Living with ImperfectionDPM SUMMIT 2016

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WHY HELLO

I’m Betty Chan!

Senior PMAT P U R P O S E

5 Years# P M L I F E

8 YearsB OX I N G

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WHAT I USED TO BELIEVE IN

The Perfect Plan

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THE CHARACTERISTICS

1. Everyone hits their milestones, on time

2. Clients sign-off with no further changes

3. Team executes all work to the tee of their estimates

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WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS

You can’t plan for what you don’t see coming

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We want to increase ticket sales for our upcoming season.

T H E C L I E N T

Tell us why your team is interested in doing this project now.

YO U

AT THE START OF THE PROJECT…

Of course. Any other goals?

YO U

Yes, but they’re not as important.

T H E C L I E N T

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Could we also build a personality quiz?

T H E C L I E N T

Sounds cool, but could we ask why?

YO U

LATER IN THE PROJECT…

Because our CEO really likes quizzes.

T H E C L I E N T

YO U

SEE SOMETHING,

SAY SOMETHING.

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KNOW THY GOALS

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STEP 1

Kindly remind the client of their goals. (Again.)

• Treat your client as you would a friend.

• Understand before you diagnose. Ask

questions to understand use cases.

• If the request conflicts with the project’s goals,

don’t be afraid to say so.

• Offer achievable alternatives.

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P R O T I P S

STEP 2

Get on the phone and talk it out.

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• Encourage conversations between

discipline teams.

• Always clarify effort against a specific

timeframe.

• Make the call – is there enough value?

P R O T I P S

DON’T FORGET!

Curb scope creep from your own team.aka Gold-Plating

T IME &

EFFO

RT

VA LU E TO C L I E N T

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Success! Aw, sh*t…VSThe bloated comparison tool. The super-hero module.

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T H E C L I E N T

Sure!

These designs look great! It has everything we asked for.

T H E C L I E N T

Wonderful. Are we ready to move into development?

YO U

YO U

SOMEWHERE NEAR THE END OF DESIGN PHASE…

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So, our legal team just told us we need to credit every, single photo.

T H E C L I E N T

A LITTLE LATER IN THE PROJECT…

What the f*ck

YO U

It’s too late to do anything about it!

Why didn’t you tell us sooner?

BREATHE, YOU’VE GOT OPTIONS.

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THERE’S LIFE BEYOND THE SIGN-OFF.

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E V E N I F T H E AS K F E E L S M A N AG E A B L E

( FO R N OW )

Can I ask for more money?

Can I trade scope?

M A K E U P FO R LO ST T I M E

O R B U D G E T

Can I “eat”the cost?

A H A P P I E R C L I E N T, A B E T T E R P R O D U CT

STEP 1

Talk options.

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STEP 2

Start a new features tracker.

THERE IS NO FEATURE

TOO SMALL TO TRACK

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P R O T I P S

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1. Block out time to write (~30 min after

meeting).

2. Imagine you’re writing for a new producer.

Use consistent keywords.

3. Store documentation where everyone can

access it (not your email).

4. Link to the tracker from the original request.

Document, smartly.

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Success! Aw, sh*t…VS “We talked about this before.”A 75% change of heart.

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Honey, calm down.

YO U R S I G N I F I CA N T OT H E R

I hate this project!! The client wants us to blah blah blah…

YO U

AFTER A LONG DAY…

No! I just can’t believe they did blah blah blah…

YO U

Let’s be real here…

YO U R S I G N I F I CA N T OT H E R

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FACT

Nobody died.

YOU CAN DO

ANYTHING, BUT NOT EVERYTHING.

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DON’T STRESS THE STRESS

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STEP 1

Hit something.

(JK, kinda.)

STEP 2

Ask for help.

STEP 3

Share the lesson.

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Success! Aw, sh*t…VSPunching therapy. My first lost project.

THE TAKEAWAYS

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You always have options.

Creep comes in many forms. Document,

smartly.

Keep your eyes on the goals.

THE TAKEAWAYS.

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OK, YOUR TURN.

Any questions?

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@BoxBoxBetty

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

www.linkedin.com/in/bettychan