Project Planning: A Project Management Crash Course & DEAI Integration

If you’re anything like us, you’ve had your share of museum jobs complete with many hats—which may have included on-the-job “training” that included the line, “You’re smart. You’ll figure it out.” Museum professionals often juggle many responsibilities and may be volunteered for duties without all of the training they need or want.

At the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting in Baltimore, John presented on a panel aimed at bridging this gap. The session Healthy Museums, Thriving Careers: Mastering Project Management Essentials covered project management best practices and tangible tools available to museum professionals.

We see developing project management skillsets as a key component for success for exhibitions staff who serve as project leaders, but may not have any formal training in the subject. This session covered the benefits of organizationally supported project management, an overview of process and terms, case studies from various types of projects, and templates that attendees can put into practice. John led a group discussion which highlighted that many of us struggle with the same challenges in managing projects. We hope to lead more of these discussions at future conferences.

If you missed the session, we want to share the presentation deck and handouts. Please reach out if we can help you in your project management journey— or charting the path forward for your new museum or exhibition development project.

Presentation Deck Session Resources

Thank you to our fellow presenters for helping to put together this session and for sharing their experience!

  • Uma Nair, Organizational Transformation Strategist, Independent Museum Professional
  • Kalie Sacco, Director of Member Strategy, Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)
  • Liz McDermott, Head, Digital Media & Content Strategy, Getty Research Institute
  • Barbara Punt, President and Chief Project Manager, Punt Consulting Group
  • Dean Briere, SVP Strategic Projects, Arizona Science Center

In case you missed it…

AAM 2024 was jam packed with great sessions and insights. Cynthia also presented on project planning, but focusing on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) through the session Inclusion by Design: Collaborative Planning with DEAI at the Center. The panel spoke about their museum projects, focusing on how they push the boundaries of traditional exhibit planning to ensure that DEAI is not an afterthought but an integral part of the planning process. As a part of this session, they shared tools to help frame your project and conversations with stakeholders. We’d like to amplify these resources:

Presentation Deck Session Resources

Thank you to our fellow presenters for helping to put together this session and for sharing their experience!

  • Rachel Ferrante, Executive Director, Maine Mill
  • Catherine Diaz, Business Development Manager, Exhibits, Oregon Museum of Science & Industry
  • Nicolle Figueroa Rosado, Manager of Education & Strategy, Big Break Foundation
  • AJ Goehle, CEO & Principal, Luci Creative