Project Management
Managing Projects: A Thread
Project Management is the process of organizing individuals around a unified goal of accomplishing and completing a certain set of tasks around a particular overall objective. Everyone has their own management style; however, a few key principles are critical to managing any project successfully.
1. Define the goals
2. Define roles and responsibilities
3. Agree on a timeline
4. Set a budget
5. Agree on meeting schedule
Define the goals: It is important to define goals so that everyone understands and agrees on what they are working towards. Written goals also allow members of the team to evaluate how their current progress is trending towards the overall goals of the project. Goals also helps the team see their tasks as they relate to the bigger picture and helps everyone focus. Goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound).
Define roles and responsibilities:
Before the team can get anything accomplished, you want to discuss with each team member what their roles and responsibilities are, so that everyone knows what they are responsible and accountable for doing.
Agree on a timeline: Along with setting goals, you should set a time frame to accomplish these goals. You’ll need to decide on when major milestones should be reached, when the overall project concludes, and when important team activities should be held (meetings, etc.).
Set a budget:
Everyone should be aware of how much funds are available for the project and how much is allotted for different aspects of the project. Funds might be used for salary, supplies, equipment purchases, or external support among other options. It’s also important to note how the funds should be used. Are they “restricted” as in only eligible for some purposes only? Maybe only salary. Maybe only for supplies. Are they “discretionary” funds and the team is therefore given flexibility on how they spend the money?
Agree on meeting schedule: Meetings help keep everyone accountable and help keep everyone abreast of the current status of the project. Meetings are a time to discuss updates and problems and for the team to help each other troubleshoot and brainstorm alternate approaches. Too many meetings can be distracting and leave everyone a bit disillusioned with each other. Too few meetings can leave everyone feeling a bit lost and without direction. Meetings are a good time to revisit and revise all the different components of project management that we’ve discussed (goals, roles, responsibilities, timeline, and budget).
Efficiency in meetings is key. It’s also imperative that leaders, especially, understand the needs of each member of their team. Should your meeting be formal or casual? Regimented or open-ended? Guided or unguided? Those decisions depend on the personality and culture of your team, and to be completely honest, it might be hard to satisfy everyone as you may have quite a wide variety of personalities within your team.
