Project Management
Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way!
Project Management - A Critical Function
In a perfect world, you could hand out assignments, then sit back and wait while all of the tasks are completed on time and everything falls into place and the project is 100% successful.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world. In the world we live in, people make mistakes, things change, people’s schedules and lives get in the way, and things we can’t predict will happen. You will need to be a negotiator, motivator, parent and sometimes even the bad guy.
The process of planning, goal setting and the resultant projects is a circular one. Nothing will ever go exactly as planned so you need to be flexible and keep on top of the work being done, gather feedback and adjust as necessary.
Use the Task List worksheet you created in the last step and the project management techniques below to launch and manage the project.
Project Management Techniques
- When assigning a task to someone, make sure they understand and you both agree what the desired outcome is and when it should be done. Make them explain to you what you want them to do and make sure it matches your expectation
- Communication is paramount! Make sure each person assigned a task knows that they should contact you on a regular basis or whenever they encounter a challenge in their task
- Take the feedback you collected from each team member and apply it to the current plan to adjust for circumstances
- Have regular all-team meetings so that everyone involved stays committed and informed about the project
- Repeat Steps 2 – 4 until the project is completed