How to be a kick-ass project lead for CHAYN
All the tools and tips you need for running a project for a volunteer-run project
HELLO THERE.
There are many ways to be a project lead. This is not the best one. It’s just the one that we like the most. We will continue to iterate this as we see learning as an ongoing collective experience (fancy way of saying this document will keep changing). If you’ve got any ideas or feedback, let us know in the #tips slack channel. While this was put together for volunteers for Chayn, anyone might find elements of it useful.
What are CHAYN LEADERS like?
They’re everyone! They are introvert, extrovert, organised, messy, and every other thing you can be. What united them is a love for doing things in an agile, lean way and some basic principles:
- User-centred: Built with, not for
- Simple: What’s the minimum pro
- Agile: Iterative
- Crowdsourced
- Release first, tweak later
This guide will help you power up your existing skills and learn how to project manage the Chayn way. We’re not believers of hierarchy and think that traditional project management styles are bureaucratic, rigid, ineffective, slow, stifle creativity and not to allow the project manager or the team members to grow their skills. We’ve all learned harmful practises and beliefs from operating in institutions where process-heavy practises and toxic working styles (often driven by men) have shaped what we think leaders should be like. We want to change that.
The techniques you will see below are a mix of things we’ve learnt through experimentation, agile methodology, learn startup and human-centred design (to name a few).
YOU CAN DO THIS!