Successful Projects 101:

Successful Projects 101: planning and managing a project for your library Sam Kalb, Assessment & Scholarly Communication Services Coordinator , Queen’s University Library kalbs@queensu.ca

Presentation Outline • Introduction • What Is a project? • What is project management? • Project management constraints • Project lifecycle: Scoping, Planning, Executing, Controlling, Closing • Project Software • Project-related Resources

What Is a Project? • Temporary in nature (e.g. create a set of online tutorials about using government documents) • Specific goals (e.g. set of online tutorials on finding Ontario government pubs) • Clear-cut starting and ending date • Dedicated funding (in most cases)

A library project may be: • Response to a specific opportunity, vision, or challenge (e.g. building project like establishing a learning commons or renovating the old library) • New management system/organizational restructuring (e.g. moving to a team-based structure) • Patron service (e.g. self-check circulation) • Special event/exhibition (e.g. library’s 25th anniversary) • Need to replace a dysfunctional legacy system (e.g. old library system) • Response to an external funding opportunity (e.g. the government is offering a grant to develop cooperative information services within communities)

Projects Are About Change • Change that can be measured/evaluated over time • how will behaviour be changed? • how will the change impact/benefit our users, staff? • what will be done more efficiently, effectively, or that we couldn’t do before?

What Project Management Isn‛t If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. George Harrison, "Any Road", Brainwashed, 2002. If you don't know where you are, a map won't help.

PM is a Process “Good project management doesn't have to be costly, complicated, or cumbersome. In short, don't panic. You already know a lot about managing projects. If you've moved to a new home, hosted a family reunion, or remodelled a bathroom, you already know about achieving objectives, sticking to a schedule, working within a budget, and delivering quality.” Biafore, Bonnie. On Time! On Track! On Target! Managing Your Projects Successfully with Microsoft® Project, Microsoft Press, c2006.

PM is Scalable No matter the size of the library or project, a good project management process can adapt to fit.

Benefits of Project Management • Knowing where you are going and when you have arrived • Identify manageable work loads • Identify where to focus your efforts • Knowing where you stand • Maintaining good communication • Keeping calm and maintaining consistency • Prevent problems and fire drills • Interdepartmental cooperation that builds synergies across the organization

Project Management & the Library • Libraries have historically been transaction based not project based, i.e. Reference desk transactions, number of books ordered, catalogued, processed, number of books circulated, shelved • Save dollars by using current staff - budget • Can work within work groups, but most significantly, across established work group

Stakeholders • All who are involved directly and indirectly with the project including students, faculty, staff, community, vendors. • Make a list of all the stakeholders identified so far in the project. • You may also want to detail roles of each stakeholder in this section. Understand the Organizational Culture!

Project Constraints Model A successful project: • Delivers the outcome with an agreed upon quality. • Does not overrun its end date. • Remains within budget (cost of resources). Time Outcome Quality Costs

Project Management Process • The basic elements of project management are illustrated in this project life cycle diagram. Singh, Manjeet. ProjectMind's Quick Guide to Project Management

Project Life Cycle • Initiation Phase (Scoping the Plan): identify need, deliverables & assign priority • Planning Phase (Developing the Plan): project specifics, such as tasks, milestones, and associated costs • Implementation Phase (Executing the Plan): applies project plan; direct team in producing deliverables; implement approved changes and corrective actions • Monitoring & Controlling Process: monitor the project’s schedule and budget, making adjustments as necessary, mitigate risk • Completion Phase (Closing Out the Project): projectassessment&wrap-up report, integrating into ongoing operations

Communication is Key

Communication Plan Whenever people work together, communication is an essential ingredient for success • A communication plan describes how you're going to keep the people involved with a project informed. • Communication strategies may be simple or sophisticated and can range from a weekly status report to a collaborative Web site. At their core, communication plans answer the questions: • Who needs to know? • What do they need to know? • When do they need to know it?

National Service Quality Benchmarking Project (LibQUAL Canada) - Communication Plan • Moderated discussion/announcement list • Consortial Web site • Members encouraged to contribute in shaping each phase of the project • Timelines and action items revised at each stage based on member input. • Reports to the sponsor (CARL) at completion of each milestone. • Highest priority: Every query to be answered in a timely fashion &, in most cases, exchange shared with the membership

Scoping the Project Scoping the Project Developing the Plan Launching the Project Monitoring & Controlling Closing Out the Project

Scoping the Project State the Problem/ Opportunity Establish the Project Goal Define the Project Objectives Identify the Deliverables / Success Criteria List Assumptions, Risks, Obstacles

State the Problem/ Opportunity Establish the Project Goal Define the Project Objectives Identify the Deliverables / Success Criteria List Assumptions, Risks, Obstacles

Problem/Opportunity • A short, crisply phrased piece of information covering: • what is to be done • why it is to be done • value it provides if it is done • A statement of fact that everyone in the organization will accept as true • Should communicate why the project should be accomplished

Queen’s Digital Repository Project Statement To establish an innovative institutional digital repository to collect, preserve, and enable distribution of research, teaching and learning material generated by Queen's scholars, teachers and researchers. It will reflect the Queen's goal to “Foster scholarship and interdisciplinary teaching and learning” , the library's goals to support learning and excellence in teaching and research (an extension of the consortial “Scholar's Portal” to digital publications) and provide a stable long-term storage and content management system to house academic materials in a variety of digital formats.

Queen’s Next Gen OPAC Project Statement • Improved user satisfaction with catalogue searching, and, secondarily, with the discovery environment for other local and remote sources; • No loss in current functionality, for example real time circulation records; • This is an interface replacement only; there is no intention to make improvements in technical services or circulation workflows; • Minimal ongoing staffing requirements, e.g. to maintain data connections

Primary Project Goal • A project has one primary goal which gives purpose and direction to the project • Defines the final deliverable and outcome • States in clear terms what is to be accomplished • Is a reference point for questions about scope and purpose of the project

National Service Quality Benchmarking Project • Opportunity: For Canadian libraries to benchmark their service performance measures and how libraries can use the results to improve services with other Canadian libraries. • Primary Goal: To create a large database of Canadian content that would offer meaningful benchmarking of services via as many Canadian academic libraries as possible participating in ARL’s LibQUAL+ Survey in 2007.

S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

Queen’s Digital Repository Project Sample of the Objectives • Install and configure the DSPACE software. • Customize base DSPACE software for Queen’s as specified by project team. • Create Demo for early adopters and project team. • Work with Community coordinators to customize early adopter communities. • Work with Community coordinators to post submissions using policy guidelines. • Create documentation and training program for training of staff assigned by project.

Success Criteria / Deliverables • Clearly state the expected impact • Articulate/quantify outcomes so success can be measured • Make a list of the deliverables to be produced by the project. • Describe each deliverable in an unambiguous manner that is understood by the team member responsible for it.

Queen’s Research Guides Project:Deliverables

Assumptions & Risks • Identify factors that might affect the outcome or completion of the project • Used to alert management & the project team to factors that may interfere with project work • Types of assumptions and risks • Technological (equipment problems) • Environmental (weather) • Interpersonal (need to rely on student workers) • Cultural (ensure don’t omit consultation with a key stakeholder group) • Political (the current economic crisis)

Queen’s Next Gen OPAC Project – Sample of Risks & Assumptions Risks • Timelines could be negatively affected by constraints on working group members, on availability of other staff for consultations and approvals & coordination with vendor. We accept the risk that the system may not be implemented for 2008/09. • The system options are new and in some cases unproven. We will endeavour to complete a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of each option, and develop an exit strategy for the chosen system. We do not foresee any risks to library data, and will ensure that there are none. Assumptions • The Library Administration and Management Team fully support this project and will champion it as a funding priority.

National Service Quality Benchmarking Project Underlying assumption: most libraries did not have dedicated assessment staff to manage the process successfully on their own Related Objectives: • To guide consortium members through the planning process, via discrete, manageable sets of actions; each stage with its own timelines and deliverables. • To provide an easy to use, one-stop resource for member libraries – with material, relevant to Canadian libraries, that could be readily adapted by individual libraries for their use.

Defining the Project Scoping the Project Developing the Plan Launching the Plan Monitoring & Controlling Closing Out the Project

Making Time to Plan Invest in the Planning Process • Taking the necessary time to plan & develop each phase of the project is key to a successful project – all the more important if you are new to project management or to the objective of the project • “Just getting on with the project” can be a recipe for failure

Pre-Planning - “Environmental Scan” • Brainstorm ideas • Conduct library visits • Research the topic • Review professional literature • Examine best practices at other libraries

Planning Phase Identify Project Tasks (WBS) Estimate Task Duration Determine Resource Requirements Construct/Analyze Project Network Prepare the Schedule/Timeline

Identify Project Tasks (WBS) Estimate Task Duration Determine Resource Requirements Construct/Analyze Project Network Prepare the Schedule/Timeline

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Breaks the project into chunks of work at a level of detail that meets planning and scheduling needs Broader Narrower

Queen’s Next Gen OPAC Project

Estimate Task Duration • Estimate task durations based on: • Similarity to other activities • Historical data • Expert advice • Skill levels of staff involved

Determining Resource Requirements • Identify all the resources required for each activity • Estimate the duration of each task • Linkage between and among activities/tasks

National Service Quality Benchmarking ProjectDetermining Resource Requirements

Successful Projects 101: