You spent months planning the perfect project and could hardly wait to release it to students.

You couldn't believe how well the entry event went! The partners were on point, all the tech worked, and it seems students are actually excited to get started with the work.

You know what happens next. The high fliers ... They immediately start slicing and dicing the project, assign everyone a discrete task, and go to their corners to work.

Those who struggle ... Sit looking like a deer in the headlights. They might start picking at the part they think they can do, or the piece that looks interesting, but confusion reigns.

As the project progresses and students present, you start to notice things

Some groups are rumbling about teammates
There are pieces of projects missing
One team never spoke to each other
Your best student stayed up all night to finish
The person with the presentation didn't show up

At the heart of many of these problems is the reality that most students never really learn how to manage a project. It's not part of the curriculum.

Sadly, while it isn't part of the curriculum, it is part of their future. Our students are entering a world where they will be asked to manage complex tasks, with a team, on a daily basis.

Isn't it our job to prepare them?

Trello is a free, web-based project management platform. While it is not an answer to the problem of teaching project management, it does make the process a whole lot easier

Boards and tracks are the starting point. One board for a major project. To-do, doing, and done tracks help collaborators gauge progress

Changes are always tracked and can be viewed in real time.

Students add teachers so that you can view their progress

One card for each major task

Set due dates
Attach files
Label for organization
Assign responsibility
Create check lists

Often many small tasks are needed to complete a bigger task. To-do lists help with identification and tracking of discrete activities

Just like any other tool, adoption of this technology takes time. A couple of things I've learned as I've tried to get students on board with this work.

Practice planning a small-scale project before releasing them to trello
Hold students accountable for the creation and use of a board
Make sure that you check on their progress
Regularly remind them of the features

Ultimately, project management is a tool that our students need in their tool chest. It is our responsibility to give them opportunities to practice and tools to succeed.