Project management best practices
Poor project planning often leads to delays, an increase in the estimated budget or even project failure. While a management methodology is recommended for all projects, complex projects require particular attention. In order to help you reach your goals in an optimal way, we present some best practices to perfectly plan, organize and execute the various phases of the project and significantly improve the performance of your project team.
Understand the basic principles of project management
Managing a project requires setting up a specific working methodology. Four phases are therefore essential for the project manager.
Step 1: Define goals and ambitions
The first thing to do is to clearly define the goals of the project, its scope and the expected results. These elements must be the subject of a constructive and comprehensive exchange between the various stakeholders. In particular, this is the ideal time to check the feasibility of the project.
Step 2: Identify responsibilities
It is essential to define roles and responsibilities for each person. In this way, you will not be confronted with misunderstandings during the project. If each actor in the project knows what they should do and why they should do it, the progress of the project will be more serene.
Step 3: Develop a specific schedule
Effective project management requires the design of a carefully established project plan. In particular, the latter must include a very precise timetable. You should write down the key milestones and milestones that ensure that the project stays on track at all times.
Step 4: Evaluate available resources
Of course, resource management is a prerequisite for the success of the project. These resources include time, budget, material resources, and human resources.
Implement project management tools and methods
Defining the stages of the project is not enough to guarantee its success. Indeed, you must have an appropriate project management tool and implement relevant methodologies in order to achieve the objectives set.
The tools to organize work and define tasks
Scheduling and monitoring tasks are essential. You should therefore use methods that are recognized for their effectiveness. A Gantt chart to identify tasks and their dependencies is regularly used by project managers. The Kanban method, on the other hand, allows you to monitor the completion of the task list and ensures that the workload is evenly distributed.
Automating tasks with low added value
To save employees time and make their lives easier, it is strongly recommended to use task automation tools. This makes it possible to facilitate the progress of the project, as employees have the opportunity to focus on more complex and more motivating tasks.
The integration of a collaboration system
A collaborative platform is a very relevant project management solution. Thanks to it, you can centralize exchanges, actions and documents within a single platform. From the project schedule to task management to videoconferencing tools, collaborative project management software allows you to optimize all project processes.
Track progress and measure the success of the project
Throughout the project and even after it has been completed, it is important to monitor various performance indicators. These are essential in order to know if you are on the right track and allow you to assess the team's performance after the end of the project.
Develop regular relationships
Reporting on project progress is one of the most important tasks of a project manager. Through various intuitive dashboards, you must centralize several KPIs. This way, all project members will have the opportunity to monitor the progress of the project. In the event of a substantial discrepancy between the goals set and the achievement, it is possible to adjust the project plan or the allocation of resources.
Use data analysis tools
In order to put the collected data in order and make sense of it, it is essential to use analysis platforms. Let's add that ideally, these programs should offer great clarity of the information they contain. In this way, you will have an easier time presenting the progress of the project and your conclusions to all stakeholders.
Continuously optimize processes
All the data collected and analyzed during the project can be used during the project or after its closure. These reports are mines of information that should give you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and optimize your processes. In this way, you can identify areas for improvement and increase the performance of your project team.
The keys to effective project management
Any company or project manager that wants to optimize processes or improve productivity must implement an appropriate methodology. This requires particular attention to many points such as the establishment of objectives, the allocation of resources, the planning of the project or even the establishment of qualitative reports.
Note that post-project evaluation should not be considered optional. It is by learning from each project carried out that it is possible to refine processes and gain in efficiency. In addition, the use of a collaborative work platform is also one of the essential elements. By centralizing the essential tools and functionalities, the teamwork software federates energies as well as it brings together actions or documents.
Regardless, project management is a complex process. Learning to manage a project in a serene, fluid and effective way requires time, consistency and the use of best practices. By combining technical tools, the strengths of your business as well as the appropriate methods, you put all the chances on your side to achieve your goals.
