The document provides tips and best practices for project managers. It discusses the role of a project manager in figuring out what could go wrong before it does. It also covers planning projects by determining deliverables, dependencies and timelines. When delivering projects, it emphasizes defining scope and value, and avoiding issues like unclear definitions of "done" or lack of feedback. It suggests hiring project managers based on how they would handle challenges and criticisms, and advises displaying a sense of urgency without saying tasks are not their responsibility.

1. JUN. 27TH 2017
STEP UP YOUR
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

2. KURT SCHMIDT
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY
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3. THE ROLE OF THE
PROJECT MANAGER

4. “PROJECT MANAGERS ARE THE MOST
CREATIVE PROS IN THE WORLD; WE
HAVE TO FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING THAT
COULD GO WRONG, BEFORE IT DOES.”
Fredrick Haren
PROJECT LEADERSHIP

5. PROJECT LEADERSHIP
PROJECT MANAGEMENT BASICS
▸ The “Accidental Project Manager”
▸ Finding Mentors
▸ Established Goals
▸ Set Expectations (be deliberate)
▸ Project Management Tools

6. PROJECT LEADERSHIP
PLANNING A PROJECT
▸ Why does this project exist?
▸ Breakdown Deliverables
▸ Determine Dependancies
▸ Create a Timeline
▸ Assign Resources
▸ Communication Plan

7. PROJECT LEADERSHIP
BECOMING A PROJECT LEADER
▸ A manager is concerned with
doing things right; a leader is
concerned with doing the right
things.
▸ A manager deals with complexity;
a leader deals with uncertainty.
▸ A manager creates policies; a
leader establishes principles.

8. PROJECT LEADERSHIP
BECOMING A PROJECT LEADER
▸ Plan for the next day
▸ Always be looking for ways to
work ahead
▸ Use the voice’y part of the phone
▸ Always have breaks planned
between meetings
▸ Call for an audit

9. DELIVERING
VALUE

10. DELIVERING VALUE
THE IRON TRIANGLE
SCOPE BUDGET
TIME

11. DELIVERING VALUE
THE “REAL” IRON TRIANGLE
SCOPE BUDGET
TIME
VALUE

12. DELIVERING VALUE
DEFINING SCOPE
▸ What is success?
▸ Do you know ALL the
stakeholders?
▸ Learn your stakeholders business
and research the competition

13. DELIVERING VALUE
WHERE THINGS GO WRONG #1
▸ Too much information from the
client and too little time to analyze
it effectively
▸ Technical issues and different
levels of technical expertise
▸ Differences in personality: we are
only human – we don’t always like
each other

14. DELIVERING VALUE
WHERE THINGS GO WRONG #2
▸ Different definitions of “done”
▸ No timely feedback from clients
and team members
▸ Inefficient communication flow:
things getting lost in translation

15. DELIVERING VALUE
PRE & POST MORTEM
▸ Q: What did we do well?
▸ Q: What could have been done
better?
▸ Q: What can we do in order to
avoid such situation in future?
▸ Q: What did we achieve?

16. DELIVERING VALUE
THE 80/50 RULE
▸ If you have used up 50% of your
resources and are not 80%
complete then there is a strong
chance the project will fail.

17. HIRING PROJECT
MANAGERS

18. HIRING THE BEST DAMN PM’S
THE PROCESS
▸ Informal Interview
▸ Charter Challenge
▸ Senior Interviews

19. HIRING THE BEST DAMN PM’S
CHARTER CHALLENGE
▸ Real World Examples
▸ Highlight Internal Pain-points
▸ Force Hard Discussions
▸ Have an Answer Key
▸ Formalize Results
▸ Provide Loose Instructions

20. HIRING THE BEST DAMN PM’S
Q&A
▸ “How would people at your previous (or
current) place of employment describe
your work?
▸ “What are some common ways you’ve
seen projects fail?
▸ “How do you process and keep track of
information?”
▸ “Can you share a piece of criticism that
you’ve received but disagreed with?”
▸ “If money wasn’t a factor, what would be
your dream job?”

21. HIRING THE BEST DAMN PM’S
HAVE AN ETHOS
▸ Always display a sense of urgency
▸ Never say “That’s not my job”
▸ Always take the high-road
▸ DON’T BE A HERO

22. WILL ROGERS
“EVEN IF YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT
TRACK, YOU WILL GET RUN OVER
IF YOU JUST SIT THERE.”

23. @KRTS &
KRTSCHMIDT.COM
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@FoundryMakes
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