Projecting Success:
Project Management in
Academic Libraries
Stephanie Atkins
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, USA
Introduction
Projects and project management
 Two projects at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library
 Best practices

Six Phases of a Project






Enthusiasm
Disillusionment
Panic
Search for the guilty
Punishment of the innocent
Praise and honors for the non-participants
- Der
Spiegel
17 December 1973
Project Management
“[P]roject management is the application
of knowledge, skills, tools, and
techniques to a broad range of
activities in order to meet the
requirements of a particular project.”
- Project Management Institute
Project Life Cycle
Termination
Selection
Control
Planning
Implementation
Barcoding Project (1996)




Goal: Barcode 3 million volumes in 44
libraries
Timeline: 100 days
Implementation: Roving student barcoding
teams
Conclusion: Completed 42 libraries
Accessioning Project
(2004-2005)



Goal: Prepare and transfer 700,000
volumes to a new High Density Shelving
Facility
Timeline: 2 years
Implementation:



Library staff contribute time
Donate student employee wage monies
Conclusion: On-going, but 8,437 hours
logged in
Accessioning Project
Best Practice #1: Find the
most capable team members
Commitment and dedication
 Expertise
 Local knowledge
 Project manager

Details and specifications
 “Big picture” perspective
 Team dynamics and cooperation
 High frustration quotient

Best Practice #2: Invest in the
planning process
Define the scope
 Pilot project!

Test procedures
 Benchmarking
 Budget justifications
 Risk management
 Staff morale

Best Practice #3: Achieve
balance between planning &
flexibility

Plan too rigid
Team initiative or creativity
discouraged
 Costly reworks


Plan too flexible
Team lacks direction & cohesion
 Danger of time & cost overruns

Planning Strategies
“Master project managers plan and
attempt to anticipate, yet at the same
time they develop a state of
readiness to respond quickly to
frequent unanticipated events.”
- R. Geveden
Best Practice #4: Understand
the organizational culture
1/3 of failed projects = organizational
conflict/politics
 Project manager

Expertise
 Ability to influence & negotiate
 Network of people in the organization
 Stakeholder input

Best Practice #5: Utilize project
management software

Microsoft Project
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 Gantt Charts

• Scheduling
• Tracking people and resources
• Milestones


Baselines
Microsoft Access
Barcoding Project Gantt Chart
Project Management
“… results in more work being
accomplished on limited resources
because less time and money are
spent on recovering from
unplanned, unexpected events
throughout the project.”
- K.A. Moore
References
Frame, J.D. 2003. Managing Projects in Organizations: How to Make
the Best Use of Time, Techniques, and the People. 3d ed. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Geveden, R. 2000. Improvisation is Alive and Well. In Project
Management Success Stories: Lessons of Project Leaders.
Edited by A. Laufer and E.J. Hoffman. New York: John Wiley &
Sons: 81.
Moore, K. A. 1998. Project Management: Can Libraries Benefit?
Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana 20: 72.
Project Management Institute. About the Profession: What is project
management? Available:
http://www.pmi.org/info/PP_AboutProfessionOverview.asp?nav=
0501 [May 14, 2004].