Okay, I searched on Google for help regarding this method and it did NOT help at all. However, having studied the method of creating a process.
Consult an expert who knows everything about the process’ subject matter.
Make sure you have your questions ready before you actually talk to the subject matter.
Study the subject matter thoroughly before you talk to the expert so that you don’t ask any unnecessary questions.
Ask him to talk you through the process and make notes accordingly.
With his permission, record your conversation so that you don’t miss anything.
Make sure you include all the steps that he mentions and translate any jargon that the subject-matter expert includes.
Write down all of the steps for any future users to peruse.
This is how I created a set of instructions for a process that hasn’t existed before. I’m sorry if it didn’t match up to what you expected. I’ll definitely do better with any other objective you want me to fulfill.
Google uses automated programs called crawlers, which most search engines do. Search engines use the metadata that page creators use in the <meta> tag and these keywords help with the searches.
For the following procedure, you will require the following:
A clean, flat surface (preferably, a cutting board)
1 jar of peanut butter (any brand you like)
1 jar of jelly or jam (any band you like)
2 slices of sliced bread (any brand)
1 clean butter knife
Instructions –
Place the slices of bread adjacent to each other on the cutting board as shown in the figure below.
Using the knife, scoop a sufficiently large quantity of peanut butter and spread it on top of each slice of bread as shown in the figure below. Use as much peanut butter as desired. Using peanut butter on both slices of bread aids in the bread avoiding soaking the moisture from the jelly and getting soggy.
In the same manner as the previous step, scoop out a sufficiently large amount of jelly and spread it on top of the peanut butter on one slice of bread as shown in the figure below.
Take one slice of bread and flip it on top of the other slice as shown in the figure below. If you’ve applied jelly to both slices of bread, be careful. Some spillage might occur.
You can now enjoy the PB&J sandwich.
These instructions do not include peanut allergen information, getting the sliced bread out of the packet, or opening the jars of jelly and peanut butter. I hope these were adequate.
I was reading this interesting book named Content Strategy for Mobile, which was a required reading for one of my classes, when I came upon a chapter titled Adaptive Content.
Having used technology all of my life while growing up and being so used to putting content up on the internet as blogs, videos, or even social media posts, I never thought about how content could be specifically adapted to the internet until I started studying Technical Communication.
I never thought about my content showing up on Twitter on someone’s smartphone or even someone’s Google Glass. Now I need to think about it.
When you’re thinking of mixing up your media (including text, audio, video, and images) on your blog or website, you might want to think about what NPR does with their content. These are the important things to think about.
Multiple content structures
Write a summary. This acts as an introduction that works everywhere.
Write a long teaser and a short teaser. It helps entice people and you don’t have to give too much thought about which one to include where.
Treat the body copies and content for other media equally. Any platform can select what mix of content objects they want.
Write a headline. Headlines always catch people’s attention. (Something I also learned from the time I was a journalist)
Unique visual presentation
Think about providing great design and phenomenal user experience.
Think about order, density, and priority of content.
Think about typography.
Think of mixing up your images.
Think about the software people will use.
All of these are possible because NPR thinks about these 5 things before crafting their content.
Reusable content – Content has to be developed to maximize reuse across platforms; where that isn’t possible, make different formats or types of content available.
Structured content – Content should be discrete chunks so that it can be combined as the platforms need.
Presentation-independent content – Content should not have your style imposed on it; let the platform decide the style for the user.
Meaningful metadata – Content should be separated or highlighted through category, tag, author, and date information; this metadata can be used by platforms to decide which content to display.
Usable CMS interfaces – Content management UI and workflow encourages people to create well-structured and metadata-enhanced content without letting them fall back on making styling choices.
All of this reminds me of when I learned single-sourcing in my Digital Literacy class in grad school. We learned how to create content that could be single-sourced however the organization saw fit. Content should be thought of as a resource that can be used in a variety of ways and not a single use-and-throw resource.
I hope all of you reading this will think about this when you write content for your site.
How many times have you finished up a project (even if it is during college) and then gone back to see what you did wrong? I’m sure I’ve done it multiple times and unconsciously, I’m sure you’ve done it too. So, what do you think are the important things when closing a project?
This is a list of all the things you should consider when closing:
Evaluate task list
Confirm fulfillment of project scope
Complete procurement closure
Document lessons learned
Submit final status report to stakeholders (and obtain required signatures)
Archive project documents
Publish your success
Celebrate project close with rewards and recognition
Evaluate task list
When you’re done (or think you’re done) with a project, what do you usually do? Think about what needed to be done at the start? That’s what I tend to do.
Go over the project tasks to make sure you’ve completed everything you needed to complete.When we talk about accountability, this is one of the main things that should be covered. When you present a finished project to key stakeholders, make sure they are on the same boat as you when you talk about the project being done
Confirm fulfillment of project scope
What this means is simple. Was the project a success or failure? Was the scope of the project fulfilled?
Did we meet the goals of the project?
Are you satisfied with the end result?
Did we deliver in a timely manner?
Was it worth the cost?
Did we do a good job of anticipating and mitigating risk?
Any ideas for improving our process?
Even if all of these weren’t satisfied, success is defined differently by different people. It might be a success to you or it might not be. The stakeholders might think it was a resounding success. That is what matters.
Complete procurement closure
This includes all terms of the original project. Did all the bills get paid? Did all the product get delivered? Have you released all outside organizations of their obligations?
If you’ve done all of these and a few more, you’ve completed procurement closure.
Document lessons learned
One of the most important things that need to be done at the end of EVERY project. Set up an interview with key stakeholders. If the key stakeholder is you, ask yourself these questions:
What was done well?
What needs to be done better or differently?
What unexpected risks did we have to deal with?
How does our process need to change to meet goals in the future?
Make sure all the issues are aired out respectfully. Don’t wash your dirty laundry in public here.
Submit final status report to stakeholders (and obtain required signatures)
Make sure you get the stakeholders to sign off on project completion and recognize the efforts of the team that worked on the project. The team feels good and you feel good about having completed the project. Also, you have proof of completion.
Archive project documents
Another excruciatingly important part of every project. Make sure the organization archives your project document for someone who might want to peruse it in the future. Make sure you archive them yourself if you need access to them in the future.
Publish your success
Make sure the organization can document your success, even if it is in an email to every organization employee. An article in the newsletter, a text, card, or a company memo, anything works if you want to make your team feel better about what they did. Try to make sure your higher-ups acknowledge the efforts of your team.
Celebrate project close with rewards and recognition
Make sure you thank your team and anyone who helped with the project. People like to be thanked personally. Make sure you write a personal note to everyone that helped.
Try to host a brief celebration meeting. Make sure some of the stakeholders can say good things about the team’s success. Food is always a good reward. Tell the team that you would love to work with them on future projects.
All of these are important parts of closing every project. Now you know what to to do when you are working on a project next.
Would you say you had process skills or people skills? It doesn’t matter what you have; a good dose of both is needed when you’re an official or unofficial project manager.
Most likely, at your job, you are going to be an unofficial project manager. Have you handled a mix of people, deadlines and a number of other variables with no authority over anything but the deadline?
Yes, you are an unofficial project manager.
Do you ever feel that you don’t have the people skills of Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi? Maybe you don’t. After all, those people led whole countries to overhauling policies or independence. But all of us have a certain amount of people skills that we should use to succeed at any project we’re given.
Mostly, our people skills and character become visible under pressure, and that is exactly when it is needed the most. There are some leadership characteristics which, when mastered, help immensely in project management. These are as follows:
Demonstrate respect
Listen first
Clarify expectations
Practice accountability
Demonstrate respect
One of the people who most impressed me when studying Technical Communication was one of my seniors that I was taking a class with. He had impressive leadership qualities just because of the fact that he demonstrated so much respect towards the junior members of the group he was working in. Yes, I’m talking about me.
He made me feel so good about my skills and made me feel welcome in the department. That is exactly what leaders do.
Demonstrating respect to everyone without becoming a doormat is a good way to become a leader and thus succeed at the project.
Listen first
Even if you are in charge unofficially, you don’t have to know everything. Not every human being is superhuman. Not everyone can be Lionel Messi.
Jokes aside, since you’re the person leading the project, you’re the one who’s facing the consequences. That is why you have to make sure that you listen to everyone’s opinions since there might be ideas that are better than yours.
Be patient. Be mature. Listen to everyone’s ideas before deciding on the best course of action.
This point also ties in with the previous leadership skill. If you listen to someone (paying attention while listening helps), it means that you are giving them your respect.
Clarify expectations
Getting everyone on the same page is an important thing for every project. Different people might have different ideas about what is expected of them.
Just asking people to do their tasks does not help make the people feel good about themselves. It feels as if you’re telling them that they aren’t good enough.
Feeling as if you’re making a contribution helps people feel motivated about working harder and giving their best.
This point also relates to the first point about demonstrating respect. If you respect people, they will respect the project and put in their best work.
Practice accountability
To make sure you inspire people, be inspirational. Be someone that people look at you and want to follow your actions.
If you can hold yourself accountable for your actions, your whole team should also be held accountable for their actions.
Integrity is the most important part of any project. If you don’t have integrity, there’s no way you’re being a good manager, let alone a good project manager.
Accountability means transparency. If you can’t admit to messing up and taking responsibility for it, you aren’t going to be a good project manager. Be the same with every member working on the project.
So, we hope that these leadership skills help you manage your project well and ensure success for you. If not, look at the Lionel Messi video and wing it.
“I love new clothes. If everyone could just wear new clothes everyday, I reckon depression wouldn’t exist anymore.” ― Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Song Remains The Same 