Teaching Project Management
Education Rethink 2013-07-19
I'm sitting at my computer, glancing at a series of spreadsheets. The categories and colors would hardly make sense to most people. But this is what's keeping me organized in my projects. It's a jumbled mess of writing projects, podcasts, fixing things around the house and planning things for school. On paper, it looks busy. Crazy, even. But the truth is that this spreadsheet is why I can easily step away and work on what I'm passionate about. It's why I feel the freedom to put a project on hold. I have loose deadlines. I can prioritize what's urgent. So, it has me thinking about the need for project management. It's sort-of the uncool, structured, banal side of project-based learning. I want students to learn how to manage deadlines, find resources and determine how to find additional resources. I want them to learn how to break tasks down and remain consistent in a routine while also having the freedom to pursue what currently ignites their passion. Initially, I saw project management as a process that I had to teach students. I wanted to find a project management program and have students follow it. However, I soon learned that following another person's process can be as unintelligible and frustrating as my ridiculous color-coded spreadsheet. Some people like shared calendars and Evernote. Others like Google apps. Still, others like keeping stuff in a binder. This is why I now see project management as a thinking skill. So, when students begin planning a project, I ask them to consider the following:
- Tasks and sub-tasks: What are the steps needed to complete this? What are the sub-tasks?
- Deadlines: How do you prioritize the tasks into subtasks? When are components due? How much time will you allocate to this project?
- Skills: What types of skills will you need that you might not already have? How will you learn these skills? Are there some people who can help you?
- Resources: What do you need in order to pull this off?
- Communication: Who are the people you will report to? Who will be helping you along the way?Who will be your final audience?
Some students keep these things on a scrap piece of paper. Others use Google apps or Evernote or the Reminders app on their phones. And that's fine with me. It's their process. It's not about a program or an app or a codified process. It's about students learning how to manage projects on their own.