From where I stand, at a small agency, there are 4 major function of a PM’s role:

• Fostering Clear Communication
• Project Planning and Maintenance
• Time and Budget Tracking
• Resource Planning

That list is proof that project management creates a perfect storm of activities that no single app can handle. Right now, our PM setup is a collection of tools that are good for a single purpose within project manager. I am in the middle of assessing the tools we use and find myself wishing for the unicorn of all apps. (We all know unicorns don’t exist, right?)  Continue reading →

I loved Tetris as a kid. I played the gameboy version for hours. I now have it on my phone and iPad and find myself playing it when I’m on a flight, or bored, waiting for something to happen (which is never these days). Whether I’m playing the game a lot or not, the idea of making tiny boxes fit in neatly and clearing out rows of work in ingrained in my brain. It’s what I do on a daily basis when sorting out who will work on what; it’s what we often call “resourcing.” And it’s one of my biggest project management challenges, for sure.

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I’m not sure if you’ve heard about this “Ideas of March” thing; it’s a sort of “blogging revival” idea that Chris Shiflett came up with to inspire bloggers to write and share their ideas more. All you have to do is write a post and follow the conversation on twitter via #ideasofmarch. (I’ve said this before too: if you are PM and are not on Twitter, you should get on it. There are conversations to follow and ideas shared daily.) This post is inspired by the topic, and I hope it will inspire me to continue writing…beyond this month. Continue reading →

Being a project manager, I get to see how a variety of people work and communicate. One of the most fascinating parts of the projects I work on can be exchanges that relate to opinions (and facts) about how things are perceived, look and work. With client projects, we rely pretty heavily on collaboration and feedback. Over the years, I’ve gained a lot of insight into the process of providing and accepting feedback. There are certainly some dos and don’ts, and a lot in between. So, I’ve decided to make it into a discussion topic. Continue reading →

This week, we’re redesigning the happycog.com. Yes, this week: everything will be built from the ground up. New IA, new design, new copy, new code. It’s all new, and it’s all being done in 5 days.  Continue reading →

When I look down at my To Do list some days, I notice that maybe a third to a half of my actual assignments are someone else’s. I find it sort of funny to think, “have I become that person who? AM I A PAIN?”

It’s okay, I’ve gotten over those feelings, but it hasn’t been without some experience to find out that following up with people and holding them accountable for their own work is part of the job in project management.

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I recently gave my “Project Management for Humans (No Robots Allowed)” talk at Web Design Day in Pittsburgh.

I loved Pittsburgh. I have not been there in a really long time, and was really impressed by the city. But, really, I was most impressed by what seemed to be a really friendly, passionate web community. These guys showed up for a full day event on a Saturday and stayed engaged all day long. The (other) speakers were great, so I guess that wasn’t too hard to do! Continue reading →