Emma Carew Grovum / @emmacarew
A designer
A developer
An editor
A reporter
But, I've worked in all corners of the newsroom, and am now comfortable working with all of the above.
I was hired at FP to run social media and the homepage.
In small newsrooms, there often is not enough bandwidth to distinguish between product manager and project manager.
Work and communicate like you've got a new team of aliens showing up to collaborate every day. Start at step 0 and assume that not everyone is up to speed at all times.
Start meeting recaps and project updates like TV shows do before new episodes, with a short "the story so far..." intro.
(especially if you are working with a new team or even just one person new to the process)
Define "mission critical" and "minimally viable" upfront.
When someone says "ASAP", what does that actually mean??
How many top priority requests can exist at once?
One thing they teach lifeguards is to always designate a specific person to call 911 in an emergency, never saying, "someone call 911" and pointing vaguely into the crowd.
Be specific, especially in email communications. Assign tasks to people, not crowds.
If you're working with folks who aren't intimately involved with the nitty-gritty of how something is built, don't ask them to rely on sketches, mockups and wireframes only.
"Use your imagination" or "just pretend it doesn't look like this" isn't helpful for building bridges between teams.
Tiny CSS bugs that feel like finishing touches for developers can add up quickly for the other side, making it hard to see progress.
If you can knock through a handful of small requests per week, it can buy you some goodwill on the stuff that will take much longer to solve.
Unclear hierchy of stakeholders causes confusion
Revisiting decisions wastes time
Try to avoid a 23rd hour push
Hold people accountable for deliverables
If your staff can't use your website/app/product, your audience probably won't be able to use it.
But, QA-ing a project isn't something journalists do every day. Take the time to explain exactly what feedback you are looking for, and how to best report it.
It sounds dumb, but "please" and "thank you" go a long way -- especially on deadline, especially late at night, especially over email, especially you're so sick of looking at each other, your screens, and your project.
Giving your teammates the benefit of the doubt and assuming best intentions can help protect everyone's sanity.
Tips for staying sane through it all
Be realistic and manage expectations.
(to be honest, this is about 50% of the job)Sometimes you have to be the bad cop. And it kind of sucks.
You still have to do your actual job.
Try changing venues often.
Do the things that only you can do.
Don't do the things that someone else could just as easily do.
Questions?
Slides are available at: http://ecarewgrovum.github.io/SNDDC-slides/#/