Project Management in Newsrooms: Empowering Journalists to Lead Editorial Projects Effectively
At a crucial moment of transition for most newsrooms across the world, most are constantly evolving to meet the demands of the modern audience. With endless possibilities for how journalism is created, packaged, delivered, and consumed, the need for effective project management has become increasingly evident—but how can newsrooms manage this with dwindling resources and revenue? Enter the "Project Management in Newsrooms" guide, a valuable resource published by the Association for Project Management and authored by Robin Kwong, the new formats editor at The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
What is project management? Project management is the process of turning ideas into a practical, monetized product. In the realm of journalism, it plays a crucial role in identifying new opportunities from pitches or barebones material, formulating comprehensive plans with which to produce that content, galvanizing teams to work through a journalistic process, and reflecting on results to interpret for the audience. For journalists and editors who are not traditional project managers but find themselves taking on these responsibilities, this guide provides a helpful starting point to navigate the unfamiliar territory.
Kwong, a trailblazer in project management within journalism, brings his expertise from a successful 13-year tenure at The Financial Times, where he spearheaded various management and bridge roles, including the award-winning news game, The Uber Game. Now at WSJ, Kwong leads the newsletter, rankings, and audience voices team, pioneering interactive news formats like the Email Challenges newsletter, a limited-run series of short courses focused on personal improvement.
The "Project Management in Newsrooms" guide breaks down project management into three key stages: planning, execution, and project wrap-up. In the planning phase, emphasis is placed on defining project scope, identifying stakeholders, allocating resources, and creating a comprehensive project plan. This is the foundation for the process and should be handled with care.
During execution, effective communication, delegation, and embracing deadlines are crucial for navigating the project journey. The guide also offers practical advice on conducting productive meetings through the parking lot system, striking the right balance between inclusivity and efficiency. This is where the most work happens and where the most potential for stress on your team and resources will come into play.
In the project wrap-up phase, evaluating project outcomes, documenting institutional knowledge, and sharing post-project learnings are essential for continuous improvement. These practices not only contribute to efficient execution but also foster a culture of adaptability and growth within the newsroom—which will translate into other projects as well.
Why is project management necessary for journalists, who traditionally have well-defined deliverables and clear responsibilities? As mentioned before, the digital newsroom era is causing traditional roles in newsrooms to be challenged and is embracing new roles beyond reporting. To ensure successful execution, prevent miscommunication, avoid budget overruns, and foster a culture of innovation and growth, journalists need to build the skills to be a project manager—but it’s less intimidating than folks think, according to Kwong.
"There’s no really specialised, technical skill required. In a sense, anyone can be a project manager. Ultimately, you just need to be aware of pitfalls and best practices," he said.
So what are some of those best practices?
Documenting Ideas: Keeping a log of all possible ideas from the team and yourself will lead to material to draw from at a moment’s notice. Not only that, but capturing sudden epiphanies and visions during the process in writing helps to crystalize the project's vision and makes it easier to articulate to others.
Practicing Patience and Empathy: Being an effective manager means running a team of people with different needs, wants, schedules, etc. Before delegating tasks, understanding colleagues' active deadlines and timelines is essential for effective collaboration–and learning how best to deal with colleagues on an interpersonal level will also have a direct impact on the quality of storytelling.
Embracing Deadlines: Setting hard constraints is beneficial as it facilitates decision-making and prevents projects from running indefinitely. These deadlines are meant to keep folks on task, and so being judicious about how and when to set deadlines in order to optimize productivity is a delicate balance.
Gathering Data for Future Projects: Efficient documentation and sharing post-project learnings in one location saves valuable time and effort, enabling continuous improvement. This can also lead to more accessible data that can be called upon in other, future projects or current projects as much-needed supplements. Also, the conversation about interpreting that data can be ongoing, which will add perspective and layers to the story you are creating.
Project management is a skill that can be cultivated by anyone, irrespective of their background. The guide equips journalists and editors with the necessary tools and best practices to lead editorial projects effectively. With Kwong's practical tips and insights, any journalist can become an effective project manager, which can provide some new insights for newsrooms on how to more deeply engage with their communities, and, by extension, help build their resources to continue delivering quality stories.
