Project Management is one of those professions that need extreme patience and alert mindedness. But there are times when we make mistakes or fall back, after all we are humans. If you are thinking of making a career in project management, then gear up to it, it is a lot of hustle and bustle but that is what makes it fun.
On the other hand, those already pursuing the career and struggling to smoothly sail through their projects can use these 5 tips to improve their efficiency and please their clients through effective communication.
5 Tips to Improve Project Management Skills
1. Have an ‘Aim’
Having a goal in mind is important before you start with any project. Act upon that ‘aim’ you decided to have. To improve your project management skills, it is important that you start with listing down the aim of the project.
For E.g.
If you are working on an eCommerce website that offers special leather shoes, then you need to study the requirements of that market niche and also have a comprehension of what will be needed to reach the target audience.
Define your purpose, work towards it and you will see improvement in the quality of work. Also, this creates an image that the project manager is heading in the right direction with a properly defined approach.
2. Identify Project & Team Requirements
Being a team player is one of the important characteristics to develop when you are a project manager. In a project, there are requirements of the project like the technology experts, market research experts and communications; there is a lot that needs to be taken care of. For this reason, create a blueprint of the entire project requirement and what needs to done in order to meet the project specifications. Ask the assigned developer of his needs, it could be information or simple configuration. Evaluate them all and prepare your project strategy so that you have a clear idea on how to go about the project. Micromanage as and when needed. There are times when you are suffering with the requirements of the project and to meet deadlines, get into the scene when necessary. A bit of aggression is always good with work.
Analyzing the project requirements cannot just restrict to the technology requirements, there are times when your project requires you to conduct survey, introduce new methodologies or even new technology. In this case, listing identified requirements will give you a clear picture about the project and thus make functioning much easier for you.
3. Create Timelines
Having timelines for a project is one of the prime factors to successfully achieve the desired results in a project and the most important factor to efficiently manage a project. A project manager needs to identify the scope of the project and accordingly decide timelines for the same. This includes strategizing, preparing the architecture, arranging the resources, the development stage and the testing stage. This will also ensure that the project is completed in the stipulated time which is one of the biggest challenges faced by technology companies worldwide. Try using project management tools to create a delivery model.
4. Analyze Project Risks
Here, your experience will help you the most. Also identifying the project requirements will tell you where the projects may have a halt or scope creep.
Scope Creep: Scope creep (also called requirement creep, function creep and feature creep) in project management refers to uncontrolled changes or continuous growth in a project’s scope. This can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. It is generally considered harmful. (As defined by Wikipedia)
So if you know it, you can take measure to avoid it. Run through an analysis, there are so many things that might need attention. There are always chances that you miss on something, for this reason, have weekly meetings and daily reporting. This will keep you updated on the project status and will let you foresee the loopholes. Having open lines of communication can help you reduce the risks while the project is on-going.
To avoid risks, always have a backup. Now, you must be wondering what kind of back up we are talking about. Risk in project management can be of various kinds, prepare a back up option in terms of resources wherever you can, this will keep your projects covered and avoid delays.
5. Testing Quality & Project Idea
To test your project once completed is where you have won the half race, you are still to reach the finishing line. If you are a project manager, you will exactly understand what we are trying to say, as you encounter bugs and other issues while the testing happens. Make sure you keep communication open with the QA expert so that you do not miss out on the details or any issues that needs immediate attention. A project evolves when testing takes place; you understand what can be done to make the project specification better. This also improves the quality of your product/ solution. Ask web development experts
Going live is another challenge, make sure your testing has been done step wise and meets all the requirements of the project. Also look into the coding quality, conduct a last check through your check list and see if there is anything that is left unattended. Evaluate the different levels of the project and learn from it. So that you perform even better next time!
Project Management is Crucial
Project management is all about skill and skills can be developed and improved. For which, you need to make sure that the specifications are correctly understood and you learn from your project subjects thoroughly and keep working towards improving it and achieving the best.
Here, communication is the key! For this, we have native project managers from Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, France and Norway to effectively communicate with you for your project requirements and thus provide you with solutions that are robust and long term, bridging the cultural and communication gap to collaborate for success. Helios Solution – Your IT Outsourcing Partner
