When running a business, you might do just fine with managing the day-to-day work that makes up normal operations, but there may come a time when you need to pool resources and bring the team together to work on a bigger, joint project.
If you haven’t managed one before, you might be surprised that it can be a lot more complex than you might think. Here, we’re going to look at what it requires of you and how you can ensure it goes as smoothly as possible.
Know Your Scope
First and foremost, you should define your project scope. You need to know precisely what the project includes before it begins, which means that you define your goals, your deliverables, deadlines, and what metrics you’re going to use to measure the project’s success. This clarity prevents misunderstandings, limits scope creep, and keeps everyone aligned. When everyone understands the big picture, it’s a lot easier for individual teams and workers to focus on fulfilling their part of it.
Ensure Communication Is Clear
Keeping your team more productive during a big project is all about making sure that the lines of communication are clear and organised. Rather than running on a system of everyone emailing everyone about the things they need, consider unified communication platforms like team management software, where you can set up different chat categories for different sections of the project, including a section for the managers/leaders, and so on. Big-picture communication is important, too, with weekly check-ins and tools like shared calendars so it’s easier to see where everyone is at a given point.
Be Mindful Of Those Costs
Projects tend to come with their costs, including time, supplies, and any tools you might need, such as specific software. Start with a detailed budget for your whole project and use job tracking software to make sure that you’re able to automate time and expense tracking and check the overall financial details of different parts of the project. Plan for price fluctuations or delays by building buffer time and money into the budget. Keep a close eye on changes in scope, as any changes in expectations of work required tend to mean an increase in costs, as well.
It’s Not Done When It’s Done
Completing a project is all well and good, and celebrating with your team is worth making the time for. However, the job isn’t finished until you conduct a post-project review to get a better idea of what worked, what didn’t, what can be improved for next time, and any project members who stood out in particular. The opportunity for reflection helps you ensure that your next project goes even better, and it can help you identify the people who could be ready to step up into more responsibility.
The bigger the project, the more planning and oversight it’s going to need. The tips above can help you learn how to run big projects, but at some point, it may be about how much time and manpower you can set aside for it.