Special Libraries Association (SLA) Project Management Webinar Series - Part 3: Applying Project Management to the Real World (Library)

1. From Idea to Implementation: A
Project Management Case Study for
Book a Librarian
Lisa Chow | Sandra Sajonas
People Interact Consultancy
November 29, 2018
SLA Project Management Webinar Series -
Part 3: Applying Project Management to the Real World (Library)

2. Did you successfully
complete the project?
How is the project going?
What’s the project
purpose, scope, and plan?
What are the tasks,
milestones, and
priorities of the project?

3. Design
Your project plan should answer
questions like: What are your
project goals and outcomes?
Project Plan
● Boundaries
● Strategy
● Deliverables
● Acceptance Criteria
● Constraints
● Assumptions
● Cost Estimates
● Cost Benefit Analysis
What’s the project purpose,
scope, and plan?

4. Designing BAL
Who? What? Book a Librarian (BAL) is a
reference service model in which patrons can
schedule one-on-one appointments with a
librarian for in depth reference assistance.
Why? BAL allows librarians to provide higher
quality reference service with the opportunity to
highlight librarians’ skill sets and knowledge
base beyond the usual directional and
ready-reference questions. Patrons are getting
information literacy and bibliographic instruction
and are being empowered in today’s
informational world.
When? Where? How? Librarians work
individually with patrons, away from the
reference desk.

5. Designing BAL
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Perfection is the enemy of progress
● Find advocates and sponsors in
management
● WIIFM “What’s In It For Me?”
● Environmental scan
● Maintainability and sustainability
● Cost-benefit analysis
● Risk analysis

6. “When it comes to project management,
it’s the people that matter.”
Thomas Lechler

7. Can you feed your project team with two pizza pies?
“The optimal size (and composition) of teams is debated and will vary depending on the task at hand. At least one study of
problem-solving in groups showed an optimal size of groups at four members. Other works estimate the optimal size
between 5-12 members or a number of members that can consume two pizzas.” - Wikipedia

8. Forming Your Project Team
Shortlist SWOT Analysis Recruit/Invite Smaller Subteams Task Delegation

9. Develop
● Schedule via backward planning
● Flow/Task Analysis
● Error Analysis
● Quick and Dirty Prototyping
● MoSCoW method
● Be SMART
What are the tasks, milestones,
and priorities of the project?

10. Developing BAL
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Work in beta/soft launch
● Paths of least resistance
● Front-loading tasks
● Time and bandwidth allocation
● Describe work in # of hours
● Build in buffer time

11. Martha Stewart Party Planning Rule
Remember the Martha Stewart party planning rule
or the ease/elegance/economy rule for project management.

12. Project Management Situation:
Running Effective Meetings
● Don’t be afraid to end a meeting early.
● Keep in mind the 2 D’s of meetings: to
discuss and decide.
● Avoid meetings with vague purposes
such as “status updates”.
● Save communication and updates for
emails.
● Throw out Robert’s Rules of Order.
● Have a designated notetaker.
● Walk and Talk. Try standing or walking
meetings.

13. More Tips on Running Effective Meetings
● KISS - keep it small and simple.
● Make sure everyone is participating and call out people who are not.
● Send out an agenda beforehand and be clear about meeting objectives.
● Parking lot it. Set aside issues or topics that can’t be resolved right then.
● Make sure EVERYONE leaves the meeting with a clear task/job with
deadline for next meeting.

14. Project Management Situation:
Handling Inactive Team Members

15. Project Management Situation:
Managing Team Conflict
● Compromise/Consensus
○ Dot-voting or Quaker model
● Acknowledge and listen
● Agree to disagree
● Exercise power
● Call in project sponsor

16. Project Management Situation:
Managing Scope Creep
A team member suggested: How
about including book a technical
specialist?
Our response: It’s great that BAL is
inspiring ideas and you’re welcome to
start a new service for that specific
purpose. Book a Librarian will be just for
booking a librarian for research
purposes. It’s important that the service
is focused and concise.

17. Analyze
How is the project going?
Behavioral
Mapping
Be Your Customer Camera Journal
Character Profiles Co-creation Cognitive Maps
Collage
Social Network
Mapping
Stakeholder Meeting
Guided Tour
Extreme User
Interviews
Cross-Cultural
Comparisons
Quick & Dirty
Prototyping
Flow Analysis Draw the Experience
Predict Future
Headlines
5 Whys? Error Analysis
Paper Prototyping Fly on the Wall Expectation Map
Narration
Foreign
Correspondents
Historical Analysis
Service Safaris What if...?
Competitive Product
Survey
Task Analysis Interviews CharrettesCheck out our Monthly Method Spotlight series
https://peopleinteract.wordpress.com/tag/method-spotlight

18. Analyzing BAL
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Keep in mind that project analysis
can be done at any stage of project
● Qualitative & quantitative
● Identify problem areas
● Analyze the project itself
● Analyze the project management
process

19. Did you successfully complete
the project?
● How do you evaluate your project?
● Should we do surveys or
evaluations? What kind of questions
should you ask? How do you get
people to fill out surveys?
● When is a project finished? When
can you as project manager end the
project?Evaluate

20. Evaluating BAL
Tips, Tricks, and
Lessons Learned
● Keep a project management journal
● Outcome based evaluations
● Qualitative and quantitative
● Don’t forget to celebrate
2010 Innovation in User Experience
Book at Librarian at Brooklyn Public Library

21. Project Management Tools
...and many more.

22. Project ownership (for
both project managers
& project teams) is key
to better project
management.

23. People Interact Consultancy
~It’s about people.
We work with libraries and nonprofits to implement creative solutions to effectively improve individual
and organizational performance. Our objective is to enhance organizational effectiveness by focusing
on the human element. Our services include impact-based evaluation, unconferences for
organizational development, and leadership and career development. http://bit.ly/peopleinteract
Presentation slides: http://peopleinteract.wordpress.com/blog