You’re down to the wire. Your team is launching a site and QA is going to run late into the night. You’re not a developer, you don’t have a suite of QA tools set up for your use, and you have full faith in your team. What do you do? Continue reading
It’s hard for me to believe that I launched this blog just three years ago. I came out of the gate with the goal:
”…to make sure it’s known that the PM role is important on your team for several reasons.”
I’m not the only person who’s writing about digital project management. In fact, there are several great minds out there who inspire me to keep going. But when I created this site, I had high hopes in building a greater community and helping to raise the profile of project management in the greater web community.
Achievement Unlocked
Fast forward three years and I am starting to feel really good about where things are–at least from where I sit. I’ve written a few blog posts here and there, I’ve given a few talks at conferences, hosted events for a local PM group, and taught a web project workshop at The Univiersity of the Arts here in Philadelphia. Along the way I’ve met a ton of truly awesome people who agree that my goal is a valuable one–not only for other project managers, but for all web professionals. All good things.
Even having done all of that, never in my mind did I think I’d gain the support to be able to announce a conference for project managers that I’d directly be involved in curating and planning.
A New Conference for a Growing Community
I’ve spent the last few months at work planning the very first conference devoted to our profession. This morning we announced the Digital PM Summit, a 2-day conference held on October 14-15 at WHYY here in Philadelphia. But this is more than just a conference for me–it’s the birth of a community.
Part of that “community” feel will be reflected in the format, which will be a little different. We’re going to have a set of single speakers, and then 4 hours of break-out sessions where attendees can attend smaller groups led by speakers who will present, but also moderate discussion (think of a “core conversation” at SXSW). 150 like-minded people are going to be a part of our first summit. This number feels right for our first time out. What’s nice about the size, too, is that people will be able to get to know each other a little better than they would at a larger conference.
Up Next
So what’s my goal now? First, I want to see the web community talking about this event. Then, I want every seat filled at this conference with people who are ready to engage. I’m not just looking for project managers to attend; I want the community to connect with project managers. I want people talking about what is important: how we work with each other, and how we really make amazing digital projects.
In the future, I want to see this digital project management community grow. I’d love to see more project managers step up and talk about their work. I’d also love to see some of the better-known conferences pick up project management as a relevant and useful topic. I’d like to see more conversations and people excited about managing projects. No more robots, sitting behind their desks.
If there is anything I have learned as a project manager, it’s that connecting with and caring for your team matters the most. When it comes down to deadlines and difficult conversations, having the relationship to handle them with ease just makes project life easier on everyone. It’s not always easy to make those connections, and people don’t always understand your worth. That’s okay as long as you understand your role and fill it appropriately—in good times and bad. Continue reading
Things change daily on projects. As a project manager, you always want to know what’s happening. The problem is, when you don’t have your hands in the work, you don’t know exactly where it stands at all times. We’re always looking out for “risks” and assessing the situation. The thing is, there is one inherent risk that is hard to take into account: the unexpected time out of the office. What happens when a project task comes to a grinding hault when there’s a staff change (sick day, leave, fired…)? Continue reading
I wrote an article that includes tips on how to be a good project manager for .net magazine, and it was just published on February 4. Initially, I was inclined to write a long-overdue response to an article that pretty much disrespected the profession by saying that project managers often to more harm than good. I decided to take the high road. 
Read on for a few tips on how to be a good project manager.
We all have our own hurdles at work, and a big one is managing our time. A lot of project managers I know struggle with intermittent emails and phone calls. Others can’t seem to handle more than 3 projects at once. It’s tough to juggle everything sometimes. That’s why I wrote an article of tips on how to defeat the busy conundrum and stay happy.
Check it out now on Cognition!
Last week I talked a bit about dealing with stress. I’ve been thinking more about that, and I have come to the conclusion that another way I deal with work-related stress is through my more creative outlets. Continue reading
