end resource management smackdowns: how to make allocating a breeze
TRANSCRIPT
End Resource Management SmackdownsHow To Make Allocating a Breeze
Who do we have in our audience?
● Agency DPM?● In House DPM? ● How long have you been a Digital PM?
○ <1 | 5 | 10 | 20+● How many other Digital PMs are there in
your organization?○ 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 +
● Who has unlimited resources and never has a resource conflict ever?
Goal
Provide prescriptive guidance on making resource management within a digital agency/organization as smooth as possible
Agenda
● About Me● Reason for Resource Smackdowns● How to Avoid the Smackdowns
About MeWho is this person talking to you?
Josh Zapin, CSM, PMP:● Nearly 20 years of building digital
applications/websites/teams● Director of Operations/Production/Project
Management for several agencies and eCommerce organizations
● Scrum Certified (CSM) for 5 years; PMI (PMP certified) for 14 years
● Started Corvus3 to consult Digital Agencies/Orgs on improving operations
Who is this person talking to you?
Who is this person talking to you?
People are what you need to make it happen
But there aren’t enough people to make it happen
UNLIMITED RESOURCES
RESOURCE CONFLICTS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
Resource AllocationHow to end smackdowns in 3 steps
PEOPLE
PROCESSTOOLS
Three “lenses”
1
2
PEOPLE
Improvement pillars follow a linear pattern
1
Step #1 - PeopleSomebody has to worry about it
Who are involved? Who owns it?
Organizational Overseers:● Chief Operations Officer● Director of Project
Management/Production
Resource Requesters:● Project Managers● Producers
Resource Owners:● Technology Director● Creative Director● Chief Technology Officer● Chief Creative Officer
Someone has to sweat the resource allocation details
Ideally, it’s not an “in the trenches” PMs/Producers:● Need someone to see “above” the project at
hand● Adherence to the organization rather than a
particular project● Must be objective about resource needs
Who should own it?
Organizational Overseers:● Chief Operations Officer● Diretor of Project
Management/Production
Resource Requesters:● Project Managers● Producers
Resource “Owners:”● Technology Director● Creative Director● Chief Technology Officer● Chief Creative Officer
As a last resort: A Project Manager
In smaller organizations, it could be a Project Manager if:● There is only one PM in the group● There is a PM with Director/Manager
wherewithal/desires
PEOPLEDefine who is involved/Make
someone responsible
PROCESS
Improvement pillars follow a linear pattern
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Step # 2 - ProcessAllocations need regular nurturing
Conflicts occur when you least expect it
Problem:Their project was having trouble and needed temporary .net help ASAP
Solution:My project had .net developers and could spare a few to help out
New Problem: How do you make sure you don’t mess up both projects?Solution:A weekly resource allocation process to deal with change
Solution: Allocate at a regular interval (weekly)
Notes:● Each shape represents
WHAT will be done● WHO will do it is noted in
the the “swimlane” for that process. They can span multiple roles
● WHEN a process will be done is noted in the columns
● Processes could have many tasks that aren’t detailed
● Sub-processes have more processes where other roles are, potentially, responsible
How to read swimlane flowcharts
Regular Allocation: Who is involved?
Regular Weekly Allocation: What is being done?
Regular Allocation: When to do it?
PEOPLEDefine who is involved/Make
someone responsible
PROCESSMake it
regular/boringTOOLS
Improvement pillars follow a linear pattern
1
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Step # 3 - ToolsBring it all together and make it scalable!
Should you store resource allocations in your head?
Keeping resource allocations in your head is a bad idea
● You forget● It’s not visible to a larger group that shares the
responsibility● Hit-by-the-bus theory of management breaks
down
There are a lot of tools out there
K.I.S.S.(Keep It Simple, Stupid)
Start simple: Use a spreadsheet
Spreadsheets are simple: ● Columns/Rows/
Numbers/Calculations● Flexibile● Shareable/Collaborative
in real time● “Free”
Start with the team
The Team
List out their function
What they do
Keep things organized
Extra Credit:
Separate Sheets by
Team
Detail out what they’re doing
What they are
doing
Detail when they are doing it?
When they are doing it
Indicate how long it will take to do
How long it will
take to do it
Include a total too
Look to the future from the organization perspective
Get this sheet for free!
http://corvus3.com/dpmsummit2015
PEOPLEMake someone
responsible
PROCESSMake it
regular/boring
TOOLSMake it scalable
Improvement pillars follow a linear pattern
1
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Key TakeawaysWhat you really need to do to end the smackdowns
If nothing else, remember these three things
● Resource Allocation is a role within an organization; even if you can’t dedicate someone, someone needs to be responsible for it (and it shouldn’t be a PM).
● To make sure it gets handled appropriately, you need to bank on a consistent process. Something that is done every interval (recommended weekly) the same way and has room to handle conflicts
● Leverage a tool to insure that it is trackable and scalable and doesn’t get in the way. A spreadsheet is a good way to start.
Thank you!
Josh Zapin, PMP, CSM@[email protected]://www.corvus3.com
Meetup: Rocky Moundtain Digital Project Managers