Managing the Project (the primer before the paint)

At the most basic levels, Project Management can be an effective tool to grasp the goals and objectives at hand. Project Management (PM) is a fundamental part of every project. It encourages you to create the outline for the project’s life-cycle, detail the milestones throughout the project, and assign the resources (whether they are people, groups, objects) to each of the tasks. Although PM is not always the first step in your process, the decision to use PM is just as important to your project’s success. A solid footing of PM principles (to be applied) will allow for a relaxed and energetic environment for Step One: Brainstorming and the Think Tank.

This idea-challenge is a fun and engaging project, and as I have worked with Bob in the past, the discussions and problem-solving forums tend to be a very open and “no-idea-is-too-crazy” type of setting. Successful brainstorming must begin with guidelines and parameters – who is involved, what do we need to accomplish, and what are the financial hurdles and/or restrictions. Once these details are laid out and documented (for future reference, as it will come up again), you can open the table to discussions, and begin to tackle the most important of the outstanding questions. A less structured atmosphere is acceptable, at first, as the group becomes familiar and comfortable with one another.

After the walls have come down and everyone feels that they are a valued member of the whole, begin to use techniques like mind mapping and basic note taking and outlining to capture the ideas and new issues that will arise. Our project has had many rounds of notes and visual aides (from basic meeting notes to a very detailed SEO/SMO global site map). As I am a visual person, my understanding lies in the detail I capture when speaking with someone and my ability to visualize and form analogies to our specific situation. The better I am able to equate today’s challenge and hurdle with other relevant history, the more effective I can be to solve the problem and facilitate its completion. Even though I tend to be a more visual learner, I still recommend the use of visual aides as you balance the speed at which the group members engage and grasp your objectives.

As your meetings progress and your group narrows their focus on the best ideas, you will begin to converge on the next step -Step Two: Create the Short List of Key Ideas and Actions.