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Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process
As an industry, interactive is different. While the work entails elements of software development, marketing, and advertising, it's neither purely technical nor traditional "agency" work. Because the industry is relatively new, the gap in understanding between the clients buying the work and the teams building it is often wide, and the methods of delivery vary.
Enter the Geek Girls Guide. Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker don't just tell you how to deliver digital work, they demonstrate how to think about it. Interactive Project Management helps clients, agencies, and industry professionals better understand the critical role of the interactive project manager, and presents a collaborative, people-focused approach to delivering high-quality digital work. This concise volume helps build understanding across all stakeholders in interactive work, and most importantly, it won't put you to sleep.
Enter the Geek Girls Guide. Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker don't just tell you how to deliver digital work, they demonstrate how to think about it. Interactive Project Management helps clients, agencies, and industry professionals better understand the critical role of the interactive project manager, and presents a collaborative, people-focused approach to delivering high-quality digital work. This concise volume helps build understanding across all stakeholders in interactive work, and most importantly, it won't put you to sleep.
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2012
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273 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 28, 2013
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This excellent book titled Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People and Process written by Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker is full of wisdom covered in less than 200 pages. It is a must read for all those who manage any web based software project. When you read this book, assume yourself as a project manager (for those who are not at the time of reading this book) and only then you will get to know how to cope up with various development of various web based interactive apps.
A dumb, static or even dynamic website showcasing a corporate to digital world carries a different set of challenges with more focus on audience, content, marketing etc. but an interactive web portal has much more (in volume and quality) higher level of challenges as compared to the former, mostly in terms of usability, security, integration, database design, application architecture and so on. The book focuses on a single area which is how to be a great project manager which besides a must read for project managers or today should also be read by the current day developers who sooner or later are going to be project managers.
A good project manager will never be carried away by smaller wins registered during the journey of a project and thereby compromising with the the larger cause of project closure successfully. Smaller announcements, wins declarations and milestone achievements do need to be celebrated to keep team’s tempo up but at no point of time any of these should be treated as a biggest ‘wow’ as the latter can only be the successful project delivery and nothing else. Logically this big message should be very clearly passed to all teams right since beginning of a project.
There are two parts of this book. First part focuses on making a project manager successful. The second part goes more practical in taking a project as an example to demonstrate. In second part more emphasis goes on real life activities done during a project like – project preparation, project definition, execution, QA, staging, production, training, launch and finally its closure. Some very useful and practical tips have been given in the second part which can easily be grabbed as they make a lot of sense. These tips take care of both technical and non technical/ people aspects of a project. Some useful stuff that a project manager will grasp in some chapters will have to be inculcated down the line to their developers – like managing clients and their expectations, understanding scope creep and managing it in the best possible way, etc.
Overall, this 192 page book titled Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People and Process written by Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker is a good read, easy to understand and execute in real life.
This excellent book titled Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People and Process written by Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker is full of wisdom covered in less than 200 pages. It is a must read for all those who manage any web based software project. When you read this book, assume yourself as a project manager (for those who are not at the time of reading this book) and only then you will get to know how to cope up with various development of various web based interactive apps.
A dumb, static or even dynamic website showcasing a corporate to digital world carries a different set of challenges with more focus on audience, content, marketing etc. but an interactive web portal has much more (in volume and quality) higher level of challenges as compared to the former, mostly in terms of usability, security, integration, database design, application architecture and so on. The book focuses on a single area which is how to be a great project manager which besides a must read for project managers or today should also be read by the current day developers who sooner or later are going to be project managers.
A good project manager will never be carried away by smaller wins registered during the journey of a project and thereby compromising with the the larger cause of project closure successfully. Smaller announcements, wins declarations and milestone achievements do need to be celebrated to keep team’s tempo up but at no point of time any of these should be treated as a biggest ‘wow’ as the latter can only be the successful project delivery and nothing else. Logically this big message should be very clearly passed to all teams right since beginning of a project.
There are two parts of this book. First part focuses on making a project manager successful. The second part goes more practical in taking a project as an example to demonstrate. In second part more emphasis goes on real life activities done during a project like – project preparation, project definition, execution, QA, staging, production, training, launch and finally its closure. Some very useful and practical tips have been given in the second part which can easily be grabbed as they make a lot of sense. These tips take care of both technical and non technical/ people aspects of a project. Some useful stuff that a project manager will grasp in some chapters will have to be inculcated down the line to their developers – like managing clients and their expectations, understanding scope creep and managing it in the best possible way, etc.
Overall, this 192 page book titled Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People and Process written by Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker is a good read, easy to understand and execute in real life.
August 22, 2012
I've been a fan of the authors for years. The Geek Girls Guide podcast and their frequent keynote presentations have never failed to enlighten and entertain me. It's no surprise that they have brought those same unique insights and passion to the writing of this book. In an industry prone to in-fighting and secrecy, they have laid bare the truth behind a hazy gray area that is interactive project management. They address all the challenges, identify a bunch you probably haven't thought of, and offer real solutions. The techniques they have developed professionaly through Clockwork Active Media are shared unselfishly in ways that can be understood by anyone involved in the process — from leadership to team members and clients themselves. More importantly, they provide the keys to bringing these often disparate groups together.
Written with a sense of humor, a distinct lack of jargon, and the boots-on-the-ground familiarity of having done this themselves, Meghan and Nancy have provided the ultimate guide to make any interactive project better. It's changed the way I work and even think about the subject.
It's no coincidence that so many of the reviews for this book include the phrase "must-read". It simply should be required reading for everyone involved your next interactive project.
Written with a sense of humor, a distinct lack of jargon, and the boots-on-the-ground familiarity of having done this themselves, Meghan and Nancy have provided the ultimate guide to make any interactive project better. It's changed the way I work and even think about the subject.
It's no coincidence that so many of the reviews for this book include the phrase "must-read". It simply should be required reading for everyone involved your next interactive project.
May 31, 2013
One of the better books on interactive project management. A quick read with helpful tips and a well-explained process. It's all worth reading, but if you're pressed for time, you can get the basics of Clockwork's process by skimming for the following charts/diagrams:
-Roles chart in the first chapter
-Process diagram in the fifth chapter
-Cheat Sheets #1-17 scattered throughout the book and explaining the major deliverables in the process diagram
-Roles chart in the first chapter
-Process diagram in the fifth chapter
-Cheat Sheets #1-17 scattered throughout the book and explaining the major deliverables in the process diagram
September 30, 2017
A nice, to the point guide for projects. Some of the highlights for me were:
* discussing the points for discovery, and key elements within it (e.g. the user experience brief, content areas etc)
* all the documents with templates for trying things out.
And it's great to have more women in tech writing!
* discussing the points for discovery, and key elements within it (e.g. the user experience brief, content areas etc)
* all the documents with templates for trying things out.
And it's great to have more women in tech writing!
September 14, 2022
Very visual and a quick read. Good introduction to project management though each project may differ so this guide is more of a recommendation than a rule of thumb.
They also have the pleasure of large teams to support many roles. Most businesses will have fewer independent team members for each project.
I enjoyed this book.
They also have the pleasure of large teams to support many roles. Most businesses will have fewer independent team members for each project.
I enjoyed this book.
June 27, 2014
Whoops, this has been on my "reading" list for a couple of years. I knew I'd finished the book, but decided to go back and give it a re-read. Still excellent, still a mainstay on my desk, still a book I buy a bunch of just so I can immediately give it to people when I recommend it.
I am not officially a project manager, but scarcity in higher ed means that I often wind up in a project management role, because we have no "official" PMs. Having a grasp on what that means was tremendous and has had great positive effects on the projects I've worked on.
If you ever work, collaborate, or are around people in any kind of project-based setting (which, I think, is everyone) and you work with the web, this book is a must-read. Even if you don't work with the web, Nancy and Meghan's messages about empathy, listening, and relationships are wonderful.
I am not officially a project manager, but scarcity in higher ed means that I often wind up in a project management role, because we have no "official" PMs. Having a grasp on what that means was tremendous and has had great positive effects on the projects I've worked on.
If you ever work, collaborate, or are around people in any kind of project-based setting (which, I think, is everyone) and you work with the web, this book is a must-read. Even if you don't work with the web, Nancy and Meghan's messages about empathy, listening, and relationships are wonderful.
May 21, 2014
A quick very clear book that takes the basic principles of Project management and outlines them in a method that makes sense with a modern interactive workflow.
I think the strength of the book is that it tried to rectify project management with a project where the deliverable and goals may not be able to be identified at the beginning of the project.
I think the strength of the book is that it tried to rectify project management with a project where the deliverable and goals may not be able to be identified at the beginning of the project.
April 29, 2015
Smart and Informative
Really enjoyed this. I was recommended this book to learn more about interactive workflow and processes, but wound up enjoying the project management aspect just as much. Would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about project management and/or the interactive process.
Really enjoyed this. I was recommended this book to learn more about interactive workflow and processes, but wound up enjoying the project management aspect just as much. Would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about project management and/or the interactive process.
November 11, 2012
An excellent description of how to manage a web-based project. I especially liked the worksheets and examples. It confirmed much of my gut feeling about how to manage these projects, plus I got to pick up some additional tips for managing clients.
October 31, 2014
Thank you GOODREADS for this book! This seems like an excellent primer on any technology change, upgrade or new product. Easy to read, understand and process. The writers make the process, although complicated seem doable and the suggestions on key staff roles is excellently explained.
July 5, 2013
Experience project managers may take this as beginners book, but I enjoyed it alot and it brings some cool experiences in pratical life that brings some insights!
December 31, 2014
Great, smart, summary/introductory book to project management in interactive projects. I recommend it to my students as a book worth buying.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews