Managing a project is like sailing on a stormy night. You only know the destination, but you can’t see where you are going, the boat is rocking in all directions, and more than half of your crew are seasick. But the beauty of this process is when you are able to complete the project, you are capable of weathering whatever hardship that gets thrown at you.
Here are some practical tips on how you can ensure your project runs smoothly even when you are not always closely supervising the progress.
Hire the Right People
When you hire the right people, you know that you can take your eyes away from the project and confidently return to it and see that nothing is burned down. From the analogy earlier, it is probably like hiring a helmsman who can steer the ship in the right direction even when you, the captain, do not tell them what to do. Indeed, half of your ship’s crew is seasick, but you only need one competent person to take you to the destination.
So, how do you know ahiring the right person? You must be hands-on when assembling your crew. You probably have an HR or hiring personnel, but the screening, interviews, exams, should all be under your careful supervision. Hire someone that shares your values, those who you think can work independently, but also listens well to instructions.
Invest in the Proper Tools
Having great personnel is not enough to succeed. You need the right tools for the job so that they are equipped to make the right decisions and do the right actions. Give them a competitive advantage to take on your competitors. No matter how brilliant they are, if they are underequipped, they are no match to your competitors who have spent a good amount for the best tools available in the market.
A good example would be having a tool like the ServiceNow service portfolio management platform. With this, your team can handle your products and services with ease. They are capable of managing your resources, your team’s schedule, deadlines, deliverables, and more. Your only input could just be regularly checking the status of the project and see if everything is going according to plan.
Define a Timeline
Again, going back to the ship in a storm analogy, defining a timeline would be similar to knowing how long a trip typically lasts. If you have been sailing for 10 days and you know that it typically takes a week to reach your destination, it is highly likely that you are lost at sea.
Just like managing a project, if you have defined a timeline but your team is missing its milestones, then you need to reevaluate your processes because something is seriously wrong. You’d end up missing your deadline or resort to rushing and delivering sub-par output. Your timeline works as an overall guide to the success of your project, so if your team can meet the milestones within a specific period, then you are on your way to a successful end.
