Bailey MeCey

Good project management is a key component of success in business and education. Without it, projects can flounder and employees can get off task on what they need to accomplish. Students without project management skills can fall behind in class and slip with their grades.  Personally, I have floundered when it comes to project management. I have tried to use calendars or planners to keep track of my tasks, but I usually revert to my model of controlled chaos.  

However, this time will be different. Instead of pen and paper, I will shift for a more technological approach. Trello, an online time-management tool, allows users to build boards to keep track of projects. For ICM 501, I built my project management system around the modules for the class. For each module, it includes cards for each of the readings, videos, and assignments we have had for the semester. At first, this process was difficult, as it felt like wasting time versus aiding me. That changed once I started playing around with Trello’s capabilities. For each of the readings, I can include links to the online versions and keep track of the additional readings I select for each module. Instead of going to Blackboard every time I want to access the additional video lectures, I can link and watch them from the board. For assignments, I can break the assignments into smaller components to help alleviate the stress of major projects.

While adding more project management to my life has helped, I may have gone overboard recently. In addition to Trello, I have recently started using four different project and time management apps. These apps, including email and calendar tool Spark and work manager Tasks, have helped to keep me focused.  Especially so given I am juggling a busy work and school schedule. With the new iOS 14 updates on iPhone, I can even build pages on my phone around work and school, with easily accessible widgets to help keep track of different projects. That also does not account for my normal calendar on my phone and wall calendar I use to keep track of important dates and personal projects.  Instead of having no management systems and figuring it out as I go along, I have shifted to having too many systems to keep track of.  

These programs are fantastic, but I plan to reduce the number of apps I am using as to not become overwhelmed by them. I can already see ways to optimize my current project management tools to increase performance. Another aspect of Trello I find a lot of enjoyment in is the simple feeling of checking something off a list. Breaking down assignments into smaller chunks that you can take on makes these assignments feel more doable throughout the week. Instead of waiting for the end of the week to have time to work on an assignment, I feel more comfortable checking off one to two parts of an assignment as I go along.  

Even with these extremely powerful tools, there are some handicaps to having them reach their full potential. Even from limited use, some projects were not saving properly and I felt hesitant to fully commit to writing notes in them if they could disappear.  Other minor faults are fine on their own, but they tend to stack up. Trello is not the perfect tool, but for free it does a lot that I require. Another issue is how our coursework is assigned week-by-week. If we had each of the assignments and projects at the beginning of the semester I could build out my module boards, but given Blackboard is updated weekly it means I have to keep logging in to build the boards. Courses change, so this is more of an issue with myself and a need to adapt to new changes.  

Project management is not something you perfect in a day, it requires a lot of practice and work to not lose focus. Once you have built up the skills though, they can make you a more capable and valuable person both professionally and personally. Compared to before, I feel more prepared to stick with this system versus how I have been in the past. End of the day though, even the best software cannot force you to stay on task. To do so, you must commit and put out the effort to improve yourself.