How To Hire A Great Digital Project Manager

Staffing 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.

People skills: 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.


Master of process: 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.   

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.

I'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 - Rocket Digital Management, 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 Twitter.

Thanks for following,
Gina Lijoi - Partner - Rocket Digital Management

10 Tips for Boosting Team Performance - by special guest blogger, Jason Westland

As a Project Manager, your success depends on how well your team performs. So if you want to improve your team performance, then read these:

10 Tips for Boosting Team Performance

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...

Tip 1: Show them the vision

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.

Tip 2: Meet them individually

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.

Tip 3: Give them room

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.

Tip 4: Count the goals

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.

Tip 5: Be positive

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.

Tip 6: Shake hands and pat backs

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.

Tip 7: Meet at half time

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.

Tips 8: Take time out

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.

Tips 9: Give them what they need

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.

Tip 10: Celebrate your wins!

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.

By taking these 10 tips seriously, you will improve the performance of your team and boost your chances of success.

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.


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 online project management software visit projectmanager.com.

Planning a Project Post-Mortem - Part 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.

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.

Setting Expectations:  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.   

Deciding on a Format:  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 -

• 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 they did well, and where they 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.
• 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.  

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.

Finding Satisfaction in Project Management

A 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.

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!

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.

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 from within. It is entirely possible to give yourself 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.

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.

Effective Project Communications

I 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.

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.

Let people know: 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.

Repeating never hurts: 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.

Get to the point: 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.

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.

Can We Combine Agile and Waterfall Development Strategies?

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 way in which we deliver, but what 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Resourcing Project Managers

Ironically, 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.

Base It On Budgets - 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.

Portfolio Management - 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.

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.

Understanding What Your Clients Expect

I recently answered a question on LinkedIn 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.

Q: What are the unexpressed expectations of your customers, and how can they be brought more in line with what you will actually deliver?

A: 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:

- 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.

- 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.

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.

Managing Project Scope

Ok - you're about to kick-off a project you're managing. The scope and budget are set, the team knows what they're delivering, and everyone is ready to begin. You're confident that hours have been allocated appropriately, but you also know how easy it is for scope to slip away from you - you need to keep a good handle on this project to ensure the team doesn't squander their hours and push the project over budget. In this entry, I'll review some solid tactics you can employ to progressively manage your project budget and maintain total visibility from beginning to end.

Granular Scoping: The first tool in your arsenal of budget management needs to be rolled out before the project is even approved for commencement. It's what I refer to as granular scoping, and it means that the budget should be allocated to each resource at a task level. In other words, don't estimate required hours in large lump sums - when you are going through the initial scoping exercise, ensure hours are broken down into as much detail as much as possible. This will allow you to subsequently assign and manage project hours in smaller steps, which will inherently provide you with greater control and transparency as your team consumes their allocated hours. The ultimate advantage is greater visibility regarding how long each project task actually takes. This information will be invaluable to you as you estimate future projects with similar tasks.

Accurate Time Capture: It amazes me to learn of interactive agencies that still are not capturing project hours through some sort of time sheeting system. There is no chance a Project Manager will have success in measuring project profitability with any comprehension if each resource isn't recording hours spent on specific projects. Ideally, resources will log how much time is used on each project task (back to granularity), so that you will understand exactly what areas of the project are most time consuming. This information will allow you to compare estimates against actuals, refining your scoping methodology by making corrections moving forward.

Milestone Reconciliations: If you've executed the first two recommendations, you'll also be able to complete this one - providing you with absolute clarity and opportunity to recover from potential pitfalls as you move through the project life cycle. Reconciliation is an exercise during which you analyze project completion (how much work has been done) in comparison to work effort (how may hours have been used). If you have broken down the scope and hour allocations in a detailed way, and hours are being recorded by each project resource, you will be able to reconcile at key points in the project to identify if you are over or under budget before the project is completed. IF you know you are over budget early on, you may be able to take action and correct this trend before it's too late to make a difference. Project reconciliations also present an opportunity for you to share accurate information related to scope and budget with your client. A client that understands how much effort goes into a project, and how the team is working to remain within budget, will be more amenable to paying for legitimate overages.

As a Project Manager, your most critical responsibility to the organization you work for will be scope management - it directly affects the bottom line, contributes to corporate success, client satisfaction, and professional achievement. While this task may seem overwhelming, it is within reach if you can breakdown work effort and measure profitability as you move through the project. Ultimately, agility will provide you with options - and understanding where your budget is at each stage of a project will allow you to react and manage project scope successfully.

Making The Transition From Developer to PM

Every time I publish a job posting to hire a Project Manager, I receive applications from candidates who are working as developers. These individuals are seeking to transition laterally into a new role. With interactive Project Managers being harder to come by, I've decided to consider how a developer could bring value to a project management role. In this entry, I'll share my personal point of view on the good and bad of this substantial transition.

The Bad: I've been witness to more than one developer migrating into a PM role. The greatest challenge they will face is self-created - many 'outsiders' underestimate the complexity and stress of the job. As a result, their indoctrination into project management is clouded by immediate disenchantment and anxiety. Renowned author, Seth Godin, speaks about a concept called The Dip in a book he published. The basic premise is that anything worth achieving is worth working through - particularly in the harder times, when many people tend to give up. Project management is a career that can be trying, but if you're able to stick with it when it gets tough, the rewards on the other side of the challenges will be worth the effort. Developers moving into project management must remember that - give it time and put in the effort. In the long run, it will pay off.

The Good: Transitioning from developer to Project Manager is not entirely a bad decision. In fact, there are some distinct benefits with this scenario:
- An understanding of the full technical development process.
- A good grasp on how client requirements can be achieved technically.
- Better judgment relating to time estimates for technical work effort.
- You speak in developer 'language', making for improved communication with those resources.
- An outside perspective always sheds light on how things may be done differently (better).
- A methodical, logical developer who relies on thorough documentation may find some of these qualities translate well as a Project Manager.

The landscape of the interactive space is changing very rapidly. More work is being outsourced off-shore, and as a result, technical work may diminish, but the need to project management will only increase. If you are a developer considering making a move to project management, due diligence is required to understand the reality of the job. If you work with Project Managers, pay closer attention to their responsibilities and contributions - ask them questions - most will be happy to give you some insight. Also consider the short and long-term advantages of such a move. It is a big decision that needs to be planned out and assessed.

Why A/B Split Email Testing Is Invaluable

If you are working as a Project Manager in the interactive space, it is likely that you have (or will) work on an email communication program as part of an overall client strategy. As consumer in-boxes become more and more cluttered with brand messages, it's important that clients learn to compete in this saturated arena. This entry will describe the concept of A/B split testing, and why this very simple tactic can produce big results at low costs.

What is it?: A/B split email testing involves deploying multiple versions of a single email message. In other words, a sample of the total deployment list is split it into two (or more) lists so that each recipient group receives a slightly different message. The variation can be achieved through different subject lines, alternative layouts, varying calls to action, and so on. It is important to isolate the change and link improved results to the variation, so it's best to change only one element at a time. Once the email messages are deployed, results from each variation are measured (fairly quickly, so that the message will remain timely) and the single best performing message is redeployed the remainder of the list. The concept is simple - let's see what generates the highest response rate and send that to the majority of the list to boost results.

Because this approach to A/B testing yields results on a per-message basis, this testing style must be executed with each deployment, if improved results are to be gained each time. The client may garner general insight that can guide future email tactics, but consumer behaviour is not always predictable, and numerous factors are at play with each message sent. It is not enough to conduct a single A/B test and assume learnings can be carried forward without additional testing. This methodology is low-fidelity (simple), and is intended to be a tactic used with each deployment.

Why our clients will appreciate it: A/B testing can represent a very cost-effective approach to generating improved response rates. Put simply, A/B testing has a high ROI (return on investment). It does not require creating two completely different email messages - it only requires making slight variations to a single message, which keeps work effort, time to produce, and overall costs low. More importantly, test results can help debunk myths that will further educate internal and client teams regarding consumer behaviour. Test results may be surprising.

As a Project Manager, you should be pushing for continuous improvement so that client initiatives are successful. Not only will program success lead to an overall pleasant client experience, it will help establish your organization as credible and capable subject matter experts. If you have not already done so, suggest A/B testing as a refinement tactic that can yield immediate results with low investment. A/B testing is a simple step towards gathering consumer insight and research, which are key pillars in achieving continued success in a rapidly shifting medium.

The Value of a Website Prototype

Project Managers are often faced with tremendous pressure to deliver complex initiatives in short periods of time. We all know what it's like to stare at a critical path, having exhausted every option to cut time from the schedule. As a Project Manager, you need to be able to think outside the box and develop new tactics to meet these challenges, even when it seems impossible to do so. In certain cases, a website prototype may be just the answer you're looking for. Let's explore what a website prototype is, and how it can be beneficial to a Project Manager.

What is a website prototype?: In simple terms, a website prototype is a pared down version of what the final product will be. A prototype should include actual creative, copy and functionality, in a much smaller scale than the complete solution. For example, a prototype may be ten pages of a 100 page website. The size and complexity of a prototype can be dictated by time allowances and the specifications of a particular project. As we explore how a prototype is useful, we will touch on factors that will help you determine how large a prototype should be.

Why develop a website prototype?: Developing a website prototype has many benefits - particularly when timelines are tight and the project is complex. A prototype acts as a representation of the final product, which can be used to obtain client feedback at an early stage of the project. Developing a few pages of the full site will give the client an opportunity to comment on creative, content, functionality and overall user experience before the majority of the budget has been spent. Once an entire website has been built, implementing site-wide changes can represent a more significant amount of work.

Prototypes also present an opportunity for team members to work more collaboratively on the overall solution. This will generally lead to a more thoughtful solution.

Most importantly, a website prototype may reveal flaws in usability that can be corrected during the remainder of the production cycle.

When developing a prototype, consider including unique pages, so that any anomalies can be dealt with during the prototype review. When the client approves the prototype, they should be approving look and feel, tone of content, user flow and any functionality that was included. This will allow the team to forge ahead knowing they have received sign-off on significant elements of the build.

From a project management perspective, developing a prototype can streamline production schedules, engage the client earlier on in the project life cycle, and foster teamwork internally. Consider developing a prototype for your next client engagement.

I invite all readers to post comments on their own experiences with website prototypes on my blog.

Two Crucial Components of a Project Definition

In the early phases of a project, once the vision and scope have been clarified, it is important that the definition of the project is documented and shared with the client and project team. One of the first tasks a Project Manager will tackle on any initiative is to develop the Project Plan, which, once signed, becomes the project. It is critical that two distinct components are defined in the project plan - the project scope and the product scope. In this posting, I will explore what each of these components refer to, and why you need to consider both as you define the project for the larger team.

Project Scope: Project scope relates to the work effort required to deliver what was agreed upon. Project scope may encompass things such as planning and requirements gathering, design and development, testing and deployment, and even project management. Work effort will vary from project to project and from industry to industry, but the ability to identify what resources will contribute to the project and how intensive their involvement will be is a crucial element of project definition. A thorough description of this must be included in the Project Plan. Project scope will help demonstrate the breadth and depth of your work process, which can instill a sense of confidence in clients who have not worked with your company in the past. Ultimately, project scope can help justify the cost of doing business with your organization.

Product Scope: Defining product scope is equally important, and cannot be negated as the Project Plan is developed. As opposed to work effort and time allocations, the product scope identifies exactly what the end deliverable will be. For example, in the interactive space, product scope may mean a 25 page, single language website with two data-capture forms, a SQL database and a refer-a-friend email component. At a high level, this describes the end result of the project scope. It is what you will deliver to the client at the completion of the engagement. Product scope can be supported by numerous documents, including system architecture, database design, storyboards or wireframes. Anything that will help manage the expectations of the client can be used to round out the product scope definition.

Making a simple distinction between these two project components may help you break down and focus the definition of each. Relate these two concepts back to any project you are tasked to define, and you will ensure the team works through the solution prior to beginning any tangible work for the client.

Standing Out From The Crowd

As more and more people are attracted to project management as a career choice, it's important to develop the soft skills that will separate you from a sea of candidates. If you are seeking a project management position, or looking to be promoted in your current PM job, here are some hard to beat qualities that will position you as a seasoned professional.

Courage - Believe it or not, courage is something that will push you further ahead as a Project Manager. Being able to handle any project, no matter what the complexity; being able to service any client, regardless of their tough reputation - this strength of character is refreshing to an employer who needs a fail-safe Project Manager on their team. This courage can truly only come from one source, which is confidence. Believe in yourself without being arrogant and you will exude competency and bravery. This attitude will foster a higher level of trust from your employer and your colleagues.

Finesse - I've discussed this elusive quality before, and while it may be difficult to define, it is absolutely real. By finesse, I mean an ability to deal with everyone you encounter in your job. This may include a harsh client or an unmotivated resource - regardless of who you are interacting with, there is a way to develop a positive and fruitful professional relationship with each and every person. Try to understand what motivates the people you work with - appeal to their priorities and you will create an immediate connection by understanding their needs.

Reliability - As a Project Manager, your very reputation lies in your ability to be consistently reliable. Always follow through on a promise, never forget a deliverable, constantly suggest solutions and forever respond to client calls and email messages in a timely manner. A Project Manager who can be depended upon will be one who is trusted, favoured and even requested from project to project. Aside from credibility with your clients, your employer will see you as competent, responsible and even authoritative.

These attributes can be developed and improved upon by every Project Manager, regardless of rank. In a client service role, such as project management, soft skills are just as important as education and industry knowledge. Demonstrating these skills in an interview will also give you an edge over your competitors. Never lose focus on these core attributes - they will carry you through difficult times, and more importantly, they will give you prominence and memorability in the minds of employers and clients alike.

How to Break Into Project Management

Since publishing this blog, I've received numerous messages asking how a person can break into project management. There are many answers to this question, but at a basic level, there are some fundamental requirements that need to be met. I will outline some core considerations in this entry.

- Know what you're getting into: Before you commit to becoming a Project Manager, it's important that you understand the role and its responsibilities. Project management is not simply about administration. It is about planning and detail, communication and leadership, problem solving and contingency planning, mitigating risk and absolute perseverance. Project Management is a dynamic, intensive, and challenging career choice, so the decision to pursue it should not be taken lightly. It can represent a lifelong career with substantial responsibility, but equal reward, so before you commit to it, do your research!

- Understand the medium: If you are planning on pursuing interactive project management, you must be familiar with the online medium and have an understanding of the production lifecycle. This knowledge could be gained through exposure by working in an agency setting, through education in a multimedia program, or through self-learning, although this option will not provide any practical experience. I've seen people approach this job from all angles, and without a doubt, a combination of targeted education, coupled with agency experience, will provide the best foundation for a serious career in interactive project management.

- The straight goods on certification: So many newcomers to project management strive for PMP (Professional Project Manager) accreditation. This, alone, will not prepare you for the job, but once you have gained the minimum experience required to take the exam, certification will give you well-rounded credentials and a very solid foundation. There are requirements that must be met before you can take the final test which you should be aware of - details can be found here.

Like any other profession, particular people will be better suited to a life of project management than others. The best advice I can offer is to understand the day to day requirements of the job and the lifecycle of web development before pursuing this path. Do some research, look into educational options, review project management job postings and talk to people in the industry. For the right person, a career in project management will bring much satisfaction and security.

A Word (Or Two) On Quality

In the world of interactive project management, the promise of quality has become cliché. Quality is sometimes seen as an incidental to each client delivery, as opposed to an independent, critical phase of the delivery. Because quality control is commonly compressed at the tail end of a project, the overall commitment to the caliber of work produced is inherently compromised. There is, however, one person that can change this negative trend - the Project Manager. Here's how every Project Manager can do their part to save the interactive industry from a decline in excellence:

- Include testing in the price to client: Always incorporate costs for a thorough quality control phase into the budget of your projects. It is a Project Manager's job to show value in the process and methodology they employ. This means you must be able to demonstrate the benefit of each project phase to a client in order to justify the cost of a job. By doing so, you will be able to recover any time spent against testing in the original price to client, and you'll be able to articulate the work effort behind the line item cost. This will also make you accountable for the integrity of the final deliverable, providing additional incentive to do a thorough, proper job.

- Include a testing phase in your project timeline: I suspect the primary reason that testing is short-changed is time constraint. Project teams are often focused on completion of the build, forgetting that actual completion is achieved at the end of successful testing and bug resolution, not at the end of the build. If you incorporate a quality assurance phase into your timeline, your team will be able to work towards this project milestone from day one, allowing sufficient time towards the end of the project to work through the proper cycles.

- Don't do the testing yourself!: One of the worst mistakes a Project Manager could make is to complete testing themselves. Flawless quality assurance is an expert skill that is developed over time. Like Project Managers, professional testers will have solid process and methodology to support their efforts. When time and budget are running out, some Project Managers will take on the quality assurance portion themselves, thinking a quick review will suffice - this is never the case. Leave testing to professionals - facilitate the process, but don't overtake it if you intend on delivering a perfect product.

In summary, do not take quality for granted - designers, writers, developers, and even Project Managers will make mistakes. Quality assurance is the catch-all to identify and resolve these issues before client delivery. Flawless execution will always be remembered, and will go a long way towards a good name for you and your firm. Insist that quality be the golden rule for every project you touch.

Skill Building Exercise for Project Managers

Good verbal communication is an absolute requirement for effective project management. A Project Manager must be able to communicate with internal team members, multiple clients, project stakeholders and third-party vendors as needed. Communication can often be a difficult skill to master, but there are some very simple methods for improving this core strength. In this entry, I will share my approach on how to sharpen verbal communication using a traditional exercise - role playing. My own team has benefited from minimal group sessions where the only rule is participation. Here is how it works.

Identify common communication challenges: Over time, Project Managers will identify recurring issues across all of their projects. Each issue will require a unique verbal communication strategy to ensure a positive outcome. As a starting point, Project Managers should be coached to navigate the conversations they encounter most often. This role playing exercise will allow the Project Manager to reenact each scenario in order to practice their verbal communication skills. The session should start by discussing what specific situations people would like to focus on. These situations will form the basis of the exercise.

Role play: The group is now ready to work through scenarios they have identified. Limit role playing to two people per scenario. Each team will stage a conversation in front of the group - one person will play a Project Manager, and the other person's role will be dictated by the situation. The team must work through the scenario without commentary or intervention from the group. The goal of each scenario is for the Project Manager to achieve a successful outcome.

Feedback: Once each team is done, the rest of the group can comment on their role playing, offering additional pointers, or highlighting successful tactics used during the exercise. This approach will encourage team knowledge sharing and mentorship. The exercise also affords the team lead an opportunity to coach the project management group using real job situations.

Role playing is a simple technique that can provide great benefits to Project Managers at all skill levels. The exercise I've described can be done with minimal planning, and can be tailored to focus on specific weak areas. I would recommend repeating the exercise on a monthly basis, working through new scenarios each time. Ultimately, verbal communication is one of the most important tools in the PM arsenal. Do not underestimate the power of conversation, and how much you can gain from this simple exercise.

How to Manage Scope Creep

As a continuation of my last entry, The Art of Scoping, I wanted to explore the management of scope throughout the life cycle of a project. Establishing initial scope and cost are the first step in a project - the responsible execution of the scope, however, requires diligent management through the identification of any elements or nuances that should be considered additional. The concept of items that fall outside approved scope is generally referred to as 'scope creep', and it is a Project Manager's duty to flag these elements for resolution.

How do you identify scope creep?: Scope creep is one reason that precise, clear project documentation is critical. In order to identity scope creep, a Project Manager must be able to prove that a given item falls outside the original agreement. The best way to do this is to reference a project plan, project charter, statement of work, or other similar documentation. This means project documentation needs to define the work effort of an initiative in a very detailed manner. More importantly, exclusions and assumptions will also support the identification of scope creep by clearly spelling out any items that are considered additional work.

What do you do when you identify scope creep?: When you are confident that the client or internal team has requested an element that is out of scope, it's important to flag the item as such so that you manage expectations. When you do this, clearly define what is out of scope, why it is out of scope (referencing the original agreement and documentation), and what the impact might be to the project if you move forward with the out of scope element (the impact could be to the timeline, budget, or both). Ideally, you want to be able to go back to your client and suggest a solution - this could be a simpler solution that could be accommodated within budget, a cost for the additional work, or a plan to execute the additional work in a subsequent phase of the project. Regardless of your solution, be very clear, and work with your team or your client to find a resolution together.

Damage control: When you identify scope creep to your client, this may result in a very awkward situation. Many times, clients will request items without realizing they are out of scope. As much as you need to protect the project budget, ultimately, your relationship with the client is more important, so don't assume the client is deliberately trying to get something for nothing. Clients will often become frustrated and upset, but this also presents a key opportunity to strengthen your relationship by resolving the matter. Be transparent with the client to build trust - make sure the client understands why the item requested is out of scope. Have a discussion about options so that the client contributes to the solution and feels comfortable with the outcome. As a Project Manager, you need to be prepared for these situations, so do your homework by sitting with your team first to understand the details.

Managing scope creep is one of the more difficult parts of a Project Manager's job, but solid documentation, clear communication and detailed information will minimize any risk to the project and the client relationship. When in doubt, draw on the expertise of your team to determine a few options your client can choose from. In the end, this will help ensure your project are delivered on budget and on time.

The Art of Scoping

The core objective of project management is delivering initiatives on time and on budget. In order to do this, a Project Manager must possess a combination of interpersonal skills, forecasting, risk management, problem solving and more! Regardless of skill level or experience, however, a Project Manager will have trouble delivering an initiative on time or on budget if the project wasn't properly scoped to begin with. In this context, scoping relates to the estimation of work effort and hours allocated to a given project for all the resources assigned to it. At a core level, it is the 'make or break' element that will drive a project from start to finish, and it is, without question, an art.

How do you scope?: Scoping happens very early on in the project life cycle - ideally before a client commits to the project. In order to properly scope an initiative, the person responsible must have a deep understanding of the production cycle, as well as the role of each contributor. In other words, who will touch a project, at what point, and how intensely. This information will determine how many hours each resource will need. This requires a grasp of the 'big picture', and an appreciation for the nuances and risks of the project. The person who is scoping a project must ask themselves 'what if...?' for any number of potential scenarios that could upset the original breadth and depth of the project. As an example, what if the client-provided content isn't written in a manner that's appropriate for the web? Who will be responsible for structural editing, and how intense will this effort be? If your team will edit the content, it will change the scope of the project because additional hours will be needed to complete this task. Identifying these project pitfalls is a key component of the scoping process, which leads to the next point....

Necessary companions of scope: Anyone who has worked with me will know I am as focused on project assumptions and exclusions as I am on the actual scope of a project. I describe scope as drawing a box around project deliverables. Scope is about identifying what will and will not be done to deliver a project, so that the client and project team agree to the end product. In order to do this, the scoping exercise must result in a definition of what is included, as well as what is excluded and what is assumed to be true. These are fundamental elements in the equation which will help clearly solidify the commitment of the agency and client alike. As a rule of thumb, a Project Manager should never provide a quotation or project scope without accompanying assumptions and exclusions.

Scoping is a complex and critical skill, which needs to be developed over a long period of time. Remember these fundamentals when you scope, no matter how small a project may be - you will do your company and your clients a disservice if you take any shortcuts. Practice by scoping smaller initiatives and by identifying assumptions and exclusions for them. After some time, you will feel confident enough to tackle larger projects. The test for any scope is to execute the project and compare actual work effort (typically measured in hours) to the hours you originally scoped. Identify the differences and learn from them. Doing this will ensure that each project you scope is estimated more accurately, resulting in improved profitability for your company.