PROJECT POWER MANAGEMENT OF PRINT
The first stage of planning is to determine the project scope , which should be captured in the statement-of-work section of your project plan . The project will be accomplished when all of the tasks and deliverables required for the project are completed .
Having a project scope that is clearly defined , controlled , and documented keeps everyone on the same page . We use Teamwork to organize our projects at Tulip Media Group . Projects can change and grow , sometimes uncontrollably , after the project commences , driving the cost of the project up and diminishing your company ’ s return on investment . If the client or a team member requests a change that falls outside of the project scope , no matter how minor , it should be reviewed with both the team and the client . If approved , timelines and budgets need to be adjusted accordingly . Teamwork provides us with the ability to adjust our projects quickly and easily as they change .
After determining the scope of the project , you should develop a set of steps and a timeline for completion . This will make up the project scheduling section of your project plan . You can then go about choosing the right team for the job .
Be sure to assign each task to one or more team members in your work structure breakdown . This ensures all team members understand what they are — and are not — responsible for . When you give each person on your team a clear set of tasks , it also makes it easy to determine if someone ’ s activity is outside the scope of the project once the project commences .
The final consideration in the planning process is risk assessment and mitigation . To mitigate risk , you should develop a detailed risk plan that describes areas of risk within the scope of the project and the measures that are being taken to address potential obstacles .
COMMUNICATE REGULARLY
Good and ongoing communication between team members and the project manager is the key to project success . At the project presentation meeting , you should work with team members to come up with a communication plan that accommodates their needs while keeping everyone adequately informed about project changes , issues , risks , scheduling , and progress . If you haven ’ t done so already , you may enlist the help of a communication tool like Slack .
STAY ON TASK
Keeping your team on task is critical in completing projects within their required timelines . This has become significantly more challenging since many of us began working from home , but there are a number of digital solutions available for project management software .
Digital collaboration tools like Teamwork and Slack are an excellent way to keep in touch with your team when you ’ re not working in the same office . As a project manager , you can use these tools to do things like send reminders , review your team ’ s work , verify progress , and collaborate . This makes it easy for you to know what is expected of each team member for every project , when their deadlines are , and how much progress they ’ ve made toward project completion .
MONITOR RESULTS
Monitoring results on an ongoing basis plays a vital role in the successful execution of your projects . If a team member is falling behind , you need to know right away so you can remedy the situation and get the project back on track . To monitor results effectively , you should consistently collect and verify scheduled progress updates from your team , assess the need for change requests , review deliverables for quality , and regularly request feedback from both your team and the client .
Being an effective project manager plays largely into my role here at Tulip Media Group . My team and I are constantly juggling deadlines for our Client-Partners ’ digital and print marketing initiatives . By incorporating these tips into our project management , we ’ ve effectively increased our capacity for onboarding new Client-Partners .
If you are interested in improving the effectiveness of your own project management team , I ’ d love to sit in on your next strategy meeting to discuss the best ways to apply these tips for your company . You can email me at Stacey @ TulipMediaGroup . com to let me know you ’ d like to learn more .
Stacey O ' Brien is the VP of Everything at Tulip Media Group and best-selling author of The Ultimate Culture . Stacey has excelled in the business management space for over 20 years . Stacey ' s first book , co-authored with Erika MacLeod is available on Amazon : TM . media / UltimateCulture
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