August/September 2005

Volume 46, Number 1

Tips from the Trenches

by Deb Lockwood

No matter the job title and no matter the industry, all technical communicators have one thing in common: we must all manage our projects. This month I posted the following request to both the Rocky Mountain community and the Consulting and Independent Contracting (CIC) Special Interest Group (SIG) e-mail discussion lists: Would you tell me what project management tools (e.g., software applications, techniques) you use to manage your work-related projects? Also, do you have any recommendations for books, magazines, Web sites, or classes that would help people to expand their project management skills?

At CSG Systems, Inc., we track our projects' milestone dates using a home-grown Microsoft Access database. Doing so allows management to monitor our team's progress across products and projects, and to pull reports. Personally, I use an Excel spreadsheet that I created years ago to help me stay on top of the milestone deadlines for multiple projects. This simple one-page spreadsheet shows me at a glance what is out for review, when it is due back, and how quickly I need to turn it around. I update the dates and tasks once a week.

Following is a compilation of the responses I received from our experts in the field:

Rodger Ward: I typically use a combination of an in-house project management application that we call Scope and Track and then add Excel spreadsheets. Scope and Track provides only a few, very basic functions plus management reports. I use the spreadsheets to track the project pieces that belong to me.

Victoria Thomas: I am taking several courses through the American Management Association as part of their Project Management certificate program. I have found their classes very helpful. For more information on the AMA Certificates in Project Management, see http://www.amanet.org/seminars/Certificate_detail.cfm?cat=209&cp=6.

Susie Cone: Of the project management methods used at Sun Microsystems, Inc, two are the most common: the PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) method and the Project Management Institute (PMI) method.

The PRINCE2 method of project management, originally developed by the United Kingdom government's Office of Government Commerce, "entirely describes a structured method for approaching, managing, and closing down a project of any type or size." The PRINCE2 method tells you "what should be done and why it should be done - but it stops short of telling you how to do it"; it is descriptive, not prescriptive. PRINCE2 is a public-domain method, although manuals, training, and certification (Foundation and Practitioner) are available.

The PRINCE2 method contains three main elements: Processes, Components, and Techniques:

* Processes:
- Starting up a Project
- Directing a Project Process
- Initiating a Project
- Controlling a Stage
- Managing Product Delivery
- Managing Stage Boundaries
- Closing a Project process
- Planning process

* PRINCE2 Components:
- Business Case
- Organization
- Plans
- Controls
- Risk Management
- Quality in a Project Environment
- Configuration Management
- Change Control

* PRINCE2 Techniques:
- Product-Based Planning
- Change Control Approach
- Quality Review Technique

SunIT has used the PRINCE2 method in many of its projects. PRINCE2 does provide templates for its components, which is helpful when starting a project and for maintaining consistency in documentation across projects. More information on PRINCE2 can be found at the official PRINCE2 website: http://www.prince2.com/index.html.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) method includes a Framework ("basic structure for understanding project management") and Knowledge Areas. PMI produces the "Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK (R - Registered Trademark)), which can be purchased from PMI on book or CD (with or without a membership in PMI), and is also often provided with PMI training courses. PMI certification is available at two levels: Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).

PMI prescribes the following knowledge areas (Source: PMBOK ® GUIDE 2000 Edition, but there is now a Third Edition available dated 2004):
- Initiating the Project
- Planning the Project
- Executing the Project
- Controlling the Project
- Closing the Project
- Professional Responsibility

Many of Sun's projects use the PMI framework in addition to or instead of the PRINCE2 method. PMI provides this framework, but does not suggest documentation templates as PRINCE2 does. More information on PMI can be found at the official PMI Website: www.pmi.org.

Judy Cantrell: We use TeamPlay by Primavera (http://www.primavera.com/customer/products/teamplay.asp). PMI is a good Web site for resources. From what I can tell, this is a hot field. If you're good at numbers crunching...this just might be the field for you.

Jennie Achtemichuk: I think it's important to not just focus on tools. Most of the effort I spend is on the project team communication and negotiation, as this drives all the constraints (and pain) I can face on a project. It's kind of like learning how to develop online help...you can learn easily to use the software tools, but the concepts and theory around hypertext are harder to find and apply.

Kim Lee Shaw: I'm very low-tech! I use a desk pad calendar to note due dates and meetings. Sometimes I also enter tasks (action items or meetings) in my Outlook calendar as an extra reminder. For complex projects with multiple deliverables, deadlines, and reviewers, I usually design a simple tracking sheet that I can keep on my desk and check off items as they're completed. While I don't always use them, I also like the preprinted expanding project folders (the kind that you can buy at office supply stores). They're very handy for keeping all project information and material in one place. I can write project contact information and action items on the front of the folder where it's easy to find. Not exciting, but it seems to work.

Bonnie Jaye Biafore: I am a project manager and a writer so I have a lot of opinions about project management. As far as project management tools go, I do use Microsoft Project because most of my projects are relatively small. However, I've created a template specifically to help me manage my book writing projects including special fields to calculate the pages per hour that I write. Taking a few minutes to build a template saves hours, days, and even weeks down the road, so I'm always creating new templates in every software application I use.

Lots of folks don't get past the scheduling tools. Actually, I've found that one of the first programs that comes in handy is a word processor, because a project plan is mostly a text document; and yes, I've got a template for that too. I also use spreadsheets for budgets, Visio for all sorts of charts, and so on.

I've been doing a fair amount of work with Microsoft on all sorts of project management resources. The Work Essentials web site (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010931361033.aspx) is a career-based Web site, including, you guessed it, project management. The site includes articles, templates, and demos on lots of project management topics and it's growing every month (partly because I contribute several things each month.)

I also authored a course on project planning for Microsoft that is available through New Horizons (http://www.newhorizons.com/content/courseCatalog.aspx). For books, I particularly like "Fast Forward MBA in Project Management" by Eric Verzuh and "Project Planning, Scheduling & Control" by James P. Lewis. Of course, come February, my favorite book will be "On Time, On Track, On Target", but I have to finish writing it first!

[Note from Deb: Bonnie will be conducting a free Webcast on October 26, 2005, about project management and the Work Essentials Web site. During the Webcast she will be showing how to do several of the techniques she talks about in her articles. Go to the What's New section of Bonnie's Web site (www.bonniebiafore.com) for details about attending this session.]

Brenda Huettner: Yipes! This is a huge topic for one little article! For starters, I'd look at classic books like "Managing Your Documentation Projects" by JoAnn T. Hackos and "Starting a Documentation Group: A Hands-On Guide" by Peter J. Hartman. You can also look to the the STC Management SIG resources at www.stcsig.org/mgt (http://www.stcsig.org/mgt) (or more specifically, http://www.stcsig.org/mgt/HotTopics.htm). This site has links to lots of sample templates, guidelines, and other resources specifically for project management. Click the Learning link to view pages for managing people and managing businesses that you might find helpful! Another great reference is to search for publications on the main STC site (www.stc.org) by choosing Publications, then Search Pubs (you must be a member to do this search). This will let you search both the Intercom articles and the conference proceedings, where you'll find lots of additional references.

Dan Gallagher: Would it have been better to not e-mail you rather than to e-mail you to state that I have no project management tools other than my brain? (i.e. no application or software tools).

JoAnna Springsteen: Massive topic!! I agree with Brenda; always start with the Hackos book. (We call it the TC bible, actually.) In my previous job I was the lone Tech Writer in a newly formed project office. My best project management suggestion(s) would be the following:

1. Don't try and make up your own methodology. Go with something that is proven and add your own little variations.
2. Don't think that buying a big fancy tool will automatically change how you do projects or make your project management skills better overnight.

I created a pretty basic documentation project plan using Microsoft Project (I could have easily used Excel to do the same thing). Project at least helped me estimate my hours and get a sense of how long it actually took me to do certain tasks. For a doc project, it's really all I use.

I get most of my templates for project administration type stuff from PMI. If you're looking for a broad project management background (i.e., applicable to all types of projects, not just documentation projects), start poking around the PMBOK (Ed. This is a guide available through the www.PMI.org Web site). Six Sigma (http://www.isixsigma.com/) is another hot methodology right now and I know there are others too. You can probably find local classes or even online classes to help develop your project management skills. I'm pretty sure most PMI chapters offer workshops, so check one out in your area for some more tips.

The book I am just dying to read for project management stuff is called "Herding Chickens: Innovative Techniques for Project Management" by Dan Bradbary and David Garrett. It looks hilarious and when you get down to it, managing projects really is just like herding farm animals.

Contributors: Jennie Achtemichuk, Bonnie Jaye Biafore, Judy Cantrell, Susie Cone, Dan Gallagher, Brenda Huettner. Kim Lee Shaw, JoAnna Springsteen, Victoria Thomas, Rodger Ward.