Thread by @Roamfu

1/12 ATOMIC PROJECT MANAGEMENT: USE THE POWER OF ATOMIC NOTE-TAKING TO BRING YOUR IDEAS TO REALITY

So @Conaw inadvertently jumped the gun with his thread on project management.

Might as well share the mastaplann* now—I'm inviting all of #roamcult to be co-conspirators.

2/ The connective tissue of projects, big and small, is the block reference.

The reason I use Roam as my main PM tool is that it allows me to move seamlessly across projects and between PM and task management.

Block references make this possible.

https://twitter.com/Conaw/status/1363648114666577926

3/ Let me demonstrate this with actual examples. Below are some of my non-Roaman project collateral.

Each node and endpoint in the mindmap and each cell of a spreadsheet would be a block in Roam.

Pre-Roam, these blocks were referenced virtually; in Roam, in actuality.

4/ For instance, let's go through two PM [[algorithms of thought]], the Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) and the Risk Register.

First, we break down the huge monster of project risk into smaller pieces using the RBS.

https://twitter.com/Conaw/status/1363647265127075840

5/ The project manager need not be a technical expert in all domains touched by the project (this is impossible in large ones). But the PM extracts and documents "blocks of expertise" from teammates and consultants: eg, specific risks.

H/t @dvargas92495 for the mindmap plug-in

6/ If you are doing a technical project, you can tag your notes with the different aspects of PM. You could also do this in interviews with teammates and experts, as well as meeting notes. When the time comes to using PM tools (eg RBS), your past self is there to help you.

7/ Now that risks are broken down as blocks, we can apply 80/20. A small number of these risks carry the greatest threats against our project.

https://twitter.com/Conaw/status/1363652647786479617

8/ Btw, the Parkinson's Law is foundational to how I use Roam for productivity. You make this law irrelevant by NOT allotting time to tasks. Instead, clear your calendar and listen to your Stallion (guided by a menu designed by your Rider).

https://twitter.com/Roamfu/status/1361663575421460488

9/ We use the Risk Register to reveal the 80/20. First we score each risk in terms of probability (#p1 low, #p3 high) and impact (#i1 negligible, #i3 showstopper). Then we get the risk score (s = p*i).

We can now program our attention in proportion to the risk score.

10/ We program our attention by sending reminders to our future selves via our Daily Pages linked references—more frequent reminders for the higher scoring risks.

11/ Risks require proportionate action. Action in Roam is {{[[TODO]]}}.

The process of transforming risk blocks into action is mitigation and contingency planning (again, extract from team and experts).

Add them to your work breakdown structure (WBS), budget, tasks, etc

11/ Judiciously assign or take on tasks that flow from these risks. This happens in steps 2 to 3 of Project-driven (Stallion/Rider) Productivity.

https://twitter.com/Roamfu/status/1362751953411796992

12/12 These will be in the rBook!

https://twitter.com/Roamfu/status/1358766013215502340

*enjoy this obscure reference to [[90s']] [[Filipino [[Hip hop]]]], when artists where still trying really hard to sound like Americans (and doing it well)**

**in case you're interested in a city's musical journey from imitation to finding its own voice, here's my account of Cebu's music scene: storiesofcebu.com/will-we-finall… Writing this piece gave me a lot of joy, and reading it right now transported some of that joy to this moment!