Learning Commons:Student Orientation/Working With Content/Project Management Tools and Strategies

Here are a few tools and strategies that will help you work in a collaborative team

Gantt Charts

Gantt Charts help you visualize the timeline for large projects, meet deadlines and divide responsibilities. You can subdivide the workload into smaller pieces. Set deadlines for completion and landmarks for feedback or draft versions. Use colour coding to divide responsibilities. You can make a Gantt chart using Excel, Google spreadsheets or by hand. See an example of a Gantt chart the 2012 team used to organize the Student Toolkit re-development

Timelines

When working on larger projects, a useful strategy involves brainstorming all of the projects steps from the beginning stage to completion. Figure out what needs to happen first and which pieces can be developed simultaneously. For example, you need a draft version of your project before you can ask for feedback. Now put the pieces into a project timeline and attach specific dates. Be realistic about how much you can accomplish in a given timeframe. Review this regularly and hold each other accountable to the timeline. Define the ideal outcome of the project so you know what to work towards and when you will be finished.

Check-Ins and Meetings

Depending on how your team likes to work you may want to set up regular meetings with a formal structure to review progress on ongoing projects. In 2012, the team relied largely on informal check-ins and regular updates. Occasionally, we planned large chunks of time to tackle bigger pieces like a strategic review of a particular section of the site.

Feedback

While you are setting up a plan for your project, consider who you need to consult. Who are the stakeholders? Who are the users? Who has an area of expertise upon which you can draw? You will also want to think about what points in your process you will solicit feedback and how you will structure the feedback.

In 2012, the student team conducted some initial assessment of the Student Toolkits, looking at the online analytics and drawing from qualitative feedback from a student focus group. This helped the team determine what the needs of the project were. From there, we developed a proposal for the toolkit redevelopment, including a time-line, draft page, and explanation of process. With this in hand, we solicited feedback from our supervisors, the web team and other key stakeholders.

At several points throughout the process, we asked for feedback on our work. Depending on your project, you may ask for feedback in a variety of forms. Some examples include, sending out a draft and asking for feedback via email; presenting part of your project at a meeting a brainstorming ideas; holding a focus group and conducting detailed user testing. When asking for feedback, be sure to build in ample time for the person you asked to take a look at your project. While your timeline may require an immediate turn around, it is important to give people as much time as possible (depending on how large the request is, give at least 48 hours and ideally over one week).