Light the way. (eBook)

a Studio Hyperset expression studiohyperset.com

v.1.1 | August 2016

Light the way.

Studio Hyperset’s project management handbook.

https://studiohyperset.com

https://studiohyperset.com

Fundamentally, the character of the hero is nothing more than an image of light projected on a dark wall.

- Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy

[Apollo] is … a god of the sun and light who reveals himself in brilliance. Beauty is his element … But the image of Apollo must also include … the measured limitation, freedom from wilder impulses, and wise calm of one who creates formal order. His eye must be sun-like and steady. Even when it’s angry and shows displeasure, the consecrated aura of lovely semblance surrounds it.

- Friedrich Nietzsche, The Dionysian Worldview

Greater Clarity

introduction

Project management is the steady north star for any successful venture. At Studio Hyperset, we’ve

spent the past decade placing it at the center of everything we do, and this has allowed us to build two

valuable things for our clients:

• an ultra-responsive support and operations framework

• a talented team of reliable, client-focused professionals

These resources help SH operate faster, and handle more volume, than many other service businesses.

Our project management system leverages a 24/7 communication network, global talent resources, and

a variety of intuitive workflows and technology solutions. Collectively, these help minimize most

common frustrations associated with both teammate and client-vendor relationships:

• tangled email chains

• endless follow ups

• unresponsive talent and disengaged leadership

• strategic confusion and tactical gaps

!5studiohyperset.com

http://studiohyperset.com


In addition to serving as a formal check against (and antidote to) chaos, our system also helps put

tremendous downward pressure on development and review cycles, increases speed to market, and

streamlines the processes of solving complex challenges. However, its primary purpose is making our

clients and team feel as if they’re SH’s most important assets (because they are).

As all this might suggest, project management is a sort of religion to us. Like most everyone else, we’ve

experienced the world (and professional situations) when it’s been proactively present and passively

absent, and there’s no contest which facilitates the best relationships and which maximizes satisfaction,

intended results, and, most importantly, catharsis.

Like a critical reader, great project managers focus on creating greater clarity than would otherwise

exist. The role’s special genius lies in transforming stochastic “noise” into harmonized order and

creating a space in which creative actions of all kinds can flourish. Challenging artworks without

insightful annotations are just jumbles of signs. Likewise, projects without adequate leadership are

almost always nightmares of entropy.




When we say SH’s mission involves creating catharsis, this is exactly what we mean. Project managers

are light-bringers, deus ex machina figures, and modern Apollos. They’re heroes in the most ancient

senses of the word: “defenders,” “protectors,” “watch-keepers,” “brave-ones.”1 In this role, they

prevent problems from happening and solve them when they arise. They’re the agents of catharsis and

the essential connection between clients and talent resources. They facilitate the building of bridges

outward to audiences and the creation of engaging solutions for complex challenges.

Bottlenecks — stalls in an otherwise fluid workflow — are unappealing and best avoided, and we’re

constantly trying to make SH the fastest, most efficient service shop on the block. However, when we

must choose, we sacrifice raw speed for the core values of good project management:

• balance

• order

• clarity

• gentility

• grace

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We’ve organized this project management handbook around such values.

It outlines the four “noble truths” of Studio Hyperset’s project management philosophy as well as some

specific tactics and modular elements we use to keep our service operations pipeline running as

smoothly as possible.

We’ve gained these insights and built our project management solution stack through trial-and-error,

hard work, team discussions, reading and research, personal experience, and a lot of client and

teammate patience.

We hope taking an “open source” approach to these systems will help:

• teammates, clients, and service vendors build great professional relationships

• project managers build better communications systems earlier and faster

• our mission values circulate more widely:




Helping clients grow and evolve, empowering and adding value to their businesses and lives,

working together to find catharsis and formal order in a world of anxiety and chaos.

To share your project management experiences, offer feedback about this handbook, and to learn more

about Studio Hyperset, please visit studiohyperset.com

Quimby Melton Founder/President [email protected](702) 521-6711



mailto:[email protected]



mailto:[email protected]


section 1

Project Management Best Practices

Not too cha!y.

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We use minimum constructive dialogue to achieve maximum results. We want to be responsive and

action-oriented without fatiguing clients with too much dialogue or over-sharing. This is true in the best

of times, but it’s most important in the worst.

When a client project becomes ultra-chaotic or ultra-dysfunctional, we generally decrease SH’s

outbound, client-facing chatter to a minimum. (Internal, teammate chatter may increase quite a bit, of

course.) No matter how chaotic the incoming communications flow becomes, we:

• use lean, direct language to reassure clients we're in control of the situation

• receive all information and organize it behind the scenes

• quietly and effectively execute whatever can be executed without client involvement

• document and organize all client-facing questions and issues (which we’ll revisit with

the client once the chaos dies down)

In these situations, we strive to become tranquil receptors of information rather than broadcasters of it.

Instead of making a dysfunctional situation worse, our goal is to absorb the chaos, control and organize

the dialogue, and help successfully resolve the situation so the larger project can proceed.

!12

Client-facing quiet

Teammate chatter

As a general rule, in both the best of times and the worst of times, SH firmly believes virtually all client-

facing conversations should be asynchronous. Establishing a pulse-base, interval-oriented

communications tempo encourages clients to observe the “Not too chatty” principle and creates

constructive pauses between requests, reviews, and actions.

This cadence insulates our team, giving us a chance to collect our thoughts and perform our best work.

It also helps clients think in terms of development phases: logical “paragraphs,” “chapters,” and even

“books” of action rather than one-off “sentences” and “words” (which are almost always reactive and

interjectional and can be distracting, emotional, and even imperious).


Asynchronous conversations are intermittent.

Use Basecamp, Trello, Asana, email & Google Sheet comments.

Synchronous conversations happen in real-time.

Use Slack, text messages & instant chat apps like Skype.



Internal, team-focused communications, can benefit from both asynchronous and synchronous forms of

conversation.

Generally, we use the former to organize builds, assign tasks, and engage in discussions to which

multiple parties need access. We use synchronous communications to facilitate complementary “water

cooler” talk: one-time, detail-oriented questions; urgent issues; private chatter; and other forms of

casual conversation.

Whether communicating privately or publicly, using asynchronous or synchronous platforms, SH

encourages clients and teammates to:

• carefully monitor who has access to messages and action items

• be aware of whom they alert via email or SMS as a result of posting a message or action item

• ensure they post messages to the correct project, topic, channel, or person




In addition to observing the “Not too chatty” principle, as a rule, we also ask clients and teammates to

always be polite and professional and not to post anything that one wouldn’t:

• want his/her parents, partner, friends, or children to read

• mind reading aloud to a group of strangers or a panel of jurors

• mind seeing published on the front page of the New York Times website


At a high level, effective project management is like

writing a play in real time. Every project has a cast of

characters, and well-managed dialogue determines the

nature of the relationships.

The best conversations create the best relationships.



Let there be light.

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We want to make sure both (a) the overall project status and (b) the status of individual action items are

transparent and self-evident. Within a few moments of reading, anyone attached to a project should be

able to independently discover:

• the overall project status

• the status of a given action item and, if it’s open, why it hasn't yet been completed

Admittedly, there’s an inherent conflict between the “Not too chatty” and “Let there be light”

principles. They’re in constant dialogue with one another, and it's the project manager's job to decide

how to strike the most constructive balance between the two.


Finding a sweet spot on the “quiet-light” continuum is more art than science. The right blend of each depends on the preferences and personalities involved in the project, the status and stage of these relationships, and the complexity of a given project or action item. Complicating matters, all of these variables may be in a steady state of flux.



As a result of the “Not too chatty” principle, a client might not see every discussion or to do. For

example, Basecamp — the client-facing portion of our project management stack — allows us to select

which content clients can and cannot see, and keeping some activity private (in Basecamp and Slack)

allows us to prevent overwhelming clients with dialogue.

However, when we find a client feels s/he doesn’t have an adequate high-level view of the project, is

curious about something that’s outstanding, or otherwise needs clarification, we ask that client to post a

public message in Basecamp. We’re happy to fill the client in and, as necessary, reveal the to do, file,

discussion, and otherwise move the “quiet-light” continuum slider right.


Increased client-facing chatter and light.



Likewise, if a client feels there’s too much chatter, we ask him/her to let us know that as well. We can

always adjust our privacy settings and move the continuum slider left.


Decreased client-facing chatter and light.



studiohyperset.com

Mind the gap(s).



As businesses grow and projects increase in complexity, gaps begin to form between important silos

and the players in those silos:

• between marketing and sales

• between marketing and production

• between engineering and marketing

• between leadership and talent

The list goes on and on. And as project managers, it’s our job to mind these gaps, anticipate any

potential communications shortfalls, bridge any kinetic communications shortfalls, and build systems

that constantly improve alignment and clarity.

Whether they’re structural or temporary, cultural or project-based, most all gaps are communication-

and knowledge-based. Monitoring the quiet-light spectrum helps prevent gaps from forming among

day-to-day players. However, to prevent gaps from forming between “satellite" players — most often

those in management- and command-level roles — we create summaries filled with scope information,

outlines of logical build phases, and lists of elements in play.




We call these files “Build Phase Documents,”

and we generally title them using the month

and year (or other logical build marker such

as a software-style version number). In a few

moments of reading, anyone attached to the

project can quickly close whatever

knowledge- and communication-gaps s/he

has.

When we submit a final deliverable, this

document is useful as well. Instead of digging

through the file, comment, and discussion

archive, the client can merely review the

deliverable against this document and

approve the final submission.


Theme v.3.4.1 (July 2016)

Scope: Website improvements Wireframes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/link-key-here/ Client Point Person: John Doe <[email protected]> SH Point Person: Jane Manager <[email protected]>

Deliverables

Global - http://www.domain.com • navbar has font weight 400 across the board • navbar hover has been removed from main navbar tabs

Product Page - http://www.domain.com/product/ • text and images properly sized and spaced

Management Page - http://www.domain.com/management/ • retina images integrated • max-width adjusted to 960px • illustrations replaced • link rollover state adjusted • CTA added



Turn funnels into pipes.

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Being as ultra-responsive as it's

constructive to be — this is our

client-facing goal. We never want

to be the cause of a bottleneck,

and our ideal operational state

involves awaiting client feedback.

No client should spend more time

than is absolutely necessary

anticipating an update or

deliverable from us.

Here are a few ways we maximize

the capacity of our operations

pipeline and keep it running as

smoothly, fluidly, and efficiently as

possible.

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We constantly monitor incoming communications.

When there’s a need, we respond quickly and nimbly.

Master Progress Feed



Each project we manage has at least one

"Resources" document attached to it. In this

document, we list important information to

which all clients and teammates need access.

Ensuring all participants have access to the

same set of up-to-date information

neutralizes common, frustrating bottlenecks

associated with sharing (and re-sharing)

account usernames and passwords, file and

repository links, FTP and SSL information, and

other utility data.

As necessary — to manage extensive UI

documentation, for example — we may

create multiple documents like this.


Resources

Harvest Budget: “Awesome Client Project”

GitHub Repo http://github.com/studiohyperset/client

Marketing Automation Login http://markingauto.com/login login | p@55w0r6

WP http://client-site.com/wp-admin/ login | p@55w0r6

FTP 11.22.345.678 login | p@55w0r6

UI Notes When adding dates to custom posts, please use this format:

• DAY OF THE WEEK, MONTH DAY|TIME

For example:

• FRI, AUGUST 17|8am-5pm



To ensure all our teammates and

clients have up-to-date views of

their active assignments, everyone

has a personal homepage.

We ask clients and teammates to

monitor their pages, which

everyone can access by clicking

“Me” in the Basecamp

navigation menu. On this page,

it’s easy to sort assignments using

a variety of time-based options.


To ensure everyone see his/her to do's in a timely manner, be sure to assign dates to — and adjust dates for — individual to do's. It’s easy to overlook something in the master progress feed. However, one generally isolates a day’s to do on his/her personal homepage (above), and we’re all less likely to miss something if it appears there.

Assigning dates to individual to do’s — and keeping

them current — is very important.




To do lists are pipeline workhorses. Properly managed, they can help transform the narrowest funnels

into the highest-capacity pipes.

We use to do lists to organize active builds into meaningful units.

While due dates help communicate a sense of urgency and precedence, we generally also prioritize (and sub-prioritize) to do's using “Pnth“ labels.

Descriptive labels help connect action items, keep the operations pipeline moving, and allow anyone attached to a project discover (with a glance) why a given to do is still open. (Let there be !)

Think of it like this: projects

are books, and to do lists are

chapters.



sample pipeline workflow

Here’s a sample operations pipeline workflow. We use this tempo every day for a diverse array of clients

and tasks, and it works well for both team- and client-facing action items. At a high level, the process

can be summarized as initiate > dialogue > complete.


Initiate a conversation via discussion message or post an issue, bug, or feature request using a logical to do list. If such a list doesn’t exist, feel free to create one.

If you post a to do — vs. a discussion message — give it a logical title and due date and assign it to whomever needs to see it. (In this case, that’s John Doe.)

1




If necessary, use the to do’s comment thread to dialogue about the request. After posting your message, be sure to add a descriptive label to the to do, reassign it to the person with whom you’re conversing, and (if necessary) adjust the due date.

2

Once you have clarity and complete the to do, adjust the descriptive note, the due date (if necessary), and reassign it to whomever assigned it to you. This person will give the action item a final look and check it off.

3



section 2

SH’s Project Management Stack

the stack

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Why would someone outside our professional orbit care about SH’s project management stack?

While we’ve built it to accommodate our specific needs, our stack is generic enough that other similar

service businesses could duplicate it and find the effort valuable. It’s arranged into certain clusters that

are more or less universal. That is, almost every conceivable service business requires communications,

file-sharing, and accounting solutions.

As a result, we’ve organized this section of the eBook into four module groups:

• communications

• version control / codebase / front end

• file creation, sharing, and review

• time tracking / invoicing / forecasting

Only the second is specific to Studio Hyperset (and similar technology-oriented service firms). The other

three arms could be useful to just about any other service business including law and accounting firms,

production companies, insurance brokers, and so on and so forth.




communications

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Basecamp is the nerve center of our operations stack. There, we can monitor the master

operations feed, check on and assign individual to do’s, and communicate with teammates

and clients.

Google Apps for Work is a powerful application suite that includes a variety of solutions. In

our case, we use it to manage email and to share communications-oriented spreadsheets

filled with data, scopes, and financial and budgeting information.

We use Slack as an internal, team-focused communication tool. It’s a valuable, synchronous

complement to Basecamp that allows our team to chat about issues and solve challenges in

real time.

JoinMe is a phone and video conferencing tool that makes meeting with remote teammates

and clients effortless. Its screen-sharing features facilitate training and review sessions, and,

like more expensive enterprise solutions, it offers recording and archiving opportunities.




version control / codebase / front-end

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Whether we’re building a website, a marketing widget, or an application, we use GitHub to

manage version control. From there, we can connect with databases, end users, and visitors

using platforms like Media Temple, Netlify, Kinvey, Pantheon, Google Cloud Services, and

the various app stores.


Hello, world!



file creation, sharing & review

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An agnostic, lingua franca application, Dropbox helps keep us in sync with client vendors

who aren’t necessarily in our Basecamp project. Not unlike GitHub, it functions as a sort of

design codebase that allows everyone attached to a project to engage with the same set of

files.

As the need arises, we also use a variety of specialized document generation and review

tools to create deliverables and visual communication aids.

Adobe’s Creative Cloud includes marquee creative development applications like

Photoshop and Dreamweaver, and Lucidchart, is invaluable for creating visual

representations of standardized workflows and other project management systems. Vimeo

offers powerful video sharing options, Zeplin is a collaborative front-end design app, and

InVision makes reviewing and commenting on designs effortless.




time tracking / invoicing / forecasting

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Harvest helps us track our time, invoice clients, and run a variety of accounting- and

productivity-oriented reports. It keeps our team informed about our collective financial

goals and contributions and helps us avoid alienating clients with budget overages.

Forecast is a sister application that allows us to use Harvest time logs to predict future

availability opportunities and capacity limits. This helps prevent internal confusion, manage

client expectations, and monitor our growth needs.

Looks like we have some time for

you! Let us know how we can help

at studiohyperset.com/connect


http://studiohyperset.com/connect

http://studiohyperset.com/connect


Studio HypersetEngaging solutions for complex challenges.

Studio Hyperset, Inc.

16152 Beach Boulevard, Suite 245 | Huntington Beach, CA 92605 | studiohyperset.com | [email protected] | (702) 521-6711

about

us

Studio Hyperset is a solution-focused professional services firm. We offer a range of project management, marketing, media, and

technology services, and our mission involves helping clients grow and evolve, empowering and adding value to their businesses and

lives, and working with them to find catharsis and formal order in a world of anxiety and chaos.



!42

references

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy and Other Writings. Ed. Raymond Geuss and Ronald Speirs. New York: Cambridge UP,

1999.

1. “Hero.” Online Etymology Dictionary (n.d.) http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hero (accessed July 24, 2016).

studiohyperset.com

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hero


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hero


Business

Light the way. (eBook)