I am playing catch up big time and have entered a slight panic due to other commitments and life getting in the way. Considering the topic I am coming back to do it seems pretty on point, Time and Project management! While I’ve been loving the course so far the past few weeks have got on top of me due to life and trying to fit in everything, kids, other commitments and juggling an MA course on top of full-time job. I have fallen behind, so I am now in the predicament where I am not enjoying things because I am panicking about completing everything and feeling like I am failing. But the only way to get back on track is to focus and work to catch up. So, onward…
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. - Mark Twain
One of the most common obstacles that projects ( and I ) face is poor time management. Some of the tools and techniques to manage this are having well structured and defined project plans. Having a really clear brief, scope and objectives saves so much time. Having good communication with stakeholders and having a proper work breakdown structure helps to keep project deliverables on track.
Kanban vs. Scrum…they are both iterative work systems that rely on process flows.
With Kanban, there are no pre-defined roles for a team. Although there can still be a Project Manager, it is more collaborative and supportive, jumping in where needed if other people need help.
With Scrum team members have a predefined role, where the Scrum master dictates timelines, the Product owner defines goals and objectives and team members execute the work.
Tools for project management that I use to keep track of everything are things like Trello, I also use Microsoft teams planners to create buckets to track what I am doing but there are many other ways to track projects you just have to choose the right one for you.
Analysing and developing a schedule and timeline for project completion. Formalised time management processes provide a buffer against unexpected things that may happen ( like life ). Effective project management helps to create more time for teams and other stakeholders to deliver on projects. A few benefits of effective project time management are:
- Fewer mistakes
- Less stress (feeling stressed right now due to my lack of management)
- Increased productivity
- Staying within budget (not relevant for this but still)
- Efficiency and proficiency
Agile project management is an iterative approach to managing projects that focuses on continuous releases and incorporating customer feedback with every iteration.
The agile management philosophy concentrates on empowered people and their interactions, and early and constant delivery of value into an enterprise.
- The project breaks a requirement into smaller pieces, which are then prioritised by the team in terms of importance.
- The agile project promotes collaborative working, especially with the customer.
- The agile project reflects, learns and adjusts at regular intervals to ensure that the customer is always satisfied and is provided with outcomes that result in benefits.
- Agile methods integrate planning with execution, allowing an organisation to create a working mindset that helps a team respond effectively to changing requirements.
“Deciding what NOT to do is as important as deciding what to do.” - Steve Jobs
Kick-Off :
In the first of two rapid ideation sessions, a theme was revealed. It consists of the Tarot card Death this card represents the end of something and implies a moment of self-awareness.
Brainstorm: First I brainstormed what death is, the elements around death. Followed by a brainstorm about apps or games that I could create around those elements of death.
Idea:
I settled on the more literal concept of death and my main idea I was an app to help children through the grieving process. I worked in health care and end of life care for a few years and it was one of my main responsibilities to deal with end of life care so I often witnessed the lead up to death and the aftermath , grandparents, parents dying and such. Watching the family in such devastating circumstances I often had such empathy for the children losing people and while I tried to help in the short time I had comforting families after the death of their loved one, it was not enough to really help children to understand and process what had happened. I considered the audience age range and decided on a narrative approach, perhaps a story telling app where the child could choose their path, offering helpful advice along the way and interactive remembrance elements.
Diversifiers:
I decided to not use diversifiers in this RI session.
The reason for “diversifiers” is to push yourself creatively in interesting directions and to help ideate with fast-track creativity born from constraints but I don’t feel like I need them in this case.
Project plan:
Now that I have an idea and direction and a rough idea of what I would like to do, I decided to sketch out a quick project plan for myself. I have a kanban board on Trello to help me manage tasks and progress. As with all of my projects I am using an agile methodology.
Prototyping:
I am going to do some paper prototypes and then build a low fi interactive prototype in Figma.
I have really struggled the past couple of weeks, I have been so busy at work and in my personal life. I need to make sure that going forward I plan better for times when I will be away or more busy and stressed with “life stuff” and put better plans in place to prevent falling so far behind. I have some good ideas for going forward and will continue to push through. I am so stressed out about my work load which sends me into a sort of freeze phase where I get completely overwhelmed but if I do little bits but often I know I will be fine. Having been set a theme for an RI session I look forward to planning that project and creating a working low fi prototype.
- LEWRICK, M., LINK, P. and LEIFER, L., 2018. The design thinking playbook. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- APM (2016). Agile project management. [online] Apm.org.uk. Available at: https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/find-a-resource/agile-project-management/. [Accessed 25 July 22]
- Lynn, R. (n.d.). Agile Best Practices for More Effective Teams | Planview LeanKit. [online] Planview. Available at: https://www.planview.com/resources/guide/agile-methodologies-a-beginners-guide/agile-best-practices-effective-teams/. [Accessed 25 July]]
The Design thinking playbook
Lewrick, M., Link, P. and Leifer, L., 2018. The design thinking playbook. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Design of Every day things
Norman, D.A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things. Massachusetts: Mit Press.