Project Management Fellowship
Serving as a CDH Project Manager is a unique professional development opportunity. A Project Manager (PM) is key to the success of a CDH project. Working closely with the Project Director and CDH staff, the PM helps manage the planning, implementation and conclusion phases of the project, and coordinates the work of the project team.
The CDH PM is usually a graduate student or postdoc. In general, the PM is not required to have specialized content or technology expertise. Excellent organization, communication and time-management skills are essential for this job. The CDH PM receives training and ongoing support from a CDH mentor.
Project Managers receive a fellowship stipend for a 6-month period of work, which can be renewed. PMs are expected to devote approximately 5-10 hours a week throughout the grant cycle to managing the CDH project. During the semester, the PM must be available for monthly on-campus CDH check-in meetings.
The PM can have other roles on the project as well, such as research, encoding, programming, creating visualizations, etc. For this work, the individual is paid hourly from other project funds.
Candidates chosen by the Project Director will be interviewed by the CDH. The PM must be an enrolled student at Princeton during the term of their fellowship. The graduate student PM is responsible for confirming their eligibility with their department DGS, and assuring compliance with the Graduate School Employment Policy, before the interview.
Managing a DH project advances knowledge in subject fields, builds technological skills, and provides a deeper understanding of digital humanities theory, practice and community. The experience builds useful professional skills rarely taught in the humanities context.
The CDH PM responsibilities include:
- Coordinating project team
- Maintaining regular communication with team members, partners, and groups engaged in project work
- Preparing and updating project documentation
- Scheduling and facilitating project check-in meetings, capturing meeting notes
- Tracking progress on project goals and outcomes
- Helping to manage project scope and change
- User and design and testing
- Monitoring budget
- Communicating project progress and issues to the CDH
- Project publicity (updating project page, blogging) and contributing to the project launch
The skills a CDH project manager develops:
- Organizational, analytical, time management and communication skills
- Ability to conceptualize, and succinctly articulate, complex research plans
- Ability to model work: to translate ideas, concepts and “vision” into concrete activities, tasks, and outcomes
- Ability to estimate time and resources needed to complete goals
- Ability to develop a plan: tasks, schedules, and cost estimates for personal and team work
- Ability to choose and implement appropriate project management methodologies and tools
- Ability to track and analyze progress (planned vs. actual)
- Ability to identify risks and problems, and to propose and select solutions
- Change management: anticipate and manage unexpected changes in all aspects of project lifecycle
- Coordinating and supervising effective team-driven work
- Motivating people and keeping teams working effectively together
- Conflict resolution