Project Management Training

The main deliverables of W3C are specifications that arise from W3C Working Groups. Each Working Group can be viewed as a "project" that begins when it is chartered by the W3C Advisory Committee, and completes, typically with a W3C Recommendation (followed possibly with some errata). Since this is the main deliverable of W3C, W3C has decided that it should develop a basic training course in the unique ways to manage these projects.

Project management training is available broadly in the context of a company completing a product deliverable or fulfilling a government contract. Such training is complementary to our focus and is useful in a W3C context, but is different from our focus here. Here we focus on unique aspects of W3C projects. One unique aspect is the challenge of getting disparate parties to a consensus recommendation. Another unique aspect is that we drive completion not through a de jure set of enforcement mechanisms (such as would exist in the commitments for a government contract), but through a consensus of a common goal (Leading the Web to its Full Potential). A third unique aspect is that in this material, we weave in salient aspects of the W3C process.

The original motivation for starting this work was from an effort of some members of W3C Team to look at how we can improve the ability of W3C Working Groups to produce specifications on a known and reasonable timeline. One way we identified to support this is to develop a project management training program to support the ability of chairs, staff contacts, and editors to lead the work. This work was identified by the Schedule Delay Task Force Project Management Training (Team-only link) deliverable and continued in a Geek Week 2012 Project Management Training Project (Team-only link). The outline below constitutes a preliminary input into the structure of a project management training program, for reference and exploration.

In addition to this outline, work on project management training is expected to result in enhancements to the The Art of Consensus (the W3C Guidebook). A W3TechCourses course (Team-only link for now) is being developed from output of this work.

Project planning

Milestone forecasting

Minimal timelines (ChrisL)

• Minimal time in each stage
• Time to prep draft for TR publication
• Length of comment / review windows
• Time to process comments

Effort forecasting

Identify availability of individuals per week and divide into their time contribution expectation

• Account for vacation, sick time, pull-away from W3C focus by their organization, fluctuations in energy level, etc.

Progress and deviation monitoring

Monthly or Quarterly status check

• Real vs planned time inputs
• Real vs planned time requirements
• Status of spec wrt plan by that time

People management

I am thinking of setting up a group of questions and approaching team and chairs who are particularly good in those areas to ask how they handled these situations. It would be fun to get people together to discuss them and video it to save for the future, but that may be more than we can manage during Geek Week.

Effective meeting management

Planning

Agenda

• 48 hours in advance
• Preparation required of participants
• Clear outcomes expected

Work effectively within W3C Process

Publication on TR

Begin checklist at least two weeks before anticipated publication date

• Transition calls
• Secure review commitments
• Link and pubrules checks
• Spelling and grammar checks
• Content accuracy and consistency checks

Resources

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