Exposing Project Management's Scary Language: The Truth About Starting a Project

Many times we’re put in a position to manage projects without any project management experience. This can be for a lot of reasons – your group is without a project manager, your project manager is overloaded, or you’re transitioning to a new role. No matter how you found yourself in the project manager hot seat, you need to know how and where to start. You need to quickly learn how to speak the language, analyze and set the metrics, and get things moving towards success.

"Ok now I know I need help! Where do I start and how do I get projects moving?"

In this session, we’ll go through the basics step by step of getting a project off the ground – from identifying when you actually have a project to getting it mapped out.  We’ll discuss best practices when managing not only a project but the people involved. This session will help attendees understand:

• Project – what it is and how do I know when I am dealing with one?

• Scope – what it means and how do I keep it in check?  What’s this scope creep thing I keep hearing about?

• Stakeholders – who are they? Why are they involved? What is their level of influence?

• Dependencies – how to identify and account for them?

• Schedule & Tools – where and how do I put this whole project all together?

At the end of this session, you won’t be ready for the PMP exam, but you will be a step closer and ready to handle the challenges within your organization. You’ll have some basic tools and strategies to tackle the projects within your organization. You'll walk away with knowledge of how to identify projects, work through scope and keep expectations in check.

About the Speaker:

Jessica Rothfuss is a Technical Project Manager at BlackMesh in Ashburn, VA. She comes to the Drupal world just a year ago with a dynamic history in technology. Working for industry giants like AOL and Facebook, Jessica has worked with an array of teams on any conceivable project style. She has taught courses on Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Prep and software training, and philanthropically lends her knowledge and skills as a board member of the Grey Muzzle Organization.  Today Jessica heads BlackMesh's top projects with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and collaborates with leading Drupal companies.