The document discusses best practices for managing projects including shaping projects through design and prototyping, shepherding projects by communicating effectively and managing work, and shipping projects by building smartly and completing necessary reviews. It emphasizes the importance of iteration, listening to stakeholders, defining clear processes, and maintaining a calm and human approach.

1. @marihuertas
#OSCONcounts
hi@marihuertas.com
Thursday, July 25, 13

2. Everything counts.
Thursday, July 25, 13

3. The 4 D's:
- Data
- Design
- Development
- Devops
Thursday, July 25, 13

4. a gatekeeper for the
necessary vs. unnecessary
a dot connector to identify +
solve problems + relay info
a catalyst to move things
forward as swiftly as
possible
Thursday, July 25, 13

5. voter: gottaregister.com
gottavote.com, call tool
finance: OFA store, *quick
donate, payment processor
digital: microtargeting,
message blasting, story
tool, mobile apps, etc.
*Note: See great write-ups of OFA's quick donate structure at kylerush.net
Thursday, July 25, 13

6. how was the
workload?
we shipped every day.
for a few months,
I was managing +40
projects concurrently.*
*After that, I stopped counting.
Thursday, July 25, 13

7. distill the work:
shape,
shepherd,
ship.
Thursday, July 25, 13

8. shape
Thursday, July 25, 13

9. Lead with design.
Thursday, July 25, 13

10. "Good design used to make
you stand out on the web.
Now it's the price of entry."
Ev Williams
Thursday, July 25, 13

11. Prototype, prototype,
prototype. Then build.
Thursday, July 25, 13

12. “You don’t have to write production code
(much less ship it) to see if your idea is good.
“You don’t have to build a complete solution
to test a hypothesis.
“And you can do better than ‘move fast and
break things.’ Leave the time, waste, and
feature thrashing to inefficient startups with
infinite software engineers and money to
burn.”
Jesse Kriss on Medium: https://medium.com/product-design-1/6e4a02e52078
Thursday, July 25, 13

13. An idea is not a design
A design is not a prototype
A prototype is not a program
A program is not a product
A product is not a business
A business is not profits
Profits are not an exit
And an exit is not happiness.
Mike Sellers on Quora: http://www.quora.com/Startup-Advice-and-Strategy/As-first-time-entrepreneurs-what-
part-of-the-process-are-people-often-completely-blind-to
Thursday, July 25, 13

14. Learn whose voices
really matter, and listen.
Thursday, July 25, 13

15. Remember your
objective.
Thursday, July 25, 13

16. Define deployable.
Thursday, July 25, 13

17. This often is delayed
until the "ship" stage.
If you wait until then,
you're in trouble.
Go beyond the MVP.
Thursday, July 25, 13

18. Make the staffing
plan clear and
post it publicly.
*RACI charts (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) are great for this.
Thursday, July 25, 13

19. Be aware of tripwires.
Thursday, July 25, 13

20. Build your QA plan while
you shape your product.
Thursday, July 25, 13

21. shepherd
Thursday, July 25, 13

22. Shepherding is not
done only by the
project manager or
product person.
Thursday, July 25, 13

23. Engineering shepherds code.
Comms shepherds info.
Product shepherds design
and content.
Thursday, July 25, 13

24. Make your process
bare bones.
Thursday, July 25, 13

25. Recognize and
respect preferred
channels for
communication.*
* And yet: Mind the gaps. Close the loops.
Thursday, July 25, 13

26. Manage your work
through your outbox.
Thursday, July 25, 13

27. Speak plainly, openly,
frequently, and briefly.
Thursday, July 25, 13

28. ship
Thursday, July 25, 13

29. Fuck "fuck it, ship it".
Thursday, July 25, 13

30. Build fast, but build
smart.
Thursday, July 25, 13

31. Do code prelims,
code reviews,
and document work
along the way.
Thursday, July 25, 13

32. final thoughts
Thursday, July 25, 13

33. Default to calm.
Thursday, July 25, 13

34. Have fun.
Thursday, July 25, 13

35. Be human.
(Sometimes it's the
best thing you can be.)
Thursday, July 25, 13

36. Everything counts.
Thursday, July 25, 13

37. @marihuertas
#OSCONcounts
hi@marihuertas.com
Thursday, July 25, 13