Project management is a skill that every business owner, entrepreneur, and manager should master in order to be able to do business well.
And if you have the knowledge of basics in project management, there is always the chance for improvement. Here I tried to share everything about taking your project management strategy to the next level.
The methodology you do use for your project management will finalize your entire strategy. So, you can say, adopting the wrong methodology could cost you the big matter in the later part.
You will build a bad bad foundation for all your future campaigns as well as you will make bad decisions from the start of your project.
There are two main types of project management methodologies available:
This is probably the most popular methodology in the tech world these days.
The main logic behind it is that you split or segmentize your entire project into pieces called “sprints”. These sprints are usually about two weeks long (for example) but it can be adjusted according to the project requirement.
For each sprint, you set a specific goal and then work towards it by going through each stage of the project lifecycle including:
While agile project management methodology is more common but somehow, many companies still opt for the waterfall methodology.
Here, you don’t break up the project and instead go through each stage of the project execution from beginning to end.
“Potentially, you could combine those depending on what kind of situation you are in.”
As far you know what your project condition is, you opt for either of the two project management methodologies.
As a project manager, you will most probably need to do all the management stuff by yourself.
You will take all the decisions, and you should be the person to do all the planning, and you are responsible for completing and delivering the projects, right?
Not it is wrong.
Your team is essential for the successful completion of whatever project you are currently working on.
Here are some tips on how you can become a team player:
Improve Communication: Communication is crucial for everyone to be able to understand each other. This is why you need to find the best means of communication for you and your team to use in order to avoid misunderstandings and possible errors that result from them.
Plan Thoroughly: The planning stage of your project management lifecycle is probably the most important one because the better you plan everything, the more prepared you will be for project execution.
Listen to Everyone: Always listen to each member of your team. You need to hear all the opinions before you decide what the best strategy to take is. More opinions also mean that you will have a more objective view of your situation.
Allocating resources correctly is never easy, especially if you are new to project management.
Most of the time, you will be doing this “approximately” which means that you will be taking wild guesses.
Of course, you could test and find some statistics to support your choices, but they won’t be enough all the time. Here are some things you can consider doing:
Outsource: The outsourcing part of your work will allow you to focus on the most important tasks in your project. For example, you could hire writers with the help of a review website like Online Writers Rating to find the high-profile professionals that you will be able to afford. This will reduce your writing workload.
Competitor Evaluation: Another thing you can do is look at your competitors and figure out what they are doing and how they are doing it. Then, try to do something similar yourself. If you figure out what works for them, it will be easier for you to understand what will work in your case.
Analyze the Market: There are periods when there won’t be as many available projects as you would ideally like to take. You need to keep in mind these periods to be able to predict – at least approximately – how much workload you will have and how you will need to allocate your resources.
Last but not least, along with allocating resources correctly, you need to plan your budget well.
Budgeting might not be at the top of your list now, but you will quickly realize its importance:
Your budget will differ from project to project because some of them will require more tasks to be done, the complexity will be higher, more staff will be needed, and more time will be required, and so on.
This is where risk planning comes into the picture. Maintain an active risk register and allocate contingency funds at the start of the project itself.
Remember that some things are worth investing in while others do not need as much financial dedication from your side.
There is no right away to be able to calculate what tasks require what money, but you will be able to learn this skill gradually and get used to planning your budget more thoughtfully over time. It takes both time and patience.
All in all, using these project management best practices will really help you get your project management strategy to the next level. If you stick to this project management advice, you will definitely improve it to some extent.