4 keys to success a Producer/PM should consider
This article was originally published on my LinkedIn page in August 2020 and could be useful for project managers, producers, or similar roles willing to improve the task management processes and the performance of the team.
August the 3rd, what a great time to read about prioritization techniques and other project management things… Hello everyone and welcome to my monthly LinkedIn articles. Today we’ll be talking about 4 things that every competent project manager or producer should be aware but only a few sources are talking about. I assume that you already know some techniques or you are proficient with Google Search so I won’t stop to explain the meaning of some things in Key #1 and Key #2 like MoSCoW or PERT. Let’s skip the long introduction and cut to the point.
1. Combined Prioritization.
The first thing that comes to mind when you talk about staff management or production is prioritization. You have to prioritize the tasks, the deadlines, the budget, and even your own time. Some people use easy and swift methods like Warren Buffett’s Two Lists technique or The Ivy Lee Method based on indicating the most valuable and meaningful tasks and forgetting about everything else until it’s done, some use complex and time-consuming approaches like RIСE or WSJF which requires calculating under specific formulas. But there is no ultimate way of prioritizing everything because different aspects of your work need different approaches.
For example, my team is developing a new game. First of all, I’m going to use Eisenhower Matrix because it’s the way I plan my daily/weekly routine from job to chores and it works for me.
Actually, it can be any other Matrix model with custom axes like Impact-Effort matrix, I just like the cross-separated charts as they have great usability and easy to view. As Eisenhower said: “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important”, and the matrix structure helps to understand it clearly. I think models like MoSCoW are close to the matrix structure too. But let’s stick to the example.
For MVP I’ll use the Walking Skeleton model to build core principles on the grey boxes and identify the critical points.
It’s the easiest way to cut the fat of your concept and leave only the necessary features for the prototype to test the key functionality only. This is suitable for our studio since we don’t use the “prototype + UA” scheme most mobile F2P developers are using… Anyway, for live-ops scheduling, I prefer WSJF as the most accurate way to include all the aspects of each task in the prioritization process. Finally, each step will be “filtered” with Agile Ordering.
Different goals of the project, different phases of the development, and different teams require different prioritization frameworks so…
Key number one: try to learn different techniques so you can combine them in your prioritization process.
2. Be flexible about your plans.
The second thing that comes to my mind is planning. I’m talking about all kinds of planning now: budget planning, long-time support planning, weekly sprint planning, daily routine planning… What all these things have in common except the word “planning”? Yeah, right, plans can change.
You need to keep calm and embrace the fact that plans are flexible. So you better be flexible too. That’s what it takes to be “agile” — be ready for changes. Sometimes I plan the roadmap for the project but it needs to be pushed back because some KPIs went down or unexpected crashes appeared. And sometimes it needs to be completely changed because stakeholders decide to change the course of the project evolution. That’s ok, it happens in the SaaS or GaaS development industry. Stop acting like your planned roadmap is the only possible, be flexible, and find a new, better way.
Randy Pausch once said: “You can always change your plan. But only if you have one”. So always plan but also plan to change the plan :) What I mean is to keep planning ahead. Yes, plans can change but that doesn’t mean that your work will be wasted. Regarding the methods, it’s up to you. I recommend the Gantt chart or PERT chart.
Key number two: plan your timeline but remember that it can change dramatically any minute.
3. Stay up to date.
Keep the stream of knowledge constant. Your professional environment is evolving day by day and you have to keep your mind sharp and open. Mostly all the ideas the industry comes up with are just rethinking the old principles. But it’s not only about the fresh ideas but also about the words people use to deliver their thoughts. Sometimes even a simple description of a method you are familiar with can light up a bulb in your head because of the original example. I encourage you to subscribe to some newsletters. The majority of modern project management software companies have their own blog and it can be a great place to start. For example, check out the Meister blog or Trello blog.
Or go and find inspiring people on the web to follow. There are plenty of great specialists and leaders on LinkedIn whom you can follow like Brigette Hyacinth or Susanne Madsen. You can start by adding them to your feed and algorithms will change your recommendations significantly. Plus you can find a sweet bonus of new connections with fellow thinkers in the comment sections. It’s always great to share knowledge and experience with such people because “When one teaches, two learn” as Robert Heinlein said.
Key number three: always keep learning.
4. Personality and personalization in everyday connection.
I combined these two not because they sound good together but because they are connected also. I’ve already written about personalization in several articles as I believe it is extremely important. Employees will trust you only if you will be part of the team and not an observing supervisor. I won’t repeat all the keynotes, I’ll just leave here a link to my first article.
I want to add something regarding interpersonal communications. Everybody knows that project managers or producers oversee the meetings, negotiations, and all those things. But what some people forget is that the manager needs to control and literally translate the replies of the sides. You have to feel the flow of the dialogue really good to notice when the interlocutors slip away from the point. You need to identify the miscommunications because often people seem to be talking about the same thing but understand it differently. You need to be the perfect mediator to make the communication as transparent as possible. But at the same time, it’s nice to be friendly and open to suggestions. And that is the hard balance to maintain.
Your personality is as important as the personality of any other member of your team. It’s good to have a sense of humor but also be reliable and responsible. It’s even better to combine hard skills like Photoshop and Unity with soft skills like negotiations and mentorship. And this brings us back to Key #3 — keep learning on a daily basis. But to learn something you have to develop a desire to learn — and that is a part of your personality. Incredible recursion!
Key number four: be a moderator but also a team player.
Summary:
Key number one: try to learn different techniques so you can combine them in your prioritization process.
Key number two: plan your timeline but remember that it can change dramatically any minute.
Key number three: always keep learning.
Key number four: be a moderator but also a team player.
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Well, I hope that was useful for those of you who got this far. Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts about this article. All the feedback is appreciated. Have a great day!
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
