Managing a project is a challenge. Knowledge and experience, productive communication, target setting, subsequent execution and leadership ability are all part of the skill set necessary to manage a project effectively. But for start-ups, those areas may take time to develop.
In the meantime, here are some project management tips to help start-up businesses on their way.
Good communication with the client or customer is fundamental to a successful project so that everyone involved is aware of the project’s progress in terms of targets, goals, deadlines and achievements. If the client is fully aware of any issues, and can clearly see progress, they are less likely to be overly critical if problems or hold-ups arise.
Obviously, pre-project research is key. Time spent scrutinising a project and its requirements puts you in a better position to proceed and adapt to any subsequent challenges. Early and thorough preparation should reduce the need for potentially costly changes or delays later.
Once familiar with the scope of the project, the next step is to identify and prioritise tasks, and create a timeline. What is immediate? What can wait? What requires further planning in advance? Clearly, you can only do this when you thoroughly understand the project details, but failure to prioritise could result in wasted time and money.
Nevertheless, prioritised goals must be realistic and achievable so don’t offer what you are unable to deliver. It’s better to set goals that you can confidently achieve or exceed. And, within each goal, have small, measurable objectives that can show progress – visible productivity is motivational for you and reassuring for clients.
If you are unfamiliar with, or completely new to, something (for example software) that you need for the job, then take the time necessary to get up to speed. It will avoid unnecessary inconvenience, lost time, and lost confidence for both you and the client as the project progresses. Confidence is key as inevitably you will be required to navigate through or round obstacles, and you need to be clear how to tackle them.
Obviously, teamwork is crucial. Working in a mutually supportive environment means that people will work as individuals, but for each other as well.
And if problems do occur, the better and more supportive the culture in which people work, the more willing they may be to work beyond reasonable expectations to sort it out.
Just as with advanced driving skills, always be looking ahead to identify and mitigate potential snags before they happen, rather than trying to deal with them later when it may have become a damage limitation exercise for a much bigger problem.
Finally, whether in a start-up or full established company, the ability for individuals to evaluate self-performance is a crucial learning to tool to help build on what was successful and highlight what could be improved in future.