Managing a project demands dealing efficiently with a number of variables. A minor slip at any point of time can lead to serious consequences. The challenge is to capture the essence of smart project management, so that there are no delays, budget overruns, lost clients, employee dissatisfaction and business jeopardy. Here are the secrets to prevent the odds that happen when working on projects.
1. Create a detailed project scope:
A scope statement is more like a project roadmap which can smoothen the rest of the project journey if created carefully. Being one of the most critical pieces of a project, it is important to ensure that the project scope is accurate, clear and concisely explained. There should not be any ambiguities in terms of language, meaning and words used in it, as it can lead to problems in future. To create a detailed scope, follow these simple steps -
- Initially, it is important to understand the project and to know why it is being undertaken.
- After that, give the project a name or title and try to make it explanatory and yet to the point.
- Address what problem is being solved by this project or in other words why is it worth doing it.
- Define the results that the project will produce, in which you can include key deliverables and major milestones.
- Describe what is not included in the scope so as to avoid scope creep.
- Make a thoughtful assessment for project timeline and ensure to consider time for any setbacks the project encounters.
- State a definite budget for the project considering the resources such as staff, hardware, software, etc.
- At last, reach out all the project stakeholders for their agreement on the scope.
2. Build the right team:
For project managers, finding the right people to make the right team is like binding together different individuals together to a system working towards a common mission. Here are some must-to-do’s for effective team building:
- Figure out the resource requirement i.e. how many people are to be included in the team on the basis of job role.
- Set a clear mission for each job role because members in your team should know where they have to reach at the end of the project.
- Now hunt for the right candidates. Initially, look for talent in your own organization and when hiring from outside, use multiple recruiting systems so that you’ve enough options to pick the best ones.
- Evaluate candidates on the basis of their professional skill set such as expertise, previous performance, etc. Also, assess them on the basis of human qualities such as behaviour, gestures, temperament, etc.
3. Delegate work clearly and smartly:
Once you’ve selected the team members, the next step is to distribute the roles and responsibilities to them. However, delegation is much more than to simply asking someone to do a task. Select the right person for a particular task considering his experience, skills, hobbies and training. Also, check the number of tasks you’re assigning to individuals in the team so as not to overload anyone.
4. Manage, but don’t micromanage:
As a manager, your job is to assign tasks to the right team members, make them understand the expected goals and track the progress time to time. But that doesn’t mean to constantly look over their shoulders. In a survey, more than 35% percent of employees stated that they’d prefer to take on an unpleasant activity rather than sitting next to a boss who’s always pinpointing.
5. Minimize risk. Plan alternatives:
To avoid the potential cost, time, schedule and performance risks in the project, you should always prepare alternative plans. So whenever you’re in a situation where plan A doesn’t seems to work, you can execute the plan B.
6. Stay productive using the right tools:
In order to keep your projects and thus your business moving forward, you need to look around and pick the right tools. This is the key to stay productive. It is important to ensure that the tools should be intuitive and easy to use, so that they can fit into your and your team’s daily work routine. Some of the recommended tools include ProofHub to stay organized and collaborate over projects, Freshbooks for invoicing, Evernote for note taking, etc.
7. Keep communication lines open:
Fostering good communication between managers and employees and between employees themselves can open the doors to success. Generally, lines of communication break down whenever there are conflicts and lead to misunderstandings, which should be avoided. An open door policy where employees can share their comments, feedback, complaints, suggestions, etc. would be the best possible way.
8. Keep your team motivated:
Employee engagement is highly connected to how much happy employees are at work. For this, you need to inspire your team as a whole and on individual basis as well. How to start? Well, first of all ensure a worthful and consistent salary. Along with that, provide them with a pleasant work environment. Opportunities for self-development in the form of trainings can be a great perk for employees as they can advance their careers. What works the best? Appreciate their efforts and reward them with small treats like pizza party or dinner. Food works wonders, trust me!
9. Avoid snap judgments:
The human tendency is to judge the book by its cover. However, this is the biggest mistake that majority of the project managers make. Don’t take decisions or come to a verdict just because of some hearsay or past experiences. Since every situation is different, it is therefore important to know the truth and take actions accordingly.
10. Manage time:
In order to meet your project schedule, it is must to manage time effectively. While the clock goes on ticking every single second, you need to keep track about whether things are getting done on time or not. For this, you can use an online calendar and can use ProofHub timesheets where employees can record the time spent on the tasks done by them.
Folks! Try out the above mentioned secrets and I’m sure you’ll be on your way to successful project management.
Kanika Sharma
Latest posts by Kanika Sharma (see all)
- 10 Secrets of Successful Project Management for 2015 - April 10, 2024