Project Management … Applied

In the world of Softerewa

In the world of Software Project Management, a gal can get down on herself. Software is notorious for its late-running schedules and complex systems where every little thing that can go wrong will. So it was an excellent experience for me to apply my project management skills to something completely different. This year, I successfully created, produced – and even performed in – a holiday pageant that raised money for Cradles to Crayons, a local organization helping homeless children.

I couldn't believe I was doing something so big – after all, what did I have to bring to the table? Having never done this before in my life, I planned for small things, a small theater with a small financial investment, small expectations for the event, and small demands on my cast. After all, it was the very first time I was doing many of these things. Sure, I can dance – but I had never choreographed for more than two people before. I hadn't written and directed a show. I hadn't even acted in any community theater since I was eighteen. I certainly had never asked people to put their faith in me, first the performers who agreed to put in hard work and effort into this newborn show, and the audience, who had never seen a show like this – and not from me. I guess it is something like when the Angel appeared to the shepherds and told them that the son of God had been born in a stables nearby … except when I asked people to do something extraordinary for me, I didn't have the benefit of a halo and wings.

Risk management came in handy. I have seen other shows – of less complexity – succeed and yet have failures that I did not wish to repeat. A late-running software project is one thing – that some people come to expect. A late-running show with audience in their seats? Unacceptable. I have seen dance shows where performers have not appeared to perform – and when you have a story to tell – you cannot simply have a cast member bail out. So that was definitely a concern – and not one that I was able to mitigate with understudies. Rather, I got incredibly lucky that the one cast member who was injured in the week prior was replaced by another gifted performer who picked up and improvised with the outline she was given during Dress rehearsal.

With encouragement from my co-producers, we forged ahead, even when things seemed darkest, like when our original choice for roles were injured, when we lost the full involvement of one co-producer for a time, or when only a few people showed up for auditions. Bravery was required when I signed the contract with the lighting/sound technician, knowing that my nightly anxiety attacks would end (and they did) once I knew that we'd have that taken care of – but committing a large portion of my expected proceeds to this cost – the first one I couldn't just pay out of pocket. Even as an IT project manager, I had rarely dealt with profits and expenses so closely as I did on this show, knowing that failure meant not only a loss of reputation, but also loss of my own invested money. I had to evaluate each thing against its effect. Would particularly pretty tickets persuade more buyers, or could we get by on the cheapest ones? [We got the cheapest ones!] Were flyers worthwhile printing, or was it better to advertise with a digital flyer in email? In most ways, we scrimped and saved – and the strategy succeeded. The one place we spent money was the aforementioned light and sound tech, and when I saw the theater setup, I knew we had spent our money well. If we did not hire him, we would have had no way to project sound and we would have had no lights at all (the house lights and stage lights were one and the same).

The show was documented six ways to Sunday. I sliced and diced the data in different ways, according to the recipient of it. The lighting/sound guy had his cues, the stage manager another. We had spreadsheets of costumes, spreadsheets of props, spreadsheets of ticket buyers. Google Docs was an incredible resource, allowing me to create documents of all types and share them – collaborating with my team.

My technical expertise came in handy with setting up the website, along with the PayPal ticket purchases, as well as the collaborative Google site for the cast to communicate.

So it is with amazement and pride that I look back at the show I produced two weeks ago. Thanks to the hard work and diligence of all, we had a seamless show in a nearly sold out theater. We raised more than my expectations for the charity, and it was very well-received by both the local community and the dance community. It made people feel spiritual and connected to Christmas, and it raised cultural awareness of Middle Eastern cultures too.

The special thing I had to offer was not necessarily past experience with theatricals, or with event-promotion, of which I had very few – it was my Project Management – my Real Job that allowed me to succeed at this production – which is, as they say, "only a hobby".

Now, it's time for the post-mortem! Happy holidays to all!