How often do you say, “I don’t have time to plan this project; let’s just get it done now.” Or what about, “I can just do it faster than I can explain it.” And, the ever-famous, “I’ll just work it in and get it done tomorrow.” Meanwhile, your employees are twiddling their thumbs, waiting for work. Clients are calling because things are late. Or, worse – because they haven’t heard from you in a week after you told them it would be “done tomorrow.”
If you’re thinking, “Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound like project management.” Good news! You’re already starting to grasp its core. Sometimes, the easiest way to explain it is to first describe the LACK of it, like the examples above.
- No project plans
- Internal resources underutilized
- Unknown project statuses
- Chaotic days
- Chaotic client meetings
Because when proper roles are assigned, there is an absence of problems. It’s often invisible. So with that in mind, let’s break down how this process works.
Projects Don’t Get Done on Their Own
The truth is projects don’t get done on their own. So whether it’s you, the business owner, pushing projects across the finish line, or another employee who’s doing it as part of the role, someone at your company is technically already “doing” project management. But, at the sacrifice of what? Your valuable time? Your employees’ time that they should be using, to say, code software? Or maybe it’s at the expense of client relationships byhaving one of your employees handle client communications who isn’t as skilled for those conversations as a project manager would be.
When you get involved in the day-to-day task details, you’re taking away time that you could be spending growing your business. So who’s going to do those day-to-day tasks instead? Enter project management.
So What is Project Management?
Simply put, it is the art of facilitating a project, by organizing the details. WHAT is going to happen, WHO is going to do it, and WHEN does it need to get done? It keeps projects on time and within budget. When you complete projects within budget, you avoid scope creep and maintain profits, thus growing your business. The team’s unsung hero, the project manager, performs these tasks. Project managers get sh** done.
Managing projects facilitates both YOU and YOUR clients’ end goals. It’s not invasive or bureaucratic. The structure it creates should set you free, not bog you down. It also optimizes resources and makes sure everything and everyone works together.
Let’s put this into football terms. Say you send a football team out on the field. You tell the center to hike the ball; you tell the wide receiver to run to the end zone; , and you tell the offensive line to block. But without anybody coordinating when all that happens or which play to run when you just have a bunch of people running around.
While everyone is technically doing their jobs, there’s not that one person who’s making sure the team is working together and moving in harmony.
The project manager’s job is to make sure that all of those people work together as a team, like a quarterback. Sometimes they are completely irreplaceable because it doesn’t matter how good the rest of the team members are at their jobs. If they don’t know how to do it in harmony and within the controls of the projects at hand, the project is not going to succeed.
What are Agile Methodologies and How You Can Benefit From Them?
Have you ever found yourself saying, “Let’s just start and figure it out as we go”? If so, you’re tapping into the spirit of Agile methodologies without even realizing it. Agile methodologies, including popular frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and Lean, focus on flexibility and iterative progress to manage projects. Here’s why they’re transformative:
- Flexibility. Agile empowers teams to adapt swiftly to evolving requirements, incorporating client feedback and new trends seamlessly.
- Continuous Improvement. By breaking projects into smaller segments, teams can frequently evaluate and refine their approach.
- Risk Management. Regular reviews and updates reduce the risks of major setbacks by catching issues early.
- Transparency. Agile fosters open communication, ensuring all stakeholders have a clear view of the project’s progress at every stage.
What Are Project Management Collaboration Tools?
Effective collaboration tools are essential to maintain alignment and streamline communication among team members. These tools facilitate real-time discussions, centralized information storage, and visual planning. They include instant messaging for swift communication, cloud storage services for easy access to documents, digital whiteboards for brainstorming, and integrated task management systems to monitor task assignments and progress. By using these tools, the teams can enhance productivity and keep everyone updated on project objectives and progress.
What is NOT Project Management?
It’s essential to address what this role does not encompass. Numerous misconceptions exist, and clarifying these will help ensure everyone has a correct understanding of the responsibilities involved. Here are the most popular:
- Keeping track of a to-do list
- Being a “yes man”
- Creating meaningless processes that hinder work
- Non-billable overhead (managing projects is billable!)
- Schedule tracking
- Projects that play out perfectly, as planned
The Art of Project Management
The problem with the above misconceptions is that these are all things that don’t add a ton of value. Even with a project manager in place, projects can still (and will) go awry. That’s why managers are skilled at navigating tough conversations, scope changes, and setting expectations.
Project managers also ask strategic questions. They don’t just tell people what to do. For example, managers can help visualize outcomes and mitigate risk. For example, “If we go down this path and do it this way, what do you think’s going to happen when we get here?” Or, “You know, I see some potential problems with this plan… these are the three things that might happen. How can we mitigate that before we get there?”
There’s also an art to saying “no.” If the client makes a decision that is not what you would make, project managers can say, “Yes, we can do that! Here are the consequences of that decision….”
Project management is one of the operational pieces that Beyond the Chaos can help you with, from inception to completion. It can come in the form of running your status meetings, creating new processes, or implementing new collaboration software.
Beyond the Chaos was named one of the top project management blogs of 2021 by Ganttic. Keep reading for more help on how to eradicate the chaos from your small business and successfully manage your team, your operations, your clients, and your projects.
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