Project Management

Drawing on my expertise in strategic planning, program evaluation, and organizational transformation, I guide teams through projects that center equity, accountability, and systemic change. Whether you’re managing grant-funded initiatives, organizational restructuring, or community-centered programs, my project management consulting integrates and advances both operational excellence and social justice.

Philosophy: Liberation- Management

Traditional project management often replicates hierarchical power structures and extractive business practices. I help teams recognize that how we manage projects is as important as what we accomplish—the process itself becomes a site of practicing the values we seek to create in the world.

Methodological Expertise

I work in Disciplined Agile, Six Sigma, and traditional methodologies; and importantly, my “people management” lens informs the “soft skills” required for this work to be effective.

Agile Implementation: For projects requiring frequent adaptation and stakeholder feedback, I facilitate sprint planning sessions, retrospectives, and daily standups that center collective learning. Unlike corporate Agile implementations that prioritize speed over sustainability, my approach emphasizes team well-being and equitable participation.

Waterfall Adaptation: When projects demand sequential phases—such as grant-funded research initiatives or policy implementation — I adapt waterfall’s linear structure to include regular check-ins for analysis and feedback. The methodology’s emphasis on documentation supports accountability to funders while creating transparent records for community access.

Hybrid Approaches: Most of my client engagements benefit from hybrid methodologies that combine Agile’s adaptability with Waterfall’s structure. For example, strategic planning projects might follow a linear sequence of environmental scanning, visioning, and action planning while incorporating iterative feedback loops within each phase.

Grant Management and Evaluation

Grant management requires specialized attention to compliance, stakeholder communication, and outcome measurement while maintaining fidelity to community-defined goals. I guide organizations through:

Pre-Award Planning: Developing logic models, establishing baseline metrics, and creating evaluation frameworks that honor both funder requirements and community priorities. This phase integrates my Research & Program Support capabilities to ensure proposed interventions align with evidence-based practices and community wisdom.

Implementation Monitoring: Creating systems for real-time data collection, stakeholder feedback, and adaptive management that allow projects to respond to emerging needs without compromising grant compliance. Research indicates that organizations using structured monitoring systems complete projects on time 90% more frequently than those without systematic approaches[39].

Evaluation and Reporting: Designing participatory evaluation processes that center community voices while meeting funder reporting requirements. Unlike extractive evaluation models that treat communities as data sources, my approach positions community members as co-evaluators who help interpret findings and recommend next steps.

Organizational Culture and Team Dynamics

Effective project management requires attention to power dynamics, communication patterns, and decision-making processes that extend beyond technical methodologies. Drawing on my expertise in Strategic HR & Organizational Consulting, I help teams examine how organizational culture shapes project outcomes:

Power Mapping: Identifying formal and informal power structures that influence project decisions, resource allocation, and stakeholder engagement. This analysis reveals whose voices are centered, who holds decision-making authority, and how information flows through the organization.

Communication Equity: Establishing protocols that ensure all team members can contribute meaningfully to project discussions regardless of their position in organizational hierarchies. This includes creating multiple channels for input, rotating facilitation responsibilities, and implementing consensus-building processes.

Conflict Transformation: When project teams encounter disagreements about priorities, timelines, or approaches, I facilitate restorative conversations that address underlying power imbalances rather than simply managing surface-level disputes. My Mediation & Conflict Management expertise enables teams to transform conflicts into opportunities for deeper alignment and innovation.

Technology and Systems Integration

Modern project management relies heavily on digital tools and information systems. I help organizations select and implement technology solutions that support rather than undermine equity and transparency. This includes evaluating project management software for accessibility, data privacy, and user agency while ensuring tools align with organizational values.

My technology recommendations prioritize open-source solutions when possible, platforms with strong privacy protections, and tools that enable rather than restrict community participation. For organizations using proprietary software, I provide training on maximizing transparency and minimizing surveillance while meeting operational needs.

Specialized Applications

Nonprofit Project Management: Nonprofit organizations face unique challenges including resource constraints, volunteer coordination, and multiple stakeholder accountability. I help nonprofits adapt project management practices to their specific context while maintaining focus on mission-driven outcomes rather than profit maximization.

Academic and Research Projects: My experience in academic settings enables me to navigate institutional requirements, IRB processes, and publication timelines while ensuring research serves community-defined priorities. This includes managing multi-site studies, coordinating interdisciplinary teams, and maintaining ethical standards throughout the research lifecycle.

Community-Based Initiatives: Projects rooted in community organizing require different approaches than institutional initiatives. I help community-based organizations develop project management systems that preserve grassroots decision-making while providing structure needed to secure funding and measure impact.

Measuring Success Beyond Metrics

While traditional project management emphasizes on-time, on-budget delivery, I help teams define success through multiple lenses that include relationship building, power redistribution, and long-term sustainability. This expanded definition of success recognizes that the most important outcomes may not be immediately measurable through conventional metrics.

Success indicators might include increased community capacity for self-determination, strengthened relationships across difference, or shifts in organizational culture toward greater equity. I work with teams to develop qualitative and quantitative measures that capture these deeper transformations while maintaining accountability to concrete deliverables.

Working Together: Next Steps

Ready to transform your project management approach to center liberation and collective care? Book a complimentary discovery call to discuss your current challenges, explore how critical project management can serve your goals, and design an engagement that meets your team where you are.

Contact me through the page to begin developing project management systems that advance both operational excellence and social justice.

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