Project Management for Libraries, Archives,

and MuseumsMargot Note

Author of Project Management for Information Professionals (2015)

Projects in Libraries, Archives, and Museums

• Increasing demand for technology implementation • Expanded user services • Decreased budgets and staff sizes• In a environment that requires doing more with less, information

professionals who master project management demonstrate their worth by getting things done under these exigent conditions.

What is a Project?

• A unique undertaking • composed of interrelated activities which has a well defined

beginning and end• often involving staff from cross-functional groups• that operates under specific constraints of resources, schedules, and

requirements

Project Attributes

• Has a goal• Has a time frame• Has a budget• Has specifications• Has a result• Requires a plan• Requires resources• Is unique• Is complex• Forges connections between departments

Projects vs. Operations

• Definite beginning and ending vs. no definite beginning and ending• Temporary vs. ongoing• Unique output vs. repetitive output• Diverse skills vs. specialist skills• Dynamic teams vs. functional teams• Cost constraints vs. annual budget• Estimated time and costs vs. fixed time and costs

Essential Questions

• What is the problem we are trying to solve?• How are we going to solve the problem?• What is our plan?• How will we know when we are done?• How well did the project go?

Examples of Projects

• Moving a library• Creating an intranet site• Digitizing a collection • Restructuring an information service• Carrying out research in an innovative area• Implementation of integrated library systems, digital repositories, and

open-source applications

What is Project Management?

• Applies knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project• Ensures that changes are implemented and their lasting benefits are

achieved• Unites individuals to form a team working toward a common goal

Project Management Benefits

• Reduces the chance of failure• Ensures a minimum level of quality and that results meet

requirements and expectations• Increases efficiency both on the project and within the organization• Assigns a single point of contact for the project• Encourages consistent communication• Controls costs, time, and resources

Project Management Knowledge Areas

• Scope management• Cost management• Communications management• Human resources management• Time management• Quality management• Risk management • Procurement management

Project Management Activities

• Determining goals and objectives • Working within budgets• Setting up schedules• Selecting teams and establishing individual roles• Communicating progress to stakeholders • Monitoring progress and controlling the project• Upholding quality standards• Maintaining team morale• Dealing with problems that arise• Assessing the project’s performance

Organizational Influences

• Vision, mission, values• Regulations, policies, procedures• Motivation, performance, and reward systems• Risk tolerance• Failure tolerance• Operating environment• Leadership style• Workplace culture

What is a Project Manager?

• Leads and coordinates the project • Serves as steward for resources • Balances knowledge, experience, ethics, and interpersonal skills• Combines technology with serving people, which makes them ideal

candidates to be project managers

Project Stakeholders

• Team members• Project sponsor• Users • Partners• Organizational groups• Functional managers• Government regulators• Consultants

The Triple Constraint

• Time• Cost • Scope• Also known as the Iron Triangle• For most projects, one of these three parameters is fixed, but

flexibility exists in at least one of the other two.

Project Life Cycle Stages

• Initiating• Planning• Executing• Monitoring • Closing

Initiating

• Goal: Authorize the project• Output: Project charter and preliminary project scope statement• Authorizes the project, and grants approval to commit resources to

working on it • Classifies what the project will endeavor to accomplish when it is

finished

Planning

• Goal: Prepare and schedule the work to perform the project• Output: Project management plan that contains auxiliary plans, such

as scope management plan and schedule management plan• Identifies the work to be done• Develops policies, procedures, and other documentation that define

the project• Has more processes than any other phase because it is essential to

the operations of the remaining phases

Executing

• Goal: Perform the project work• Output: Project deliverables• Expends the greatest amount of effort and resources• Develops the most conflict over schedules

Monitoring

• Goals: Supervise the progress to correct variances from the plan• Output: Change requests for preventive and corrective actions• Measures, verifies, and accepts the project’s work• Determines if variances exist between the work results and the

project plan• May require corrective action

Closing

• Goal: Finalize the project• Output: Project acceptance and contract closure• Often skipped, but it’s important• Archiving project documents will be helpful when undertaking a

similar project in the future.

Success Factors

• Appropriately skilled project manager• Commitment of the project management methodology• Capable team members that work well together• Complete project plan that is understood by all participants• Objectives that contribute to larger goals of the organization• Workable tracking and monitoring methods

Final Thoughts

“Archives, libraries, and museums require the services of a cross-trained, highly integrated staff of information professionals with project management knowledge. They act as facilitators, catalysts for change, and managers for complex information systems. Project managers bring chaos to order and blurred vision to clear reality” (167).

As information professionals often direct complex endeavors with limited project management training or resources, Margot Note’s Project Management for Information Professionals demystifies the tools and processes essential to successful project management, also advising on how to manage the interpersonal dynamics and organizational cultures that influence the efficacy of these methods. It presents, in a clear, well-structured manner, the knowledge to initiate, plan, execute, monitor, and close projects. • Offers guidance on project management based on real-world

experience • Prepares readers without prior project management knowledge or

experience • Provides lean, easy-to-read, and jargon-free instructions on project

management • Gives guidance for information professionals working in libraries,

archives, and museums

• ISBN: 978-0-08-100127-1 • Publication date: November 2015 • List price: $78.95 • Format: Paperback and e-book