that promotes literacy for individuals of all ages. The center
would provide a positive ambience where the older persons
would engage with their peers. The center would be constructed
as part of the university’s buildings so that it would be easier to
integrate the program with the university’s programs. It would
be easier for the learned university staff to promote intelligence
in the local community members. The center would not be
limited to faith-based, for profit, non-profits, and union
organizations. The adult center requires a project manager,
human resource development team, and workplace assessment
(Nylander et al., 2018). There should be an effective
management team led by a project manager highly experienced
in running projects. This would improve connection of the
public with the project’s stakeholders.
The project promotes the development of an effective method of
dealing with the rising cases of unemployed adults due to lack
of education in certain areas. The appendix section of this paper
contains all stakeholders involved in the project’s development.
It is imperative to involve all the persons mentioned since they
would deal with the issues using their unique expertise. The
project shall involve a planning phase that aligns the various
activities involved in the conception phase that this paper has
dealt with. The next phase shall be launch phase that shall
connect the project with the public’s expectations. It would be

possible to determine whether the project adhered to expected
outcomes.
The next phase of the project is performance assessment. This
improves the quality of the adult education center since it
provides insight into the public’s behavior as the project got
implemented. The next phase is the close of the project after it
gets determined that the expected outcomes were achieved. The
adult education center that focused on all these areas would
provide an effective method of limiting the government’s
budget on supporting persons with lack of self-sustenance. Even
after the project closes, the tasks would be ongoing so that the
overall objective of promoting economic development would be
promoted.Section 2: Phasing
Phase I: Scoping and Planning
Phase II: construction
Phase III: Install and Test needed Software
Phase IV: Conduct Hardware/Software Testing for compatibility
and ease in use
Phase V: Conduct Training
Phase VI: Implementation

and Roll out
Phase VII: Evaluation and Post Implementation
30 days 120 days 30 days 30 days
30 days 30 days 90 days
The implementation of the project will be carried out in seven
main phases. Phase is the scoping and planning phase which
involves the project management team and the stakeholders
assessing and concluding on the viability of the project. Phase
two is the construction phase which will involve putting up the
structures that will be used by the students. The phase is
expected to take no more than 120 days. Phase three involves
the installing and testing of needed software by both the
learners and the educators. Phase four involves having the
needed hardware in place and having it tested to ensure that it is
compatible with the implemented software. The fourth phase
should not take more than 30 days. The fifth phase is the
training phase; all educators will be trained on how to work
with aged students. The sixth phase is the implementation and
roll out phase. The project will be launched, learners will
register and the sessions will be commissioned. The last phase
is the evaluation phase which will happen two months after the

project roll out. The evaluation will focus on establishing
whether the project is meeting its intended goal. The evaluation
phase will take 90 days.Section 3: Schedule – Milestones
Deliverable
Recipients
Delivery Date
Delivery Method
Statement of Work
Subcontractors
1/3/2021
meetings
Work Breakdown Structure
Integrators
1/3/2021
meetings
Status Reports
C-level managers
2/3/2021
meetings
Construction
Construction Team
3/3/2021
On site
Training
Employees

6/6/2021
In person
Implementation
c-level managers/professors
8/7/2021
On site
Evaluation
c-level managers /professors
9/11/2021
On site
New student login and joining program
Students
12/7/2021
Onsite/website
Based on the phases, there will be milestones to be met as a
sign of the project management team meetings its goals. The
above table captures the deliverables expected, when the report
of the deliverables is expected, the recipients of the
deliverables’ report and how the report on the deliverables will
happen.Section 4: Resources
1. Development: During this phase, the organization will be
conducting a market research to identifying the possible number
of students in the area that will be interested in joining the
program. Furthermore, research will be conducted on the best
time for the students to attend their lessons. The collected data

will guide the overall planning of the whole program.
2. Test: In this phase we will be investigating the program and
testing for various scenarios. A testing team shall be assigned to
carrying out this phase.
3. Production: During this phase, the organization will be
deploying the new classes that are part of the program in
various locations. Our team might be travelling to other
locations to ensure that as many people know of the program
and are ready to join.Section 5: Organization
Project Team: This includes a group of resources that work on
the deliverable of the full project.
Duties include:
· Completing the project tasks that are within the set budget,
timeline, and meet required expectations
· Proactively communicate status and managing expectations
Project Manager/Leader: Manages the full project, which
includes leading and planning the development of all aspects of
a project (McClory, Read & Labib, 2017).
Duties include:
· Developing a project plan
· Recruit staff
· Assign tasks and roles to project team members
· Provide current updates to upper management

Project Analysts: Responsible for guaranteeing that all
requirements are met accurately and effectively before the
solution is developed and implemented (Abad et al., 2019).
Duties include:
· Gather requirements from all units
· Document all technical and operations requirements
· Verify if project deliverables meet the requirements
· Test solutions
QA Manager: Help to convert project requirements and design
documents into testing cases and scripts. These scripts are often
used to verify if the project meets the needs of the client.
Designer: Responsible for fully understanding the project
requirements and build and design a solution to correlate to
those needs.
· Determine the best approach to the solution
· Determine the model and scope of the solution
· Determine student needs
Tester: Tests the program to ensure there are no defects before
its full implementationSection 6: Change Management
The purpose of this change management plan is to ensure that
an appropriate plan is in place regarding all facets of the project
plan. This plan is designed to prepare the project stakeholders
for any operations and technical changes that result from the

implementation of the project.
A change management team will be created to facilitate,
communicate, analyze and implement changes. The Change
Management team will consist of a Change Manager and a
Change Analyst and the Project Manager.
The duties of each member are as follows:
The Change Manager:
· Be accountable for all changes resulting from the project
· Facilitate all communication between project management
team and stakeholders
· Document all suggested changes and record said decisions on
those changes
The Change Analyst:
· Identify, document, and assess changes for their impact on the
project scope/cost/timeline
· Define and provide guidance on implementing changes
· Participate in change evaluation
· Monitor the effectiveness of made changes
The Project Manager:
· Work with change manager and change analyst to keep project
scope updated with potential changes
· Communicate any potential changes with the project team
· Define new timelines and expectations as needed to project
team and stakeholders
· Keep an open dialogue between the project team, change

management team and the stakeholders. Section 7: Risk
Management
Risks would include: delays such as in weather-related delays
issues that would cause days of not working on the construction
and site set up, waiting on approvals for more resources, lack of
communication between departments for approvals, and
difficulties in training on the new duties. Also, website outages
would affect student logins. The risks should be identified and
addressed immediately by the project manager in order to
making adjustments as needed for the project.Section 8:
Performance Assessment
performance assessment is meant to improve the quality of the
adult education center since it provides insight into the public’s
behavior as the project got implemented. The project
management team will have to employ the use of key
performance indicators (KPI)
1. Budget control-by recording the salaries paid out to
permanent staff during a reporting time. By assigning specific
departments and people budgets and holding them accountable.
2. Using a survey will be done on the students every month to
rate the program on its effectiveness. Every quarter of the year
a test will be issued out to students to stablish whether the
program works
In order to implement a performance measure on the Provision
of education the use of the balance score card on the teaching

staff can be implemented. The balance score card would have a
direct implication on whether the concerned staff was effective
at his work
Conclusion
Based on the scope of the project, the project should be
complete in 360 days, in one year. The project management
team will handle the project from the start to the end. The team
will liaise with stakeholders, for effective project management
and deliverable. For the project to be a success, the project
management will stick to a tight schedule and will be expected
to report at least every month to concerned stakeholders on the
project. The success of the project is pegged on the construction
of study rooms and the gaining of knowledge by the students
due to the program.
References
Abad, Z. S. H., Gervasi, V., Zowghi, D., & Far, B. H. (2019,
May). Supporting analysts by dynamic extraction and
classification of requirements-related knowledge. In 2019
IEEE/ACM 41st International Conference on Software
Engineering (ICSE) (pp. 442-453). IEEE.
McClory, S., Read, M., & Labib, A. (2017). Conceptualising the
lessons-learned process in project management: Towards a
triple-loop learning framework. International Journal of Project

Management, 35(7), 1322-1335.
Nylander, E., Österlund, L. & Fejes, A. (2018). Exploring the
Adult Learning Research Field by Analysing Who Cites
Whom. Vocations and Learning11, 113–131.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-017-9181-z.
Appendix A
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder
Areas of Influence
Project Phase
Stakeholder Manager
Engagement Approach
Engagement tools
Frequency
Ministry of Education
Education curriculum and environment
All
Project liaise
consult
Face to face
Emails
Very frequent
Sponsors
Financial aspects of the project

All
Head of investors
Consult
Face to face
Emails
Very frequent
Students
Learning environment
Phase VI
Student board
Inform
Emails
Frequent
Community Members
Impact of the program on the community
Phases VI and VII
councilor
Inform
newsletter
Occasional
Local business leaders
Impact of the program on businesses in the community
Phases VI and VII
Chairman of the local business leaders committee
consult

newsletter
occasional
Appendix B
Stakeholder Analysis Matrix
Name
Level*
Engagement**
Concerns
John Owen
Project Manager
Resistant
Is concerned about the impact on her unit. The project may
mean her unit has less work going forward.
Mary Oak
Human resource leader
Resistant
Is concerned that the professors may feel overburdened by the
new duties
Cate Bolt
Shareholders/ through chairperson
Concern
Concerned whether the proposed project might lead to the

attainment of expected results
Brian Harper
Engineering firm/ through the project head
Concern
Is concerned that the new constructions might compromise
existing structures and related systems
Phyllis Octo
Architect
Concern
Is concerned whether the construction will be done in the
allocated time
Job Bernie man
Student Leader
Resistant
Is concerned that students might not be willing to learn in the
same environment as college students
Appendix C
Stakeholder Interview Questions
Question
Who to ask
Is there anything that you anticipate to challenge the success of
the project
John Owen( the project Manager)

What are the challenges that you expect to deal with by having
the new program site next to the college
Phillis Octo (architect)
Do you have a contingency plan in place, incase, the project
does not yield the returns you anticipate
Robert Hedge (investor)
Does the budget presented cover for all activities as well as
overhead costs?
John Owen( the project Manager)
How soon should the success of the project be expected
Robert Hedge (investor)
1

Project Plan
Student’s Name
Date
1

Project Plan
Student’s Name
Date
Managing the Project
Projects are successful because of the people. “Don’t forget
your teams of human beings. They have interests, strengths, and
qualities that should be considered above their ability” (Harned,
2017, p. 108). In this assignment you will provide details
regarding managing your project. Please include your previous
paper on the front end of this submission and add the following
5 additional sections:
Stakeholder management plan (see Ch. 6 and consider how you
will utilize your unique leadership style and employ some of the
“soft-skills” we have been reading about such as Emotional
Intelligence)
Employee development plan (how you will develop your team

members in order to achieve project success)
Project communication plan (see Ch. 7 and consider how you
will utilize your unique communication style)
In an Appendix - A RACI chart. Be sure to discuss this
appendix in the body of the paper.
In an Appendix - A list of Survey Questions that could be used
to check the engagement of your stakeholders. Be sure to
discuss this appendix in the body of the paper.
Your paper should be APA format, using APA section headings,
5 new double-spaced pages of writing, plus any font and back
matter, with at least 2 scholarly references.
Likert-Type Scale Response Anchors.pdf
Appendix D
RACI Chart
Delete this box before submitting
Note: The Tasks will vary from project to project. Think of the
specific milestones and activities in your proposed project. A
simple web search of sample completed RACI charts will help
generate ideas as well.
Task
Example: Joe Smith (Project Manager)

Person 2
Etc.
Etc…
Project Plan
R,A
Weekly Communication Output
I
Etc.

Responsible: The team member who does the work to complete
the task. There will be at least one person on your team who is
the responsible party, sometimes more.
Accountable: This is the person who delegates work and is the
last person to review the task or deliverable before it is deemed
complete. There must be only one accountable specified for
each task or deliverable. Note: It may not be your PM! Also,
you may find that the responsible party is also the accountable

one.
Consulted: Every deliverable is strengthened by review and
consultation from more than one team member. Consulted
parties are typically the people who can provide input based on
how it may affect their work later on the project or have some
domain expertise on the deliverable itself.
Informed: Some team members don’t need to work on every
deliverable, but it’s best to keep them in the loop on project
progress.
Appendix E
Stakeholder Engagement Survey
Delete this block before submitting
Sending a Stakeholder Engagement Survey out once the project
is underway is a great way to check on the engagement of your
stakeholders. Previously on your Stakeholder Analysis Matrix
you indicated the levels of engagement your believed your
stakeholders to fall under: Unaware (of the project and/or
impact), Resistant (aware but resists change), Neutral (aware
but does not support or resist), Supportive (aware and supports),
or Leading (aware and champions change). Now you can

measure this with a survey and gather other data regarding how
stakeholders are feeling about the project. Make sure your
questions capture at least the stakeholder engagement levels
indicated above.
Survey Question
5
4
3
2
1
1
Example: I am consistently made aware of the project progress
Strongly Agree*
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2
Example: I am concerned about the change the project will have
on my department
Strongly Agree*
Agree

Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
3
4
5

6
7
*In addition to the Strongly Agree…Strongly Disagree scales,
you may consider other scales (see “Likert-Type Scale Response
Anchors” document

Running head: PROJECT MANAGERS RESPONSIBILITIES
DISCUSSION
1
PAGE
2
Running head: PROJECT MANAGERS RESPONSIBILITIES
DISCUSSION
Project Managers Responsibilities Discussion
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Course Name
Professor’s Name
Date
Project Managers Responsibilities Discussion
Organizational Background
This paper’s proposal is to construct an adult education center

that promotes literacy for individuals of all ages. The center
would provide a positive ambience where the older persons
would engage with their peers. The center would be constructed
as part of the university’s buildings so that it would be easier to
integrate the program with the university’s programs. It would
be easier for the learned university staff to promote intelligence
in the local community members. The center would not be
limited to faith-based, for profit, non-profits, and union
organizations. The adult center requires a project manager,
human resource development team, and workplace assessment
(Nylander et al., 2018). There should be an effective
management team led by a project manager highly experienced
in running projects. This would improve connection of the
public with the project’s stakeholders.
Organizational Problem
Analysis reveals that in the age group o 16-74 years, the adults
have a low literacy level of approximately 130 million persons
(Nietzel, 2020). This is huge problem since it results in low
proficiency skills in professional jobs. Regardless, of this, the
majority of the adults are employed in informal sectors that
boost the economy. Issues arise since it becomes difficult to
provide the public with suitable learning skills. The limited

number of individuals with post-secondary training limits the
capability of the country to grow in the many economic sectors
it would have grown.
There are other issues whereby the large numbers uneducated
persons cost the economy $2.2 trillion every year (Nietzel,
2020). The new organization for an adult education center
requires proper organizational management so that it would
address issues that limit negative effects on the economy. Lack
of education in adults causes limited employment opportunities,
little opportunities for income generation, poor health due to
lack of healthy living, crime engagement, and high dependence
on charity for sustenance. The issues are prevalent and require
specific methods of dealing with them so that there would be
improvement in the social and economic sectors.
Nature of Project
The project promotes the development of an effective method of
dealing with the rising cases of unemployed adults due to lack
of education in certain areas. The appendix section of this paper
contains all stakeholders involved in the project’s development.
It is imperative to involve all the persons mentioned since they
would deal with the issues using their unique expertise. The
project shall involve a planning phase that aligns the various
activities involved in the conception phase that this paper has

dealt with. The next phase shall be launch phase that shall
connect the project with the public’s expectations. It would be
possible to determine whether the project adhered to expected
outcomes.
The next phase of the project is performance assessment. This
improves the quality of the adult education center since it
provides insight into the public’s behavior as the project got
implemented. The next phase is the close of the project after it
gets determined that the expected outcomes were achieved. The
adult education center that focused on all these areas would
provide an effective method of limiting the government’s
budget on supporting persons with lack of self-sustenance. Even
after the project closes, the tasks would be ongoing so that the
overall objective of promoting economic development would be
promoted.
Appendix
Preliminary List of Stakeholders
Stakeholder
Preliminary issues
Project Manager
The adult center experiences issues whereby it is difficult to
connect with all stakeholders. Project managers can lack

knowledge of issues that affect various members. It can also be
challenging to connect the issues of adults with the capabilities
that the center would have in terms of funding.
The project manager is involved in providing the adult center
with the required personnel to promote effective development.
It is the manager’s responsibility to also assign each
stakeholder a task based on their capabilities.
Community development leader
The leader’s involvement is mandatory since it provides an
effective method of dealing with organizational issues. The
adult education center has issues whereby it is difficult to
adhere to community guidelines. This limits development as the
center may not be suitable for all expected participants.
The center would be constructed in the local environment, as
such, it is imperative to engage with persons familiar with the
geographical location’s procedures.
Human resource leader
The involvement of this person is imperative since the
community has issues of maintaining collaboration among
members of a workforce. It is mandatory to promote effective
management and adherence to project expectations.
All stakeholders must be connected to enable the project’s
tasks. There are issues whereby the workforce may lack

knowledge of improving adult education.
Adults in the community
There are many persons in the community who lack an effective
method of applying their skills in the diverse economic
environment.
The lack of education in various professional fields is a factor
that causes limited opportunities for the adults.
It is difficult for the formal employment sector to employ all
adults since the lack of professional training reduces suitability.
Young people in the area
There can be issues whereby the young persons in the
community would find it hard to connect with parents who do
not have high levels of literacy. The young persons would not
get motivated to get education since they emulate the adults
who they consider to living well regardless of lack of formal
training.
Persons living near construction site
There would be limited opportunities to build the center since
the local residents would expect little noise and interference
with their lives.
Public health
Maintenance of health of members constructing and living in
the adult centers
Shareholders

There can be no certainty whether the center would be
profitable
Engineering firm
Selection of a suitable engineering firm is difficult
Architect
The center might have to fit the local area’s design map
Transportation
The type of transport means for the center would have to be
determined before the project begins
Service providers
The center requires learned and experienced persons to promote
adherence to guidelines of development
Students
Participation of students should be determined to ensure their
connection to the project’s tasks
Professors
There should be an effective plan of action to ensure the
professors have enough time to connect with their students and
the project’s expectations
Investors
The project requires adequate funding since there has to be
development of the facilities as well as the employment of
persons for the project and the center’s operations
Conclusion

In surmise, the project management plan has an effective
inception stage since it is possible to determine all stakeholders
and their capabilities. The area where the project would get
developed was determined and would enable connection with
the university students and professors. The process would
improve knowledge of project management that can get applied
in a professional setting.
References
Midtsundstad, T. (2019). A review of the research literature on
adult learning and employability. European Journal of
Education, 54(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12321.
Nietzel, M. (2020). Low Literacy Levels Among U.S. Adults
Could Be Costing The Economy $2.2 Trillion A Year. Retrieved
22 January 2021 from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/09/09/low -
literacy-levels-among-us-adults-could-be-costing-the-economy-
22-trillion-a-year/?sh=213abcdb4c90.
Nylander, E., Österlund, L. & Fejes, A. (2018). Exploring the
Adult Learning Research Field by Analysing Who Cites
Whom. Vocations and Learning11, 113–131.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-017-9181-z.

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