Projects From Hell  

Have you ever been involved in a project that was a disaster from beginning to end? What went wrong? What did you learn from those problems? How did you either salvage the project or decide that it couldn’t be saved? These projects are horrible experiences at the time, but they offer many valuable lessons that can help each of us better manage our information development projects in the future.

Hansen, Lauren Y., Ruth T. Glaser, George F. Hayhoe and Sheila C. Jones. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Project Management>Workflow

Relating PMBOK Practices to Agile Practices

Michele Sliger understands the turmoil traditional project management practitioners go through as they make the transition from plan-driven approaches to the newer agile methodologies. This week, she offers more insight as she continues her four-part series on relating Project Management Institute (PMI) best practices--as identified in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)--to agile practices. In this column, Michele discusses scope management and time management.

Sliger, Michele. StickyMinds (2006). Careers>Project Management>Agile

Shift Focus from Project Details to Work Processes  

Avoid looking too closely at the details when taking on a project.

Watson, Steven A. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Project Management>Methods

A Stake in the Ground: A Successful Approach to Project Estimating and Tracking  

Project management is an increasingly important skill for technical communicators. Specifically, by accurately estimating and tracking projects we can help justify resources, identify areas to improve cycle times, or even justify the existence of jobs. Estimating projects occurs early in the process during the analyze and plan phases. It improves with practice. Tracking is done throughout the entire process, although a majority of the data are gathered during the development phase. Successful estimating and tracking includes these elements: identifying estimating metrics, projecting project life cycle costs and hours, recording actual hours and costs, comparing estimates to actuals, and documenting improvements based on experience.

Friend, Amy S. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Project Management>Planning>Estimating

Strategic Planning  

What is strategic planning? A process for determining: where you are; where you intend to be; how you’re going to get there.

Hackos, JoAnn T. ComTech Services (2000). Careers>Management>Project Management

Strategic Thinking and Planning for Information Development Organizations  

This panel will introduce the audience to the basic concepts and components of strategic thinking and planning and will provide practical examples of application in a variety of information-development organizations.

Breuninger, Charles L., JoAnn T. Hackos, Heather J. Fox and Angela W. McAlister. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Project Management>Planning

Survey Into Trends in Technical Communication: How Many Technical Writers Should We Have in Our Organisation?

We were asked recently if we knew of any research on 'standard' ratios between developers and technical authors. We decided to carry out some research and this article covers our preliminary findings.

Cherryleaf (2003). Careers>Project Management>Standards>Surveys

A Ten-Step Program for Successful Object-Oriented Projects  

Object-oriented software development brings with it new challenges for everyone involved, including the project's documentation team. By taking certain steps be fore, during, and after an OO project, writers-and the programmers they work with-can help to guard against the pitfalls that can be a part of OO development.

Berry, Robert R., Karen L. Mobley and Kathryn L. Turk. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>Project Management

User Experience Group Development and Integration

When a company wants to make a certain segment of the organization better, usually they 'throw more money at it' and hire more employees. The problem with doing this for a UX team is that people with overlapping skills and ideas usually end up hindering user-centered design rather than helping. Conflicting design decisions will soon turn into a design by committee situation that won't help the consumer nor expose individual expertise (Brown 2004). User experience groups need to be flexible, agile, and scalable, and should only expand if the projects they work on are sufficiently large. The following is an overview of skills and disciplines needed for a successful user experience group.

Rundle, Mike. uiGarden (2007). Careers>Project Management>User Experience

Why Did You Hire Me?

Remembering why you were hired—and identifying whether or not you belong—is just as important as getting the gig. To sustain career and mental health, you must work within your means and know how to navigate ambiguous workplace situations. Using client and project management techniques is one part of the solution. Using your talent is the other.

LaFerriere, Keith. List Apart, A (2008). Careers>Advice>Project Management

Why Do Web Startups Die? Lack of Alphalpha

Internet startups are generally as successful as a nerd in a singles bar. Ventures that get off the ground rarely get knee-high. Why? You don’t need a deckful of scatter charts to do this, but you do need the willingness to make some difficult decisions now—and stick to them later.The biggest problem I’ve seen isn’t lack of talent, enthusiasm or even funding. It lies in skipping a critical early stage of development I call the “alpha-alpha” stage, or “alphalpha” for short.

Goldenberg, Dave. Digital Web Magazine (2008). Careers>Management>Project Management>Technology

Making Spaces in Cluttered Houses and Cluttered Lives

Putting Pedersen’s advice to practice, step one is to make a place for everything in our lives. Figure out where it belongs. Just as you can’t organize a house if you have no where to put things, you can’t organize your life if you have no way space for the activities. If something doesn’t fit, it’s time for a trip to the figurative Salvation Army (we call them Deseret Industries here). In other words, simplify.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Careers>Project Management>Advice>Workflow

How To Find Time For…Everything! 

Time management is one of the most important skills a freelance worker can learn. With a good time management system you can easily find the time to do the things that are important to you, whether in your professional or personal life. Successful time management can be challenging, especially to those who are new to freelancing or being self-employed.

Chapman, Cameron. Smashing (2009). Careers>Freelance>Project Management>Workflow