A deep dive into project management practices from both a PMI and business perspective. In this session, we will discuss many of the common pitfalls associated with large and small scale Drupal projects, as well as the best practices for bringing in projects that meet client expectations, on time, on budget.

Some of the topics I will cover:

* How to best start a project - The discovery phase may be the most important phase of the project. Many of the problems that cause budget and/or effort overruns start in the very beginning. What is some of the commonly forgotten information that should absolutely be disclosed during the planning of a project?

* How to efficiently facilitate an architecture phase - Regardless of your methodology (waterfall, agile, etc.), an architecture phase is critical to laying out a delivery roadmap, set expectations on deadlines, and ensure that your effort matches your initial estimates. The problem is that an architecture phase can be very lengthly, complicated, and resource intensive. Finding an approach that gives your team the necessary understanding for planning with minimal impact on resources is key.

* Managing the development process - I will lay out how working with the agile methodology is beneficial, even on fixed bid projects. Exposing and controlling the change request process is often the difference between a successful project and one that is trashed.

* Client acceptance and project closure - This phase has a way of dragging out. How can you walk your client through the acceptance and closure processes in a way that leaves them satisfied, but doesn't leave you with a lot of unpaid time?