Date Published: December 22, 2015
Project Management isn’t easy to master. An individual has to spend a lot of years honing his skills to become the perfect Project Manager. He will have to rise through the ranks slowly but steadily to achieve a position where he can oversee a project singlehandedly.

Are you a Project Manager? Or do you have a desire to become one eventually? This article is aimed at making things easier for people looking to drive projects forward to their logical and successful conclusion.

Let’s understand what Project Management involves

Project Management is easily one of the most complicated job profiles available in the world today. A Project Manager is expected to be a multi-tasker – a person who can take control of the A to Z of a project.

He is a combination of the following:

a. An expert planner who ensures things run according to schedule
b. A capable leader who can motivate a team
c. A confident taskmaster who monitors a project’s progress efficiently
d. A courteous and pleasing individual who can communicate with clients easily
e. A good communicator with a strong grasp of English business skills

You will have to imbibe the traits mentioned above to become the perfect manager at your office. The tips featured below will help to make things easier for you:

1. The devil is in the details – a thorough Project Plan is a must before project launch

Projects need to be planned out thoroughly. Things are going to be difficult if you launch a project without thinking about how things will turn out. Ideally, every detail should be documented in a Project Plan that is distributed among the Management and team members.

Your project should have the following sections highlighted:

a: Business Requirement: What does the client want from the project? Make sure you spend quality time listing out all his requirements. Don’t leave room for any confusion.

b: Goal: Okay, you have specified the requirement above. How does this translate into a solution? Highlight what you seek to achieve through the project. What kind of a solution will the team build? This section is a simplified yet technical version of the Business Requirement mentioned above.

c: Features: This is where you go into details. What are the attributes associated with the solution? How will you achieve them?

d: Deadlines: Deadlines have to be arrived upon after lengthy discussion with the internal team and management. These deadlines will then have to be shared with the client. After receiving the client’s approval on dates, these deadlines will have to be collectively pursued by every member of the team.

Don’t panic when deadlines are not met. Be confident and look for workarounds to ensure the project isn’t affected.

e: Team: Each member in your team must be highlighted in the plan. What are his roles and what is expected of him? Everything should be documented.

f: Technology Requirement: What kind of technology input will be required for this project? List the hardware and software requirements in detail so that necessary arrangements can be made to arrange for them.

Create this document and you will have a valuable aid to guide you through to project completion!

2. Assign appropriate responsibilities to each member of your team

Each team member has a crucial role to play in your project. Assign responsibilities based on their talent and expertise. Don’t give an underperforming employee an important task – it’s a risk that may backfire, especially when you are dealing with a Live project.

Assigning tasks is only one step of the process. You will have to be doubly sure that each team member knows what his role is. There shouldn’t be any communication gaps that prevent proper realization of job roles.

3. Regularly evaluate each member’s contribution

Weekly reviews of each team member’s contribution to the project are a must. You could either have one-on-one or group meetings based on the size of your team. The goal is to let team members know that you are in control of things. This helps to reassure the team that you will stand up for them in times of turmoil in the project.

Regularly motivate the employee and inspire him to give his best every day at work!

4. Keep the client informed of developments (both positives and negatives!)

The client should have regular briefings about project updates. This can be done by establishing a pre-determined communication channel. Use this channel to exchange info on project deliverables.

Don’t hesitate to inform the client if milestones cannot be met. You can then work newer dates in the schedule to meet extended deadlines.

5. Monitor and lead the project till its completion

A Project Manager’s job is only completed after he successfully finishes the project. You should move ahead with unwavering confidence to the deadline. Take every downfall in its stride and make sure you keep everybody happy – from the client to the management and employees.

6. Evaluate the project after its completion

After completion, you will have to evaluate how well the project met the expectations of everybody involved. There will definitely be negatives to learn from this project. Use these negatives as a learning tool and avoid them in the next project.

We hope you found these Project Management tips useful. There is no doubt that you will have to work hard to become the perfect manager. This article will take you in the right direction.

We suggest you opt for our custom bags and distribute them among team members to foster greater team spirit. These bags will go a long way to ensure they value you as the ideal manager.

About Author:

Jayden Samuelson is an online marketing expert and a regular contributor to Promo Direct. He likes reading articles on online marketing industry and has been a part of discussions on many boards and forums. Jayden Samuelson can be followed on Google+, Twitter and Facebook