Top Tips for New Project Managers

1
Top Tips for New Project Managers

• Or
• What I wish I had been told when I managed my
  first JISC Project
• Or
• The advice I was given only when it was too late

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Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is a stomach-churning new media
term obviously invented by a bastard made of
piss.
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With JISC, its NOT fund and forget!!!
4
Its good to talk
Dont go quiet and disappear
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Communicating with your Programme Manager

• What is her/his preferred channel of
  communication?
• Use common sense!
• Dont be afraid of escalating a matter, sounding
  out your Programme Manager.
• Better to ask than to stay quiet and have a
  problem deteriorate.

6
Youre in a programme

• A programme is a community use the power of that
  community
• Engage with other projects.
• Share solutions to common problems, substantive
  and managerial.
• Build on other projects experience of working
  with JISC.
• Dont be afraid of asking for advice it will
  save a lot of work in the long run.

7
Project Plan

• Plan can help you too!
• It is not simply a hoop to jump through.
• Use the Plan to help you plan!

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• At best it should be a practical, living document
  which helps you to manage the project.
• It should not stop you doing the best thing for
  the project if circumstances change.
• Dont be afraid to rationalise project plans to
  make the project more efficient.
• Use Gantt Charts / Spread sheets to help
  planning.

9
Reporting
Stay Regular and Stay Ahead

• Regular internal reports or a blog
• Periodic updates are good practice and will help
  reporting.
• Be disciplined about recording feedback, comments
  on the project.

10
Reports quality over quantity

• What is the most valuable information you need to
  communicate?
• What do you really want to say?
• The story of the project does not have to include
  every details just what is valuable and
  significant.

11
Talking about the Project

• Invest time in preparing a short, snappy
  introduction to the project.
• Twitter version. Blog version.
• Presentations 1 5 10

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Working within the project/consortium

• Regular updates are much appreciated fortnightly
  newsletters or blogs.
• Regular, purposeful meetings.
• Keep partners in the loop dont make one site
  decisions.
• Dont try and solve everything yourself be aware
  when to escalate a problem.

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These things take time

• Recruitment
• Consortium Agreement
• Communication / Dissemination

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Recruitment

• Start at the earliest possible moment it will
  always take longer than you think.
• Have contingencies in place for staff departure,
  including your own!

15
Consortium Agreement

• Start at the earliest possible moment it will
  always take longer than you think.
• Stay proactive. Send out reminders even to the
  point of irritating your partners...
• Try to deal directly with partners legal
  departments.

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RTFM
Read The Friendly Manual!

• Lays out obligations with useful hints and
  tips.
• Helps with understanding some management
  processes and language which might be unfamiliar.
• Distinguish between Quality Assurance and
  Evaluation In principle an output might be of
  high quality and pass acceptance tests, but
  evaluation might demonstrate how useful (or not)
  it is.
• http//www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/funding/proj
  ect_management/projectmanagementguidelines.pdf

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Sustainability
Users and Institution
Sustainability Users

• Who is it for? What is it for?
• Think about your community from day one the
  most common issue with JISC projects is that good
  technology does not make for good solutions
  because users have not been involved from the
  start.
• Sustainability is not just about the technology
  a new technique might just be the start.
• Learning, changing behaviour or attitudes,
  guidance, institutional adoption, adoption by
  others.

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Sustainability Institution

• Build Senior Management Support
• Attempt to ensure involvement in project board.
• Dissemination and advocacy within the institution
  is really important demos, talks, practical
  involvement.

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Understanding Success and Scope

• Dont be afraid to learn you are likely to find
  at some point that things you thought were a good
  idea aren't so ideal. Acknowledge, explain,
  adjust!
• Share your failures as well as your successes
  this is an important part of learning and moving
  forward.
• SuccessWhat does success look like for you?
• Spend some time reflecting on whatsuccessis for
  the project. Thiswill help maintain focus and
  prevent scope creep
• Use Cases Reflect repeatedly on use cases.
• Hugely useful for scope, advocacy and
  communication, and focused development.

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• Good Luck and Enjoy