4 Tips To Follow For Better Project Management
/Without project management, it would be impossible to be efficient and complete projects on time. The responsibilities of a project manager include project planning, initiation, execution, monitoring, and finally, closing.
It's more than obvious that project managers have many responsibilities and need to improve their skills constantly to be successful in their jobs.
The ability to see a project from the beginning to end stages is challenging but also rewarding, so good project managers are always on the hunt for tips that will make them better at their jobs.
Don't underestimate the power of software tools
In the world of project management, efficiency is critical, and it's impossible to be efficient without any help. Luckily, there are a lot of software tools that can help you organize and deliver projects effortlessly thanks to their useful features.
Among these tools, you will find a variety of systems: from platforms with general functionality to highly specialized applications. For example, it could be an online Gantt chart planner. If you do not want to pay for using such a tool, you can always use a ready-made Gantt chart Excel template.
Unfortunately, only 23% of organizations use project management software, which is a big mistake because they're incredibly useful. They come equipped with task management, project tracking, and streamlined communication.
However, you need to be aware that there are multiple project management tools on the market, and not all of them will be a good fit for your business.
When you're choosing a tool, you need to find something that will provide you with all the features you need but won't cause software bloat. This problem occurs if the software you choose comes with too many features you don't need and causes you to become overwhelmed.
A good project management tool that will help you achieve your goals but won't overwhelm you is Jira. You can also try a Jira Slack integration to get the most out of both tools if you use Slack as a communication tool.
Hold a kick-off meeting
If you start a project without making sure everyone is on the same page, you won't have any chances of succeeding. Even one misunderstanding between you and your team members can lead to wasted time and resources.
It's essential to keep in mind that project management requires a lot of collaboration, so everyone is aware of the shared goal you're working towards. So, to get everyone on that same page, you need to hold a kick-off meeting.
A kick-off meeting is the first meeting between a project manager and their team members, and it's organized after finalizing the project scope. In this meeting, everyone is informed about all the essential details related to the project, such as the key deliverables and the timeline.
If done right, during this meeting, you will set clear expectations everyone will be fully aware of, define what role each member has, and set clear expectations on what a successful project will look like. If you're unsure how to organize and hold such a meeting, Hoppier has some great advice for how to ensure your kick-off meeting is a success.
Don't multitask
A lot of people are under the assumption that multitasking is the best choice when you have a lot of things you need to accomplish but don't have enough time. This is a wrong and dangerous misconception, however, and it will lead to poor results and burnout.
Not many people realize that multitasking can hurt productivity by up to 40%. The human brain is wired to handle no more than two complex tasks at a time, and if you try to do more than that, you won't be able to handle it. Switching from one task to another constantly causes loss of productivity and a loss of focus and attention.
So, instead of putting the quality of your end project at risk, you should try to gain more time and complete every project individually. One thing that can help you is to eliminate all kinds of interruptions and disturbances so your attention wouldn't have to be split between work and unimportant things.
Maximize collaboration
The most important factor for great project results is effective collaboration, which is why every project manager needs to optimize their collaborative process. To do this, you should create an amazing project management strategy.
For this purpose, you need to have answers to all the questions every project manager should be able to answer as well as plan the following:
How often you will need to hold project management meetings and who will need to attend them.
How you will keep your team members accountable for their goals. This can include tactics such as performance reviews and regular check-ins.
How you can ensure all documents and systems are user-friendly and easily accessible to everyone important to the project.
What kind of project management system you want to implement. If you want to stick to something simple such as Google Sheets, or if you need a more advanced project management app.
What tactics you will use to allow for remote collaboration if you employ remote workers.
Final thoughts
The success of your project relies on how well you as a project manager do your job and manage your team. No matter how long you've been at your position, whether it's been a month or a decade, there are many ways you can improve and become an even better manager.
