Technical Project Management: Quick Start — The Five Essentials
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Video Description
Drowning in project chaos? Before we go deeper into any topic, here's your survival kit. The five things you absolutely need to have in place before anything else matters. If you only watch two videos in this series, make it this one and the first one.
What you'll learn:
• The five essentials: list, prioritize, deliver, define done, minimize handoffs • Why "one list, one source of truth" changes everything • How to prioritize ruthlessly (no ties allowed) • The delivery question you should ask every two weeks • What a real Definition of Done looks like • Why cross-functional teams always beat specialists with handoffs • The DoD Test: how your Definition of Done reveals your dependencies • Why you should skip story points and just track two dates
Key insights:
• If it's not on the list, it doesn't exist • "Everything is priority one" means nothing is • Busy isn't the same as productive — throughput is what matters • A team is a group that can deliver value without waiting on anyone else • Your team boundaries determine your dependency boundaries • Skip the estimation drama: break work into 2-4 day chunks • Two dates per item (start and finish) gives you everything you need for forecasting
Previous Video: Why Your Project List Is Making Everyone Miserable Next Video: Your Requirements List Is a Negotiating Tool ► Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGxFXI4dC2shCJwhTY-P2726zts26_AKF
🎯 Want to go deeper on flow metrics and forecasting without estimation? Check out my Flow Metrics course: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGxFXI4dC2sh6yEbibjMCWHECEVB7lRFi
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What's the one essential your team is missing? Let me know in the comments!
#ProjectManagement #TechnicalPM #Agile #Scrum #Kanban #Leadership #SoftwareDevelopment #ProductManagement #GettingStarted #Essentials #Tutorial #TechLead #EngineeringManager #FlowMetrics #DefinitionOfDone
0:00 Intro 0:28 The Five Essentials 0:52 5. Minimize Handoffs 1:14 Essential #1: You Need a List 1:56 Essential #2: Prioritize Ruthlessly 2:43 Essential #3: Deliver Regularly 3:27 The Delivery Question 3:52 Essential #4: Define Done 4:42 Sample Definition of Done 6:36 Essential #5: Minimize Handoffs 7:17 What IS a Team? 7:53 The DoD Test for Teams 8:40 The Dependency Warning 9:21 Skip the Estimation Drama 9:44 The Only Metrics You Need to Start 10:54 The Quick Start Checklist 12:08 What Comes Next 12:47 Key Takeaways
Video Info
- Duration: 14:07
- Published: November 26, 2025
