The Principles Of Flawless Project Management in 2020
This year has presented a number of unique challenges for every business. No matter what sector you operate in, or who your key audiences are, 2020 and the seismic impact of the global pandemic have shaken processes and people to the very core. All businesses are having to innovate and find new ways of doing things - but to guide those tricky decisions, the best course of action is always to follow an established plan of action. Much may have changed within the business, political and economic landscapes, but sound project management still has a tremendous value in providing a framework to allow you to pivot and accommodate all the new challenges and demands of doing business in 2020.
Map Out Your Scope
Defining the scope of the
project and the deliverables you need to achieve is always the first step in
effective project management. It's all too easy for 'mission creep' to occur,
where distractions sneak in and dilute what you were originally trying to
achieve. Taking the time to carefully set out the end goal and the milestones
along the way also makes communication with delivery partners, stakeholders and
suppliers much smoother. Whether you're mapping out an infrastructure project
with a partner like Jointline, or planning the launch of a new website, getting people onside is half
the battle - and a well-defined project scope will certainly help to support
this.
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Assemble Your Team
Your project will
need a team to deliver it, and what you want to achieve is a mixture of people
with different skill sets. In the case of a smaller business without many staff, that may well
include some functions which have been outsourced, such as marketing. Diversity
is a real asset here, as the more different viewpoints that you incorporate,
the more likely you are to find out any design flaws in the structure of the
project from the outset. During this process, you need to ensure a mix of soft
skills as well as practical ones.
Find The Right Tools
You'll need to
support your project with tools such as a cloud based project management
system, such as Basecamp. You should also think about how you segment and distribute
communications on the project, perhaps using a robust
CRM system with an integrated email program like DotMailer. Successful project managers know that
half the secret lies in keeping people informed and these tools can also help
with functions such as producing progress reports. Take the time to fully train
on the system so that you understand the ins and outs and have minimized the
learning curve that can be encountered when working with any new
software.
Remember To Wrap Up
After completion of
any project, the final important step you need to keep to is conducting
a project review. This is vital to capture any learnings and have a basis to make
adaptations going forwards. You can set up an online survey to capture some
quantitative data, as well as holding an in-person meeting for qualitative
data. Identifying and
correcting issues ans celebrating success should all be on the agenda.
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