In most professional organizations, project management is the bread and butter. Time management skills are essential when dealing with a wide range of tasks that demand a quick turnaround time. Small things like planning your day will go a long way in an organization and increase your productivity. Having documentation in-line with your project management methodology with deliverables, and expectations is a huge plus. In addition, use of project management software like JIRA helps you track the work of you and your team.
So what are the top tips for successful modern project management:
1. Identify the project requirements
Available project resources are key factors that contribute to making a project successful. First make sure you have a project plan developed, then create a team capable of implementing the plan effectively. Define roles and allocate the right set of tasks in line with individual attributes, personalities, strengths, and expertise.
If a seasoned professional is needed, make sure Human Resource knows early and hires the right candidate. This process of understanding requirements and resources helps contributors in delivering a successful project.
2. Appoint a Competent project manager
Generally, a competent project manager who is credible enough will leave no stone unturned to make the project a success. He/she should have experience in managing a team of different personalities. How to allocate work to the right person and making sure that the process is both productive and fun. He/she will entrust the team with their decisions and will step in whenever something goes unexpectedly. A master at crisis management! He should know how to gain the trust of the client. All while communicating their expectations to his team to work in unison to achieve a shared goal.
3. Give Regular updates and demos to stakeholders
Above all, Communication is key to all relationships and with your client is mandatory throughout each project. Ensure to always inform the stakeholders of project updates when moving along to meet the deadline. And if, or when, delays or problems occur always communicate the details to the client immediately. Also, consider giving clients product demos as you progress. Demos allow key decision-makers to see if the project seems on track, ahead of schedule or behind schedule. Furthermore, showing is almost always better and richer than telling.
4. Communication and Consistency
Generally, consistent daily team communication keeps misunderstandings and unclear requirements under control. Naturally, as human beings conflict occasionally occurs but can be managed. Keeping your team informed in every step of the project is essential to project management success. A study published by Procedia Technology found that good communication skills were the cornerstone of multi-disciplinary project management. Similarly, it’s important to keep an eye out for potential conflicts that could interfere with your project. Endeavor to understand your team members’ workflows. Learn how much they can handle at once because giving someone more than they can handle will jeopardize deadlines
5. Define critical milestones
Identification of the defining moments throughout the project called milestones is key. Accordingly, these milestones are effective indicators of sincere team dedication to complete the project successfully. This can be done by providing the life cycle of a project. This could include the main phases such as initiation, planning, execution, and closure. You can perform an evaluation test after every phase. Notably, you can also manage projects risks and can track the project progress by defining critical milestones.
6. Anticipate project setbacks
Sadly, even with a high amount of planning and attention to detail, your project can still encounter some challenges. You need a holistic approach. Do pay attention to complaints from stakeholders and other warning signs. Occurrences like a missed deadline or a cost overrun can be signs. Conversely, preventing a crisis will keep your project running smoothly. Probably save you a lot of time, keep your team, and your stakeholders confident in progressing with the project. Crisis management skills are essential for dealing with the unexpected. Project managers need to be flexible, pragmatic, improvise and make sharp decisions when needed.
PART TWO
Risk Management
Conversely, risk management is one of the most imperative projects management practices today is essential for project success. Risks are the potential threats that can creep anytime and can jeopardize the whole progress in a project. To make sure your project is successful, potential risks need to be identified beforehand so that effective measures can be taken if they arise in the need of the hour. You will be able to foresee when the risk is imminent and when corrective measures need to be taken. So that it doesn’t come in the way of the success of a project.
1. Keep continually evaluating the project
Generally, self-evaluation is self-discovery. Always review the project as a whole, as well as analyze various project components. By doing so, you note down the successes, improvements, and failures in a project. Constantly evaluating every aspect and detail in a project can be resourceful to ensure success for future projects as well. Know your project’s scope by heart and avoid wandering outside of the project’s requirements. It’s too easy to get lost in minor details and forget what your focus is So a well-planned project scope is essential for success.
2. Keep Up with the latest project management trends
Generally, upskilling is important and highly beneficial to all project management. Sadly, with the heavy workload and stress of full-time work, it can be difficult to expand your skill-set. Either way, ensure to try to learn extra project management skills online. Similarly, Continuous professional development should never stop. The corporate world is constantly improving in new productivity tools and project management roles.
3. Always know your limitations as a project manager
Generally, unrealistic expectations and assumptions have been the doom of many projects. From setting impossible deadlines to assigning too much work to team members. Surely, a recipe for careless work and often missed deadlines. These mistakes and late work can throw your project off course. Later necessitating patch-up work, timeline extensions, eroded stakeholder trust, and a frustrated team. Take the time to get to know your team thoroughly, their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, don’t micro-manage. Delegate tasks to the right person and know your limit
4. Use Project management and Collaboration tools
Generally, technology came to simplify life and project managers are no exception. The software can act as ‘Big Brother’. It can help in tracking documents, tasks, feedback distribution, and effective communication to seamless collaboration. Project management software like Atlassian’s JIRA act as a centralized platform for everything and everyone in the team.
Conclusion
Lastly, don’t forget to tap into the strengths and weaknesses of team members. This will definitely ensure faster task completion and better time management. Noteworthy, deliverables should be tested at every critical milestone. Testing deliverables is crucial to determining whether the project is meeting or exceeding the expectations. With everyone in a team putting their best foot forward and making the most of their strengths, the project will be nothing less than a success.