4 IT Project Tips To Save Hours of Time (and Headaches!)

Project management made easy

We all would like to see IT project management as a smooth and efficient process. Many projects — those with simple goals and processes — are often hassle-free. Sometimes, however, larger IT projects can occasionally bring larger problems which can cost you time and peace of mind.

Here are four simple tips you can use to make your next IT project not only manageable but easier to keep an overall handle on, and with a greater sense of time management.

Define what you want before you begin

Many failed projects collapse because there is no clear goal set at the start. This isn’t just a problem for the project manager, but everyone on the team.

Ideally, everyone involved in a project from the top down should be able to define the end goal on your project, no matter how simple or complex the project is. Even simple projects can fail from a lack of initial direction. By clearly declaring the project goals at the very beginning to everyone on the team means everyone is setting out in the same direction with the same destination in mind.

This can be best achieved by setting your project goal down in writing, making sure everyone involved sees and reads this statement, and has the opportunity to ask any questions before the project begins. This process also allows for feedback which can be used to fine-tune not just the overall goal but the steps that need to be taken along the way.

By starting with this simple step, you could avoid having to stop, restart, or redirect your project, thus saving you a good amount of time and grief.

Get involved in the details

There are two reasons project managers avoid learning necessary details regarding their IT project. The first is a desire not to micromanage, and the second is a lack of knowledge in some of the more technical aspects of the project.

The first reason is entirely understandable. Micromanaging employees on a project can end up being counter-productive and put undue stress on a project team.

That said, not following along closely enough can be just as damaging — maybe more so.

Granted, if your IT project involves a lot of complex coding or arcane database management and so forth, no one can expect you to become an instant expert. Just the same, it’s your responsibility as a project manager to try to become at least familiar with the various steps making up your project.

You’ll find your employees will be more than happy to answer questions or explain the technical aspects of your IT project that aren’t immediately clear. This isn’t micromanagement, but being involved and respecting your employees’ expertise. You can fill in gaps of knowledge with some additional research if you wish, but the main purpose of this suggestion is to attempt to understand as many different facets of your project as possible. This will help keep your project on a steady course and cut down on any project-involved miscommunications which could affect your timetable.

Maintain time-related expectations

Obviously, you’ll want to start with a timetable and try to keep as close to that schedule as possible. This organized approach to your project will save any number of headaches, but it’s not the only way to address time management.

When issues in your IT project arise, they need to be handled right away and you expect that problem resolutions will come in a likewise timely manner. Pay attention to how reliably your team solves these occasional problems. If problems are taking longer to solve than expected — particularly based upon earlier experience with problem resolution — that could be a sign of more serious issues starting to appear.

Smart management of resources

Is your project team too large? Too small? Too many team members can make a project more difficult than it needs to be with additional members to keep track of, additional needs, and additional time requirements. Too few team members lead to overworked, stressed employees who are not delivering the best they can, thus resulting in delays and even more stress.

Examine your team makeup and their expected tasks. Do they have the resources they need? The wrong hardware or the wrong software for the job can cause major delays in output — not to mention the added stress piled upon your IT project team members. How is their scheduling? Are they putting in longer hours than other employees? Sometimes this means there are unspoken problems with their part of the project.

It’s worth examining. There’s no point in a project where it’s inappropriate to look at your resources, how they’re being employed, and to fine-tune when necessary.

In the end…

Effective project management means recognizing what’s of value in your process and your team and taking advantage of that information. It also means understanding your project and its goals inside and out. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Approach each facet separately, then step back and look at the whole picture to see where your project’s strengths and weaknesses lay.

From there, you can expect successful, stress-free project completion.

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