Hi Nicky!
Great to hear from you!
Earlier today we had discussions about long-running projects: we concluded that these were projects, but could be divided into smaller, more manageable chunks, with more easily achievable milestones en route, the reaching of which could then be a great motivator.
You're right though, the day job does have a tendency to take over somewhat.
Lynne
-----Original Message-----
From: CIG E-Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nicky Ransom
Sent: 12 February 2016 14:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] project management skills
Good afternoon
A rather late comer to the party, I'm afraid, but hopefully I'll have time to drop in this afternoon a bit.
I work at an arts university and am currently running a "project" (although I'm not sure that it quite fits the criteria of a project as it's likely to be so long running) to reclassify the collections. It's very frustrating because it has basically come to a standstill over the last year or so due to lack of time in my day to day work but that's another story.
I don't have any formal training except for an in-house session on project management which covered the basics. A lot of it seems to be common sense, but communication and co-operation seem to be key.
I like Alan's problem solving methodology below, and shall be making a note of it for future reference - thanks, Alan.
Nicky
__________________
Nicky Ransom
Data Quality Librarian, Collections & Discovery Library & Student Services
t: 01252 892739 | e: [log in to unmask] www.ucreative.ac.uk
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: CIG E-Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alan Vaughan Hughes
Sent: 12 February 2016 13:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] project management skills
Optimism is absolutely key - you need to keep everybody 'going' and keep them focused. I actually quite like it when things veer off course ... that's the whole point of project management - things never go to plan. It keeps you on your toes and makes you think of creative solutions (things that you may not have considered at the beginning of a project).
Problem solving (and transparently so) is another important skill. I use a simple tool - when things go wrong... Basically you identify options and evaluate the options to assess their viability. The first option is always ‘do nothing’. What happens if we maintain the status quo and bury our heads in the sand? Then get creative. Brainstorm as many options as you can, whittle them down to a handful and evaluate each in terms of Operability (will it work), Achievability (can we do it), Technology (is the technology there), Risk (does it fall within our risk appetite) and Interoperability (strategic fit in the bigger picture). This does not have to be an onerous task - it could be in your head - but it gets you thinking and justifies a change of direction.
|