PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR HUMANS
HELPING PEOPLE GET THINGS DONE
Brett Harned
Project Management for Humans
Helping People Get Things Done
by Brett Harned
Rosenfeld Media, LLC
540 President Street
Brooklyn, New York
11215 USA
On the web: www.rosenfeldmedia.com
Please send errors to: [email protected]
Publisher: Louis Rosenfeld
Managing Editor: Marta Justak
Illustrations: Deb Aoki
Interior Designer: Danielle Foster
Cover Design: The Heads of State
Indexer: Marilyn Augst
Proofreader: Sue Boshers
© 2017 Brett Harned
All Rights Reserved
ISBN-10: 1-933820-51-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-933820-51-4
LCCN: 2017934297
Printed and bound in the United States of America
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Who Should Read This Book?
Project management is not just a role—it’s a critical skill that is required in everyday life. Whether you’re organizing a party or building a website, you need the skills to complete a task successfully (and we all know that isn’t always easy). So this book is not just for project managers, but it’s also for people who find themselves in a position where they need to organize and lead projects.
What’s in This Book?
The purpose of the book is to provide a solid foundation on leading projects, including the following:
• Information on what project management is and how you can adapt principles and processes to your needs
• Project management techniques to help run projects effectively
• Better ways to communicate and collaborate with multi-functional teams and clients
• Simple techniques for estimating projects
• Ways to build and manage project plans
What Comes with This Book?
This book’s companion website (
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I’m not a project manager. In fact, I know nothing about what project managers do. Can you tell me a little more about it?
The role of a PM can certainly be a mystery—particularly when it’s not done well. There are specific characteristics that make a great PM, like being a clear, calm communicator, or adaptable and flexible. And there are a ton of tasks that many PMs take on, such as creating estimates, crafting process, and reporting on project status among others. It’s equal parts technical and soft skills. Check out Chapter 1, “You’re the PM Now,” for the full details on what makes a good project manager.
I keep hearing about Agile, but I can’t tell if it’s right for me. Is it?
People tend to think that Agile means “fast,” but in the context of project management, it’s a formal method that is characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent iteration and adaptation to meet a goal. It’s made up of formalized roles and meetings or “ceremonies” that help guide projects. There is a lot to consider when adopting a new process: project types, goals, budgets, and people. It’s best to learn a little about other processes and discuss the pros and cons with your team before just diving in. To learn more about project management methodologies and digital project management principles, check out Chapter 2, “Principles over Process.”
I’m terrible at estimating projects. How can I get better?
Hey, creating accurate estimates is tough work. As the word “estimate” implies, there is a lot of guesswork involved. However, if you want to get closer to a really good estimate, you should examine projects or tasks and break them down into subtasks to determine a level of effort. You’ll find that information in Chapter 3, “Start with an Estimate.”
I’m nervous about talking to my client about how our project is going to be over budget and probably late. Do you have any tips for how I can handle this?
You’ve got to be comfortable addressing sensitive or difficult issues head on when you’re leading projects, because they tend to come up quite often. Whether you’re worried about scope creep or you need to address a performance issue with a team member, it’s best to take a measured approach that is empathetic and gets straight to the point in order to resolve it quickly. Check out Chapter 9, “Setting and Managing Expectations,” to learn about how to set and manage expectations better in order to avoid some of these conversations, and Chapter 8, ”Navigating the Dreaded Difficult Conversation,” for some tips on how to navigate the conversation itself.
CONTENTS