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.
Showing posts with label deliverable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deliverable. Show all posts
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Sharing Accountability With Your Team
So - your team has been working on an intense project for your most important client. Launch is scheduled to coincide with an extensive national marketing campaign. All eyes are on this project, which represents a huge investment to the client. Every detail was planned out and documented and production has been flawless. The launch date approaches and suddenly the team flags an issue that can't be resolved in time for launch. There were plenty of opportunities for the issue to have been raised and resolved throughout the life cycle of the project, yet the team neglected to mention anything. Through all the review periods and checkpoints and documentation, this important detail was overlooked. Your team turns to you and says 'Just tell the client it will be late'. Your stomach drops and your mind races to come up with a solution, and in that moment, you feel completely alone, despite working with a large team. All accountability lies with you and the pressure is unbearable. This is a nightmare scenario for a Project Manager, and it points to a bigger issue - lack of accountability among the team! When the team feels disconnected from the end client, delays, issues and errors seem acceptable, and the Project Manager begins to feel sole responsibility for the entire deliverable. The million dollar question is, how do you turn this around? I've got some suggestions that could improve matters - give them a chance and you will see results.
Engage your team in 'thinking' as well as 'doing': No one needs a Project Manager who simply barks orders. A Project Manager needs to lead the team in terms of when things need to be accomplished, but not always how - leave the 'how' for your team to determine. Allowing your team to think through solutions will spark a sense of accountability and pride if they succeed. This will do wonders in giving your team a feeling of responsibility towards the deliverable. By engaging the team during the initial planning phases, they will feel more connected to the process and the outcome. Suddenly, when a challenge arises, the team will feel compelled to offer a solution, since they will feel a greater sense of ownership towards the work product.
Put a face to the client's name: Many times, a development team will never even meet the client. This creates too much of a disconnect because the client will never seem real to them. Put a face to the client name by involving your team in client meetings. Although you should always remain the point of contact, allowing your team to develop their own relationship with the client will push them to feel a greater sense of responsibility towards the individual who has contracted the work.
Educate your team: It is sometimes difficult for a production team to understand why a client needs things done a certain way. By educating your team regarding the client's overall marketing objectives, target audience, media activity, financial commitment and history, the team will begin to better understand the bigger picture, and how their work product contributes to it. As they learn more about the client's business, they will also be in a better position to offer additional solutions that could prove valuable.
The message here is that while a Project Manager leads a team, accountability for the project should be shared among each individual. Unless the team feels a sense of ownership and contribution, they will continue to work in a bubble that disconnects them from the project objectives and the client.
Engage your team in 'thinking' as well as 'doing': No one needs a Project Manager who simply barks orders. A Project Manager needs to lead the team in terms of when things need to be accomplished, but not always how - leave the 'how' for your team to determine. Allowing your team to think through solutions will spark a sense of accountability and pride if they succeed. This will do wonders in giving your team a feeling of responsibility towards the deliverable. By engaging the team during the initial planning phases, they will feel more connected to the process and the outcome. Suddenly, when a challenge arises, the team will feel compelled to offer a solution, since they will feel a greater sense of ownership towards the work product.
Put a face to the client's name: Many times, a development team will never even meet the client. This creates too much of a disconnect because the client will never seem real to them. Put a face to the client name by involving your team in client meetings. Although you should always remain the point of contact, allowing your team to develop their own relationship with the client will push them to feel a greater sense of responsibility towards the individual who has contracted the work.
Educate your team: It is sometimes difficult for a production team to understand why a client needs things done a certain way. By educating your team regarding the client's overall marketing objectives, target audience, media activity, financial commitment and history, the team will begin to better understand the bigger picture, and how their work product contributes to it. As they learn more about the client's business, they will also be in a better position to offer additional solutions that could prove valuable.
The message here is that while a Project Manager leads a team, accountability for the project should be shared among each individual. Unless the team feels a sense of ownership and contribution, they will continue to work in a bubble that disconnects them from the project objectives and the client.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Dealing With the Stress of Project Management
Project Management is a stressful and demanding position. In a typical agency, a Project Manager is often caught between the end client, the internal development team, and their own senior management group. The job can be compared to juggling - there are always multiple things to tend to, and if you drop one ball, you'll tend to drop them all. Deadlines, quotes, scope creep, resourcing and quality are a few examples of issues that will require constant attention. The pace rarely slows but the demands often increase. So how can a Project Manager cope with the stress day after day? Below are a few simple tactics.
Focus: Multi-tasking is a part of daily life, and the key to working through a variety of responsibilities is to focus on a single item at a time. Not only will this ensure you give adequate attention to each item on your plate, it will reduce your sense of being overwhelmed by breaking down your to-do list into smaller, more manageable chunks. Looking at the big picture doesn't always work - when you're multi-tasking, the big picture can be discouraging. Remember - you can only accomplish one thing at a time. Create to-do lists and prioritize each task for yourself. Make this a habit and stick with it. As new items get added to your list, re-prioritize and focus.
Delegate: Project Managers are universally bad at delegating. Most are perfectionists who would rather do everything alone. It's important that you utilize the team around you and assign the most appropriate resource to the tasks at hand. You may be surprised at how much there is to learn from the larger team - consider everyone a subject matter expert in their own area. Engaging the team will increase their sense of responsibility and ownership, resulting in a better end product, no matter what the deliverable is.
Balance: As the saying goes, all work and no play makes for a very dull PM. Keep a work-life balance by enjoying your time out of the office. Whenever possible, leave at a reasonable time and spend the evening however you wish. Make dinner or go for drinks - whatever you choose, do it out of the office! It's easy to stay at work later and later, hoping to get further ahead. Instead, try to improve your time management skills by focusing and delegating. Being happy outside of the office will help feel happier when you're in the office.
The tactics may seem simple, but taking a few small steps towards curbing stress may save your sanity. Project Management can be a very rewarding career for those who are able to handle to demands. Make your health a priority and incorporate the strategies above into your regular routine.
Focus: Multi-tasking is a part of daily life, and the key to working through a variety of responsibilities is to focus on a single item at a time. Not only will this ensure you give adequate attention to each item on your plate, it will reduce your sense of being overwhelmed by breaking down your to-do list into smaller, more manageable chunks. Looking at the big picture doesn't always work - when you're multi-tasking, the big picture can be discouraging. Remember - you can only accomplish one thing at a time. Create to-do lists and prioritize each task for yourself. Make this a habit and stick with it. As new items get added to your list, re-prioritize and focus.
Delegate: Project Managers are universally bad at delegating. Most are perfectionists who would rather do everything alone. It's important that you utilize the team around you and assign the most appropriate resource to the tasks at hand. You may be surprised at how much there is to learn from the larger team - consider everyone a subject matter expert in their own area. Engaging the team will increase their sense of responsibility and ownership, resulting in a better end product, no matter what the deliverable is.
Balance: As the saying goes, all work and no play makes for a very dull PM. Keep a work-life balance by enjoying your time out of the office. Whenever possible, leave at a reasonable time and spend the evening however you wish. Make dinner or go for drinks - whatever you choose, do it out of the office! It's easy to stay at work later and later, hoping to get further ahead. Instead, try to improve your time management skills by focusing and delegating. Being happy outside of the office will help feel happier when you're in the office.
The tactics may seem simple, but taking a few small steps towards curbing stress may save your sanity. Project Management can be a very rewarding career for those who are able to handle to demands. Make your health a priority and incorporate the strategies above into your regular routine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
