Writing, Recording & Speaking

I love to write, share ideas, and meet like-minded people. I started my career as an editor at a start-up called mysportsguru.com. It was the late '90s, and it was where I started my career as a writer and producer on the web.

For years, I maintained a personal blog because writing was just not creative enough for me at my day job. It wasn't until I joined the team at Happy Cog in 2009 that I realized I could combine my love of writing with my work as a project manager.

That led to the creation of this site's first version, a blog called "Adventures in Project Management." It gained traction, and I couldn't believe it. It led to public speaking, being published in print and web publications, creating a new digital project management community and conference, and eventually a consultancy, a book, a course produced by the team at Skillshare, and a podcast, in addition to contributing to and collaborating on many other pieces.

There's a bunch on this page. Scroll for more info and links on:

• Project Management for Humans
• Sprints & Milestones (and other podcast appearances)
• Videos
• Published articles
• Keynotes & Presentations

Project Management for Humans

Project management—it’s not just about following a template or using a tool, but rather developing personal skills and intuition to find a method that works for everyone. I wrote this book to help everyone manage projects like a pro. So, whether you’re a designer or a manager, Project Management for Humans will help you estimate and plan tasks, scout and address issues before they become problems, and communicate with and hold people accountable. 

Buy now

Sprints & Milestones (and other podcast appearances)

Greg Storey and I plotted the first season of our podcast, Sprints & Milestones while Project Management for Humans was printing. The first season acted as a companion to the book, with a set of episodes focused on the principles of great digital project management, which I included in the book.

Producing a podcast is a lot of work, and we both work a lot. So, naturally, it took us a year or five to plan a second season. In 2023, we partnered with Audience Ops to produce a second season that focuses on how we view professional failure. We contacted friends, colleagues, and people we generally look up to and asked them to tell us a story of personal failure. What came out of that felt pretty great. We're currently planning season three...

Podcast appearances

I like to think I'm a good guest. I'm polite, I show up on time, my microphone working, headphones on, glass of water at the ready, and ready to chat. Get in touch if you'd like to invite me on your podcast. I love to talk about communication, collaboration, culture, project management, operations, and so much more.

Here's a sampling of podcasts I've joined as a guest:

Episode 4: Create a Project Plan (w/ Brett Harned)

Corey and Deane talk about how project plans rarely stay intact upon first contact with real life. Then, we chat with Brett Harned, author of Project Management for Humans, about his definition of a project plan, creating better retrospectives, and how to help clients and project teams keep on track. (Also, Brett tells us the best album in his record collection.)

The Web Project Guide

47. Brett Harned, TeamGantt Project Management For Humans And Capital-P Process

Learn about the exciting world of Project Management with Brett Harned, Director of Education at TeamGantt, through his podcast Time Limit.

Chris DreyerRankings.io

Videos

I'll be the first to tell you that I do not like being on video. In fact, there is very little video evidence of my life before the advent of the iPhone. Somehow, I've found my way in front of a camera more than a couple of times. Here are some samples of my work.

Published Articles

I've contributed to books, blogs, magazines, and online publications. Here are just a few samples of articles I've written for online publications:

How to Become a Successful Project Manager | TeamGantt

Learn about the skills and qualities you’ll need to become a project manager and manage projects successfully at work (even without the PM label).

TeamGanttBrett Harned

Beware the big idea: Effort vs. scope—A story by Brett Harned

Project management veteran, podcaster, and author Brett Harned, shares a story about what happens when you forget about project scope.

Work Life Balance Tips & Work Scheduling Blog | Resource GuruJo Johansson

Project Management for Humans

Staffing teams can feel a bit like a game of Tetris, but don’t forget your teams are human beings. They have interests, strengths, and qualities that should be considered above their availability.…

A List ApartBrett Harned

Why Project Management Is Good for Business | TeamGantt

See how to explain the business value of project management so your boss understands how and why hiring a project manager benefits your organization.

TeamGanttBrett Harned

Everything There Is to Know About People-First Project Planning

The ultimate guide to creating project plans that prioritize people—your most valuable resource for project success.

Resources👋 We're hiring!Brett Harned,

Better Communications

Make work easier.

MediumBrett Harned

5 minutes with… Brett Harned

Brett Harned is one of the founding voices of the growing digital project management community. He launched the Digital PM Summit in 2012, and over the past decade has since hosted and spoken to audiences globally.

Jon Rhodes

Human-Centered Digital Project Manager Brett Harned in an Interview With AppVerticals - AppVerticals

Today Digital Project Manager Brett Harned is in an Interview With AppVerticals. Brett Harned is one of the founding voices of the growing digital project management community. He launched the Digital PM Summit in 2012 and has since hosted and spoken to audiences globally over the past decade. His first book, Project Management for Humans, […]

AppverticalsAdmin

Keynotes, Presentations & Videos

I've been lucky enough to host and keynote conferences globally. Highlights for me have been presenting to a jam-packed room at SXSW, planning, marketing, and selling out my own workshops all over the US and UK, hosting Deliver Conference (formerly DPM:UK) several years in a row, and of course, founding, hosting and producing the Digital PM Summit from 2012-2022.

I still present at conferences and am currently planning a new series of workshops. Interested in working together to produce engaging and informative content for your team, company, or conference? Hire me to speak at your next event!

Here are a couple of recordings of my conference appearances, and a couple of slide deck links:

And here are slides from others: