Table Of ContentCHAPTER 1
Project management—it’s not just about following a template or using a tool, P
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but rather developing personal skills and intuition to find a method that
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works well for everyone. Whether you’re a designer or a manager, Project C
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Management for Humans will help you estimate and plan tasks, scout and
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address issues before they become problems, and communicate with A
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and hold people accountable. E
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“The craft of digital project management finally has its bible.”
F
CARL SMITH O
Bureau of Digital R
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“Harned provides specific guidelines, motivational tips, and empathetic advice that will align your U
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teams and elevate the way you plan, run, and manage your projects.”
A
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AHAVA LEIBTAG
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President, Aha Media Group
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“Finally, digital teams have a reference book that covers everything they need to know about E
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project management, from scoping and budgeting to managing teams and clients.” T
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KAREN MCGRANE
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author, Going Responsive R
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“Brett’s done the thinking about how to make your projects successful, and distilled it into what D
you really need to know to deliver on your targets time and time again. Recommended.”
ELIZABETH HARRIN
creator of A Girl’s Guide to Project Management
Cover Illustration by Jason Kernevich l Interior Illustrations by Deb Aoki
PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR HUMANS
www.rosenfeldmedia.com
Helping People Get Things Done
MORE ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR HUMANS
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/project-management-for-humans/ BRETT HARNED Foreword by Greg Storey
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
FOR HUMANS
HELPING PEOPLE GET THINGS DONE
Brett Harned
Rosenfeld Media
Brooklyn, New York
Project Management for Humans
Helping People Get Things Done
by Brett Harned
Rosenfeld Media, LLC
540 President Street
Brooklyn, New York
11215 USA
On the web: www.rosenfeldmedia.com
Please send errors to: [email protected]
Publisher: Louis Rosenfeld
Managing Editor: Marta Justak
Illustrations: Deb Aoki
Interior Designer: Danielle Foster
Cover Design: The Heads of State
Indexer: Marilyn Augst
Proofreader: Sue Boshers
© 2017 Brett Harned
All Rights Reserved
ISBN-10: 1-933820-51-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-933820-51-4
LCCN: 2017934297
Printed and bound in the United States of America
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Who Should Read This Book?
Project management is not just a role—it’s a critical skill that is
required in everyday life. Whether you’re organizing a party or
building a website, you need the skills to complete a task successfully
(and we all know that isn’t always easy). So this book is not just for
project managers, but it’s also for people who find themselves in a
position where they need to organize and lead projects.
What’s in This Book?
The purpose of the book is to provide a solid foundation on leading
projects, including the following:
• Information on what project management is and how you can
adapt principles and processes to your needs
• Project management techniques to help run projects effectively
• Better ways to communicate and collaborate with multi-
functional teams and clients
• Simple techniques for estimating projects
• Ways to build and manage project plans
What Comes with This Book?
This book’s companion website ( rosenfeldmedia.com/books/
project-management-for-humans/) contains a blog and additional
content. The book’s diagrams and other illustrations are available
under a Creative Commons license (when possible) for you to down-
load and include in your own presentations. You can find these on
Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/rosenfeldmedia/sets/.
iii
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
I’m not a project manager. In fact, I know nothing
about what project managers do. Can you tell me
a little more about it?
The role of a PM can certainly be a mystery—particularly when it’s
not done well. There are specific characteristics that make a great
PM, like being a clear, calm communicator, or adaptable and flexible.
And there are a ton of tasks that many PMs take on, such as creating
estimates, crafting process, and reporting on project status among
others. It’s equal parts technical and soft skills. Check out Chapter 1,
“You’re the PM Now,” for the full details on what makes a good
project manager.
I keep hearing about Agile, but I can’t tell if it’s
right for me. Is it?
People tend to think that Agile means “fast,” but in the context of
project management, it’s a formal method that is characterized by
the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent iteration
and adaptation to meet a goal. It’s made up of formalized roles and
meetings or “ceremonies” that help guide projects. There is a lot to
consider when adopting a new process: project types, goals, budgets,
and people. It’s best to learn a little about other processes and discuss
the pros and cons with your team before just diving in. To learn more
about project management methodologies and digital project man-
agement principles, check out Chapter 2, “Principles over Process.”
I’m terrible at estimating projects. How can I
get better?
Hey, creating accurate estimates is tough work. As the word “esti-
mate” implies, there is a lot of guesswork involved. However, if you
want to get closer to a really good estimate, you should examine
projects or tasks and break them down into subtasks to determine a
level of effort. You’ll find that information in Chapter 3, “Start with
an Estimate.”
iv
I’m nervous about talking to my client about
how our project is going to be over budget and
probably late. Do you have any tips for how I can
handle this?
You’ve got to be comfortable addressing sensitive or difficult issues
head on when you’re leading projects, because they tend to come
up quite often. Whether you’re worried about scope creep or you
need to address a performance issue with a team member, it’s best
to take a measured approach that is empathetic and gets straight to
the point in order to resolve it quickly. Check out Chapter 9, “Setting
and Managing Expectations,” to learn about how to set and manage
expectations better in order to avoid some of these conversations,
and Chapter 8, ”Navigating the Dreaded Difficult Conversation,” for
some tips on how to navigate the conversation itself.
Frequently Asked Questions v
CONTENTS
How to Use This Book iii
Frequently Asked Questions iv
Foreword x
Introduction xii
CHAPTER 1
You’re the PM Now 1
What Is a Project Manager? 3
The Role vs. the Title 4
The Qualities of Good Project Management 6
Typical PM Tasks 9
The PM Is the Backbone 15
TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) 20
CHAPTER 2
Principles over Process 21
The World of Project Management Methodologies 23
Devise a Methodology That Will Work for You 31
Principles for Digital Project Management 33
TL; DR 36
CHAPTER 3
Start with an Estimate 37
Set the Stage for Solid Estimates 39
Estimate Time and Materials vs.
Fixed-Fee Projects 48
Apply a Work Breakdown Structure 49
Estimating Agile-ish Projects 55
Estimate Tasks for Agile Projects 60
Get Your Estimates In 63
TL; DR 63
vi
CHAPTER 4
Getting to Know Your Projects 65
Start with Research 68
Getting the Most Out of Stakeholder Interviews 69
Identify the Players 71
Talk About the Work 75
Getting to Know Your Clients Can Help! 76
Heed the Red Flag 77
TL; DR 82
CHAPTER 5
Create a Plan 83
Project Plans Will Help You 85
Before You Create the Plan 87
Formalize Your Plan 93
What You Really Need to Know 102
Get Planning 106
TL; DR 106
CHAPTER 6
Managing Resources 107
Set the Stage for Organized Resource Planning 109
Match Resource Skills to Projects 111
Save Yourself and Your Team from Burnout 112
Stakeholders Are Resources, Too 113
TL; DR 114
CHAPTER 7
Communicate Like a Pro 115
Solid Communications Earn Trust 118
It’s Not About You 119
Set Communication Expectations 120
Frequently Asked Questions vii
Be Open to Collaboration 121
Quick, Simple Communication Tactics 122
Body Language Speaks Volumes 128
TL; DR 128
CHAPTER 8
Navigating the Dreaded Difficult
Conversation 129
The Anatomy of a Difficult Conversation 132
How to Conduct a Difficult Conversation 137
Meeting Means Talking and Listening 139
Finding the Right Solution 143
The Most Difficult Conversation I’ve Ever Taken On 144
Say Hello to Agreement and Goodbye
to Disagreement 146
TL; DR 147
CHAPTER 9
Setting and Managing Expectations 149
We All Have Expectations 152
Pre-Kick-off Meetings 154
Assign Project Roles with a RACI Matrix 156
Document Requirements 157
Manage Expectations 161
TL; DR 168
CHAPTER 10
Scope Is Creepin’ 169
Managing and Embracing Change 171
Tame the Scope Creep 174
It’s Not Easy, and It’s Not Scary Either 177
TL; DR 180
viii Frequently Asked Questions
CHAPTER 11
Facilitation for PMs 181
People Make Projects Difficult 183
Brush Up Your Facilitation Skills 184
Facilitation Techniques 186
Determine Meeting Roles 194
Make It a Productive Meeting 195
TL; DR 198
On and Up 199
Index 201
Acknowledgments 209
About the Author 210
Frequently Asked Questions ix
