Stay Informed
I really believe that it's really important for project managers to think of themselves as students. The digital industry is constantly changing and we need to keep up. And it's not just about project management, it's about design, development, technology, and whatever else might come along. I've collected a lot of links to resources that I visit frequently to keep me informed on what's happening in the industry.
Project Management and Web Design Blogs/Websites
There are a ton out there. This is in no way a comprehensive list, but these are a few that I tend to visit more often.
Books
Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process, Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker
A Practical Guide To Managing Web Projects, Breandan Knowlton
The Lazy Project Manager, Peter Taylor
Making Things Happen, Scott Berkun
Game Storming, Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, James Manacufo
Project Management Tools
I'm not going to recommend any of these because I think we all need to use what works specifically for our companies, clients, and teams. This list spans a lot of tools that I've found in my web travels.
Articles About PM Tools
Wondering what you should use? These articles might help you find the answers you need.
http://www.inc.com/guides/201102/20-essential-tools-for-project-management.html
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_PPM.htm
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/13/15-useful-project-management-tools/
Learning Resources/Communities
There are a ton of resources online to stay on top of what's happening in the industry. These are my favorites.
Mijingo: Check out the Happy Cog Way series, which was produced by my amazingly smart coworkers.
Gymnasium by Aquent: I'll have a course online there soon!
Design & User Experience Resources
You might not be designing, but you should understand the principles of design and UX. I'd add these to some of the sites that I added earlier on.
http://alistapart.com/article/kick-ass-kickoff-meetings
http://goodkickoffmeetings.com/
User Testing Resources
You may do all of your recruiting and testing in-house. Maybe you don't. These resources have been helpful for me in the past.
Forms & Surveys:
The tools can be really helpful when you're trying to gather feedback and don't have the time to do interviews or separate reviews.
Email Tools
PMs don't send too many mass emails. I do because I've been working with PhilaMade and the Digital PM Summit. I will say that I absolutely love Mailchimp. We use their email tool for both organizations, and it is a pleasurable, easy experience. Plus, they offer so many awesome design, UX, and content resources. You have to love a company who shares their process and knowledge.
Media Resources:
Explore these sites for more valuable content like tutorials (how I learned how to make good master slides in keynote and fix my leaky shower head...who knew?). And memes.
SlideShare & SpeakerDeck (My conference slides are here)
Sharing, Commenting & Tracking
It feels like every project requires social sharing these days. This is a helpful list for when a client asks you for recommendations.
Content Management Systems:
I don't delve too deep into this world, but it's important to have a high-level understanding of what your CMS is all about. These links might help!
http://ellislab.com/expressionengine
Standards & Testing
Quality is key. Every good PM should be on top of this. Do what you can to learn about accessibility, browser compatibility, and the QA process that goes along with it. These links might help you!
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp
http://www.netmarketshare.com/
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/bug-tracking-system/
http://www.browserstack.com/mobile-browser-emulator
Q Cat: http://qcatpro.com/
Contracts:
Mike Monteiro gave an amazing talk at San Francisco Creative Mornings back in 2011. It's directed at designers, but applies to anyone working with clients. Check it out: http://vimeo.com/22053820 (if you despise the f word, skip the link)
http://stuffandnonsense.co.uk/projects/contract-killer/
That's all I have....for now. This list could change weekly. And, I would love to know if you have resources to add! Please feel free to leave a comment with suggested additions. Also, many thanks to Sloan Miller for helping me compile this list for our PM Workshop at the University of the Arts.
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