Project Management

Your lists help make a map of where you are going as well as laying out the directions for how to get there. Lists provide focus in an environment where you are exposed to a lot of information and distractions.
When making lists, consider how re-usable or shareable they need to be. Does each list need to track items to completion or are your lists an aid to commit them to memory? Determining this will help you make the choice between digital and analog formats, as things that need to be tracked are more likely to be shared at one point or another.

I ask that everyone on the project team 'cc' me on every project related email. My intention is not to have a say in everything, or to be all Big Brother, but to have visibility into everything so I don't have to ask folks "what's going on?” all the time. Often the response to that question results in complex or summarized threads of information. Being and staying in the loop is critical because it allows me to be proactive about addressing issues rather than reactive.
Consider setting up a filter or tag on the email that you're cc'd on and triage it from the rest of your email. That way you can separate the project related communication stream you should monitor from the project related email that you need to act on. Information is critical but maintaining focus on what you need to do is more important.

Revisit your plan weekly, not just as a reminder to track progress and be aware of upcoming milestones, but to add new information. Ask yourself, "What might we need to do in the next couple of weeks that isn't represented in the plan?” Make a note of it and ask questions about it. You may uncover risks or identify unforeseen tasks.

A project's goals and objectives are your guiding light. Keep a copy of them easily accessible and review them when evaluating progress with stakeholders, and use them before design reviews to set the appropriate context for the evaluation.

Breakout of the status report trap. Measuring progress quantitatively is important but the success of the project will be measured qualitatively when it’s done. Incorporate sketches, flows and videos into your reports. Less information is better if you can get people to focus on what is important.

Everyone has something at stake in the project. Take a moment early on to talk to each person on your team about the work you will be doing together. What excites them about the project? What’s their working style? Where do they like to meet? What do they want and expect from you as a project manager? What does a good practitioner/project manager relationship look like to them? When they get down about something during the project or lose focus, you’ll be able to help them get back on track by reminding them what is important to them.

Good projects provide opportunities for people to stretch their abilities and do new things, but you need to know when that is the case. If someone fails to meet a deadline or deliver quality, ask yourself: Did they have enough information about the problem? Did they have enough time? As a project manager you may need to start making mental adjustments for everything they promise going forward. End of day Friday might turn into the following Wednesday. You either plan the schedule accordingly or find someone else to do the work.

This is a good practice to keep in touch with their priorities. This should also be done every time you look at deliverables that the client will review.

Well not literally, but at some point during the first few weeks of your project you need to create a pact of honesty. It is imperative that your relationship with your client contact be the source of mutual trust and benefit. The project’s success depends on how well informal feedback is carried to the team and how well you can communicate any potential risk to the project without sounding alarms. I believe the strength and sincerity of a good client relationship is what makes good work great.

Your client picked you and your team for a reason. You are the best group to come up with the solution they need or want. Be careful that your work is honest to its users. Your client may be only giving you information that will lead you in the direction they want you to go in. Keep communicating directly with all the stakeholders to ensure the solution is a success for the organization, not just to fulfill on a manager’s vision of the perfect product.