Cultivating a Culture of Project Management

Notes: View the community notes Google doc for this session.

Session Type: Presentation

Slides: Project Management SIG – Developing a Culture of PM at UM (Musolff, Zaytsev) Role of Communication in Agile Project Management (York)

Session Description The DLF Project Managers Group presents a panel of speakers who are interested in cultivating a culture of project management. Meghan Musolff and Angelina Zaytsev will discuss how the University of Michigan is attempting to develop this culture by creating positions entirely devoted to project management, as well as the creation of an informal skill sharing program open to all Library staff. Attendees will walk away with a framework and the tools to implement similar programs at their own institutions. Delphine Khanna from Temple University will address the broader question of how to manage developers’ schedules and how to communicate with administrators realistically about assigning staff resources. She will present the model being developed at Temple to tackle issues such as institution-wide project prioritization, how to handle shifting priorities, and how to maximize the developers’ job satisfaction and throughput in a systematic manner. Ann Caldwell from Brown University will discuss how with the implementation of agile project methodology has made planning easier and created a more comfortable environment for staff to take ownership of their work. Cynthia York from Johns Hopkins University will discuss the role of communication channels in agile project management. She will discuss how the use of various tools enhance communication among distributed team members, and the result of efforts to identify overlap which had led to gaps in communication. This diverse panel is designed to provide a space to highlight trends and issues in the broad discipline of library technology project management. Please come ready to listen and contribute to a larger discussion.

Following the session the Project Managers Group is hosting a lunch to continue the conversation.

Session Leaders Cristela Garcia-Spitz, University of California, San Diego Carolyn Caizzi, Northwestern University Ann Caldwell, Brown University Angelina Zaytsev, University of Michigan Cynthia York, Johns Hopkins University Delphine Khanna, Temple University Meghan Musolff, University of Michigan