>> What can we learn from The Gruffalo?

But there never is time. And your process never evolves, and you find yourself winging it when someone asks about what your process exactly is. But the fact is, without clearly defining it, your business can’t grow to its full potential. End off.

To the lovely designers and developers that I work with, process is a dirty word I use when cracking the whip at their feet (I don’t’ really do this, honest!).

Ultimately, Process is a fundamental tool for carrying out consensus, and for allowing a people to work together on a collaborative project. Process is also the mechanism by which users can trust that others are playing fair, that the rules do not suddenly change, nor are they different for anyone else in the team. Poor process or no process ultimately harms the end product.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to present some diagrams that give an overview of digital project processes. I’m not going to go into detail because that’s what I get PAID for, but it’s to give you an idea of the processes I’m talking about, and wht without realising it, you’re probably following some already… though not as ridgidly as I’d like

First up – an overview of the web/digital project process

Download – Digital process (19K PDF)

This video was produced as a spoof, but to be honest – it made me howl with laughter because it’s all true.

Without us rabbiting on and annoying you, nothing would get delivered anytime soon and certainly not profitably.

Guys – you love us really.    No.. really you do!!

Cheers Greg!

Back then he asked digital PMs to reflect on whether they were a Cameron or a Ferris.  My response was “neither” as I believed I was actually an Ariel – a statement clearly rooted in my adoration of the 1984 classic, Footloose.

Dance, moi!?

The reason I hesitated for so long in my blog response was that, upon reflection, I came to realise that my style is more akin to Ren McCormack (played by Kevon Bacon), than it is Ariel Moore.  I’d like to believe that i’m the rebellous kid that wears the “Dance Your Ass off” tee to make a point, and piss the boss off in the process, but I’m not.

Allow me to explain.  The majority of digital agencies constitute project teams in such a way that the project manager is not the line manager of most or all of the team members. As a result, project management often involves influencing the actions of others without any direct authority.

Oh I’ve got an attitude problem?

Originally deemed an outcast and a rebel upon arrival in a small town, Ren McCormack slowly came to the realisation that if he was to be accepted, respected and indeed ever to be in a position where he could influence the community then “angry, shouting person” was not the way to go.

Persuasion, negotiation and marketing are interpersonal skills that ultimatley got Ren his senior prom and the leading girl; and such skills are, I believe, a key prerequisite to me ever delivering my projects successfully.

Leadership is influence

Project managers often have little formal authority. They therefore get their authority through respect for their experience, a good track record, persuasiveness and sheer bloody determination – in short, by influence.  Ren was influence personified.

Do you like Men at work? … What Men?

The ability to influence the behaviour of others is a very effective form of power. Power most obviously comes from authority, but if the project manager does not have formal authority there are other forms of power that he or she can use:

• Power can be delegated to the project manager by someone very senior (agency-side and/or client-side) sometimes known as legitimate power. It’s not my ideal, but I have been know to rely on this when I ‘m faced with a particularly unhappy stakeholder client-side who’s throwing their toys out the pram.
• The project manager may, through force of personality if not through the exercise of legitimate power, be able to coerce cooperation. A project manager who is charismatic, admired or well liked may have authority granted through the wishes of others who want to be associated with them. (Clearly me – mostly, LOL))
• The project manager may have the authority of expertise: this is especially true when there is a crisis or urgency. Francis Bacon once said that knowledge is power, and so it is for the project manager, who can obtain information power.(A reason why I think the best Digital PMs have previously designed, built or written for the web)
• As a last resort, a project manager can increase his or her influence through political means, by gaining the support of colleagues and superiors. I’ve personally never felt the need for a Mutiny on the Bounty, butif needs must!

Project managers need to use those kinds of power most suited to the situation; having that power and applying it appropriately allows managers to influence where they cannot command.

So, my tip for “keeping it real while not being a jerk”?
Be a Ren!

A project is a unique venture with a beginning and an end, conducted by people to meet established goals within parameters of cost, schedule and quality. (Buchanan and Boddy, 1992).

…but what the hell should we do in the middle?

When making a case for a new project, part of the work can include the choice of life cycle to use in order to achieve the projects goal and objectives. If a web agency has been working on specific types of projects for some time, it is likely that it has developed a particular life cycle and classification that pretty much fits them all.

Up until a couple of years ago, most of the web projects I worked on were the same – corporate sites, built using technologies I was overly familiar with, to be compatible with the most popular browsers of the day. However, for smaller agencies like ours, with the growing adoption of portable tech, as well as the seemingly endless recession, in order to survive the cut throat world of digital (we went up against an NMA Top 10 agency last week who offered the client a 45% “New business” discount!!!*) – we’ve had to widen our range of services and up our game pretty damn sharpish. Now sometimes… just sometimes… I find myself out of my comfort zone.

In an industry where the very core of what i’m working with is continually shifting and evolving, I should be used to project managing something I know absolutely nothing about. Digital PMs – you’re with me here, right? For me, the fun of my job has always been the technical learning curve I’m constantly surfing… CSS3, pah! HTML5, pah! ipad schmipad… However, just lately, I’ve found myself looking at a proposal and thinking… “Shit… where am I supposed to start on this one?”

I’m all to familiar with the phrase, a good project manager can manage everything. If you’re not, go read Michael Young’s article over at PM Hut. So… instead of freaking out about “the unknow”, here’s the thing – I reflect on some metaphors I learned a few years ago about project classification (via Eddie Obeng) and that helps me focus and develop my plan of attack.

By combining a consideration of means and ends (answering the how? and the what? questions) for a project, there are four classes of project according to how much is known about what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to achieve it.

The use of a metaphor for each class of project helps project manager like me, as well as stakeholders, engage with it.

Type of project	Description	Example
Painting by numbers	Most stakeholders are sure of what to do and how it is to be done. The project proceeds linearly and sequentially.	Good old website built in ASP.NET
Going on a quest	Most stakeholders are sure of what to do, but are rather unsure about how to achieve it. The project proceeds concurrently and converges according to particular deadlines.	Outcome based on prototypes
Making a movie	Most stakeholders are very sure of how to do the work, but not so sure about what isto be done. The project proceeds through a number of checkpoints where clarification is sought before moving on.	Developing new products for the market
Walking in the fog	Most stakeholders are unsure of both what is to be done and how it is to be carried out. The project proceeds with care, ‘one step at a time’.	Doing something new for the first time such as a quality or process improvement programme

Tomorrow, I’m off on a quest…and it’s going to be fun… !

* We still won – because we’re awesome at what we do… thank the lord!

Many web designers and developers do the unthinkable and join the Dark Side and become project managers. Those yet to make the transistion should not under-estimate its powers. Web project management is a dark art and there’s no better Master to teach us than Lord Vader himself.

In our SXSW Panel, a council of battle-hardened Web PMs will look at what tips we can take from Lord Vader with regards to the processes and challenges we face every day when planning, designing and delivering websites and web applications.

Working with senior management and Emperor-esque clients, managing Stormtrooper studio armies like a boss, dealing with Bounty Hunter contractors and making brave decisions based on mystic instinct – this guy has all the skills. And let’s not forget the job overseeing the production of the sitemap, wireframe and functional specification that resulted in the spectacular Death Star!

Want to learn the art of the project manager’s poker face? Then vote today!
Web Project Management Lessons from Darth Vader

We’re currently recruiting for:

• Project Manager (that has intranet experience)
• IA / UX consultant
• Account Manager
• Senior frontend developer

We’re based in West London – 10 mins walk from Turnham Green on the District Line,
10 mins bus ride from Shepherds Bush Central Line or indeed, 10 mins walk from Acton
Central North London Overground Line

For a Job description, email me crichmond[at]viewplc.com

[If you are a recruitment agency please do NOT reply to my blog.
I already have two agencies on this and you can not match the rate they're offering us.]

2009: I came across the most beautiful website by photographer Philip Toledano, via a Twitter pal in Australia.

The site, Days with my Father, is dedicated to Phil’s 98 year old father; documenting his life on a day-to-day basis after the passing of his wife (Phil’s mother).

Asides from the personal story, which will tug at your heart strings, the site’s worth a visit to check out the novel navigation too. Built in Flash, when you take your mouse to the bottom of the screen and click, the images automatically scrolls to the next one down. Same if you take your mouse to the top. Also conveniently, if you take your mouse to the left of the screen and click, you are presented with a thumbnail gallery of all the images and accompanying text.

It’s in an extraordinary story with a raw honesty that’s totally overpowering.

Weblinks:

• Days with my Father
• Mr Toledano

Courtesy of Alex Toul

A Project Initiation Document (PID), is a PRINCE2 term representing the plan of approach in project management. It is assembled from a series of other documents, including the Business Case, the Terms of Reference, the Communication Plan, the Risk register, the Project tolerances, the Project plan, and any specific project controls or inspections as part of a departmental Quality plan or common project approach. [ref: Wikipedia]

The PID represents a detailed version of the basic project start-up document called the Project Brief.

As a web project manager I don’t follow PRINCE2, but the PID (sometimes referred to as the Project Definition Report) is a great place to start a good working relationship with a client. Supplemented by the SOW, it’s a document that is referred to time and time again throughout any project.

For any new web project managers starting out, download my Vanilla Project Definition Report (PDR) which will show you typically what to include in your own report.

I’d love to know other project managers’ thoughts on the PID / PDR and whether my example is similar or wildly different to your own.

PS: I should add, I haven’t included a Risk log in my PID – this is something I tend to specify in the SOW along with what’s in and out of scope.