{"id":470,"date":"2019-06-18T11:20:55","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T08:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chatra.io\/blog\/?p=470"},"modified":"2020-02-05T17:59:52","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T14:59:52","slug":"top-tips-for-keeping-a-project-on-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/top-tips-for-keeping-a-project-on-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Tips For Keeping a Project On Track"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post from\u00a0Scott Miraglia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Projects are an important part of every industry, from the <\/span>technology sector<\/span><\/a> right through to the construction industry. <\/span><\/p>\n

But there are so many moving parts to a project, from the initial ideas stage right through to the final sign-off and completion. <\/span><\/p>\n

In between, you need to manage communication<\/a>, feedback, goals, and reports – it\u2019s not as easy as it sounds, right? In fact, it can seem pretty overwhelming if you think about it. <\/span><\/p>\n

The important thing is to keep a project on track if you want it to be successful. A derailed project can mean a mammoth loss in revenue, disheartened staff, and the need to start again at square one. <\/span>Ouch<\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

But how do you make sure things run as smoothly as possible? We\u2019ve lined up some top tips to help you keep your project on the straight and narrow. <\/span><\/p>\n

6 Steps to Making Your Project Successful <\/b><\/h1>\n

Step 1. Define the Project Scope<\/b><\/h2>\n

The first part of successful project management involves outlining the project from the ground up. <\/span>In one study<\/span><\/a>, 44% of respondents said that managing a project the <\/span>right <\/span><\/em>way actually improved the quality of the final product, while another 38% said it improved customer satisfaction. <\/span><\/p>\n

At this stage, your aim is to lay out the entire scope of the project. This includes everything from any deliverables and their delivery date, to the software and technology you\u2019ll use, to the people who will help you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 2. Set Goals<\/b><\/h2>\n

Every project needs goals – otherwise how will you know that it\u2019s been a success? <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good idea to set an overall goal and then break that up into smaller, more manageable tasks. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm your team with a goal that seems too big at the start. <\/span><\/p>\n

SMART goals are a great place to start. <\/span><\/p>\n

These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-Based. For example, \u201cmake a leaflet\u201d is a \u201cbad\u201d SMART goal, but \u201ccreate a two-page leaflet that bullet points the major benefits of our product by the end of August\u201d is a \u201cgood\u201d SMART goal because it is specific, can be measured, and has a dedicated time frame attached to it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 3. Create Timelines (But Prepare to Be Flexible) <\/b><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll have covered this bit briefly when planning the project scope, but now it\u2019s time to put dates for each task you need to deliver to reach the final due date. <\/span><\/p>\n

You might find that you have hard deadlines you need to set for things – for example, if you need print materials you\u2019ll need to get them to the printers by a set deadline – but, for other things, it\u2019s best to add a deadline that\u2019s flexible<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

As you probably know, not everything runs smoothly in a project, and you want to give yourself some leeway in case things go south. If you\u2019ve given yourself extra room for tasks, you won\u2019t find yourself playing catch up for the rest of the project. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can use a free tool like Google Calendar to create colour-coded timelines and share them with your team, or you can use a designated project management tool<\/a> like <\/span>Monday.com<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Asana<\/span><\/a> to get a more visual overview of what needs to be done and when.\u00a0You can also use PomoDone App to boost your productivity and focus<\/a> on the execution of your tasks, created in the mentioned tools (and many others).<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 4. Have Regular Meetings<\/b><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s important that you know what\u2019s happening with a project every step of the way. But, more than that, it\u2019s important for the <\/span>whole team <\/span><\/em>to know who\u2019s working on what and when they\u2019ll be finished by. <\/span><\/p>\n

These meetings will give you the chance to go over what\u2019s been completed and setup what happens next. It\u2019ll help team members to know where their tasks fit into the process and give them a sense of being part of a team throughout the project. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can schedule these into your shared Google Calendar or your chosen project management tool to make them a mandatory part of the project. <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 5. Provide Constructive Feedback<\/b><\/h2>\n

A lot of people will tell you that you need to provide feedback during a project, but you need to do more than that: you need to provide <\/span>constructive <\/span><\/i>feedback. Instead of telling team members what they\u2019re doing wrong or right, work with them to discover their weaknesses and strengths so that you can enhance the project with them. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been found that strong support like this is a key component of a successful project. In <\/span>one survey<\/span><\/a>, 62% of successful projects had sponsors who were actively supportive. <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 6. Report and Tweak<\/b><\/h2>\n

Reporting is a vital part of a project – especially if you\u2019re presenting to external individuals or organizations. Reports cover everything that happened throughout the duration of the project, present the finished project, and relay any stats, data, or findings that have arisen since the project was completed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reports are not only a great way to bookend a project and share your results, but they help you tweak your future project planning process. For example, if you found that one task took much longer than expected, you can account for that in your next project plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make Your Project Successful<\/b><\/h2>\n

Planning a project isn\u2019t easy. <\/span><\/p>\n

As we mentioned at the start, there are tons of turning cogs that have to click together to make it work. Not only are you dealing with timelines, deadlines, budgets, and goals, you\u2019re also having to manage people, support teams, and provide constructive feedback. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hopefully these tips will help you make sure your next project runs smoothly. All you need to do is break the process down into steps, starting from an all-encompassing overview and working down to manage each and every task. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once you can do that, you\u2019ll be able to see the bigger picture, know who\u2019s working on what, and be able to keep track of everything that\u2019s going on while the project is underway.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the author<\/strong>:\u00a0Scott Miraglia is the CEO of <\/span>Elevation Marketing<\/span><\/a>. He is a balanced risk-taker with nearly three decades of experience starting and growing advertising and marketing agencies. His business acumen is matched with a drive to build creative teams that thrive in open, collaborative work environments. Scott seeks out the best creative individuals, not only to provide quality service to clients, but to also help shape the future direction of Elevation Marketing. He remains dedicated to helping his talented teams develop unique and effective integrated marketing programs that help employees realize their full potential while serving up impressive business wins for clients.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post from\u00a0Scott Miraglia. Projects are an important part of every industry, from the technology sector right through to the construction industry. But there are so many moving parts to a project, from the initial ideas stage right through to the final sign-off and completion. In between, you need to manage communication, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[40,39],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":634,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions\/634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}