The Utopian Library

Mary Auckland, trainer/advisor on strategic direction
mary.auckland [at] nsworld [dot] com

(there will be a group exercise! ack!)

On the agenda:

• key factors for successful project management
  • features of a project
  • what is a project?
• methodologies and tools
• techniques for managing library/info services projects
• project management tips
  • what are the critical success factors for managing a project?

Project management is not a linear experience.

What is a project? How is it different from day-to-day work?

An endeavour in which human material and financial resources are organised in a novel way, to deliver a unique scope of work, of given specification, with constraints of cost and time, to achieve a purpose defined by qualitative and quantitative objectives.¹

Features of a project:

• is a response to a specific opportunity, vision, or challenge
  • building project
  • new management system/organizational restructuring
  • patron service
  • special event/exhibition
  • response to an external funding opportunity
• is usually something done once; not a repetitive task
  • fosters ongoing change
• has a unique scope of work with many related activities that are done in a sequence
• has a beginning, middle, end
  • fixed duration
  • defined start and end ponts
• is a controlled approach
  • project manager
  • tracking
• requires specific resources
  • funds (external? internal?)
    • costs should be identified in advance and managed with a separate budget
  • space (where will supplies be stored? desk/workspace?)
  • expertise (in-house? contracted?)
• has identifiable outputs and outcomes
  • outputs are the concrete things that will come out of the project (a document, a service, a new building, a finding)
  • outcomes are about change; they can be measured/evaluated over time
    • how will behavior be changed?
    • how will the change impact/benefit our users?
    • what will be done more efficiently, effectively, or that we couldn’t do before?
• is defined by qualitative and quantitative objectives
  • Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-focused, Timel
  • should be addressed in the project brief
  • see ALA website for resources on “smart objectives”

From the floor: How do we manage project management responsibilities with patron service responsibilities?

• the project plan should demonstrate the people and time that are necessary to the project
• libraries typically don’t let go of what they’ve always done, even if nobody uses it
  • we need to reevaluate the things we do and ask ourselves, “if this was a new project, would we do it?”
  • this type of change is not necessarily project management, but rather management management

Tools of effective project management:

• Identify the vision
  • be clear about what the project is: is this the right time for the project? is the project right for us? is it linked to organizational objectives?
  • sometimes management must step in and make a decision, keep the project on track, redirect staff who may be drifting in different directions. again, not a project management issue, but a management management responsibility
  • time spent on this step helps us avoid heading off in the wrong direction
  • what is driving the change? is it money? service needs? patron requests?
  • what are the selling points?
    • phrase these in language that will be understood by the folks approving the project. “metadata” and “dublin core” mean nothing to many!
  • identify project features, advantages, benefits
  • who will be involved in the project? who are the major stakeholders?
  • explore options
  • determine whether a feasibility study is necessary
  • plan the proposal
    • be brave! trust our judgment that we can do it!
    • have a well-defined project vision
    • outputs, outcomes, and SMART objectives
    • clearly articulate the features, advantages, and benefits
    • provide key project dates, milestones, stages
    • (p.s…. advance planning can give us the edge if/when funding comes along. if we have a vision and proposal on file, we can submit it right away.)
• Plan the actions (WBS: work breaktown structure)
  • how will we deliver the projects?
  • what specific tasks need to be done?
    • be detailed!
  • how long will the tasks take?
    • we typically underestimate the time needed for projecct activities, which often results in project failure
    • be specific!
  • what needs to be done and in what order?
  • by when do things need to be done? earliest start dates, deliverables due dates, etc.
  • who is responsible for each step?
  • which activities are key to the success of the project?
  • project plan tools
    • simple lists
    • post-it notes
      • hang ‘em on the wall and reposition them as the project proceeds. makes a great visual of project progress!
    • flow charts
    • critical path analysis
    • Gantt charts
      • most useful for showing two things:
        1. dependencies of actions: when one thing depends on another.
        2. activities that can go on simultaneously
      • makes it easier to delegate assignments
      • see sample Gantt chart here
    • project management software
      • www.openworkbench.org²
      • www.romankoch.ch/capslock/gantt.htm
      • system diagrams
        • www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_04.htm
      • critical path analysis
        • www.mindtools.com/critpath.html
  • whatever the plan, communication is critical. the plan must be revised, updated, reissued as needed and referred to regularly to monitor process
• Identify the resources
  • staff, including skills and expertise
  • time estimates and dependencies for each action
  • leave some slack for “the unexpected”
  • space, consumables, money
  • produce and manage a budget. keep a contingency fund for “the unexpected”

(group exercise demonstrated the tendency for planners to get “political” in their discussion ["yes, but... "] rather than just identifying what needs to be done. imagine that!)

• Implement the actions
  • project governance: execution is about completing the project on time, to spec, and within budget
    • make sure everyone knows what they’re to do and by when, activity dependencies. don’t wait until items come up on the action list… communicate in advance!
  • set targets and milestones
  • maintain morale
  • make sure everyone is trained to do their assigned tasks(s)
  • maintain complete records
  • communicate about how the project is going. keep staff, customers, stakeholders informed!
• Monitor, review, evaluate
  • this is a job for the project manager
  • arrange for regular updates/reports from team members and how they will be communicated (memo, email, meeting, etc.)
  • anticipate problems and invite people to contribute options for managing them
  • monitor the budget!
  • troubleshoot and take action! if you know something is going awry, do something about it! problems won’t go away on their own.
  • review: look forward, ask “is it still like we thought it would be?”
  • encourage staff to do “early warning,” “don’t “shoot the messenger,” and reward staff for communicating issues that need attention
  • capture “learning points” for use with later projects
  • evaluation happens when the project is complete
    • formative: how is the project going? do we need to change things? is the project successful at this stage? are there lessons to be learned?
    • summative: have we achieved what we set out to achieve? have we arrived at the stated outcomes?
• Conclude
  • celebrate!
  • share results of the project internally, with the profession, with users and stakeholders
  • is there more to be done? if not, terminate the project

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”³

1. Turner, 1993 [↩]
2. Afterfind: Open workbench is a Windows-only app. Take a look at the Mac-friendly, cross-platform GanttProject. [↩]
3. Confucius [↩]

Filed under: CIL2008, conference notes, web resources