Project Management in Newsrooms Guide
I am delighted to announce the launch of the Project Management in Newsrooms Guide, published today as a free download by the Association for Project Management, where I am an honorary fellow.
I have worked on projects throughout most of my journalism careers and became the Financial Times’ Special Projects Editor in 2016. I love projects because they are occasions to go beyond our daily output, or to try something new.
Newsrooms have always executed projects - whether it’s a special reporting series or a one-off print supplement - but they are becoming more prevalent as we continually adapt to new audience habits, formats and distribution channels and have no choice but to learn by doing.
Project management skills are therefore becoming more important. They are fundamental to our ability to collaborate across different teams, to experiment and innovate, and to pull off the extraordinary. I also believe that newsrooms can become more adaptable and better able to learn and grow by building up their project management ‘muscles’.
Unfortunately, journalists tend to view planning and process as overly burdensome when they are working at the speed of news. It doesn’t help, either, that there are scarcely any accessible resources available to demystify the process and provide a comprehensive overview. I’m hoping this guide can fill that gap.
The guide is written for reporters and editors who may not have had any previous project management. It centers the newsroom experience and covers topics such as the difference between project and product management, how to assemble a cross-functional team, and how to gracefully close down a project. I hope you’ll find it useful!