tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47130953374814658792024-03-21T17:54:14.790-04:00Digital Project ManagementHow to be a successful project leader in the digital eraGina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-80931111986481200522012-02-27T18:35:00.003-05:002012-02-27T20:16:26.334-05:00GUEST POST - You Lost Me at Google+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRljMg3W9h8SaoJsrOPJtClT7MYFnjfW1fL5hyEBdH1b8Z8vLEphq27JJF1r0I1iv3cr9uyU6Rkc4z6fBFuLqsYrobgRlFP8rvsPFFwmHFltxcxHt-UKGVS3-oRhqzhupX4udKSf6JypI/s1600/Julie_CPRS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRljMg3W9h8SaoJsrOPJtClT7MYFnjfW1fL5hyEBdH1b8Z8vLEphq27JJF1r0I1iv3cr9uyU6Rkc4z6fBFuLqsYrobgRlFP8rvsPFFwmHFltxcxHt-UKGVS3-oRhqzhupX4udKSf6JypI/s200/Julie_CPRS.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><i>Julie Geller – RDM Partner, Social Media Strategist</i><br />
Julie has spent twelve years in the digital marketing space. Her background has allowed her to develop strong skills in strategic planning, preparing and implementing social media governance models, building and sustaining community, reporting and stakeholder management. A skilled social media strategist, Julie has experience providing direction for mid to large-scale online marketing programs. She has worked on social media initiatives for multiple business verticals, including broadcast, retail, IT, natural health, financial, education, automotive and not-for-profit.<br />
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Okay, so you wake up in the morning and log on to your RSS reader. You promote some content on your social properties and feel pretty good about yourself.<br />
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Then, you check your Klout score. You’ve dropped one point. One point?! The mental breakdown begins. <br />
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Am I a loser? What are my friends’ scores? Did I update Facebook enough yesterday? How’s my pinboard looking? Did I tweet, or just retweet? Do I have a POV? What social networks am I missing?<br />
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At this point, you’ve lost your grip on the fun and engagement of social media and descended into social’s daily drudgery — staying ahead of the competition. There’s never enough time to keep up. It’s all just so friggin’ overwhelming.<br />
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Panic only breeds panic. So take a deep breath, have a coffee, think and contribute. The answers are surprisingly simple.<br />
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<b>Make friends with your RSS reader</b>. Sounds like old news? It’s not. Continually edit and add to the sources you follow to keep things fresh. Ask your friends and family to share their favourite sources. Look for automated “if you like this, you’ll love that” recos and get them working for you.<br />
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<b>Remember frequency</b>. Make a point of sharing your commentary at least three to five stories each day. This will help you get into a daily groove, and it will build a following of people who will count on seeing your content.<br />
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<b>Develop a point of view (POV)</b>. Don’t make the mistake of only retweeting. Let go of your fear of judgment and assert a POV. Ask yourself: Why do I want to share this content? What’s one valuable point I can focus on from this article? Is there a larger issue that I can use to drive broader engagement? Should I target a segment of my followers? What do I think of the author’s POV? If you’re still not inspired, seize the opportunity to respectfully counter with a witty short statement. <br />
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<b>Participate only in the social networks you find valuable</b>. The competition breathing down your neck isn’t worried about “belonging.” Make a resolution to stop being part of the 99%. Yes, you want to be responsive to what people are saying, but forget the quantity and focus on quality.<br />
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Crazy simple, right? In no time, you’ll gain followers, increase your influence and restore your mental health.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-15910249361700355382012-01-30T10:50:00.001-05:002012-01-30T10:51:33.018-05:00GUEST POST - The Kanban Board: Success Through Sticky Notes<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigUCy8JLrxDZOxNzeEXHR5qPBo2bMhWlR2SD6aHKfcB5ARUBHOKinUkpDdYBcZHqdYLsjgmNhtws1zPD9vwEYJncSKGYYs09lgubLsUsW4FFp7Mot80fHs52PrFD0CtVguvmjLjQWMykZ/s1600/Elli_Pope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigUCy8JLrxDZOxNzeEXHR5qPBo2bMhWlR2SD6aHKfcB5ARUBHOKinUkpDdYBcZHqdYLsjgmNhtws1zPD9vwEYJncSKGYYs09lgubLsUsW4FFp7Mot80fHs52PrFD0CtVguvmjLjQWMykZ/s200/Elli_Pope.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i> The following guest post was written by Elli Pope (left), QA Specialist and Technical Producer with Springbox. Elli has a degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin and has Scrum Master and PMP certifications. To learn more about Springbox, an Austin-headquartered interactive agency, visit <a href="http://www.springbox.com/" target="new">www.springbox.com</a>.</i><br />
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<b>Massive project, many obstacles</b><br />
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When we first kicked off a massive, technical project for a client, I’ll admit, I was nervous. With a fast and fixed deadline, lots of moving parts, in-depth collaboration with many external vendors, and lots of unknowns, this was a project that seemed doomed from the start. So in order to help keep track of the dizzying amount of work ahead of us, we created a Kanban board.<br />
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<b>Visualizing the big picture</b><br />
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The Kanban board is a tool to help visualize the work for any project. It provides a level of transparency that allows anyone, even someone unfamiliar with the project, to understand the status of a project at a single glance.<br />
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It starts with story cards. A story card (a sticky note on the board) is essentially a description of a task that needs to be completed. Each developer picks a card from the “Open Work” bucket, writes their initials on it, and moves it to “In-progress” column. When the task is complete, they move the sticky to the “Ready for QA” bucket, grab a new task, and repeat the process. QA then tests each task in the “Ready for QA” bucket, and either moves the card to “Complete” if there are no issues, or sends it back to “In-progress” if bugs are found.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXlsVLpgaUYQwY8AHfJoU0uOPruiuLm2627FkdrDaKQCTD34iMlFcg2p4BCBt6MyPgWtXJ5S0Uj3-RUHAYBiNVmIR1nVNCqpFtljgSX9xJ-SGTdEUCzy8v06Ku8nissKR9a4VahruFwzD/s1600/KanbanBoard_Springbox_01-2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXlsVLpgaUYQwY8AHfJoU0uOPruiuLm2627FkdrDaKQCTD34iMlFcg2p4BCBt6MyPgWtXJ5S0Uj3-RUHAYBiNVmIR1nVNCqpFtljgSX9xJ-SGTdEUCzy8v06Ku8nissKR9a4VahruFwzD/s320/KanbanBoard_Springbox_01-2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Our approach</b><br />
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When we first started the project, we were waiting on quite a bit of work from external vendors, and there simply wasn’t time to wait for this work to be delivered if we wanted to meet our deadline. By placing tasks that were waiting on vendors into the “Blocked” category, we were able to reduce confusion over what work was available and clearly see how much work was “on hold.” As more vendor work was delivered, those blocked tasks were moved to the “Open Work” bucket, and team members could start working on those tasks without needing to wait for status updates.<br />
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Each morning, the team gathered around the Kanban board for a 15 minute, stand-up meeting that involved each team member answering three key questions about their progress:<br />
<ol><li>What did you work on yesterday?</li>
<li>What are you working on today?</li>
<li>What is blocking your progress?</li>
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As team members answered these questions, they moved the stickies from column to column, giving an up-to-date picture of the overall status of the project.<br />
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One of the major benefits of this system was that it helped visualize bottlenecks – are a majority of tasks blocked? Is QA overwhelmed with work? Does the amount of open work look achievable with the time remaining? Any outsider could view the board and instantly understand the status and health of the project without having to interrupt a single team member.<br />
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<b>Results</b><br />
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In the end, the board was an overwhelming success. The team all agreed that the board made collaboration easier by clearly identifying which tasks were available to work on, who was working on each task, and how much of the project remained. It helped us hit our deadline in spite of the setbacks and challenges we dealt with along the way. The Kanban board is one tool that we will certainly try to use again in Springbox projects moving forward.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-61699331827726401892012-01-11T17:30:00.003-05:002012-01-11T17:32:33.593-05:00How To Hire A Great Digital Project ManagerStaffing a digital project management position with the right individual is a key factor in the success of any interactive project. Project management has become the most pivotal role on an interactive team. It's also a very challenging and rewarding career choice, and as the profession receives more and more attention, individuals from many areas are making the migration into project management. If you are working to fill a position at your agency, or even for a single project, there are some important skills and attributes you need to look for in the ideal candidate. Here are two I'd rank highly on the list.<br />
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<b>People skills:</b> This is probably the single most important quality a digital project manager must have. The PM will be working very closely with clients, vendors, project resources, and management on a daily basis. They need to be able to motivate, inspire, and guide in a way that gets the best out of everyone. If the individual in unable to earn the respect and trust of the all these team members, the project will suffer, and the entire experience will be one that's painful and difficult. <b><br />
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<b>Master of process: </b>The digital landscape has become incredibly complex, with new technologies, services, trends and tactics emerging daily. A project manager must understand the basic process of digital development inside and out in order to adapt to these changes, while still delivering a quality product. Mastering how a website is developed, as well as the skill-set and contribution of each resource, is an absolute must. This knowledge allows a project manager to mitigate risks and problem solve if things go off-track. Knowing how to achieve the same end result by altering process slightly is what saves many, many digital projects from disaster, but this kind of strategic thinking cannot happen if the project lead isn't intimate with the basic process. <br />
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Every project manager needs a chance to prove themselves on the job. Given the potential corporate process, client, team and project backgrounds they'll have to ramp up on, it will take time to get into the groove and really make a difference. The skills described above, however, will be evident immediately. Pay close attention, because a digital project manager will not succeed if either is lacking.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-69110602309524803722011-09-06T09:45:00.003-04:002011-09-06T09:47:56.787-04:00Sample Content DeckIn response to a previous entry, <a href="http://ginalijoi.blogspot.com/2011/04/power-of-content-deck.html">The Power of a Content Deck</a>, I'm providing a sample content deck for my readers to download and use. This sample deck is only a few pages, but the intention is to provide a format that can be replicated for each page of a site. This format has evolved out of twelve years of interactive project management, and is the best example of an integrated document that I've been able to develop. As mentioned in my previous entry, this document ties in the following aspects of the build:<br />
<ul><li>Information Architecture - Each page within the content deck must be numbered according to the page numbers in the final information architecture, so that the documents correlate to one another, and the team and client can easily reference both in conjunction.</li>
<li>Search Engine Optimization - The deck includes page and meta description tags, which will be indexed and used by search engines to qualify and index your website content.</li>
<li>Multimedia - The deck makes specific reference to any imagery or video being used on each page of the site, so that the build team can locate these assets quickly as they develop each page.</li>
</ul>This deck format will work for most website builds, and should be amended to meet unique needs as required. It's been my experience that this deck has saved hours of work by presenting relevant information in a single location. I've had great success and feedback, not only from my team, but from my clients, as well. Please share your feedback with me.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-1rOOlT-14fZjc5ODQyOWEtMGFkNS00ZWI5LWFmMzUtZmQxMjg2NGZhOGRh&hl=en_US" target="new">Sample Content Deck</a>Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-12384231807363690782011-04-05T12:37:00.000-04:002011-04-05T12:37:25.918-04:00The Power of a Content DeckOne of the challenges of web development - particularly when you're using a <a href="http://ginalijoi.blogspot.com/2008/06/can-we-combine-agile-and-waterfall.html">waterfall approach</a> - is to bridge together the discreet documentation the team produces, so that each individual element is part of a larger whole. Documentation produced by tech should reference and leverage documentation produced by information design, and so on. Not only does this help present a cohesive picture to the team and client, these references will be useful come development, when the team will be expected to stitch each piece together into a single product. Over the past year, I've focused on leveraging the content deck as a key document to help tie together supporting assets with great success.<br />
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<b>Why the content deck?</b>: The content deck comes at a key juncture in the life cycle of an interactive project - it is driven by information design, but will inform creative design. It is a lynchpin for the team, touched by everyone. More importantly, it may be the only complete reference to the site that exists. Wireframes and storyboards are often only produced for key or unique pages, but the content deck will likely include copy for each and every page of the site.<br />
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<b>What to incorporate</b>: Beyond actual copy, the content deck should reference and incorporate the following elements:<br />
<ul><li><b>Numeration from the information architecture and wireframes</b> - this allows an individual to understand exactly where individual content elements will live within the site and on a given page. Not only will this will help the client greatly during content review, which can be a disjointed experience, it is necessary for the technical team, who will have to populate each website page with the proper copy.</li>
<li> <b>Multimedia</b><b> files and server location</b> - most sites include photography and/ or video, and the content deck provides an ideal opportunity to reference which specific media assets should be placed on which screens. Again - the content deck may be the only complete reference you have to the entire site, so it's a simple and easy way to pass this information along to the technical team for the build. But, don't stop at the image or video name - include the location of that file on the server, or on an external social media site, as well, so the team will know where the asset currently lives.</li>
<li><b>SEO data</b> - title tags and meta descriptions for individual pages can also live in the content deck. This means the tech team will have a single place to refer to for all this information, instead of disparate documents they'd otherwise have to try and connect to one another.</li>
</ul>Improvements to the way in which websites are built can easily be made by streamlining our work process. Consider maximizing the value of the content deck by incorporating much more pertinent information than simply copy. In the context of web development, the old saying, content is king, can be tweaked - content <i>deck</i> is king.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-8633144890548862812011-01-15T14:40:00.002-05:002011-01-18T10:20:31.277-05:00Making Web Analytics EasyOne of the advantages the web offers over traditional forms of marketing is measurability. This means we can understand the success of a site by how users interact with it - how many individuals visit, how much time they spend on the site, what pages they view, and even how they arrived. No other medium offers the insight and ability for analysis like the web. But knowing what analytics tool is right, what numbers are important, and how to approach reporting can be overwhelming. As with most things, a logical and simple approach is the best way to begin - not only for you as a Project Manager, but for your clients, as well.<br />
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</div><div><b>Determine what success means:</b> The term KPI, or Key Performance Indicator, is used to describe the measurement of success for a site. In simple terms, it means identifying what activity on your website will be a sign of good performance. Success varies for each website - some sites are intended to grow subscriber databases, others aim to sell product, and the list goes on. It's important that the metrics for success are identified in the initial planning stages, so that the site can be built with an understanding of what it's supposed to achieve. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Select the right analytics tool</b>: There are numerous options to choose from when selecting a web analytics tool. Important considerations include business requirements (how sophisticated will reporting requirements be?), costs (up-front purchase and ongoing licensing fees), and overall usability (determine whether the client will access reporting directly). For many, free tools, such as <a ,="" href="http://www.google.com/analytics" target="new">Google Analytics</a> are more than sufficient. Do your research and try and demo the products you're interested in before making a decision.<br />
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<b>Make reporting simple:</b> Once you have access to your site analytics, you should standardize the format and frequency of the report that will be generated. Not every measurement is important to all websites, so pare back to the most critical metrics, or the report will lose its focus and impact. Remember the KPIs that were set initially - build a report around numbers that will support these benchmarks. Once you've determined what your report will look like, create a dashboard that provides a snapshot of the report. Most analytics tools allow you to set-up a summary screen that pulls in select metrics. This is the screen that appears immediately upon logging in, which makes it an effective tool if your client will access analytics on their own. Many analytics tools also allow these reports to be automatically generated and distributed via email, based on a schedule you can control. So, if your client wants a summary report every Monday, this process can often be triggered quite easily.</div>Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-11634151368805590612010-11-29T17:38:00.005-05:002010-11-30T09:29:19.381-05:00Presenting Information ArchitectureFor Digital Managers, Information Architecture, or the IA, can be one of the first major deliverables of a website project. When working with clients who are unfamiliar with this document, the presentation of the IA can quickly turn into a series of misunderstandings, confusion, and mutual frustration. Regardless of who presents the document - the Information Architect, or the Digital Manager - recognizing the importance of framing the conversation is critical in the success of the deliverable. Knowing there is great variation around the style in which this document can be produced, there are a few key points that must be articulated about its meaning. While these points may seem obvious to web professionals, they may not always be for clients, and warrant repeating.<br />
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<b>Information Architecture doesn't tell the whole story: </b>An IA is intended to communicate very specific data - primarily, what content will be included within a site, and how it will be categorized, or grouped together. An IA may not indicate page layout or user flow. There also may be significant interlinking between pages that is not indicated on the IA, because the links will live within the website copy.<br />
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<b>Information Architecture is not linear:</b> Users may enter and exit a website from any page. Do not assume all visitors will first arrive at the homepage and navigate from section to section based on the order of pages presented in the document. Shared links, bookmarks, search engine results and paid media may all drive users to internal pages of a site, bypassing the homepage entirely.<br />
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Once the IA is approved, it will be used to inform content development, graphic design, and technical development. It is the basis for the structure of a website, so it's important that you ensure the client fully comprehends its meaning when you receive approval. Be patient and allocate sufficient time for the initial presentation. It will build confidence in your leadership skills, as well as in the finished product.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-56397499197984527862010-07-09T16:08:00.003-04:002010-07-09T16:09:46.210-04:00Calling the BEST Digital Managers in the Biz<a href="http://www.rocketdigitalmanagement.com/">Rocket Digital Management</a> is searching for consultants to help manage digital projects. Please share this message with anyone who may be qualified for this type of work. Applicants can apply directly at <a href="http://rocketdigitalmanagement.com/we-want-to-hear-from-the-best/" onmousedown="UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this),
"dabfeEFskaUwumxPbd-Az_-NDxQ", event);" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://rocketdigitalmanagement<wbr></wbr>.com/we-want-to-hear-from-the-<wbr></wbr>best/.</a>Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-17822486550130444972010-04-07T15:42:00.007-04:002010-04-07T15:52:34.787-04:00I've Moved - Please Follow Me!After more than ten years spent working as a Digital Project Manager, I've become a partner in a new firm - <a href="http://www.rocketdigitalmanagement.com/">Rocket Digital Management</a>, where we consult with clients on digital strategy, program execution, measurement and optimization. Rocket is the new hub for Digital Management discussion, trade secrets, and leading industry information. All new blog posts will be published on the Rocket site, so please reset your bookmarks and make a habit of visiting the new site often for updated blog posts. Some archived content has already been migrated over, and new articles will be published moving forward. Also, remember to register for the Rocket newsletter, where the most important information will be delivered to your in-box. You can also follow Rocket on <a href="http://twitter.com/RocketDM">Twitter</a>.<br />
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Thanks for following,<br />
Gina Lijoi - Partner - Rocket Digital Management<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7552IEQOvRMOMplvBDzIh4jF4Hi534MRCsPmtjAz_R_4ryIhiMSDkIpN_Lu3ooerigAWjQV76KwOeWLuUuZmfVWBvTppeosdiH6FZ88bhb-1kSt6CKRsTMQaFA3tfbgwCkaChrvk6ICcs/s1600/RDM_logo_tag1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7552IEQOvRMOMplvBDzIh4jF4Hi534MRCsPmtjAz_R_4ryIhiMSDkIpN_Lu3ooerigAWjQV76KwOeWLuUuZmfVWBvTppeosdiH6FZ88bhb-1kSt6CKRsTMQaFA3tfbgwCkaChrvk6ICcs/s200/RDM_logo_tag1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-42258485060568375772010-01-27T21:21:00.000-05:002010-01-27T21:21:00.354-05:0010 Tips for Boosting Team Performance - by special guest blogger, Jason WestlandAs a Project Manager, your success depends on how well your team performs. So if you want to improve your team performance, then read these:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>10 Tips for Boosting Team Performance</b></i><br />
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</div>There are lots of different ways that you can boost your team performance. We’ve listed here our Top 10 Tips. We hope they help you...<br />
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<b>Tip 1: Show them the vision</b><br />
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People only perform well in a role if they understand what it is that they need to deliver and why. For this reason, we suggest you get your team together to reinforce the project vision, objectives, timeframes and deadlines. Make your team feel wanted and needed by showing them that the project is critical to the success of the business. You will gain their buy-in and their commitment going forward.<br />
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<b>Tip 2: Meet them individually</b><br />
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After your meeting, take each team member aside and tell them what it is that you need from them to help you deliver the project. Make sure they have a clear Job Description and they know how you are going to measure their performance. Ask them how they like to be managed, what motivates them and how you can support them in their role.<br />
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<b>Tip 3: Give them room</b><br />
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At this point, you need to back off a little and give them room to perform. And if the pressure increases in your project, you need to give them more room than less. It’s hard to do this, but you mustn’t over-pressurize them or their performance will reduce, rather than improve.<br />
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<b>Tip 4: Count the goals</b><br />
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As you back off, you need to put in place checks to measure their performance regularly. Meet with them individually every month to discuss their achievements, what’s outstanding and how they can improve. Make sure you don’t “bottle up” your concerns. Instead speak to them openly, keeping constructive at all times.<br />
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<b>Tip 5: Be positive</b><br />
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If you’re stressed and weary, ease off on your staff. Shouting or being negative will only rub off on them. It’s incredibly difficult but you need to be positive, reassuring and supporting them at all times, even if the project is delayed.<br />
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<b>Tip 6: Shake hands and pat backs</b><br />
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It’s easy to forget to praise your team’s successes. So every time you deliver a great quality product, finish a difficult task on time or get great feedback from a customer—congratulate those responsible in your team.<br />
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<b>Tip 7: Meet at half time</b><br />
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Get your team together regularly to build a strong team spirit. Get them socializing together, so that new friendships are formed. The stronger the bond your team have with each other, the more likely they will work together as a single cohesive unit and achieve the objectives you have set.<br />
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<b>Tips 8: Take time out</b><br />
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Don’t be afraid to give team members time off for working hard. By taking time out, it will reduce sick leave, improve motivation and increase efficiency.<br />
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<b>Tips 9: Give them what they need</b><br />
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Everyone is motivated by different things. You need to know what motivates every different member of your team. Get to know them well. If you can reward each person differently based on their motivations, then you’ll improve their performance every time. This is the hardest trick in the book, but the one that pays the biggest dividends.<br />
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<b>Tip 10: Celebrate your wins!</b><br />
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Staff all too often finish a project and move straight onto the next one without celebrating its success. When they do this, they carry their stress and pressure into the next project they work on. So help your team to “start afresh” by celebrating your success at the end of the project.<br />
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By taking these 10 tips seriously, you will improve the performance of your team and boost your chances of success.<br />
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And one further tip. Give your team the right tools to help them complete their work quickly and to a high level of quality. This builds personal pride in their work, improving motivation and performance.<br />
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<i>Jason Westland has been in the project management industry for the past 16 years managing projects of up to 2 billion dollars. If you would like to find out more about Jason or about his new </i><a href="http://www.projectmanager.com/" target = "new"><i>online project management software</i></a><i> visit projectmanager.com.</i>Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-72914094970968749362009-12-04T09:54:00.001-05:002009-12-04T09:57:43.817-05:00Setting Up a Successful Outsource ModelPlease read my latest <a href="http://www.executivebrief.com/outsourcing/slam-dunk-outsourcing/" target="new">white paper on outsourcing</a>, published by ExecutiveBrief. I welcome comments and questions to continue the discussion.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-46084697588327871742009-09-21T20:45:00.008-04:002009-09-21T20:45:00.712-04:00Three Strategies To Accelerate Web DevelopmentMost Project Managers would agree that process is everything, and following process is the law of their discipline. But in times of dire need, when a client's deadline seems impossible to achieve, a condensed approach may be your only option. Rapid development can be a difficult path to navigate, particularly if you're current using a linear waterfall model. In this post, I offer some sound strategies for safely accelerating the lifecycle of a web project. <br />
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<b>Produce hybrid deliverables:</b> This is a critical change in the way most waterfall project cycles function. Traditionally, resources assigned to a web project will work in relative isolation to deliver their respective portions of a product. By enforcing a collaborative team effort, however, deliverables that were once specific to a practice area can be rolled up with complimentary deliverables to produce a single, more robust asset. As an example, a graphic designer could be working to establish high-level visual elements, such a colour palette, title treatment and navigational style, while an information designer is producing wireframes. By providing a client with stylized wireframes that indicate page elements <i>and </i>aesthetic, you will combine two deliverables (wireframes and mock-ups) into a single document. If both resources work simultaneously, this can reduce the overall timeline of a project. <br />
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<b>Prototype, prototype, prototype:</b> Prototyping is a way of producing core functional elements of a site rapidly without applying any design, in order to receive team and client feedback earlier on in the project life cycle. Good prototyping requires critical technical and usability thinking to occur simultaneously. Combining this work effort will generally shorten the time it takes to produce an end deliverable, since the back and forth between the departments will be greatly reduced. Prototyping will also engage a client at a deeper level more quickly, as they think about not <i>what </i>their site will do, but <i>how </i>it will do it, before it's too cumbersome to change the specifications.<br />
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<b>Spend more time with your clients:</b> Although we live in an era of email and conference calls, spending time in front of a client will help streamline review and approval cycles. If a storyboard, for instance, is presented in person by the designer, feedback can be received from the client immediately, and areas that require further discussion can be worked-through as a group, without delay. Tone is difficult to convey via email, so being in the same room as your client will help you understand the nuances of their concerns, likes, and dislikes. Quite simply, spending more time with your client will develop a more cohesive relationship of mutual understanding, and will go a long way towards reducing the inefficiencies that email and other electronic communication can create. <br />
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While these suggestions are not guaranteed to increase speed to market,more often than not, thoughtful incorporation of these tactics will shorten the overall timeline of a web project. Sit with your team and discuss these options. Making sure everyone understands your goal will help move the entire team forward in unison.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-11973857043242178752009-09-01T22:52:00.004-04:002009-09-01T22:52:00.950-04:00Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part II<blockquote><em>This entry is a continuation of the previous post - </em><a href="http://bit.ly/3H0cJx"><em>Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part I</em></a><em>.</em></blockquote><br />
At this point, you have solicited feedback from your team on a specific project, and the information has been synthesized and shared in a brainstorming session. Potential process improvements have been determined, and it's time to close the loop and act on the information. Below, the final phase of a post-mortem is described.<br />
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<ul><li>Implementation of process improvements: As a Project Manager, once decisions have been reached internally about how your current process could be optimized, it is your responsibility to implement these changes in future projects. If your current process is documented, work from this material to incorporate and formalize the changes in writing. If you have a project timeline template, the changes should also be reflected there. Regardless, the changes need to be communicated to the entire production staff - particularly since some individuals may not have participated in the project post-mortem. Ideally, this communication will take place at an all-staff meeting. What the team needs at this point are the highlights of key changes - how will these change affect each department? How can they prepare for the changes? People are more willing to adapt to change if they know what to expect. </li>
</ul>A project post-mortem is one of the most valuable methods available for analyzing weaknesses in a project lifecycle. It gives team members an outlet for their feedback, and provides new perspectives to the Project Manager, who is sometimes too close to the process to assess it objectively. <br />
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The process outlined in this and the <a href="http://bit.ly/3H0cJx">previous post </a> are simply a guideline, and should be adapted for each organization for optimum effectiveness and ease of implementation.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-22982045454534052492009-08-30T22:33:00.000-04:002009-08-31T10:59:34.965-04:00Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part I<blockquote><i>This subject will be presented in two parts, since the topic is complex and requires a certain level of explanation. Part II will follow in the next blog posting. </i></blockquote><br />
In order to continuously improve your organizational process, a Project Manager should conduct a post-mortem (also known as a post-implementation review) once each project has reached completion. No two projects are alike - each will have its own nuances, so taking the time to understand why a project did or did not go smoothly is an invaluable way of learning how adapting you process can lead to greater success. Any resource that participated in your project must be included in your post-mortem review. While some organizations will invite clients into the review, this can be a difficult and awkward decision, for fear of exposing internal weaknesses to your customers. It's not mandatory, but client participation will certainly result in a more comprehensive and holistic assessment.<br />
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<b>Setting Expectations: </b>The goal of your post-mortem is to identify the challenges your team and/ or client experienced in a given project, pin-point the source of each issue, and determine what could be changed in your current process to improve these specific challenges. Although it may be difficult to avoid blame as your team shares their frustrations and experiences with one another, there are tactics you can employ to minimize negativity and focus on more constructive feedback. <br />
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<b>Deciding on a Format:</b> A post-mortem can be a laborious activity. Multiple stakeholders will participate, and once feedback is gathered, it must be acted upon. Depending on the volume and nature of issues that are raised by the team, a post-mortem can represent a significant amount of documentation, brainstorming, and implementation. Let's break down these phases - <br />
<ul><li>Information gathering: An effective method for gathering team feedback is to issue a common survey to each resource. Individuals should complete the survey on their own, prior to meeting as a group, and the survey should be focused on a single project. The survey should ask team members to discuss their own experience by commenting on personal successes and challenges at each project phase (planning, definition, documentation, production, quality assurance, etc.). When creating the survey, it's very important that each resource comment on their own contribution - what they felt <em>they</em> did well, and where <em>they</em> struggled. Asking resources to assess their own experience will prevent finger-pointing and result in a more constructive post-mortem. Collectively, this feedback will become the material from which you will identify opportunities for process improvement.</li>
<li>Team ideation: Once all resources have submitted their survey response, team managers should review the data together and synthesize the information. Look for patterns or issues that are raised by all departments, and then identify challenges that were specific to each department. Having the managers organize responses prior to a team meeting will help streamline the group discussion. Once the managers have completed this task, it's time to have the entire team assemble to review the survey results. The managers should present the common and departmental challenges one by one, allowing the group to brainstorm possible process improvements that address each challenge. </li>
</ul>The final step in the process is implementation of the recommended improvements. This activity will be covered in the next blog posting - Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part II.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-86615863373577646192009-08-27T22:26:00.019-04:002009-08-28T10:34:45.747-04:00The Kick-Off MeetingRegardless of what industry you may work in as a Project Manager, every initative must be introduced to your team at a kick-off meeting. While some kick-off meetings involve client stakeholders, this entry is about the internal kick-off - the objective, the agenda and outcomes.<br />
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<strong>Objective:</strong> The objective, or purpose, of the kick-off meeting is to provide context to your team. Who is the client and what are trying to achieve with this initiative? What business are they in? A Project Manager must also do some housekeeping at the kick-off. Review your approach for project development, identify milestone dates and allow the team to air any concerns they have related to delivering the project on time or within budget. The kick-off is a great opportunity for resources to identify potential project risks. For this reason, each internal resource that will touch the project must attend the kick-off meeting. No matter how small you believe their contribution may be, get as many poinst of view as possible to ensure no detail has been overlooked.<br />
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<strong>Agenda:</strong> You want to keep the agenda fairly high-level, and allow your team to delve into areas they want to explore in more depth. Your agenda should include client objectives, audience, website features, project timeline, and risks. Each item should be presented as a bulleted list. You want to give the team quick snippets of information and allow them to guide the conversation. This should happen naturally, as long as you allow open dialogue throughout the meeting.<br />
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<strong>Outcomes:</strong> At the end of the meeting, you should have a list of additional questions/ considerations you can bring back to the client. If you schedule a client kick-off to occur after your internal meeting, you will be able to present these questions at the client meeting. It's also important to follow-up and address any team concerns internally. If you're going to ask the team to contribute at a kick-off, do not disregard the points they bring up. <br />
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The internal team kick-off is often the first chance a Project Manager has to discuss a new initiative with her resources. Make the most of it by positioning the meeting as a round table discussion. The comments and questions the team poses may help define important details of the project, avoiding potential disaster along the way.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-31871152846362424772009-08-27T14:37:00.000-04:002009-08-27T14:37:46.371-04:00I'm BackAs many of you know, I decided to cease posting to this blog many months ago after my identity was stolen online. Since then, I've received many, many notes from individuals who have found true value in some of my articles. For this reason, I've decided to return to my beloved blog and resume posting good information for the interactive Project Manager. If anyone would like to suggest some new topics, please get in touch - <a href="mailto:ginalijoi@gmail.com">ginalijoi@gmail.com</a>. <br />
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I have also decided to post Toronto multimedia job openings on my blog for free, to support employment during this difficult economic time. Send me a note if you'd like me to post something.<br />
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Looking forward to making many new friends in the coming months.<br />
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Sincerely, <br />
GinaGina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-59650354652734695992009-04-08T10:10:00.003-04:002009-04-08T10:22:19.683-04:00Shutting Down My BlogHello friends,<br />As you have all noticed by now, I have stopped posting to my Interactive Project Management blog. Sadly, I became the target of some aggressive attempts at online identity theft. People were posing as me, posting comments on other sites using my name, trying to generate traffic by linking back to their own websites. This violation is a frightening example of the power the internet can give, and when used for malice, people are able to damage the good names of others with very little consequence. For this reason, I've made a personal decision to cease any further posts to this blog.<br /><br />For those of you who are interested, please send a request to follow me on Twitter. I have protected my Twitter posts so that I must approve all followers, but don't hesitate to make a request if you'd like to be a part of my Twitter community. My Twitter name is GinaLijoi.<br /><br />Thank you to the persistent followers of my blog - I wish you continued success!<br /><br /><br />Gina LijoiGina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-16193884983736305242008-10-09T22:51:00.001-04:002008-10-09T22:51:00.579-04:00The Integration (and Growth) of the Online ChannelAlthough it's difficult to keep this perspective when you're immersed in the interactive world, the online channel really only represents a segment of the overall marketing mix, and thus, a percentage of total spend. The side-effect of this is that online often takes its direction from offline strategies, creative and messaging. The nature of this positioning has actual impact on the role of an Interactive Project Manager, which is what I'll discuss in this entry.<br /><br /><strong>Is the web an afterthought?:</strong> Most online agencies are full of creative and ingenious people - people who provide incredible strategies and creative direction for online campaigns. Sadly, however, these people are also often handed direction by their clients' traditional agencies, posing a real limitation on original thinking. Although the web brings to life unique and deeper opportunities for consumer engagement, insight and extension of brand value. For a PM, this scenario means reigning in your team before any intensive ideation occurs, to ensure you have offline assets in-hand before going off in the wrong direction unknowingly.<br /><br /><strong>Making friends with traditional partners:</strong> If your client works with offline agencies, the best thing you can do is position yourself in alignment with their efforts. Ask your client to share offline tactics with you. Always request to receive approved collateral- print pieces, television ads - anything produced for other media channels. All of these materials need to be reviewed and leveraged to create an online experience that delivers brand consistency and on-target messaging. You will also save your organization needless time and money spent strategizing concepts that may turn out to be off-brand.<br /><br /><strong>Evangelize the difference!:</strong> As a Project Manager, you work very closely with clients and can influence their outlook. Always champion the unique benefits of the online channel. Don't fight the offline tactics - take them and push them further. The web is a reciprocal medium - a two way street that allows for the exchange of information with consumers. It is measurable and can also be refined based on metrics and analysis of performance - something that cannot happen as easily with traditional media. <br /><br />Over time, the industry will see a shift in marketing dollars, where online receives an increased spend - in fact, it is already happening. Traditional marketing channels will not disappear, but the web will receive its due glory as clients scrutinize budgets and realize interactive media can better conclude ROI and also respond more quickly to change. The future is indeed bright for Interactive Project Management.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-17546735178582848422008-10-06T20:32:00.004-04:002008-10-07T09:48:45.675-04:00Finding Satisfaction in Project ManagementA person who has been managing projects for a number of years can tell you that this is a job with little public glory. We all move mountains each day to achieve and deliver on client expectations without even breaking a sweat, and yet still no parades or standing ovations. Project Management can often feel like a profession that attracts minimal acknowledgment, and over time, this can result in a sense of disappointment. In this entry, I want to address this peripheral issue and discuss my own point of view to inspire renewed commitment and pride in our profession.<br /><br />Ironically, if a PM is successful in their job, few people will notice, because the net effect is a project with minimal issues and quiet, consistent progress. By nature, this means there IS nothing to notice - and in this case, that's a great thing. We work with our teams as though we're perfectly orchestrated ensembles. Over time, this success becomes the expectation, and attention is then only generated by more serious challenges and errors. It's been my experience that the projects attracting the most attention are those that result in some failure or discontent. These engagements will captivate any stakeholder and place the Project Manager under a microscope - likely not the positive attention we seek!<br /><br />All this is not to suggest there isn't an unspoken appreciation from your production team as well as senior management and clients alike. Because our underlying mandate is to ensure success, however, when we achieve it, we have simply met our objectives. The result is that even our more complex feats can go unnoticed, so satisfaction must come from some place other than public acknowledgement. <br /><br />This discussion brings us back to the kind of individual that is best suited to Project Management - in my opinion, an independent and fearless thinker. Someone who does not rely on others for constant approval or affirmation - someone who can feel a sense of pride and satisfaction <em>from within</em>. It is entirely possible to give <em>yourself </em>momentum through professional success. As Project Managers, we need to set key performance indicators for ourselves. A simple goal is to introduce continuous process improvement to your own work style, or perhaps to achieve a slightly higher margin of profit on each subsequent initiative. This approach is particularly important where a formal PM department does not exist. Goals will provide a benchmark of improvement and help maintain focus on professional betterment. I have also found a deeper satisfaction in mentoring and helping others optimize their performance - as you grow in your own role, share your learnings and insight as a means of reinforcing your own ability. <br /><br />You can find tremendous satisfaction in this profession - positive feedback may not always come from external sources, but I believe you will be the best judge for your own performance. Recognize your success and strive for bigger and better as you move forward. Even if it's not obvious to you, people will take notice.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-10880527805140552562008-07-30T20:15:00.002-04:002008-07-31T09:03:09.438-04:00Effective Project CommunicationsI was recently invited to speak at a conference in Singapore on Effective Project Communications. I'm unable to attend, so I wanted to share my insights on this very important topic in a blog entry. <br /><br />As a Project Manager, communication will occur in many forms, with many individuals, including project stakeholders, your internal team, management within your organization, vendors, and more. Communication may happen verbally or through email, as well as through charters and project plans, addendums and status reports. These long lists are a small indication of the significance of communication to a Project Manager. In this entry, I'll suggest some simple methods for maintaining clear communication efficiently with all parties involved.<br /><br /><strong>Let people know:</strong> Your project plan should include an outline for an ongoing contact strategy, meaning how you will communicate with your team and client, how often and in what form. This could be presented through a simple chart explaining that there will be a weekly status call from you to the client each Monday morning with written action items as a follow-up. Regardless of the details, the point is to set-up expectations by describing your intent before the project commences. This will allow the team and the clients to request a different approach if they feel it would be more effective. People feel confident when they understand what to expect. <br /><br /><strong>Repeating never hurts:</strong> When decisions or direction is provided verbally, whether it's to your team or your client, always restate these items in writing. The minute details of a project are numerous, wand what may seem understood today may be forgotten tomorrow. Never take this for granted - do your due diligence by recording and distributing actionable items and decisions for the team. A simple email will often suffice, and having a paper trail of a critical path can prove invaluable when important details get lost in the shuffle. <br /><br /><strong>Get to the point:</strong> A rule I insist my Project Managers follow is to be as concise as possible. When team members or stakeholders read an email, for example, they are skimming the contents for some key items: Has anything I need to know about happened?; How does it affect me?; Am I expected to do something?; When? Cover off these basics and leave the rest for a deeper discussion. Always get to the point quickly, providing only as much background information as is necessary to explain your issue.<br /><br />Communication is something I think about every day. I ask myself if my messages are clear, if I've provided sufficient context, and if I've made my expectations for any outcome apparent. As with most critical PM skills, communication is something that can be improved continuously. Putting some standard practices in place to force yourself into a repeatable communication pattern will ensure consistency, if nothing else.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-67337594297373754502008-06-17T22:11:00.000-04:002008-06-17T22:11:01.337-04:00Can We Combine Agile and Waterfall Development Strategies?<span xmlns=''><p>While there are likely as many unique Project Management approaches as there are Project Managers, there are two well-know production cycle methodologies that have been the topic of much discussion in PM circles – agile and waterfall methodologies. As I evolve in my own area of expertise, I am constantly reinventing small aspects of what I consider best practice. Most recently, to address the incredibly complex requirements of a large client initative, I challenged myself to come up with a 'super' Project Management process that would not only improve the <em>way</em> in which we deliver, but <em>what</em> we deliver at the end of the engagement. I determined there was a way to combine the best features of waterfall development disciplines with agile principles for superior results.<br /></p><p>Simplistically, the waterfall approach infers structure, control, progression and finite project cycles. This approach works when you have access to limited resources and when specific hours are assigned to granular stages of a project phase. Agile is different in that additional leaway is given for teams to iterate through a single deliverable numerous times until a level of satisfaction is achieved. It's difficult to implement this approach when you are working with shared resources, or when time to market and budget cannot be shifted. <em>It's important to understand my descriptions of the two approaches are extremely simplified and highlight key differences – for this entry, it's important that I make the distinction clear. I encourage all readers to conduct their own research into each approach more thoroughly.</em><br /></p><p>Both approaches boast significant and different benefits, and are generally seen as being mutually exclusive of one another. It can be argued, however, that certain elements of both paths can be merged into a single process to achieve greater results. With this in mind, I have proposed a slightly refined process to my internal team, where iterations can be accommodated, but are scheduled within a defined process and period of time. In order to deliver on this approach, the efforts of multiple departmental leads (such as Information Design, Interface Design and Technical Development) must ocur concurrently so that the team can produce deliverables as a single entity. By doing this, each person's feedback is representative of the iterations which normally ocur as a deliverable is transitioned from department to department. The net result is a more controled cycle where iterations can still be accommodated. <br /></p><p>I believe that the quality of an end deliverable will be superior when the expertise of each lead can be amalgamated into a single output. This style of collaboration will also result in a greater understanding of practice areas among the larger team – this will create long-term synergies that spur individuals to consider varying points of view, even when they work isolation.<br /></p><p>This approach may seem like a very small deviation from standard operating procedure, but asking different subject matter experts to come together and produce one element together represents a big shift in previous thinking. This approach moves traditional agencies away from a manufacturing-based production cycle, and propels them forward into a more advanced collective and collaborative environment. As online initiatives take on more sophistication in usability, interface design and technical functionality, there will be a stronger mandate for this style of production. <br /></p><p>Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-50168478884945473072008-04-28T21:35:00.000-04:002008-04-29T10:27:58.620-04:00User Experience Design - Why We Should All Be Paying AttentionIn the interactive realm, user experience design, commonly referred to as UX design, relates to the practice of creating a website that considers an end user's interaction, intuition, and general acceptance of the end product. UX design relies heavily on established <em>usability principles</em> in order to produce assets that 'make sense' to an end user. Elements such as structure and organization, page layout, content and creative design are all factors in user experience. With good reason, UX design is gaining momentum in the interactive space. It places users at the center of the design process - this is also called <em>participatory design</em>.<br /><br />If we don't consider how an end user will interact with products we develop, there is a very slim chance that we'll deliver anything of value. Case in point, a website could be jam packed with extremely useful information, but if users of the site cannot locate what they need, we have delivered a poor product. Likewise, if a user is able to navigate a website, but the experience is difficult and ambiguous, we have also delivered a poor product. If executed well, user experience design can help avoid these types of problems. <br /><br />Integrating a process around UX design represents an investment, typically passed on to the client in the overall cost of a project. Because UX design often relies on user research, the practice may require new experts and new methodologies that are different from projects where UX design is not considered. Here are some tactics that can be employed within UX design, although the list is not limited to these concepts: <br /><br />- Usability testing<br />- Heuristic evaluation<br />- Persona development<br />- User interviews<br /><br />Something I've mentioned in numerous entries is that our clients will become savvier as we work with them on more web initiatives. As they assess these initiatives with more critical observation, more weight will be placed on performance metrics, campaign results, and return on investment. Practices of UX design that utilize research will help us justify strategic and tactical decisions, providing clients with a higher level of confidence when recommendations are made.<br /><br />At this point in the evolution of web development, having an experienced Usability expert on staff is crucial. This expert may come in the form of an Information Designer, a Business Analyst, or even an Interface Designer with a special interest in usability. The point of view these resources bring to production will help strengthen the quality of all end deliverables, educating the other team members along the way.<br /><br />To learn more about the basics of usability, visit <a href="http://www.usability.gov/" target = 'new'>this </a>website.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-90086730948954289322008-04-20T20:26:00.000-04:002008-04-21T17:21:06.179-04:00Resourcing Project ManagersIronically, although resourcing production team members is a significant part of a Project Manager's role, very little focus is placed on resourcing the Project Managers themselves. Because of this, I've encountered many Project Managers that are overwhelmed, worn out, and in many ways, ineffective. Over time, I've developed some generic strategies to help Directors allocate an appropriate amount of work to Project Managers. In this entry, I'll discuss some simple ideas to help get started.<br /><br /><strong>Base It On Budgets - </strong> As with any project team resource, a Project Manager's full work load should be based on the monies available in project budgets to support their work efforts. In other words, the hours allocated to Project Management within a project budget must dictate how many hours the PM dedicates to the initiative. As an example, if a Project Manager has 40 hours in a budget, and the project will be completed within four weeks, the PM should be averaging ten hours per week on that project. This is often how we resource production team members, and the Project Manager should be no exception to this very basic approach.<br /><br /><strong>Portfolio Management - </strong> In this scenario, I am defining a portfolio as all projects associated to a single client. Allowing a PM to manage all initiatives for one client organization may not follow any mathematical equation for total hours worked, but the benefits of a Project Manager becoming familiar with multiple facets of a client's business represent added value to that client over time. The Project Manager will develop a global view of the client's online business, putting them in a position to identify synergies in marketing or technical strategies. If this approach is used, it's critical that the Project Manager's direct supervisor monitors work load closely. If the portfolio grows past critical mass, it may make sense to bring on a second PM to share the work, as long as project budgets support that decision.<br /><br />Ultimately, a Project Manager's workload must be measured and monitored like that of any other production team member. Project hours must be charted across project duration, to understand how the ebb and flow of project work will affect a PM's workload over time. Weekly meetings should be held with each PM on your team to discuss any anticipated issues and to determine contingency plans for busier periods. As I've said before, when a Project Manager drops a ball, it tends to have a ripple effect on all their projects, so this is a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in preserving the quality of all projects through productive project management.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-15492688408681439192008-04-07T21:40:00.000-04:002008-04-21T17:01:11.689-04:00Understanding What Your Clients ExpectI recently answered a question on <a href="http://www.linkedin.com" target = "blank">LinkedIn</a> regarding client management, and the content is relevant to Interactive Project Management. I've pasted the question and answer below for the readers of this blog, to reiterate the importance of managing client expectations - a topic I touch on in most of my entries. <br /><br /><strong><em>Q:</em> </strong>What are the unexpressed expectations of your customers, and how can they be brought more in line with what you will actually deliver? <br /><br /><em><strong>A:</strong></em> Ultimately, any individual or team providing a service is responsible for understanding their client's expectations. As the question suggests, these expectations are not always clearly articulated, since they are often multi-faceted, and can affect more than one stakeholder. To be clear, you cannot meet expectations that you are unaware of, so the question becomes, how do you work with a client to unearth their true needs? Here are a few suggestions: <br /><br />- Initiate the engagement with a thorough discovery process: Discovery is a fundamental due diligence that any service provider must execute. A discovery phase may include exploration of who key stakeholders are, their discreet business requirements, the immediate and long-term project objectives, project constraints, and how the project is tied to your client's professional profile. Working through these questions will formulate a more complete profile of their expectations. <br /><br />- Be transparent: Let your client know exactly what they can expect from you. Describe your work process, mutual roles and responsibilities, and what project deliverables you will produce at the onset of the initiative. Again, this tactic will ensure you're managing your client's expectations, by providing them with an opportunity to flag concerns about your methodology or intended output before you invest a significant amount of time in the engagement. <br /><br />Incorporating these strategies should help uncover and align your client's expectations with your own understanding of the project. It is your fundamental responsibility to guide your client down the right path, and you will not do so without properly understanding what they expect as well as what they actually need.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713095337481465879.post-4778953163483705412008-02-20T20:49:00.000-05:002008-02-21T17:14:13.093-05:00Setting Up A PMOA PMO, or a Project Management Office, is the central hub of project management activity within an organization. The PMO is responsible for standardizing practice and procedure, documentation and template creation, metrics and measures of success. There are organizations with Project Managers that have not set-up a proper PMO. Instead, the Project Managers create their documents 'from scratch', and make up the rules as they go. This leads to tremendous inefficiencies, and it becomes difficult to build intellectual property when each person works in a silo. In this entry, I'll discuss the benefits of a PMO as well as some must-haves.<br /><br /><strong>What's Important?: </strong> If you want to standardize PM practice, there are some basics that should be produced:<br /><br /> - Standard operating procedures: SOPs detail the steps involved in each repeatable task the team is responsible for. in an interactive organization, you may create standard operating procedures for things like storyboard review meetings, scoping and pricing exercises or post-mortems. The SOPs should be detailed, providing step by step instructions. Most importantly, the purpose of the task should be explained, to provide context and background.<br /><br /> - Templates: Standard templates should be created for any document that is produced frequently by the PM group, such as Project Plans or meeting minutes. Formalizing this documentation will ensure consistency in deliverables, and will help each team member produce quality information. Templates also provide an opportunity to identify gaps or requirements that are not being met. Ultimately, the goal of any PMO is to strive for continuous improvement - documenting the way things are done allows the team to comment on how things can also be done better. A PMO can help develop <em>best practice</em> over time.<br /><br /> - Industry standard information: It's critical that Project Managers understand basic information about the industry they work in. In the interactive space, this can include stats about high-bandwidth usage, user trending, or response metrics. This information should be stored centrally and updated as frequently as possible. It will contribute to the overall acumen of the team. <br /><br />If your organization hasn't already done so, take the lead and begin assembling documentation to set up your own PMO. Don't be reluctant to tweak your set-up if it will meet the needs of your project management team. Solicit input and build up your assets over time. Eventually, your department will be running like a seamless machine.Gina Lijoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306521749642355299noreply@blogger.com3