{"id":89,"date":"2021-04-06T15:58:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T14:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alison.blog\/?p=89"},"modified":"2024-08-15T16:18:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T15:18:13","slug":"9-key-steps-to-smart-project-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/9-key-steps-to-smart-project-management","title":{"rendered":"9 Key Steps to Smart Project Management"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s a world of difference between projects that are taken on and carried out willy-nilly, and those that are planned with precision and finesse. The secret to successful Project Management is that<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0you\u2019re going to have to put in the groundwork.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being a super successful project manager isn\u2019t just down to talent. Here\u2019s our top 9 tips for a smooth, successful project.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>1. Plan your project<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Putting time, effort and thought into the planning of the project is the first and most critical step. While it might be tempting to plough ahead when enthusiasm is at its peak, you need to invest the time into <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/fundamentals-of-project-management-revised-2017?utm_source=alison_blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=9%20Key%20Steps%20to%20Smart%20Project%20Management\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">setting realistic timelines, goals and definitive deadlines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for your project. As the old saying goes, \u2018If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>2. It\u2019s all about the people<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having the right team in place to implement the project is another necessity when planning. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/tag\/human-resources\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having the right people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the right skills to pull off the project as smoothly as possible is your aim.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>3. Get everyone in on the loop<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having an in-depth discussion regarding responsibilities, expectations and deadlines is the next step. Have everyone\u2019s roles laid out clearly and plainly, making sure <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/effective-communication-skills-for-managers-revised\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">everyone understands what\u2019s expected of them<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<strong>.<\/strong> <\/span><b>Project management tools and tricks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having an online management tool in place can be invaluable, allowing a clean, no-nonsense and organised approach to managing your project. \u00a0Research and decide on a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/diploma-in-project-management-revised-2017?utm_source=alison_blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=9%20Key%20Steps%20to%20Smart%20Project%20Management\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">project management tool<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that suits you and the needs of your project.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>5. Do the most important work first<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can get the biggest or most complex jobs done first, you&#8217;re off to an ideal start. That way, should issues arise, you will have time to iron them out.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>6. Stay on top of the tasks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular updates are necessary to ensure everything is going smoothly on the project. If any problems arise, you can address them quickly before they become major problems and stall the project. Have brief <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/supervision-skills-managing-groups-and-employee-interaction\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">update meetings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> regularly, on a daily or weekly basis, depending on how your project is progressing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>7. Successful project managers stay motivated<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Stay motivated and ensure your team do too. Give them regular updates, keep them in the loop and provide\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/effective-communication-skills-for-managers-revised\">constructive feedback<\/a> on how their work is going. A good project manager stays on top of their team\u2019s progress. A great project manager does this and gives them the autonomy to get creative, leading to a more effective and enthusiastic team.<\/p>\n<h2><b>8. Be flexible<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Things don\u2019t always go to plan, there will be hiccups and issues along the way. It&#8217;s the way you deal with those roadblocks that make all the difference. Being <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/tag\/change-management\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ready and alert to change<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will ensure everything runs smoothly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>9. Keep your eye on the prize<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While getting stuck in and doing the legwork is an essential part of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/diploma-in-project-management-revised-2017?utm_source=alison_blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=9%20Key%20Steps%20to%20Smart%20Project%20Management\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">project management<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, keeping your eye on the end result, without getting bogged down with detail, is the key to keeping things moving.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a world of difference between projects that are taken on and carried out willy-nilly, and those that are planned with precision and finesse. The secret to successful Project Management is that\u00a0you\u2019re going to have to put in the groundwork. Being a super successful project manager isn\u2019t just down to talent. Here\u2019s our top 9 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-89","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alison-in-action","tag-project-management","match-height"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/9-Key-Steps-to-smart-Project-Management-1024x683.jpg","featured_category":"Alison in Action","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6120,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89\/revisions\/6120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}