# Best Practices for Project Management (Focused on Productivity, Not Meetings)

1. Essential Roles (No Unnecessary Overhead)

✅ Project Lead / Manager – Ensures project stays on track, removes blockers (not a micromanager).

✅ Team Members – Skilled professionals who do the actual work, empowered to make decisions.

✅ Stakeholder(s) – Those who define business goals but don’t micromanage execution.

❌ What to Avoid:

• Useless roles like "Scrum Master" enforcing process over progress.
• "Product Owner" who exists only to relay messages from executives.

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2. Minimal Set of Artifacts (Only What’s Useful)

✅ Project Roadmap – High-level plan with milestones, kept flexible.

✅ Task Board (Kanban or Simple Backlog) – A visible list of tasks that matter, updated as needed.

✅ Deliverables Tracker – Tracks what’s actually getting done, not just estimated velocity.

❌ What to Avoid:

• Overloaded "Sprint Backlogs" that never get fully completed.
• Detailed documentation that no one reads (keep it lean & relevant).

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3. Efficient Rituals (No Time-Wasting Meetings)

✅ One Weekly Check-In (Max 30 Minutes) – Focus on blockers and actual progress, not status updates.

✅ Async Daily Updates (if needed) – Quick Slack/Teams updates instead of daily stand-ups.

✅ Retrospectives Only When Needed – Instead of scheduled retros, do a lessons-learned session after milestones.

❌ What to Avoid:

• Daily Standups where people just say "what they did" without real problem-solving.
• Sprint Reviews that turn into long-winded PowerPoint sessions.
• Forced Retros where no one has real feedback, but they have to say something.

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4. Execution Focused on Real Progress

✅ Work in Iterations (but Flexible) – Weekly or bi-weekly releases, not fixed 2-week sprints that create artificial pressure.

✅ Limit Work in Progress (WIP) – Don’t start everything at once; focus on getting things done.

✅ Fast Decision-Making – Team makes quick, local decisions instead of waiting for approvals.

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Summary: The Lean, No-BS Framework for Productivity

• Roles: Only what’s necessary (Project Lead, Team, Stakeholders).
• Artifacts: Just enough structure (Roadmap, Task Board, Deliverables Tracker).
• Rituals: Only meet when necessary (Weekly check-ins, Async updates).
• Execution: Deliver fast, adapt, and avoid bureaucratic overhead.