Project Manager

The Project Manager is equal parts conductor of the orchestra, chief cat wrangler, project cheerleader, and diplomat. They run the weekly team meetings, and serve as the main point of contact between that team, the rest of the Exhibitions Department, the rest of the museum, and every person outside the museum who we work with to create exhibitions. Exhibitions don’t take a village to make. Usually they require a small city (or at least one large enough to include artists and craftspeople, scientists, video producers, building engineers, shipping and insurance agents, IT professionals, collections managers, accountants, vice presidents, safety inspectors, translators, HR staff, security personnel, fundraisers, board members, conservation experts, and several dozen other kinds of people, whose job descriptions you surely do not want to read here).

All Exhibitions

• Reinforce institutional goals for the project and makes sure team is responsive to these goals, which form the starting point in the conception of the project

• Facilitate the team process throughout the exhibition development, design, production, and installation phases

• Organize meetings and develops agendas, and ensures that all team members are aware of deadlines and specific deliverables

• Prepare team for process milestone presentations, or presentations for other stakeholders

• Document decisions and next steps, and notes when team members will bring deliverables back to team

• Help guide team to meet budgetary goals by tracking project spending

• Draft project-related contracts and work to ensure contract compliance

• Act as spokesperson for the team to outside groups, and serves as conduit of information into the team from outside

• Facilitate communications between the team and non-staff community advisors giving input on exhibition projects.  Ensures that the project incorporates the cultural advisors' counsel as much as possible into the project.  Helps advisors understand the FM exhibition process, and the project's needs, limits, deadlines, and goals

• Coordinate logistics for travel and special meetings of stakeholders, when necessary

• Work closely with Exhibition Directors to best position the team’s work within the institution

• Facilitate positive interpersonal dynamics on the team; work as needed with individuals and the group to help eliminate roadblocks

• Help build team spirit and actively seek activities and opportunities for team building outside of the project

•  Equally support all team members in their roles of design, production, development, etc. 

•  Encourage communication between team members establishing, space for dialogue. When there are dissenting opinions, encourage team members to clearly articulate their differing points of view and work toward resolution.  When needed, drive the team toward decisions to reach closure.

Field Museum Traveling Exhibitions

• With Traveling Exhibition Managers, oversee the creation of the traveling manual, and plans for travel

Project Manager Checklist

[how a schedule is created - page with templates]

Working Team Process

Decision Matrix / Due Dates

Media and Interactives Process

Install and Deinstall Checklists

[safety&security process] - edit