The well-known saying that battles are won by armies, but lost by generals is also true in relation to projects. Therefore, it is always worth improving their management.
It's easy to say, but how to do it?
However, there are also those who know how to manage projects and share their knowledge. Let's hear what Aaron Stannard has to tell us.
There are seven simple steps that help me manage my projects.
- Organize your thoughts.
If you have an idea, but there is no confidence in the details of the organization, then it is worth structuring everything that you already know. For example, I use Mindmapping because it makes it easy to share my ideas, and besides, it is a very flexible way of organizing.
- Define clear goals.
It sounds too obvious, but many do not have clear goals at all when they start working on a project. Moreover, the goals must necessarily be measurable and specific
- Do your homework.
It may seem to you that you are the first to solve such a problem, but is it so? Do a little research, maybe there is a solution that can save you time and money. Do not reinvent the wheel, improve and use what has already been invented.
- Create a clear project execution plan.
Before you start the execution of the project, you should describe in detail how you will do it. Where to start? Create a team first, or start defining goals or a budget? Determine at what point each phase of the project should begin. Determine the results of each of the phases, it is better for them not to be too large and measurable. Task decomposition is a great tool for this and Gantt diagrams, — as one of the ways to do it.
- Approve clear, tangible results for each of the steps.
Each project should be divided into phases ending with a tangible result or milestone. Only by passing from milestone to milestone will you be able to achieve the ultimate goal. The result of each of the steps should be planned measurable, for example «Complete the study» — a bad goal, and «write a report describing competition in a potential market»— a well-defined goal.
- Specify the time required for each of the steps.
After you have divided the project into stages-subtasks, you will be able to calculate the budget and resource costs more easily. The total costs should consist of smaller ones.
- Leave a stock.
The most reliable way to avoid overspending is to leave a stock. Always take into account possible risks and leave a reserve both in time and in other resources, because people get sick and computers break down.
