As Benjamin Franklin once famously said, ‘Time is money’. Project management companies know this and live by it.
Anyone who has ever been in charge of a faltering project will know that when days are lost, money, energy, motivation, and morale go down with it. It’s something that every project manager remembers when embarking on a new project voyage. At the outset, you have to ensure that your clients will get what they are paying for and that the project management company gets what they are charging for. For us, it’s about delivering on our promises whilst at the same time staying profitable. We have to make sure that miscalculations, misjudgments, and mismanagement never become the mounting expenses that devour our hard-laboured earnings.
That’s why making updates is a healthy part of ironing out creases and tightening the strings along the project’s journey. So, we thought we’d put together a simple guide, using our expertise, to give anyone out there who needs a hand to set realistic project deadlines a win-win situation for all parties involved.
10-Step Guide
1. Take a clear brief
Don’t rush the initial brief-taking phase. Create a questionnaire that will cover all the various aspects of the project, from beginning to end. This will enable you to know your client’s expectations and what is needed to meet them. Building a transparent relationship of trust will avoid misunderstandings and unmet expectations down the line.
2. Break large chunks into small bites
There’s nothing more debilitating than the feeling of being overwhelmed by intimidating projects. Break your large chunks into smaller pieces and tasks, providing a simpler way to start and prioritise each project. When each of these has its own deadline and time allocation, it’s easier for everyone to stay within the lines, reducing the risk of backlogs.
3. Create a template
Create a template that you can use when planning your timeline for a new project. Drawing from previous experiences, make enough room in your planning for those roadblocks, challenges, and unexpected surprises that you have encountered before. When using a template, you have the basic outline in place, leaving you to fill in the gaps and modify where needed.
4. Get the right people in the right positions
Take time, at the onset, to get to know your team members. Understanding their individual strengths and weaknesses will get the best out of them when positioned correctly. Collaboration brings a balance between diversely skilled people and will achieve desirable results when each one brings their best to the project. This will set them up for success which will create a favourable environment for the whole team. Make room for growth whilst on the learning curve of their individual development and offer the necessary support and resources they need.
5. Use project management software (A must for project management companies)
Much time is wasted through inefficient communication and unnecessary interruptions. All project management companies use project management software to simplify collaboration and communication. It brings everyone to the table, involving each member through features such as chat and messaging, task management, collaboration, and reporting and analytics. So take the time to find the right software that will work for you. Here are some suggestions.
6. Have visual charts
Create simple visual charts of your project to keep everyone in the loop at a glance. Research shows that 90 % of information transmitted to the brain is visual. These visual charts will help to streamline project activities, manage resources efficiently and improve time management. When creating them, remember to keep them realistic and attainable so that it motivates, rather than discourages. There are many available, so pick the one that fits your project best. Here are some suggestions.
7. Do regular reviews
This is a continuous improvement mechanism that will make each succeeding project more successful and less stressful. It will help you gain important insights, recognise problems and come up with solutions before the clock strikes. You can then communicate the results of your reviews and recalculate your data accordingly. This removes the ‘worry’ along the journey and places you and your stakeholders in the driver’s seat of your project. Knowledge is power, so keep yourself informed and do all the research that’s needed to create the best outcomes.
8. Remain flexible
It’s impossible to anticipate everything that might happen during a project, but it is possible to ‘expect the unexpected’. Remaining flexible means you have a high-level project plan in place but are open to adjusting it, monitoring it for risks and challenges, and improving it when needed.
Let your vision of the project be fluid enough to allow it to change and grow as circumstances change. Be positive in your attitude, proactive in your vision, and light on your feet. That way change can’t knock you over.
9. Keep stakeholders involved
Effective project management companies involve and include their stakeholders throughout the project’s processes. It’s something that anyone managing a project should do so that they can assist and advise through their own expertise, helping guide the project along its timeline and stay within budget. It strengthens the project and enables you to avoid blindspots when communication channels are transparent and stakeholders’ input is sought.
10. Stay balanced
The project’s success depends on the happiness and well-being of the people involved. Plan for enough breaks in your timeline. It will keep the mind fresh and the body energised so that your people are better placed to stay on track. Also, take into consideration that there are peak periods in a working day when people perform at their best. Plan the most important tasks into the most productive time, saving the other tasks for the less-motivated portions of the day.
And don’t forget, we are all a work-in-progress, so embrace honest feedback… even if it is from yourself! So when planning your next project, remember that following a few simple guidelines and acquiring some new habits (such as making regular updates) will place you in the driver’s seat on your new journey.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help you to drive peak performance into your project.
