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So you have been given a project which to everyone else is small. Well don’t take this project lightly, small projects have a more challenges over larger ones. Why you may ask. the simple reason is because they are small we tend to skip a few steps and before you know it you have blown the budget, extended the time deadlines and have to do a lot of rework. If you want to stand out from the crowd and be a great project manager then the course that’s offered by ChillX.com – Get Real – The Art of project Management is for you. We teach various practical techniques so that you are prepared and ready to combat the management world.
So getting back to the challenges that a small project has to offer, following project management methodologies and frameworks that are meant for larger projects is the first downfall. Using such frameworks for small efforts is cumbersome and unnecessary. What is necessary is the importance of a practical step by step list of the things to do to get on with the job.
If you have experienced a downfall when managing small projects here are a few steps that can guide you along the way:
– Accept that the project is small and be flexible and practical about it
– Block out time to plan a project no matter how small it is
– Make sure the people working with you are all on the same page even if this takes up time initially
– Being disciplined enough to control and to track the project
– If a person is slacking on specific tasks and you know this may cause delays either assist this person and get on with the job or replace the person with a resource that can do the job.
– Usually on small projects the main sponsor might treat the project lightly make sure you are communicating every risk and the status on regular intervals along with having a one on one meeting so that they engage back on the project.
– Do not mix ongoing maintenance work with a project. Make sure you have blocked time out for the relevant phase as mixing the two will distract the resource who is working on the job.
Here is a short example of managing a small project
A web design company does web designs for multiple clients and this is their day to day operational duties to create websites on the go. When a new deal comes in the organisation has two ways of approaching it treating the project lightly or plan for the project.
If the organization does not treat each project as a project than:
–No owner on the project will mean unclear requirements provided to the people working on the project
–No one will take responsibility for each task e.g. design to be completed, content to be received, images to be resized etc
–When delivering the product to the client the design may not be what the client was expecting or the logo colors may not be blending with the overall design
– Deadlines will be missed as this was never discussed as the project was considered a small project.
If the organization treats each project as a project than:
– There would be an overall owner internally to manage the project
– Roles along with responsibilities and deadlines would be agreed upon
– If the client has not specified any design requirements than appropriate questions would have been asked so that the designer have a footprint to work from
– The relevant tasks required on the project would be known to every team member
– The client would have an accepted date by which they would be expecting their website by
– Once the client has seen the prototype design, feedback received would be provided back to the team working on the project.
So the next time you are working on any kind of project, first take a few minutes to analyze what is required for the project to be delivered on time and budget. All the best.
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