Inclusive Practices in Project Management: Leveraging Digital Frameworks for Diverse Minds Tuesday 30 April 2024 APM North West Network Conference, Synergies Across Sectors Presented by: Caroline Keep, PhD researcher Digitization in Education Organisation, University of Central Lancaster Conference overview: https://www.apm.org.uk/community/apm-north-west-branch-conference/ Content description: This talk aimed to provide actionable insights and strategies for embedding inclusivity into the fabric of project management, thereby unlocking the new dimensions of productivity and innovation in the digital sphere. The main conference objective was to promote the Project Management profession with interaction between project practitioners, APM Corporate members, current project management students, academia and all who have an interest in projects.

1. Where opportunity creates success
Inclusive Practices in Project
Management: Leveraging Digital
Frameworks for Diverse Minds
Caroline Keep
PhD researcher Digitization in Education
School of Engineering

2. How
this
sessio
n will
break
down…
Brief Introduction and chat …
What do we mean by Inclusivity Frameworks
& Strategies ( Total about 20 minutes)
Workshop Activity 1: Inclusivity Audit (15
minutes)
Break if you need it….
Workshop Activity 2: Action Plan
Development (15 minutes)
Q&A and Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

3. Here is a few clips to help get the handle on
autism

4. Why bother ?
Global cross-industry sample of 439 project professionals
from the PMI Thought Leadership Panel.

5. And poor digital experiences and
inclusion practices is costing
everyone…
Department for Work and Pensions' Family Resources Survey indicate that 16.0
million people in the UK had a disability in the 2021/22 financial year. This
represents 24% of the total population

6. So, what are the positives you
can get form this?
Innovation Through Diversity - Diverse teams bring a wide
array of perspectives, experiences, and problem-solving
approaches, fostering a rich environment for innovation.
Boost in Productivity - Inclusive environments enhance
job satisfaction, engagement, and commitment, directly
impacting productivity.
Enhanced Team Dynamics - Inclusivity strengthens team
cohesion, improves communication, and facilitates better
conflict resolution

7. Types of
neurodiverse
minds
• Around 15-20% of the
world’s population are
estimated to be
‘neurodivergent’. This
is when someone’s brain
processes and/or behaves
differently from what is
considered “typical”.

8. Great .. So,
what’s the
barriers ? A
short lesson..
Unconscious Bias: biases are
automatic, mental shortcuts used to
make quick judgments about people
and situations.
Resistance to Change: Many
organizations and individuals
resist altering their established
ways of working.
Lack of Awareness: A fundamental
challenge to inclusivity is the
lack of awareness or understanding
of what inclusivity truly means and
why it's essential.
Inadequate Support Structures:
Without the proper frameworks and
support from leadership,
inclusivity initiatives can
struggle to gain traction

9. Definitions – What is Accessibility and
Digital Accessibility?
• Accessibility involves
designing systems to
optimise access.
• Being inclusive is about
giving equal access and
opportunities to everyone
wherever possible”.
(Jisc, 2018)

10. Digital
accessib
ility
• Digital
accessibility
ensures that
websites,
applications, and
electronic
documents can be
efficiently
navigated and
comprehended by a
broad audience,
including
individuals with
disabilities such

11. So how do you design for
diverse minds ..
Do
• use simple colours
• write in plain English
• use simple sentences and bullets
• make buttons descriptive - for
example, Attach files
• build simple and consistent layouts
Don't
• use bright contrasting colours
• use figures of speech and idioms
• create a wall of text
• make buttons vague and unpredictable - for example,
Click here
• build complex and cluttered layouts
https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/dos-and-donts-on-
designing-for-accessibility/

12. Have a little check
list!

13. Alt text!
• Use CamelCase, so hashtags get picked up.
• Alt text should be specific and not
overly descriptive.
• Good descriptions are concise, but
describe what’s in your images accurately
enough to understand their context
• Stay clear of repetition.
• Never start your alt text with ‘image of’
as this will be obvious to the user.
• In Office 365 right click on picture and
select Edit Alt Text
• Find more at:
https://design102.blog.gov.uk/2022/01/14/w
hats-the-alternative-how-to-write-good-
alt-text/

14. when your
designing
major project
builds ?
• The British Standards
Institute (2005) defines
inclusive design as "the
design of mainstream products
and/or services that are
accessible to, and usable by,
as many people as reasonably
possible ... without the need
for special adaptation or
specialised design."

15. Few tips that work for
everyone when doing digital …
BOLD text underlined text
Italics text - For
emphasis! Helps
with the reading
Font size 14 is the
most readable of
the 'ordinary size'
texts.
Screen readers will
often read text
that is all
capitals one letter
at a time.
Capitalised text is
hard to read for
all abilities.
Hyperlink best
practise - BBC News
instead of
https://www.bbc.co.
uk/news
State emails
clearer as emails
and hours you
answer them – e.g.
cmkeep@uclan.ac.uk
not just a link to
your page.
Use Bullet Points
or numbered lists

16. Video
Captioning/Meetin
g Transcripts
• In Microsoft – Teams Meetings
Create transcripts alongside recordings now
& has live captions . Clickview can create
automatic captions

17. Contrast Checker
https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecke
r/

18. Immersive
reader
• Immersive Reader to customize how word documents appear
while you read and edit. Immersive Reader provides options
for a comfortable and easy to process experience by
allowing you to listen to the text read aloud or adjust how
text appears by modifying spacing, color and more.

19. Accessibility Checkers and
tools

20. Finally, before
we get into a
workshop…what
about your
staff?
• Define what diversity and
inclusion mean for your
organization
• Write inclusive job
descriptions and hire
inclusively
• Have a career plan for
inclusion and carefully
accommodate your talent!
https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/guides/in
clusive-employers/

21. Breath and move
when you get
back – lets try
a Inclusivity
Audit

22. Worksho
p 1:
Audit
• So, I've done you
a little audit.
• This would be the
baseline for
starting to be
inclusive- not
the end point!

23. Little group work
Each group member should briefly share key insights or gaps identified
from their completed inclusivity audit, focusing on aspects related to
autism.
Start by placing the central idea, “Inclusivity for Autistic
Individuals,” in the center of your large paper. From there, draw
branches for different areas such as “Communication,” “Environment,”
“Support,” “Training,” and other relevant categories identified from
the audit.
Add thing you think would be useful to start doing or you currently do
in to the map… I’ll come round!

24. Strategies for
Implementation
Step 1: Assess and Plan:
•Highlight the importance of
starting with an inclusivity
audit, like the one performed
in the workshop.
•Point out the necessity of
developing a clear plan based
on audit results.
Step 2: Develop Policies
and Frameworks:
•Emphasize creating or updating
inclusivity policies.
•Suggest establishing
frameworks that support
diverse needs, especially for
neurodiverse team members.
Step 3: Provide Training
and Resources:
•Stress the role of training
for awareness and skill-
building in inclusive
practices.
•Mention the resources that
should be made available to
support these practices.
Step 4: Implement
Accommodations and
Adjustments:
•Describe necessary workplace
adjustments, both physical and
cultural, to better support
autistic individuals.
Step 5: Monitor and
Review:
•Explain the need for ongoing
monitoring of inclusivity
practices.
•Advocate for regular reviews
and updates to practices and
policies.
Step 6: Celebrate and
Reinforce:
•Encourage recognition of
successful inclusivity
initiatives.
•Detail how positive
reinforcement can help sustain
momentum

25. Navigating Change within Teams and
Organizations
Tip 1:
Communicate
Clearly and
Often:
Emphasize the
importance of
clear,
transparent
communication
about the
benefits and
the 'why'
behind
inclusivity
efforts.
Tip 2:
Involve
Everyone in
the Process:
Suggest
inclusive
decision-making
processes where
all team
members have a
voice.
Tip 3:
Provide
Support and
Training:
Note the role
of training in
easing the
transition to
new practices.
Highlight the
availability of
support for
those
struggling with
changes.
Tip 4: Lead
by Example:
Urge leaders
and managers to
demonstrate
their
commitment to
inclusivity
through their
actions.
Tip 5:
Address
Concerns
Promptly:
Encourage an
open-door
policy where
concerns can be
voiced and
addressed in a
timely manner.
Tip 6: Build
on Quick
Wins:
Identify and
celebrate early
successes to
demonstrate the
benefits of the
new practices.
Tip 7: Stay
Flexible and
Patient:
Recognize that
change takes
time and be
willing to
adapt
strategies as
needed.

26. Breath and move
when you get
back – Action
Plan Development
Worksheet

27. Workshop 2;
Action Plan
Development
• I’m going to come
round and work
with you on
these!
• Think of a few
aims to start
with, small can
be good!

28. Case Studies and
Success Stories
https://www.createeducation.co
m/blog/an-elephant-clip-helps-
a-wheelchair-user/
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/sens
ory-friendly-resource-pack/

29. Questions, Recap
and Key
Takeaways