Program 2: Project Management

Strengthening How We Plan, Communicate, and Deliver

If you’re new to the Growing Capacity Project, we recommend beginning with the Growing Capacity Project Overview before exploring this program.

Following a community survey and cohort feedback, project management emerged as one of the most requested areas for mentorship among Hawai‘i’s nonprofit museums, library archives, and other museum-like cultural organizations. In response, the Growing Capacity Project (GCP) launched its second mentoring and training series focused on practical project management for cultural professionals.

The six-week, online program ran weekly October 9 thru November 20, 2024. Live cohort meetings  were held on Zoom.

The application window was open from Wednesday, August 14, 2024 - Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Each week, participants met with the program facilitators and guest presenters to explore aspects of Project Management (PM) relevant in Hawai'i. Nonprofit GrowthGen offered insights, tools, and templates they have developed in their work to help with managing workflows, communicating effectively, and maintaining accountability. From that foundation, participants and featured community members added their own resources, insights, and materials to explore practices while engaging with one another in problem-solving our collective challenges and needs. Our hope is the resources and relationships connected during the program will continue to grow capacity among participating organizations well beyond the program.

The following topics were highlighted in the six-week program: 

• Exploring Diverse Project Management Practices
  Understand and analyze the variety of PM practices utilized by the project team and cohort.
• Critical Pre-Launch Considerations
  Reflect on essential questions to ask yourself before initiating a project.
• Balancing Multiple Projects Simultaneously
  Learn strategies for effectively juggling multiple projects at once.
• Long-Term Management of Large-Scale Projects
  Gain insights into managing and sustaining massive projects over extended periods.
• Collaborative Project Work and Decision-Making
  Enhance collaboration with team members and strengthen decision-making processes at various levels.
• Maintaining Individual Project Responsibilities
  Focus on techniques for sustaining and managing projects as an individual.
• Exploring New Project Management Tools
  Discover and implement new physical and digital tools for effective project management.
• Integrating Project Management with Self-Care
  Explore the intersection of project management practices and personal well-being.

How the Program Worked

Participants received pre-session study materials—including readings, videos, and reflective questions—to prepare for weekly live discussions. During each session, NPGG facilitators guided deeper conversations with Hawai‘i-based guest speakers, using breakout rooms and small-group exchanges to connect concepts with participants’ lived experience.

Explore our YouTube Playlist for shareable recordings and highlights from the cohort’s discussions.