We’re All Project Managers

As I began work at the CTL, I knew I’d have a lot to learn about this organization and how we manage projects. I’ve managed a variety of projects myself, coming from an eclectic background involving customer and stakeholder service, office management and film/art production. Throughout my first few months here I’ve prioritized researching Agile and other methodologies and familiarizing myself with professional best practices. Through the course of my research, it became clear to me that especially these days, developing expertise in project management is being monetized and even commoditized. Many different institutions and entities are selling the promise of outfitting learners/users with the skills and tools needed to be a valuable project manager. Like any trending marketplace, there’s no shortage of catchy buzzwords to advertise the new you: Agile Coach, Scrum Master, Kanban Boss, SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) consultant, Design Thinking professional, Lean Production manager, and many others. And there’s no doubt that some of these programs have much to offer many of us. However the question these frameworks and methods are really trying to answer is something we can all offer insight into: what are the best ways to consistently and collaboratively get things done in a team?

I think it’s important for everyone at the CTL to think about this question collectively. No matter our roles, we’re all engaged in project management. We all use our expertise in a particular area to do the heavy lifting: designing an interactive course, offering an innovative workshop, building a purposeful website, producing an impactful video. But our organizational skills are always executing in the background as we coordinate, communicate and collaborate with our colleagues and clients. It’s through this interlacing of roles and processes that we hold each other accountable to the standards of quality we all expect. So we’re all project managers. But what habits should we be building to increase our chances of more consistent results?

While I don’t have all the answers quite yet, there’s a few key elements to my approach that I’d like to share.

Service to the Organization

The first is service to the organization—this is an attitude of initiative, attentiveness and consideration. Setting the table, as our Senior Director Maurice Matiz likes to say, is one form of such service. It helps me to frame the project manager role through the lens of servant leadership, helping the project, collaborators and the institution grow and improve. Much like a good office manager in the workplace, a project manager should anticipate and meet the needs of project stakeholders. This includes tasks that may not be assigned to any specific person on the project team, like leading a meeting, taking notes and making sure the group stays on topic. If action items arise, don’t just list them, but ensure there’s a clear understanding by all regarding who is responsible and by when. This attitude helps build a culture of support and growth within the team.

Visualization

The second key element is visualization of work. Whether it’s a Kanban board, a color-coded timeline or a concise checklist, seeing our work, the knowledge our efforts produce and the goals we’re trying to accomplish displayed visually helps assure the pieces come together appropriately. One of the tools with which we try to do this is Jira, although as an organization, we’re still new to this tool. When I ran into problems clearly visualizing a top-level view of work across projects in Jira, I created my own spreadsheet to more fully understand a bigger picture. The time spent on these artifacts is worthwhile, as they provide additional organizational insights into our work.

Sharing with your Colleagues

We all have our own ways of working and our own processes. Sharing tools, tips and document templates that have worked well for you can help colleagues obtain a fresh perspective. Maybe your colleagues decide to adopt your checklist, and maybe they don’t, but it’s the act of sharing that fosters a culture of collaboration. This furthers the group dialogue on best practices and reminds us that it’s people and interactions that drive organizational change, not the tools and processes at their disposal.

Stay tuned for more insights and updates on my project management journey at the CTL.