Developing a successful project doesn’t happen by accident. It takes time, planning, clarity and support. You have a vision of what you want your business to achieve, and with hard work you are well on your way. But, as you start to incorporate others into your business projects, particularly employees or consultants, you need to set up guidelines and processes for how to deliver those project goals, build strong communication and work together as a team.
Here are some general tips that can help you develop a successful project with your team:
1. Set clear goals and objectives
You need to set clear goals and objectives for your project that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). If you use project management software, you want to be sure you can apply these SMART principles to your project deliverables. Software for this purpose could be something like ClickUp, a powerful solution for developing projects with teams, or monday.com that is a visually intuitive project management platform.
2. Define roles and responsibilities
Each member of your team should know their role and responsibility in the project. This ensures everyone knows what they need to do and when. Share documents where you can track deliverables together, making sure anything that is undeveloped or incomplete is resolved. Make sure you have written down the position requirements of each member of the team to help them know what their role entails. When you brief them, make sure you use clarifying statements and ask that they are comfortable with what is being asked of them.
3. Communication
Communication is key to success. Create a communication plan that defines how your team will communicate with each other during the project. Use tools such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing to stay connected. Find a communication platform that your team enjoy. There are enough systems out there that will help you keep communication open, but talk to your team and establish rules about how you will communicate (ie. availability, platforms for communication).
4. Collaborate
Encourage open collaboration amongst the team members. This includes sharing ideas, feedback, and expertise to ensure everyone contributes to the success of the project. If you work remotely, hold calls regularly with the team so they get to know each other through the project and can ask each other questions and clarify easily.
5. Manage Risks
Identify and manage risks by creating a risk management plan. This helps mitigate potential problems before they become real issues. The basics of risk assessment are to identify, assess, respond and monitor. You want to know what level of impact a risk could have on your project and know the options you have.
6. Celebrate success
Celebrate milestones and successes with your team. Reward your team for their hard work and achievements. Positive reinforcement increases motivation and engagement and will help to signify a renewal of the goals of your project by knowing the project is moving forward. This does not have to be a party or an expense, but can be a chat over coffee, potentially a small token such as a voucher or offering the team to leave an hour early to enjoy the moment before moving on. Make sure you mark the end of the project too – this may be a report or a meeting that quantifies the end of the project, but try to do something that your team will remember as an achievement.
7. Continuous Improvement
Monitor progress regularly and make adjustments if necessary. Continuous improvement is essential to achieving project success. We know projects can have positive results, and sometimes delays or periods of trial, but by keeping your team focussed and supported it can go a long way to minimising potential risk and promoting good work. It also shows the team collectively have a support mechanism if you provide opportunities to review and adjust. Got a deadline approaching? Check in with everyone involved and ask them how they are going. Has something been raised that needs attention? Don’t leave it long to address and be sensitive that external factors can cause project delays, so bring ideas and solutions where possible to keep the project and the team on track as much as possible.
Remember, developing a successful project is a team effort. By involving all the team in the process you’ll set yourself up for success.
If you are looking for suggestions of what Project Management software could work for your business needs, get in touch with Blue Ninja and let’s chat about your requirements.
