Project Management 101: Communication is 90% of the Job
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As a technical communicator or manager, you probably already have some of the skills needed for successful project management. What may be missing is a unified approach. The project management discipline, as evidenced by the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, gives you a toolkit for important aspects of your career: considered communication and efficient planning. The discipline can help you by providing frameworks for scope, time, and cost management; quality planning; communications management; defining and controlling risks; analyzing and engaging stakeholders; and more. This talk introduces you to the basics of the project management processes and knowledge areas and gives a brief overview of the PMP certification journey. You will come away with some best practices for dealing with common project issues that you already face. Come and get a better understanding of an area that will help you hone your career and bring greater value to your workplace.
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Project Management 101: Communication is 90% of the Job
- 1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101: COMMUNICATION IS 90% OF THE JOB Beth Fischi Alcatel-Lucent Motive – Customer Experience Solutions beth@motive.com 2015
- 2. Introduction Beth Fischi • Technical communicator ~17 years • Sr. Technical Publications Manager • Project Management Professional (PMP) • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- 3. What we’ll cover today • High-level overview of project management • Best practices for common project issues • Info on project management certification • Q&A
- 4. WHY NOT JUST WING IT? (There’s not enough time to plan anyway, right?)
- 5. Wasted time
- 6. Lost money
- 9. Ruined reputations Yours, your coworkers, your company.
- 12. Why risk it?
- 13. Project Management – the art of not winging it.
- 14. What project management is NOT • The mere use of processes, tools, techniques • Using Microsoft Project to create a schedule and then watch it unfold like a precious rosebud • Whipping underlings • Making team members crazy: • “What percent done are you?” • “What about now?”… • “What about now?”…
- 15. What project management IS • The art of applying a consistent, defined framework and body of knowledge (BOK) to a project to ensure its requirements are met • The ability and experience to tailor the approach to the project • Working in concert with your team, stakeholders, sponsors • 90% communication As defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI): The application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. It’s a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals — and thus, better compete in their markets.
- 16. PM and communications 90% of PM is communication… sound familiar? As a communicator, you’ve got this! Communication = Increased project success! Right audience / stake- holders Right time Right information
- 17. PM Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) • Defined by PMI’s PMBOK® Guide • Process-based, described in terms of inputs, tools & techniques, and outputs • Includes: • Framework • Process groups • Knowledge areas • 47 processes
- 18. Framework highlights • Project: Temporary & unique (not routine operation) • Triple constraints… and more complex models Customer Satisfaction
- 19. Process groups Similar to: • Start • Plan • Do • Check & Act • End
- 21. Best practices for common issues Some takeaways from PMP study that overlap with concerns we have as technical communicators: • Estimating tasks better • Resolving competing requirements • Preventing disagreements over deliverables • Dealing with conflict • Influencing people • Handling project changes Our focus today
- 22. Estimating tasks better (1/3) • Example: My doc task took 10 days longer than planned because <fill in usual reason>. • Best practice: • If possible, the person doing the work does the estimation. • The estimator: • Undertakes reasonable effort to understand and clarify requirements. • Clarifies how refined the estimate must be. • Records risks and assumptions made when estimating. • Does not pad the task or include calendar time yet. Start with pure work effort. (Reserves will be added later.) • Uses the same units (hours, days, etc.) throughout. • Can involve team members (communicate!) whenever feasible to get other expert opinion – but ultimately the person doing the work should decide. TIME MANAGEMENT My dog ate my laptop
- 23. Estimating tasks better (2/3) • When uncertain of task estimates, you can use one of the three-point estimating techniques: • Triangular Distribution (Simple Average): • Simple average of Pessimistic + Optimistic + Most Likely estimates • Gives equal weight to all estimates • Beta Distribution (Weighted Average): • Weighted average of Pessimistic + Optimistic + Most Likely estimates • Use when you want to give more weight to a type of estimate. Here, the “most likely” estimate is given the most weight, but you can modify this formula TIME MANAGEMENT Estimate key P = Pessimistic M = Most likely O = Optimistic (P+M+O) / 3 (P+4M+O) / 6
- 24. Estimating tasks better (3/3) • To estimate risk, use Beta Activity Standard Deviation: • Shows possible range for the estimate = potential variance for the task = i.e., the larger the number, the riskier the activity • Compare result of activities; work with project manager / leader to give ones with larger numbers (higher risk) more reserves • Reasons to work with PM before adding reserves: 1. PM needs to know risks to project and, as project integrator, standardizes how reserves are created across team 2. Otherwise, team members arbitrarily determine padding 3. PM will love you and appreciate your assistance! TIME MANAGEMENT Estimate key P = Pessimistic O = Optimistic (P-O) / 6
- 25. PMI and PMP • The Project Management Institute (PMI) = not-for-profit association for the project, program, and portfolio management profession • About 700K members and 590K PM practitioners • Standards for project management are the most widely recognized worldwide • Requirements to become a Project Management Professional (PMP): • Experience in PM: 4500 hours w/Bachelor’s or 7500 hours w/high school diploma • Professional PM education: 35 hours • Approval to sit for the PMP certification exam: Application ($129 +$10 initial fee; students $32) + exam fee (US $405 if PMI member) • Pass exam: 4 hours, 200 questions • Tips to move forward (see handout) • For more info: www.pmi.org
- 26. Closing • Reasons not to wing it • What PM is and is not • Role of communications in PM • The PMBOK, including framework, process groups, knowledge areas • A best practice in time management • Some information on how to get your PMP certification
- 27. Q&A
- 28. Credits • Slide 14: Photo credit: U.S. Signal Corps / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain – Stalin 1943. • Slide 15: See: http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/About-Us-What-is-Project- Management.aspx • Slide 18: • Image credit (left): Mapto / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain • Image credit (right): Recreated from Rita Mulcahey’s PMP Exam Prep, 8th edition • Slide 19: Image credit: Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information and Technology / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain • Slide 20: Image credit: Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information and Technology / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain (with added “Stakeholder Management” to bring image up to PMBOK® 5th edition) • “PMI”, the PMI logo, “PMP”, the PMP logo, “PMBOK”, “PgMP”, “Project Management Journal”, “PM Network”, and the PMI Today logo are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.