Whether working from home or in the office with colleagues, projects are a vital part of your workday. Some projects are small and straightforward; you can complete them in hours. However, other projects - often from high-profile and demanding clients - require more focus, time, and care in every aspect.
These projects can be complicated and even overwhelming, especially if you run a small firm that has never handled =a project of such scope before. It can make you worried about making a mistake, which can impact your work and could cause further issues. So, how can you ensure you get the most out of every project and a happy client? Here are ten ways to ensure project success.
Request a Thorough Brief
Substantial projects can be intimidating initially, but a thorough and clever brief can make things easier to work with and help you understand the best way to approach the project. However, these types of briefs can be few and far between, with clients often assuming you know what to do and, therefore, unwilling to take the time to detail what they want.
And the result? Usually, they aren’t happy. If you want to avoid this - especially as an unhappy client can dampen your reputation, you can provide examples of previous briefs. Hence, they know the type of brief your business requires before starting work. If they are unwilling to provide the information, you should pass.
Have a Plan
If the brief is exceptional, detailed, and informative, you can begin planning. A thorough brief should make this easy, as it may include steps that make it easier to know what is required and when. Despite this, long-term projects can often get muddled along the way, with disruptions and delays that could ruin the project.
The sooner you and your team outline a plan, the sooner you can get to work. Knowing what you need to do immediately allows you to hit the ground running, and knowing when to check in for updates and progress means everyone knows when they need to complete a specific part of the project.
Adopt Accurate Data Strategies
Sometimes, projects require considerable amounts of data and information. But neither you nor your team has the time and energy to pore through your collected information. Thankfully, modern data strategies can make this more accessible, and using AI Training Data can help you access information rapidly.
If you rely on AI as part of your project—which is common amongst many businesses—this approach will also save time in the future. The machine learning software has already studied previous information and can, therefore, develop answers and provide results quicker, becoming more sophisticated and accurate.
Combine Your Team’s Skills
When it comes to assembling your team, you need to consider the complementing skills that ensure a fully functional group. Hopefully, you have a team that has varying skills that allow you to tackle various project elements with ease. Different experiences and approaches are also crucial, as it gives everyone the chance to contrast and compare opinions to find solutions.
It’s also vital that you find the right balance, especially as there is the risk of personalities clashing. You do not want egos to interfere with your project's success. Although a little healthy competition is good for motivation, employees that do not work well together can affect productivity and affect the office atmosphere. When trying to make the most of your team skills and strengths, it may be worth following the Prince2 project management strategy which emphasises defining roles and responsibilities for each member of staff. If you are interested in learning more about Prince2, you can check out one of the courses from https://www.tsg-training.co.uk/courses/prince2/ to develop your management strategy further.
Delegate
Delegation is a crucial component of project management, but too many managers prefer to remain hands-on throughout the process. This can direct them to all the goings-on, but it also puts unnecessary and unwanted pressure on the team. Different sections can feel like you do not trust them, and if you’re breathing down their neck all day, you can stifle their creativity.
Managers who delegate can reduce pressure and stress for everyone. Still, another benefit is that it allows you to see what your team is capable of and will enable you to witness potential promotions or increased responsibilities.
Communicate Constantly
Communication with your team and your client is always essential during a project. You need to know what is happening so you can report back and make necessary adjustments. Depending on the scope of your project, you should check in weekly with team leaders and relay any information (good or bad) back to the client.
Speaking with your team can provide peace of mind, while the transparency you offer by delivering regular updates can increase trust in the relationship between you and the client. This can ease their fears and ensure you can nip any problems or concerns in the bud early.
Keep a Record
Documentation is another crucial aspect when getting the most out of a project. Keeping a record of each step of the project allows you to track every change, update, error, and much more, which also makes it easier to trace back to the problem if you discover something has gone wrong somewhere along the line.
However, you cannot keep the record yourself. You must rely on your team leaders to record everything that has happened, no matter how small or insignificant they believe it to be. By establishing a culture of accountability, you ensure that no one takes shortcuts that may damage the project and your company’s reputation if discovered.
Use Project Management Software
Any project can feel overwhelming, but you can make it a little easier by using project management software. This tool is handy for larger projects or if your team is working remotely. Project management software should enable you to collect all the information and updates into a tidy section. At the same time, the cloud element allows everyone to upload completed parts when they are ready.
The top project management software can also use deadlines and comments, which ensures people do not take too long or ignore pressing matters. With comments, you or the team leader can provide advice and feedback to ensure the project meets the brief and standards.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Adjustments
Although you hope your project is perfect throughout, you should know that this is rarely the case, even with experienced employees. There is always something that could be better, and it’s important to know that you shouldn’t be afraid to make adjustments and edits where necessary.
This can involve the content if you spot an issue before sending it to the client, or it could involve rearranging the teams to improve synergy and cooperation. While making too many adjustments can cause havoc and affect team chemistry, you should also focus on how it will benefit the overall project by switching roles and providing additional responsibilities.
Follow-Up
The project is not finished the moment you send it to the client. Sending a customer service email after a few days should give the client enough time to check the project and provide feedback. As you requested a thorough brief, you should have ticked all the boxes, but it’s still worth asking them what they thought about the project and if they have any feedback regarding other aspects of the process. This follow-up allows you to improve and relay information to your team so they can do even better next time.
Getting The Most
Getting the most out of every project can make your business more confident and increase its experience. This will allow you to tackle bigger and bolder projects in the future, and you will have the knowledge you need to accept and deliver projects on time and to your high standards.
