Let Me Guide You to the Purple Rain: Leading Project Teams to Healthier Client-Agency Relationships
Andrea Beithon
Being a project manager can feel like being the rope in a Tug of War. On one side you have your client’s desires and on the other your agency’s realities. Add to that the technical demands of the Drupal ecosystem and any project manager can be stretched too far. Project teams can easily become polarized, decrease in efficiency and, sooner or later, dissolve altogether.
The client-agency relationship is an inherently difficult one; misunderstandings of responsibilities, the role of the larger Drupal community in the project, and ever-changing priorities can put strain on the relationship. Like any good relationship, the key to success is communication.
As the communication kingpin, PMs are in the best position to ensure success for the entire team. Facilitating communication doesn’t have to be difficult. Most headaches can be alleviated by simply training your client on project strategy and coaching your team on effective communication. Equipped with a solid understanding of healthy client-agency relationship dynamics, project managers can make happy teams without compromising efficiency.
http://2015.tcdrupal.org/session/let-me-guide-you-purple-rain-leading-project-teams-healthier-client-agency-relationships
Being a project manager can feel like being the rope in a Tug of War. On one side you have your client’s desires and on the other your agency’s realities. Add to that the technical demands of the Drupal ecosystem and any project manager can be stretched too far. Project teams can easily become polarized, decrease in efficiency and, sooner or later, dissolve altogether.
The client-agency relationship is an inherently difficult one; misunderstandings of responsibilities, the role of the larger Drupal community in the project, and ever-changing priorities can put strain on the relationship. Like any good relationship, the key to success is communication.
As the communication kingpin, PMs are in the best position to ensure success for the entire team. Facilitating communication doesn’t have to be difficult. Most headaches can be alleviated by simply training your client on project strategy and coaching your team on effective communication. Equipped with a solid understanding of healthy client-agency relationship dynamics, project managers can make happy teams without compromising efficiency.
http://2015.tcdrupal.org/session/let-me-guide-you-purple-rain-leading-project-teams-healthier-client-agency-relationships