When Devon found out he was going to be a father, he did what any seasoned project manager would do — he reviewed the documentation. What he discovered was a major policy change granting 12 weeks of paid parental leave. What followed was unexpected pushback, resistance, and the uncomfortable reality of having to advocate for his own rights at work.

In this episode of Memoirs of a Project Manager, Devon shares a deeply personal story about navigating policy, confronting dismissal, and using preparation and documentation to stand firm. This isn’t just a story about parental leave — it’s about knowing your rights, managing risk in your own life, and understanding that advocacy is not insubordination.

If you’ve ever faced workplace resistance, uncertainty around policy, or subtle discrimination, this episode will equip you with practical tools and the confidence to stand on facts — not fear.

You’ll walk away with:

• A framework for advocating professionally and effectively
• Why documentation is your strongest ally
• How to navigate pushback without escalating emotion
• A reminder that policy protects you — but only if you know it

Because sometimes the most important project you’ll ever manage… is yourself.

What started as a small, well-intentioned project quickly grew into something much bigger.

In this episode of Memoirs of Alignment, Devon Williams reflects on leading a university-wide implementation where executive vision, a brand-new Salesforce module, and an ambitious discovery effort collided. Through a massive discovery conference, cross-functional collaboration, and the challenge of aligning internal and vendor processes, this memoir explores what it really takes to move from uncertainty to shared understanding.

This is a story about scope creep, emotional labor, and the hard work of alignment—before a single line of code is delivered.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How “small” projects quietly become enterprise-wide initiatives
• Navigating ambiguity when technology is new and assumptions are everywhere
• Why discovery work is as much emotional as it is technical
• Aligning vendor and internal processes during agile implementation
• The power of narrowing scope and delivering in achievable increments

If you’ve ever facilitated a meeting that wasn’t really about the agenda—or managed a project where clarity had to be built before progress—this episode is for you.

What happens when the mission is clear—but the solution isn’t?

In this episode of Memoirs of a Project Manager, Devon Williams reflects on leading a policy-mandated project to build a racial incident reporting hotline for New Mexico schools while navigating ambiguity, unfinished requirements, and real human impact.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to move a project forward when requirements aren’t fully defined
• Why iterative planning and prototyping matter in high-stakes work
• How to navigate vendor relationships when clarity is still emerging
• What “progressive elaboration” looks like in real life—not the textbook
• How to design systems responsibly when people, not metrics, are at the center

This memoir bridges real-world experience with core PMP concepts like progressive elaboration and risk management—offering practical insight for project managers, PMP candidates, and anyone building something meaningful under uncertainty.