Have you recently started working on a new project? But you find it difficult to prioritize tasks on a big project. We have seen projects fail due to a lack of task management and putting things on priority.
Also when the project is very big and expanded to various departments and cities is difficult to keep track of everything and monitor. The success rate of the projects of a company separates them from the struggling companies.
Here we have enlisted 9 great steps that can provide you with some insight.
Steps to Achive Successful Project Setup
1. Create a Timeline
No matter how big or small your project is, always start by making the timeline. It will give an idea about all the steps you need before going into the beast mode, also knowing how much time something is going to take is a good sign that there are solid chances for tracking the progress in real-time.
2. Document
Documenting is very important to keep track of everything going on a big project also it is very easy to create a spreadsheet of the tasks and status. This can be followed by the remarks in special cases.
Even if you are new to planning and documenting and do not know how to start then you can get several free templates on the internet.
3. Work With Professionals
Some people work on their own, they do not need someone micromanaging them all the time. These are the kind of people that run on self-motivation and they can get the tasks done by the deadline.
Some employees just do what they are being told and most of the time will not take an initiative on their own, they just follow orders. These are not the bad employees just not cut out for something like making a successful project.
4. Communicate Effectively
Communication is challenging for so many people; they do not want this challenge when they are working on a project, clear instructions and direction of tasks is very important to document the progress and status of the project.
The meetings should be effective to establish a product line; the information flow should be defined between the team and the project manager. Effective communication can seem like a time-consuming activity, it is difficult to have enough communication among the departments and teams. The liaison can be the solution here.
5. Practice Time Management
The reason for the planning and road mapping is so that you can define the statuses of tasks. Documenting steps can be in vain if effective time management cannot be done.
Create agenda for the day, a to-do list of the tasks scheduled for the day, add approximate time for each task, prioritize the daily activities so the crucial ones have ample amount of time. Always be flexible in time management as there is always something that will come up in the end to interrupt the timeline.
6. Create Urgency
We are seeing a 24×7 working culture where people are connected through devices and the internet and they are always reachable. But this doesn’t ensure timely action on the required activities. To get them done in a timely manner it’s important to show some sort of urgency.
There is always scope of doing better and faster, try to push people near the timeline, involve them in the timeline so they know when the task is needed to be done to move onto the next level.
Pushing people doesn’t mean putting them under pressure, explain to them the deadline and reporting time of the given task and it’s important to involve them and sit with them if they are struggling to complete the tasks on the given time. There might be issues more than your understanding; effective communication can be a good thing to practice here.
7. Identify The Risks
The risk factor is always there to affect a successful project. Think it through to consider all the possible outcomes of a task, if a task is taking longer or there are some other issues to take care of before. Are there any legal or regulatory hindrances? Take in the cost in your consideration also.
If you do not have the possible outcomes that can take a negative turn then think again about the strategy you have made. Involve your team and think aloud together to come up with scenarios affecting your successful project. Always determine the risk factor involved.
8. Create A Concise Budget
For certain activities and items, you can get price quotations from different vendors, try to negotiate to get the best price. Also, try to keep the vendor the same for most of the items as it will retain your chances of getting a better price.
Do not assign an amount without comparing and researching the tentative cost. Create the project cost and estimated budget and keep the things under the budget only. It’s hard to do that but not impossible if the price estimations are taken beforehand.
9. Wrapping The Project
To wrap up a successful project, reflect on what the goal was and what has been achieved. Evaluate the steps and tasks done; verify if the project has met the expectations as set while planning.
There are always bottlenecks and bumps along the way and clear communication, effective reporting, timely updates will help you in this step to conclude the project.
Keep yourself open to some final tasks or even miscellaneous activities left for the end. Review once again before concluding and closing declaring the successful project.
The Final Word
No matter if a project is small or big if you are doing it for your company or just helping out other companies to achieve a successful project. Create a roadmap and stick to the plan. Use a combination of best and effective methods with the professional team.
Try to push towards the final step with attention to the tasks completed along the way. To complete a successful project setup, be attentive to the details, be an active listener, and get your team in the loop to do it in a timely manner.