Designing an Effective Project Repository

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designing a project data repositoryFiling project documentation in a shared folder named “Repository” doesn’t cut it. An effective project repository is designed to maximize value. It can increase foresight and provide valuable information in project deliverables such as the risk plan. Here are the characteristics of a well-designed project repository.

  • Provides information to solve recurring issues. Designers base how they organize and present information in their project repository on specific challenges the organization faces during project delivery and they ensure that the repository holds project data that helps to improve outcomes in future projects. For example:
    • If estimation is difficult, create common names for frequently used tasks so you can track time and risks for those tasks over many projects and improve performance over time.
    • If risk planning is incomplete, compile risks from reported issues and create an initial risk list with response strategies.
    • If contractors are often used, collect detailed performance and cost information by company and by individual consultant.
  • Includes a powerful search function, indexed with commonly used terms. This makes it easier to find data without reviewing extensive lists. Common terms include terms regularly used in the organization’s project management methodology as well as typical industry terms. For example, “project charter” will be used universally for the document to launch a project. “Pour the foundation” might be a common activity description in construction, while “unit testing” might be used for information technology projects.
  • Organized with clearly defined and consistently applied folder hierarchies (i.e., by project phase, document type, activity, or discipline). While a search function allows for specific data reviews, folder hierarchies enable project managers to review multiple project examples. For example, say a project has a task to prep a roadbed before paving. Various approaches for laying the roadbed, the time taken, and the risks that surfaced could be viewed by looking at histories from several projects. Phases allow project managers to review best practices and standards for closing a project, for example. Cataloguing data by discipline allows for the review of multiple procurement plans to determine the best fit for an upcoming project.
  • Managed by an administrator to maintain status, naming standards, and version control with a focus on continuous improvement. A repository must be clean and easy-to-use or project managers won’t use it. When a repository is used regularly, new ideas for data to extract are generated routinely. Administrators can deploy these ideas to add indexing, massage existing data, or collect additional data to satisfy data requests and improve project delivery.

How do you set up your project repository? Share your tips and tricks with us in the comments.

 

Coming Up

Whether you’re a manager aiming to lead more effectively or a team member feeling stifled by excessive oversight, this conversation is for you. Join Julie Robinson and I for Office Hours on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 3pm MT, 5 PM ET where we will talk about how to improve performance by reducing or eliminating micro-management.  We’ll discuss how to recognize signs of micro-management, whether you’re dishing it out or receiving it. If you’re a manager, you’ll gain insight into the why of this behavior and what you can do to become a more empowering leader. Team members will discover strategies for regaining autonomy. You’ll come away with a handout from Julie with tools and resources to support lasting change. Click here to join!

 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 96,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Creating an Environment of Accountability

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Creating an Environment of AccountabilityImagine how much more you and your team could accomplish if everyone was accountable for the work they do. You can make this dream come true by creating an environment in which team members hold themselves accountable.  Here’s how:

  • Make sure the project scope is worded to clearly convey why the mission matters and ensure team members understand their role in it. Make sure the project scope is clear and that business objectives are understood by all. Team members should understand precisely how their work aligns with the scope. If there is any doubt, review the project documentation with the team member to resolve any misunderstandings about the project scope and their role within it.
  • Provide clear task definitions. Each team member should know exactly what’s required of them and how their work products will be evaluated.  If there is doubt or confusion, consider compiling a WBS Dictionary to clarify any ambiguous tasks. Get team members involved in creating that dictionary, and you will achieve both clarity and ownership.
  • Schedule reasonable delivery timeframes. No matter how meaningful the mission and how clear the task definitions, team members might not be self-accountable if you don’t allocate enough time for their work. 
  • Acknowledge success. Always acknowledge when team members produce a quality product. Don’t wait until they reach a significant milestone or overcome a complex problem. Recognition breeds self-accountability, because team members want to be part of that atmosphere of success.
  • Model the desired behavior. Demonstrate your own accountability to build accountability in your team. The accountability that you demonstrate as a project manager will influence the level of accountability your team demonstrates. If you meet deadlines, fulfill promises, and handle bad news constructively, accountability will prevail throughout your team. By providing psychological safety within your project, your team members can do their best work.

Do you have other ways to create an atmosphere of accountability? Share your thoughts in the comments.

 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 96,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Project Assumptions: Useful and Those Not So Much

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Assessing a new team member graphicAt a project start, there are things you won’t know, so you have to make assumptions. While management considers whether the project business case is worthwhile, practical and reasonable assumptions can make the difference between a project launch and “a good idea, but.” Here are some ways to differentiate useful assumptions from the ones to avoid.

Useful

  • A high probability of being valid. Accurate and easily verified project assumptions are very useful. Example: You assume that a specific contracted skill is available. A call to a trusted vendor can provide informal verification to confirm the accuracy of the assumption. That’s followed up with a formal request. The contract with the vendor later commits to the skill availability. 
  • Enable initial costs to be estimated. Estimates are part of every initial go/no-go decision. Carefully craft assumptions that can support informed financial decisions.  Example: The assumption about a contracted skill should define the role so a vendor query would provide an approximate hourly or daily rate. This approximation would validate the assumption and support estimated costs.
  • Limited in scope. Useful assumptions address a narrow aspect of a project, rather than a broad prediction of project outcome. Example: An assumption about cost for tooling to maintain a new manufacturing line is appropriate. An assumption of the entire cost of a project to build a new manufacturing line isn’t helpful. There are too many elements contributing to the total project cost, making it impossible to predict anything with confidence. 
  • Supported by project histories. Useful assumptions are based on facts. If the time to produce a project deliverable has been consistent in the past, it is low risk to assume that timeframe for a new project. Example: Even when building an entirely new manufacturing line, preparing the floor and power drops for that line might be like past buildouts. So, you can assume the buildout timeframe in the preliminary plans for a new line. If an assumption isn’t supported by history, it’s time to document the risk and use wider ranges for estimates.
  • Stakeholders understand and support the assumption. Stakeholders have to understand and support assumptions when participating in project go/no-go decisions. Additionally, with assumptions related to stakeholder performance, it enables them to help make the assumption a reality. Example: You might assume a key stakeholder’s availability to support project completion within a constrained timeframe. If stakeholders are aware and understand that assumption, they can strive to ensure that the skilled resource is available

Not useful

  • Speculation that can’t be proven without completing the project. Assumptions regarding items such as customer acceptance of a new product, made without surveys or other market research, are pure speculation and carry high risk. You can determine market acceptance only by completing the project and releasing its product. Example: You assume that new electric toenail clippers will be in high-demand without any customer outreach, and launch the project anyway. Note: Innovative product development often proceeds without surveys, because sharing a novel idea with the marketplace early would hurt competitive advantage. These projects are always high-risk, but when the project’s product is broadly accepted (like the iPhone), the rewards can be significant.
  • Opinions are the basis of an assumption. Opinions are often based on gut feelings, not on fact, but they can be expressed with passion. Question proposed assumptions and evaluate whether the accompanying passion hides a lack of factual basis.
  • Based on old or incorrect data. Assumptions based on incomplete or outdated facts aren’t useful. Confirm the facts behind a proposed project assumption! Example: Stakeholders propose that new robotics will increase manufacturing line output by 300%, based on their experience, and want that applied to a new project they proposed. However, that productivity increase is achieved only when one raw material is used, and the new manufacturing line in the current project will require three raw materials. 
  • Require “ideal conditions” to be accurate. Overly optimistic assumptions can mislead stakeholders. Example: There’s an assumption that construction completion can be achieved within 4 months. However, this can be valid only if there are no weather delays, all materials are delivered on time without defects, and none of the construction crew members fall ill.

Review some assumptions from a current or recent project. Find any that meet the not useful criteria. Think about how you might turn them into useful ones.

 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 95,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Multi-tasking in Meetings

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Newsletter Graphic Advice The PM is INDear Bonnie,

Some people constantly multitask in meetings, which disrupts other people’s attention and prevents important information from getting to the audience. Do you have any recommendations to get people to pay attention? 

Thanks,

Can We Focus on our Meetings?!

 

Dear Can We Focus,

A well-run meeting, focused on a relevant agenda, is the best approach to curb people’s multitasking.

  1. Know what you’re trying to accomplish. Identify why you need a meeting and the desired results (approval, issue resolution, status).
  2. Create an agenda with a list of topics and time estimate to discuss each one. That way you can be sure to cover every item. You can keep discussions on topic. Plus, if the discussion starts to go off track, you can stop the discussion and create an action item to handle the new item offline (or in another meeting).
  3. Limit meeting attendees to who you need to accomplish the meeting goal. The more people in a meeting, the harder it is to get things done on time. 
  4. Schedule the meeting for when it works for attendees and send the meeting invitation and materials ahead of time. That way, attendees have a chance to prepare. (They might not read beforehand, so be prepared for a quick review.) 
  5. Start meetings on time, even if some attendees are missing. Don’t backtrack when people show up late. That just reinforces their rude behavior. (They can read the meeting notes to catch up on what they missed.) If a key decision-maker is missing, reschedule the meeting rather than sit and wait.
  6. If possible, have someone facilitate the meeting to keep everyone focused.  The facilitator explains the purpose of the meeting, topics, attendees, and ground rules for interaction. The facilitator can coax quiet people to participate or wrangle the discussion back on topic.
  7. Take good meeting notes (or use an AI tool to create them). Be sure to document decisions, action items, and who’s responsible for them. Distribute the notes to attendees and (up) anyone else who needs to know.

Establishing a standard of behavior in meetings promotes better outcomes. You get what you tolerate. Unless different standards are set, meetings won’t get any better.

Here are a couple of strategies for meeting behavior. Have everyone put their phones in a basket, so they won’t be distracted. To make sure everyone is paying attention, assign a task to each person during the meeting. If they can’t recite that to-do at the end of the meeting, assess a fine like buying coffee next time or make them wear a silly hat.

Effective meetings will help keep people from multitasking. You’ll get more done, and you might win some fans. Give yourself a head start. Create a checklist of things to do before you hold a meeting.

For more about effective meetings, check out Dave Crenshaw’s Leading Productive Meetings course.

 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 95,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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