Project Management Series 2018

Overview

Project Management Series is a new initiative of LibraryLinkNJ, which will provide professional development opportunities for its member libraries' staff.

The purpose of the Project Management Series is to provide:

• A customized project management series with practical training and activities to our member libraries
• The participating libraries will implement an actual project at their library at the completion of the series.

Implementing project management techniques will help library staff keep pace with their communities’ needs. Libraries will complete their projects on time and within budget, by using simple techniques to monitor and control processes and schedules.

Project management is becoming more critical, as today’s libraries are asked to do even more with less, while remaining competitive and successful. This series will provide an opportunity to our member libraries and their staff to learn project management techniques and apply them to a library project.

Goals:

• Expand project management skills across library staff in New Jersey
• Develop skills and confidence in staff to successfully manage projects
• Develop project management habits to ensure routine application of PM techniques
• Foster library practices in project management to improve libraries’ day-to-day and long-term workflow

Objectives:

• Initiate a project in response to library community input to the Statewide Strategic Plan
• Provide a service to library professionals and paraprofessionals statewide to advance their professional development
• Develop an annual series of training workshops in project management skills to serve the New Jersey library community

Statewide Strategic Planning:
This series will also fulfill the following goals and objectives of the Statewide Strategic Plan for the Future of Libraries in New Jersey:

Goal 2: Leadership and Coordination

• Efficiency and effectiveness: Provide a service to undertake reviews of the efficiency and effectiveness of library service delivery to identify opportunities for improvement.

Goal 5: Cycles of Innovation:

• Guidelines and certification: Provide guidelines for libraries for appropriate technology, skills and services and to help late adopters to more quickly take up new models of service delivery.

Goal 6: Professional Development and Self Care

• Cross-training: Offer training in areas critical to success in the “new normal”, including leadership, facilitation, project management, fundraising, business development, partnering and process design
• Collaborate with educational institutions: Ensure that librarians receive the training they need for high performance and career satisfaction in the future.

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Project Description

Members registering for the Project Management Series are committing to attending and participating in all of the following components:

• Project Management Fundamentals 101 (Two-Day Workshops) - required
  • Workshop 1: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 (Feb. 8 as a snow date)
  • Workshop 2: Thursday, February 15, 2018 (Feb. 16 as a snow date)
• Two webinars - optional
  • Basecamp: Thursday, February 22, 2018, 10:00-11:00 am
  • Asana: Monday, February 26, 2018, 10:00-11:00 am
• Managing Your Own Library Project: March - November 2018 - required
  • ​A one-hour phone consultation session with the workshop instructor will be available for all participating libraries to complete their project proposal or charter. 

The series will be open to all LibraryLinkNJ member libraries. Participation will be limited to 30 people, with a limit of no more than two participants from one library organization. A Save-the-Date announcement is being shared with the member libraries in December 2017 to help library staff get approval for their participation from their directors and to prepare for registration, which will open on December 13, 2017. Please read the series details including eligibility, registration process and requirements if you are interested.

1. Project Management Fundamentals 101 (2-day Workshops)
This series will start with two in-person workshops that will enable participants to understand the basics of project management and the dynamics of managing a project in a library setting. These workshops will help participants develop and implement a project of their own.

• Presenter: Sam Sena, PMP, Global Technology Director, Diligent Corporation 
• Dates:
  • Workshop 1: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 (Feb. 8 as a snow date), 9:45 am - 4:00 pm 
  • Workshop 2: Thursday, February 15, 2018 (Feb. 16 as a snow date), 10:00am - 4:00pm
• Morning refreshments at 9:30 am & Lunch at 12:30pm)
• Location: Monroe Township Library (Middlesex County)
• Program Description and Details
• Course Materials

2. Webinars - PM online tools tutorials

There will be two one-hour webinars offered for the participants on the following online tools, respectively. 

• Basecamp: Thursday, February 22, 2018, 10:00-11:00 am
  • Webinar Recording
  • Presentation Slides in PDF
     
• Asana: Monday, February 26, 2018, 10:00-11:00 am
  • Webinar Recording
  • Presentation Slides in PDF
     
• Via AdobeConnect (Instructions will be sent to the participants via email)
• Both webinars will be archived. So if anyone can't participate live, they will be able to review the recording.   

3. Managing Your Own Library Project 
The participants will develop an actual library project plan and implement it Spring through Fall 2018, which will give them flexibility with selecting project types and scheduling.

(1) Developing a project proposal and/or charter:

• During the Project Management Fundamentals workshop, participants will learn how to write a simple project proposal and/or a charter. They will be asked to develop an actual project idea before they return for the second in-person workshop (Feb. 15). If anyone is already assigned to manage a project at their library, those participants can work on a project charter for the project assigned to them.  
• All proposal/charter drafts will be shared with Sam Sena, the presenter for the series workshops and Mi-Sun Lyu, Project Manager at LibraryLinkNJ. Sam will provide a phone consultation (up to 1 hour) for the participanting libraries to share his advice and help participants complete their project proposal/charter. Mi-Sun will also assist participants to complete their proposals and/or charters on time.
• Phone Consultation:
  • It is up to 1 hour per participating library. You can sign up for an one-hour phone consultation, or you can split it to two half-an-hour sessions during the month of March, 2018. 
  • First, draft your project proposal or charter with any supporting documents in Google Doc (or Spreadsheet). When your proposal or charter is ready for review, share it with Sam (samsena [at] gmail.com) & Mi-Sun (lyu [at] librarylinknj.org). Please share your document(s) at least 3-4 days before you schedule your consultation session, so that Sam has enough time to review.      
  • Sign up for an one-hour phone consultation or two half-an-hour sessions at https://doodle.com/samsena
  • Sam will be in touch with you to confirm your consultation schedule. 

(2) Getting the Proposal/Charter Approved and Implementing A Project

• Participants will complete their proposal following the last workshop. They will submit it to LibraryLinkNJ and their library director. LibraryLinkNJ and the participants’ library directors will give final approval on their project proposals by March 30, 2018.
• LibraryLinkNJ will subsidize up to $300 per participating library for each proposed project. (If a project proposal is budgeted over $300, administrative approval from the participant’s library will be required.)
• In the case of participating libraries completing projects jointly, LibraryLinkNJ will fund up to $300 per participating library.
• Participants will manage their project as a project manager (or a leader if there are two participants from one library organization) at their library during the implementation period.

(3) Project Reports

• Participants will submit the final project report at the completion of their project or by Friday, November 30, 2018. 
• Participants will also attach all documents used for their project to their final report.
• Final reports and related documents will be submitted to the LibraryLinkNJ Executive Director and Board and will be also shared with the membership on the LibraryLinkNJ website.

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How to Participate

Eligibility: Any staff working at a LibraryLinkNJ member library/organization who wants to learn project management techniques and commits to manage a project at their library can participate. Please note that priority will be given to libraries who did not participate in the FY2017 series. 

Cost: $50/participant for the entire series that includes two in-person workshops, two webinars and $300 subsidy from LibraryLinkNJ

Registration:
Please note: your registration is a commitment to attend all the workshops in the series. You are also committing to completing and managing a project. Check your calendar fully before registering!

• Extended Deadline: Registration is open until Monday, January 22, or until it fills, whichever comes first. User log-in is required to use the online registration form for the series. 
• Participation will be limited to 30 people, with a limit of no more than two participants from one library organization. Please note that priority will be given to libraries who did not participate in the FY2017 series. 
• Library directors must complete an online agreement form for their staff after registration opens. The agreement form must be filled out by Monday, January 22, 2018 with the extended deadline. 
• School Librarians/Media Specialists are exempt from completing the Agreement Form. We will consider your registration for the series as a commitment to satisfy all requirements to participate in the Project Management Series.
• You will get a final confirmation from LibraryLinkNJ on your registration by Tuesday, January 23, 2018.   

Requirements:

Series Participants:

• Participants are responsible for securing approval from their library director to register for the series. 
• Participants will commit to attend all workshops and take action as scheduled below: 

     By Months in 2018

     By Tasks

• Participants will serve as a project manager (or a leader if there are two participants from one library organization) for their own project plan.
• Participants will save and share all documents used for their project with LibraryLinkNJ.
• Participants will write a final report and submit it to their director and LibraryLinkNJ.

Participating Libraries:

• Participating Libraries’ Directors must complete an online agreement form to confirm their staff member’s eligibility and registration for the series. The online form must be filled by January 22, 2018 with the extended registration deadline. (Note: School Librarians/Media Specialists are exempt from completing the Agreement Form. We will consider your registration for the series as a commitment to satisfy all requirements to participate in the Project Management Series.)
• Participating Libraries’ Directors are committing to send their staff to all three workshops and allow their staff time to develop a project plan, implement the project and submit a final report by all deadlines.
• If a project proposal is budgeted over the $300 subsidy from LibraryLinkNJ, administrative approval from the participant’s library will be required.

If you have any questions, please contact Mi-Sun Lyu at lyu [at] librarylinknj.org. 

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Project Sponsor & Team

Project Sponsor: LibraryLinkNJ

• This project is a new initiative of LibraryLinkNJ, which will oversee and manage the whole project. 
• LibraryLinkNJ will subsidize up to $300 per participating library for each proposed project. (If a project proposal is budgeted over $300, administrative approval from the participant’s library will be required.)
• In the case of participating libraries completing projects jointly, LibraryLinkNJ will fund up to $300 per participating library.

Project Team:

• Project Manager: Mi-Sun Lyu, Online/IT Project Manager & Program Coordinator, LibraryLinkNJ
• Project Team:
  • LibraryLinkNJ CE Team: Joanne Roukens, Assistant Director & Sophie Brookover, Program Coordinator & Social Media Manager
  • Project Management Task Force will be formed with two-three invited library staff from member libraries, who have project management knowledge and experiences. This will not prevent them from registering for the series.

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FY2018 Series Participants & Projects

Here is the list of the participants who completed the 2018 series and their projects. 

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