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Thu, 11/10/2022 - 06:35
After you have developed your leadership style, and skills. Now it’s time to put them into practice managing projects.
This kit contains the 15 best resources related to the different phases of project management that can be found on the YouthLead website. They are a great starting point for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the sheer amount of resources available on the internet about managing projects. These resources provide guidance on managing projects to people with all different levels of project management experience, from beginners all the way to seasoned pros. Some of the resources in this kit discuss the more abstract concepts of management, while others provide specific tips on how to manage. The kit is broken up by resource types.
Databases:
Free Management Library - This online database of resources related to all aspects of managing projects is useful for anyone who wants to improve their management skills. The library contains over 1,000 resources, but a good place to start for anyone new to the site is the “How to do Planning” resource, which can be found here.
Articles/Blogs:
Management Theories - This article serves as a guide to the different modern theories behind successful management. This resource will be useful to changemakers who want to understand how best to create high-functioning project teams.
Management Skills - This article discusses the most important skills managers should possess to be effective. This article is useful for managers at any level who want to better develop their own abilities.
Five Phases of the Project Management Lifecycle - After developing your skills and learning the logic behind different management systems in the previous two articles, this resource explains the five parts of managing a project. It also provides tips and suggestions for effectively completing each part. For changemakers who want to go more in depth, each section of the original article is a hyperlink to more descriptive articles about that particular section.
How to Successfully Manage Your First Project - This resource is especially useful to changemakers who are new to managing projects. It goes step-by-step through each of the five phases, providing guidance for what to do in each phase.
10 Strategies for Successful Project Execution - This resource can be used by managers who have completed the planning phase and are ready to implement their project. It is particularly useful to changemakers who want to make sure that the project goes exactly to plan.
16 Tips for Managing Remote Teams - This article should be used by any changemakers leading teams that are remote. It is especially useful now because of COVID but will continue to be useful as more work is done remotely in the next few years.
7 Free Project Management Tools for NGOs - This resource provides a list of the best free resources available on the internet to help you manage your projects and teams.
Videos/Webinars/Presentations:
How Project Managing Can Be Used in Your Nonprofit - This online presentation shows the different ways to use the project managing skills you have learned to help your nonprofit or social enterprise. It includes examples of how other nonprofits have taken project management skills from the corporate world and used them to more effectively manage their own projects.
Project Planning for Beginners - This short YouTube video will help any changemakers that struggle to create plans for their projects. It also shows the danger of not creating a plan and provides tips on how to execute the plan you have created.
Project Planning and Execution for Social Impact Leaders - This webinar, led by a YouthLead ambassador, explains how best to plan and execute social impact projects. It shows how proper planning can be the difference between a project having limited impact and a project being so effective that other organizations/governments want to copy it.
Project Management Essentials - This presentation covers material taught during a two-day workshop run by the World Bank Group. It contains both information on how to successfully manage projects and exercises and case studies to make the learning more active.
Toolkits:
Community Toolbox - The Community Toolbox has great resources for managing projects, particularly chapter 15 and toolkits 6 and 15. These resources are specifically focused on community development projects with large teams of staff and volunteers.
UNESCO Project Planner - This toolkit is specifically designed for anyone leading a project aimed at youth impact. Though it is focused on youth action, it can be used for any type of project. The toolkit can be a guide to creating a successful project and contains questions and activities to help you turn your project plan into a reality.
UN Project Management Toolkit - This toolkit provides resources on how to manage projects using the Prince2 model but can be useful even when not using that model. It contains FAQs and templates of project management documents.
Now What?: Putting the Starter Kit into Action
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Use the Five Phases of the Project Management Cycle resource and the How to Successfully Manage Your First Project resource as jumping off points.
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If developing a project focused on youth, consult the UNESCO Project Planner.
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If working with a team, convene a team meeting to debrief on lessons learned and applicability to your organization. Incorporate lessons learned into your organization’s project management strategy.
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Evaluate your success using the SMART Goals: A How to Guide rubric, making adjustments accordingly.
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Provide your feedback on this site—which tools are working and what is missing?