PMI-LA Events

All of us “do” documentation from emailing, to reports, to project plans, to to-dos, to files, and to spreadsheets. Documentation is a fundamental underpinning practice in our work as project managers. But do we – and our organizations – really “get” it? Experience tells us, no. We often have little understanding of how we can apply the everyday skills of documentation—which we already know—to turbocharge our effectiveness. Documentation has traditionally been viewed as “static.” That is lifeless piles of paper, dusty binders on a shelf, and records in your database. But when applied properly, documentation is “dynamic” – it actively moves you forward and changes outcomes. No matter what your situation—your files are a mess; you can’t get your team to follow up; you’re stuck in a vortex of meetings; no one reads your processes; your fancy system was a bust; your expensive, “best-in-class” consultants failed to deliver real change— Dynamic Documentation is about solving your business problems through 6 distinct steps: Capturing, Structuring, Presenting, Communicating, Storing and Leveraging, Leading and Innovating. This session shares leading best practices from Adrienne Bellehumeur’s new book "The 24-Hour Rule and Other Secrets for Smarter Organizations" (Benbella/PenguinRandomHouse 2023) which you can think of as the world’s first “mass market” book on documentation best practices.

Learning Objectives:

• The 24-Hour Rule: Learn how to optimize your personal and team workflow using this rule and other productivity hacks.
• Dynamic Notes: Develop a practice of capturing information effectively, harnessing the wealth of ideas and opportunities that come your way.
• The Groundhog Trap: Use documentation techniques to eliminate repetitive discussions about future projects or past decisions.
• Action-Over-Perfection Protocol: Understand that documents and documentation systems that drive momentum are more valuable than striving for "perfection."
• Dynamic Documentation "Skill Stack": Build a comprehensive skill set encompassing note-taking, interviewing, reporting, memoing, writing, design, and basic information management.
• 6 Steps of Dynamic Documentation: Approach documentation as a problem-solving methodology involving Capturing, Structuring, Presenting, Communicating, Storing and Leveraging, and Leading and Innovating.

Speakers