Vitally important Tips To be Followed in Case of A Short Project Deadline
As a team manager in a rising business venture, one of your many responsibilities might include getting projects done in time. The catchphrase “Time is money” is nowhere better used than in the case of critical deadlines, where delivery of a product holds the up-most importance. However as one might expect, this is easier said than done and failure to meet said deadlines can be harmful not just for the company, but on your capabilities as well.
That being said, short deadlines are nothing new and companies have to go through it every year. It is how you manage any project that decides its guaranteed delivery. So what are the secrets to excellent project management and how do companies manage said deadlines?
Project Overview and Deadline Analysis
The first and foremost thing to do is to analyze the project in its entirety , go through its development stages and plan a general incubation period. This is vitally essential as it is this planning stage that is going to determine success or failure of any project in regard to its deadline. There is no point in pressurizing the team with an unrealistic due dates and a bit of leeway or overhead can always go a long way into not causing panic mistakes. This is also the stage where you set the goals for the project and plan ahead before sharing any further details with your team.
Key considerations in this stage:
It is essential that the investors or the upper management be involved in the planning stages of the project. Having their input or a priority check can always have a positive influence on the pace at which the project will progress. They can also be allowed to monitor the progress live with screen sharing tools. You can visit this site to know more.
- Allotment of a certain amount of time for mapping and discovering the project is essential. The time spent in this stage can be used for identifying potential roadblocks along the project and charting a course of action for the same.
- Even though a fixed duration is a fine way to keep track of time and resources, however always have the option for additional headroom when it comes to time. You may never know when things go unexpectedly wrong.
Budgeting
Any project requires budget planning and expenditure analysis. Yes you can dump in a load of cash and probably get the thing done in less time. However if you aren’t working with bigger budgets then proper resource planning initially can go a long way into completing the project in the specified deadline. Budgeting also lets you decide just how much manpower you can hire for the project.
Key Consideration in this stage
As like with time management, make sure to have a decent amount of financial headroom so that the project remains well funded, especially in resource critical stages.
- It isn’t uncommon to have sudden cash requirements at different levels of the project, especially considering supply/demand chains and market inflation.
- Sudden capital requirement can also occur if the client suddenly decides to move the deadline forward.
Team Allocation and Management
This is where you assign different development teams to the project. Team allocation is probably the most crucial decision of a proper project backend. The success or failure of the said project is entirely dependent on a properly working team being coordinated with each other. Communication here becomes the key in making or breaking the project and a well coordinated team means a potentially shorter deadline and more efficient workflow. Also important here is the matching of teams and their skill level. Observing how the team works with each other can also improve productivity while keeping them happy.
Key Considerations in this stage
- Make sure that the team is properly funded. There is no greater challenge to completing a project than a underfunded team.
- Make sure that they are well communicated. Proper communication among teams is vital for successful R&D. This includes the equipment or software that they are working with. Make sure that no piece of equipment that is available to them is under-performing or isn’t working properly.
- Monitoring team progress is mandatory if you are working with exceptionally tight deadlines. This might include monitoring their overall workflow, which can be done remotely.
Get to know your employees
Many administrators often skip this step, which costs a lot of them massively in the long run. The long and short of it is that if you do not know what your employee can do, you maybe wasting his potential. Different members of them team might be skilled in different areas of a project. Not realizing it can sometimes cause hefty time and resource loss, which is why it is critical to note individual strengths and weaknesses before you embark on the project.
Setting Milestones
As a project manager, it is vital to set team milestones at regular intervals. WHY?
It is essentially a way to tell the team that they have reached a certain point in the development stages or that they have ‘n’ amount of time to reach set milestone. Either works in favour of the team as they can achieve a certain peace of mind or work that much more efficiently to achieve set milestone in the desired amount of time.
Getting them to use their imagination
While sticking to a specific timeline might be a good idea, it can get monotonous for the team after a while, especially during such development stages where time is of the essence. A good way to counteract it is to encourage them to take shortcuts or get creative on how they can complete any task while taking the least amount of time. Of course supervision is necessary during such risky maneuvers but on the flip side, it can sometimes pay off massively as it can bring out the best in your team.
Allowing samplers to stake holders
If your project involves stake holders or investors, then it might be a good idea to demo them the project every now and then. It can build trust among the client and the project manager. Along with relationship building, the project manager can get vital feedback from the client or investor on the progress of the project and it can be potentially used to iron out massive kinks in the beginning stages and avoid time critical mistakes in the development phase.
Insist on deadlines
Although too much nagging can lead the employees to feel pressure, it isn’t an entirely bad idea either to keep reminding them of deadlines during the project development stages. Proper use of this can lead to increased focus in the workflow of the team and get each and every one of them to work as optimally as possible, to deliver on the determined deadline.
Conclusion
Summing it up, noting is really set in concrete, project deadlines especially. While getting the team to work with each other in a coordinated manner is always good, it might not necessarily be the case every time. As a project manager, its your responsibility to oversee proceedings and ensure that the cohesiveness is maintained.
Cover Credits: rawpixel.com
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
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