Tackling a project successfully from start to completion can be fulfilling for project managers. However, it is not always easy considering the many moving components typical to most projects. Adopting good project management practices is vital for success. And, that starts with ensuring that your team stays on track from start to finish. But, how can you ensure that you don’t lose track of employee progress especially when individual tasks are time sensitive and complex? In this article, we give you tips to keep your employee’s tasks organized and on track to ensure that your project progresses on its set trajectory.
Maximize communication and collaboration
Communication and collaboration form the basis of every project. It is very important that you be in the loop of what every team member is working on at any given moment. When teams work in collaboration, it ensures that everyone is working on the same page. This keeps everyone focused on the same vision and doing what is expected to get there. Also, it eliminates confusion that can easily derail the progress of the project.
As a project manager, make sure that you prioritize communication and collaboration. It would be a disservice to the project if you only wait for periodic performance reviews. You need to be proactive and schedule daily, weekly and monthly meetings. In addition, provide feedback on an ongoing basis to keep the team motivated.
Align tasks with overall goals
Every team member wants to feel valued and an important part of the entire project. For this reason, you should strive to ensure that every player feels exactly that. How does this keep them on track? When employees feel that their contribution to the completion of the project is important, it motivates them. They are likely to be able to avoid distractions and focus on tasks that only add value to the completion of the project.
One of the best ways to keep employees motivated on the project is to align their tasks with the project goals, and what the company wants to achieve. Create individual goals and clearly define how each goal contributes to the overall goal. Remember to tie individual goals with measurable KPIs. Moreover, conduct progress reviews frequently to show individual progress.
Break goals into small, manageable tasks
Employees are likely to be overwhelmed and delve out of the set path if goals are represented as one huge goal. The trick is to break down individual goals into small manageable tasks. This makes the goals look more achievable and is likely to keep employees focused and on track. Just make sure that tasks and expectations are defined clearly.
In addition, with defined milestones, you can easily assess whether each team member is on track with his or her goals. With your findings, you can make necessary adjustments in areas that need improvement to ensure that the project doesn’t deviate from the laid down schedule.
Encourage your team to manage time well
You can set goals and break them down into manageable tasks, but it might not amount to much if your employees don’t manage their time effectively. With poor time management, you are likely to find individuals falling off the track more than you can imagine. As you adopt good time management practices yourself, it is important to get everyone on board. Emphasize the importance of avoiding distractions and blocking enough time to focus on important tasks. You can also encourage your employees to use a project management tool to avoid missing deadlines.
Use project management tools
Having the right project management tool is key to keeping individual tasks and the entire project schedule on track. It is what you need to streamline processes and ensure project transparency. Overall, a reliable project management tool can help you enhance collaboration, project visibility, and team productivity.
Devstride is the project management tool that you need to bring better project results. With integrations to project management methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban, it allows you to customize workflows with increased flexibility. It is also a great platform when it comes to tracking individual activities’ performance to identify areas that need improvement. Enjoy the ability to centralize people and tools in a single workspace for increased collaboration and streamlined productivity. In case a ready-made tool is not matching your exact requirement, you can always take help of a Custom Software Development Company to build a custom project management tool for you.
Conclusion
The goal of every project manager is to complete projects within the set timeline and budget. One way to ensure this is to keep employees on track. Implementing the above-mentioned tips can go a long way in helping you achieve greater success.
