It’s no secret that project management is a big part of what we do as software developers and designers. It’s crucial to creating and meeting deadlines, and often working closely with clients. But it can be a difficult balance to strike.
In this post, we’ll talk about ten proven strategies for effective project management in today’s competitive and fast-paced business environment. Here at https://freeopinionist.com/ has some more strategies about effective project management.
We’ll cover things like: how to get your team on board with the plan; how to handle queries and questions from clients; and what you should do if project overruns or deadlines are missed.
It’s no secret that project management is a big part of what we do as software developers and designers. It’s crucial to creating and meeting deadlines, and often working closely with clients. But it can be a difficult balance to strike.
In this post, we’ll talk about ten proven strategies for effective project management in today’s competitive and fast-paced business environment. We’ll cover things like: how to get your team on board with the plan; how to handle queries and questions from clients; and what you should do if project overruns or deadlines are missed.
(1) Project Planning and Preparation
Being prepared is one of the most important aspects of effective project management. Even if you’re using a project management software like Basecamp or Trello, it’s still important that you and your team come to the table prepared. Before you go into a meeting, make sure that you and your team know:
What the project is (just like we talked about in the first section). What your goals and objectives are.
What deliverables you’ll be expected to produce during the project. Your deadlines for each stage of the project. The critical parts of the project that will need weekly or daily updates from everyone involved (think during sprint planning).
(2) Establish a Check-In Protocol for Tasks and Deadlines
Once the big picture is out of the way, you can get to work on making sure that tiny details are getting done by their due date. The best way to do this is to establish a protocol for checking in on progress.
Some projects may not require daily check-ins, but weekly or monthly works fine too. Make sure you take time at the end of each step (or ‘sprint’) to go over what everyone has done and make any changes that may be needed.
This way everyone knows where they stand and there are no surprises along the way.
(3) Make Project Challenges a Collaborative Effort
Nothing grinds a project to a halt faster than when you have to deal with egos. If one member of your team is questioning whether or not their work is in alignment with the project’s objectives, in a worst case scenario a disagreement over priorities might cause them to give up.
In an ideal situation, when they do disagree, it’s best if they bring up the issue and you have enough time to talk it out before the deadline so both concerns can receive proper consideration.
But in any case, if you’ve established good communication strategies from the beginning, challenges will be easier to overcome and most important of all: everyone will be on board and pushing forward.
(4) Don’t Worry About What Others are Doing
I don’t think it’s really necessary to keep tabs on every little thing other people are doing. As long as you’re aware of what’s going on, you should be just fine. If you’re concerned about timing, spread your work across multiple projects so that if one project slows down, you have something else to work on.
Plus, everyone will still get paid at the end of the month no matter how much or how little they get done!
(5) Get Your Team Involved in Project Planning
Your team should participate in project planning from start to finish. They should be involved in formulating the project’s goals and objectives and they should be there when you meet with your client and determine what needs to get done. But even after planning is finished, make sure to include them in the ongoing feedback process.
Your team should always be included when you check in on progress and make any necessary changes. If you don’t, it can lead to stress among members of your team, which can cause conflict and division among members of your team which is something no one wants on a team that’s trying to get things done!
(6) Have a Backup Plan When Plans Change
Like we said before, don’t worry too much about what other people are doing. But there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for when something does go wrong. For example, keep up with the financial side of the project so you know exactly how much money is coming in and how much will be allocated toward expenses.
Be sure to have a budget so if challenges arise it’s easier for you and your team to react quickly. Having a budget will also allow you to determine which expenses are mandatory and which ones aren’t, so if someone on your team tries to suggest a change that may cost a lot more than you planned, they’ll see that it’s not going to work financially and push back appropriately.
(7) Develop a Plan B
I’m not one to suggest having a Plan B for Plan A, but there are some things you can do if challenges arise. One strategy is to involve your team in discussing potential changes early on, even if it’s something you don’t want to hear.
If the issue is serious enough, they may come up with another solution that’s cheaper or faster; or maybe you’ll discover that it’s not as big of an issue as you originally thought. On the other hand, if you don’t involve your team in the project planning process, Plan B may be your only way out.
(8) Communicate Effectively with Your Team, Clients, and Managers
Communication is key in all aspects of business. Being able to communicate effectively will help you achieve better results for your team, clients, and managers. When communicating with others about the project make sure to be clear about what needs to get done and when.
Keep it short but make sure to include all of the details that are pertinent to everyone’s roles in the project. When you communicate effectively, you cut down on misunderstandings and can avoid delays within the project.
Final Thoughts
Project management isn’t hard and it doesn’t have to be a huge source of stress for your team. It just takes a little bit of preparation and some forward thinking.
I hope this post gives you some ideas about how to implement your own project management strategies, even if you’re just starting out, so that your next project comes together smoothly.
If you need help managing projects or getting more people involved in the process, don’t hesitate to contact us here at StatusWorks! We’d love to talk with you about how we can help!
