Managing Projects Successfully
As a small business owner, you may have handled a lot of projects successfully by yourself – but it is not easy to manage a project team. You have to deal with different kinds of people and different kinds of issues. You will have to manage a team environment and sometimes even be the head or in charge of a particular project. If your small business often has several projects going at once, here's how to manage all of them successfully.
Needs Analysis
Before you start any particular project, you should analyze the kind of people you will need to run the project successfully. This is essentially to identify the kind of skills that will be needed for the project.
Choose Wisely
Always choose the people for the team depending on what they can do for the project. Do not pre-judge a person based on your personal preferences. It is important to consider the team and its needs over your comfort level.
Prepare a Skills Matrix
Preparing a skill inventory matrix will help you identify and keep track of the skills that are required for the completion of your projects. This method ensures that you will hire the right people for your project.
Understand the Mission
It is extremely essential that you understand the mission of the project as it relates to your business goals and your team right from the beginning. Make sure that every member of the team is aware of the reason that they are a part of the team in the first place. If they understand that, then they can put their skills to good use for your company more effectively.
Communication Plan
At the very initial stages of the project, a communication plan has to be established. Every team member should be aware of the communication plan that will be used for the completion of the project. Establish guidelines for the exchange of information. This will help in communicating effectively for the duration of the project. Remember, managing a team is very different from doing the entire project from start to finish by yourself. The tips above will ensure that you get the project to the finish line more efficiently.
