17 useful tips for project management success
17 useful tips for project management success Hi friend, my name is David. In this post, let me share all of you about #17 useful tips for...
http://projecttips365.blogspot.com/2018/08/17-useful-tips-for-project-management.html
17 useful tips for project management success
Hi friend, my name is David. In this post, let me share all of you about #17 useful tips for project management success as below
1. Plan your day using time management techniques
As a project manager, time management skills are essential because you are dealing with a wide range of tasks that demand a quick turnaround time. Planning your day will go a long way in keeping you organized and increasing your productivity. Assist your task planning by using project management software which helps you track the work of you and your team.
If you are not very tech savvy, a simple to-do list can also be a great organizational tool. Prioritize your most important tasks by putting them at the top of the list and less important ones at the bottom. Having a visual plan of your daily tasks helps to keep you on track and aware of time.
2. Identify the project requirements
It is essential to identify the project requirements because the project resources are the key factors that contribute in making a project successful. Once the plan is developed, the next step should be to create a team capable of implementing the plan effectively. Now this starts with defining roles and allocating the right set of tasks to them keeping in mind their personalities, strengths and expertise.
If your team needs a seasoned professional in a specific domain, bring this to the HR department so that they can hire the right candidate and the future projects don’t suffer. After all, the project management resources are the key contributors in delivering a successful project.
3. Get a qualified project manager
In order to make sure the project is progressing in the right direction, it’s essential to appoint a qualified project manager. A project manager who is credible enough will leave no stone unturned to make the project a success.
He would know how to manage a team of different personalities by allocating work to the right person and making sure that the process is both productive and fun. He will entrust the team with their decisions and will step in whenever something goes unexpectedly. He knows how to gain the trust of the clients and communicate their expectations to his team to work in unison to achieve a shared goal (avalable source: free ebook 104 secrets to become a great project manager).
4. Provide regular updates and demos to stakeholders
“Communication with your client is mandatory throughout each project,” says Tara Mulhern, a project manager at web design company WebTek. From the start of each project it is important to “inform [the] client [and stakeholders]… what’s expected from them in order to keep the project moving along to meet the deadline.” Then, during the course of the project, “send reminders to the client [and stakeholders] of upcoming deadlines.” And if, or when, delays or problems occur, “communicate the details [to] the client immediately.”
It’s also a good idea to give clients/stakeholders product demos as you progress.
“This is actually a key tenet of the Scrum methodology, but holding regular project or product demos with key stakeholders and decision-makers can be a real game-changer when it comes to [managing expectations],” says Eonta. “Demos allow decision makers to see for themselves if the project seems on track, ahead of schedule or behind schedule. And showing is almost always better and richer than telling.”
5. Attain Pertinent Documentation
From the initiation of the project to the milestones along the way, you should have documentation signed by the stakeholders. A recent ConnectITNews.com article recommended to “Make sure all documentation is in-line with your project management methodology of choice to ensure your project team is covered in terms of deliverables, and expectations.” Even with the best project management processes in place, it is not often that a project is completed on time and within budget, so you will need to have the appropriate documentation ready for the stakeholders and plan for any unforeseen events. However, you don’t want to overcomplicate the project management process with too much documentation that doesn’t add value to the project (avalable source: 92 free project management templates).
6. Regularly communicate with your team
Daily team communication helps keep misunderstandings and unclear requirements under control. Keeping your team informed in every step of the project is essential to project management success.
For example, a study published by Procedia Technology found that good communication skills were the cornerstone of project management. The study examined over 300 “construction project managers, architects, construction managers, engineers and quantity surveyors” and their successes and failures on various construction projects.
7. Define critical milestones
The success of the project depends upon the identification of the defining moments throughout the project. This can be done by providing the life cycle of a project which includes the main phases such as initiation, planning, execution and closure. You can perform an evaluation test after every phase. From parts of the product to the technical documents, you need all of the elements involved in the project to be perfect to make sure that it is exceeding expectations of the clients.
These milestones are effective indicators of the teams working with sincere dedication to complete the project successfully. Along with this, you can also manage projects risks and can track the project progress by defining critical milestones.
8. Anticipate project setbacks
Even the best-laid plans often go awry.
Remember that even with a high amount of planning and attention to detail, your project may still encounter some challenges. Pay attention to complaints from stakeholders or colleagues, and other warning signs, like a missed deadline or cost overrun, that there may be a problem.
Preventing a crisis will keep your project running smoothly, save you a lot of time, and keep you, your team, and your stakeholders confident in progressing with the project.
Unfortunately not every complication can be avoided. Crisis management skills are essential for dealing with the unexpected. Project managers need to be flexible and pragmatic. Improvise and make sharp decisions when needed.
The obstacles you encounter will give you a chance to excel as a project manager, so long as you learn from your solutions.
9. Evaluation of project
Each project can be a learning tool. An effective manager will always review the project as a whole, as well as analyze various project components. By doing so, he can note down the successes in a project, what went wrong in the project, and what can be improved for future projects.
Evaluating every aspect and the nitty-gritties in a project can be resourceful to ensure success for future projects as well.
The above discussed powerful tips can help you ace your future projects. Don’t forget to add some determination, dedication, and fun to them.
We would love to know your thoughts on this blog. What other tips you would add to the list that works best for you? You can drop a comment below to share your tips.
Useful material: top 76 project management KPIs
10. Stay focused on the details
A common problem project managers encounter is having the project aims not aligned with the organization’s objectives. A great project manager will strategize a plan for the project to lead back to the overall success of the business.
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.
Having a predetermined timeline and budget will assist you in keeping a good foundation for your project, along with project milestones, check-ins, and a written list of requirements.
11. Keep current with the latest project management trends
Upskilling is important and highly beneficial to project management. Unfortunately, with the high workload and stress of working full-time, it can be difficult to find the time to expand your skill-set. Luckily it is quite easy to learn project management online, and some companies will even reimburse you for the cost of short courses.
Professional development should never stop. The workforce is constantly changing, adding in new productivity tools and project management roles that didn’t exist just five years prior.
12. Plan for problems and potential conflicts
“When managing deadlines and projects, consider potential resource and technology challenges that might emerge,” says Shamim Mohammad, CIO at used car retailer CarMax. “Make sure there is time allocated for undiscovered work and develop a contingency plan for it. Lots of projects assume a happy path, but do not plan for unanticipated and undiscovered work, which will inevitably happen.”
Similarly, it’s important to keep an eye out for potential conflicts that could interfere with your project, such as other projects requiring your resources. “Understand your team members’ work flow,” says Mulhern. “Learn how much they can handle at once, because giving someone more than they can handle will jeopardize deadlines.” Also, “be aware of the distractions coming their way from other [projects] and help [them] manage their time.”
13. Tap into team members strengths and weaknesses
The success of a project largely depends on skills of the team members. An effective manager will always make an effort to get to know about his team members inherent strengths and weaknesses so that he can allocate work accordingly. As someone’s strength is someone else’s weakness thus an effective manager will make sure the work is given to the team member who is inherently competent and faster at completing it.
Tapping into the strengths of team members will definitely ensure faster task completion and better time management. 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.
14. Use a Project management tool
Technology has given many gifts to the project managers with online project management software topping the list. The software acts as a big store-house of all the relevant project information. From files to documents, file-sharing to giving feedback, effective communication to seamless collaboration — project management software acts as a centralized platform for everything and everyone in the team.
With so many tools available today, you can choose the one that fits the bill for your organization. ProofHub is one such online project management tool that empowers teams to collaborate and deliver amazing projects with some powerful features. Online proofing tool, Gantt charts, reports, and customized workflows and kanban boards are few to name.
15. Manage potential risks
Risk management being one of the imperative project 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.
With considerable experience and expertise with similar projects, you will be able to foresee when the risk is imminent and when corrective measures need to be taken. After realizing the importance of risk management, many organizations are now paying special attention to it so that it doesn’t come in the way of the success of a project.
16. Test deliverables
To guarantee project management success, the deliverables should be tested at every critical milestone. Doing this gives you a fair idea whether the project is what it was planned to be. Testing deliverables are crucial to determine whether it is meeting or exceeding the expectations. If any fallacies are encountered, corrective measures can be taken immediately to bring it back on track.
17. Know your limitations as a project manager
Too many projects are doomed to fail from the beginning because of unrealistic expectations. Setting impossible deadlines and assigning too much work to your colleagues will surely result in sloppy work and often missed deadlines.
Mistakes and late work can throw your project off course, necessitating patch-up work, timeline extensions, eroded stakeholder trust, and a frustrated team.
Taking the time to get to know your team will help you understand their strengths and weaknesses.
This can assist you in assigning tasks based on each colleague’s skillset. Delegating tasks to the right person is very important because success relies on how well team members can execute on their tasks.
Hi friend, my name is David. In this post, let me share all of you about #17 useful tips for project management success as below
1. Plan your day using time management techniques
As a project manager, time management skills are essential because you are dealing with a wide range of tasks that demand a quick turnaround time. Planning your day will go a long way in keeping you organized and increasing your productivity. Assist your task planning by using project management software which helps you track the work of you and your team.
If you are not very tech savvy, a simple to-do list can also be a great organizational tool. Prioritize your most important tasks by putting them at the top of the list and less important ones at the bottom. Having a visual plan of your daily tasks helps to keep you on track and aware of time.
2. Identify the project requirements
It is essential to identify the project requirements because the project resources are the key factors that contribute in making a project successful. Once the plan is developed, the next step should be to create a team capable of implementing the plan effectively. Now this starts with defining roles and allocating the right set of tasks to them keeping in mind their personalities, strengths and expertise.
If your team needs a seasoned professional in a specific domain, bring this to the HR department so that they can hire the right candidate and the future projects don’t suffer. After all, the project management resources are the key contributors in delivering a successful project.
3. Get a qualified project manager
In order to make sure the project is progressing in the right direction, it’s essential to appoint a qualified project manager. A project manager who is credible enough will leave no stone unturned to make the project a success.
He would know how to manage a team of different personalities by allocating work to the right person and making sure that the process is both productive and fun. He will entrust the team with their decisions and will step in whenever something goes unexpectedly. He knows how to gain the trust of the clients and communicate their expectations to his team to work in unison to achieve a shared goal (avalable source: free ebook 104 secrets to become a great project manager).
4. Provide regular updates and demos to stakeholders
“Communication with your client is mandatory throughout each project,” says Tara Mulhern, a project manager at web design company WebTek. From the start of each project it is important to “inform [the] client [and stakeholders]… what’s expected from them in order to keep the project moving along to meet the deadline.” Then, during the course of the project, “send reminders to the client [and stakeholders] of upcoming deadlines.” And if, or when, delays or problems occur, “communicate the details [to] the client immediately.”
It’s also a good idea to give clients/stakeholders product demos as you progress.
“This is actually a key tenet of the Scrum methodology, but holding regular project or product demos with key stakeholders and decision-makers can be a real game-changer when it comes to [managing expectations],” says Eonta. “Demos allow decision makers to see for themselves if the project seems on track, ahead of schedule or behind schedule. And showing is almost always better and richer than telling.”
5. Attain Pertinent Documentation
From the initiation of the project to the milestones along the way, you should have documentation signed by the stakeholders. A recent ConnectITNews.com article recommended to “Make sure all documentation is in-line with your project management methodology of choice to ensure your project team is covered in terms of deliverables, and expectations.” Even with the best project management processes in place, it is not often that a project is completed on time and within budget, so you will need to have the appropriate documentation ready for the stakeholders and plan for any unforeseen events. However, you don’t want to overcomplicate the project management process with too much documentation that doesn’t add value to the project (avalable source: 92 free project management templates).
6. Regularly communicate with your team
Daily team communication helps keep misunderstandings and unclear requirements under control. Keeping your team informed in every step of the project is essential to project management success.
For example, a study published by Procedia Technology found that good communication skills were the cornerstone of project management. The study examined over 300 “construction project managers, architects, construction managers, engineers and quantity surveyors” and their successes and failures on various construction projects.
7. Define critical milestones
The success of the project depends upon the identification of the defining moments throughout the project. This can be done by providing the life cycle of a project which includes the main phases such as initiation, planning, execution and closure. You can perform an evaluation test after every phase. From parts of the product to the technical documents, you need all of the elements involved in the project to be perfect to make sure that it is exceeding expectations of the clients.
These milestones are effective indicators of the teams working with sincere dedication to complete the project successfully. Along with this, you can also manage projects risks and can track the project progress by defining critical milestones.
8. Anticipate project setbacks
Even the best-laid plans often go awry.
Remember that even with a high amount of planning and attention to detail, your project may still encounter some challenges. Pay attention to complaints from stakeholders or colleagues, and other warning signs, like a missed deadline or cost overrun, that there may be a problem.
Preventing a crisis will keep your project running smoothly, save you a lot of time, and keep you, your team, and your stakeholders confident in progressing with the project.
Unfortunately not every complication can be avoided. Crisis management skills are essential for dealing with the unexpected. Project managers need to be flexible and pragmatic. Improvise and make sharp decisions when needed.
The obstacles you encounter will give you a chance to excel as a project manager, so long as you learn from your solutions.
9. Evaluation of project
Each project can be a learning tool. An effective manager will always review the project as a whole, as well as analyze various project components. By doing so, he can note down the successes in a project, what went wrong in the project, and what can be improved for future projects.
Evaluating every aspect and the nitty-gritties in a project can be resourceful to ensure success for future projects as well.
The above discussed powerful tips can help you ace your future projects. Don’t forget to add some determination, dedication, and fun to them.
We would love to know your thoughts on this blog. What other tips you would add to the list that works best for you? You can drop a comment below to share your tips.
Useful material: top 76 project management KPIs
10. Stay focused on the details
A common problem project managers encounter is having the project aims not aligned with the organization’s objectives. A great project manager will strategize a plan for the project to lead back to the overall success of the business.
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.
Having a predetermined timeline and budget will assist you in keeping a good foundation for your project, along with project milestones, check-ins, and a written list of requirements.
11. Keep current with the latest project management trends
Upskilling is important and highly beneficial to project management. Unfortunately, with the high workload and stress of working full-time, it can be difficult to find the time to expand your skill-set. Luckily it is quite easy to learn project management online, and some companies will even reimburse you for the cost of short courses.
Professional development should never stop. The workforce is constantly changing, adding in new productivity tools and project management roles that didn’t exist just five years prior.
12. Plan for problems and potential conflicts
“When managing deadlines and projects, consider potential resource and technology challenges that might emerge,” says Shamim Mohammad, CIO at used car retailer CarMax. “Make sure there is time allocated for undiscovered work and develop a contingency plan for it. Lots of projects assume a happy path, but do not plan for unanticipated and undiscovered work, which will inevitably happen.”
Similarly, it’s important to keep an eye out for potential conflicts that could interfere with your project, such as other projects requiring your resources. “Understand your team members’ work flow,” says Mulhern. “Learn how much they can handle at once, because giving someone more than they can handle will jeopardize deadlines.” Also, “be aware of the distractions coming their way from other [projects] and help [them] manage their time.”
13. Tap into team members strengths and weaknesses
The success of a project largely depends on skills of the team members. An effective manager will always make an effort to get to know about his team members inherent strengths and weaknesses so that he can allocate work accordingly. As someone’s strength is someone else’s weakness thus an effective manager will make sure the work is given to the team member who is inherently competent and faster at completing it.
Tapping into the strengths of team members will definitely ensure faster task completion and better time management. 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.
14. Use a Project management tool
Technology has given many gifts to the project managers with online project management software topping the list. The software acts as a big store-house of all the relevant project information. From files to documents, file-sharing to giving feedback, effective communication to seamless collaboration — project management software acts as a centralized platform for everything and everyone in the team.
With so many tools available today, you can choose the one that fits the bill for your organization. ProofHub is one such online project management tool that empowers teams to collaborate and deliver amazing projects with some powerful features. Online proofing tool, Gantt charts, reports, and customized workflows and kanban boards are few to name.
15. Manage potential risks
Risk management being one of the imperative project 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.
With considerable experience and expertise with similar projects, you will be able to foresee when the risk is imminent and when corrective measures need to be taken. After realizing the importance of risk management, many organizations are now paying special attention to it so that it doesn’t come in the way of the success of a project.
16. Test deliverables
To guarantee project management success, the deliverables should be tested at every critical milestone. Doing this gives you a fair idea whether the project is what it was planned to be. Testing deliverables are crucial to determine whether it is meeting or exceeding the expectations. If any fallacies are encountered, corrective measures can be taken immediately to bring it back on track.
17. Know your limitations as a project manager
Too many projects are doomed to fail from the beginning because of unrealistic expectations. Setting impossible deadlines and assigning too much work to your colleagues will surely result in sloppy work and often missed deadlines.
Mistakes and late work can throw your project off course, necessitating patch-up work, timeline extensions, eroded stakeholder trust, and a frustrated team.
Taking the time to get to know your team will help you understand their strengths and weaknesses.
This can assist you in assigning tasks based on each colleague’s skillset. Delegating tasks to the right person is very important because success relies on how well team members can execute on their tasks.
