Project Management
Staying on top when it counts
By Alan Fernald
"Plan your work and work your plan."
Many times, small business owners fail to follow the sage advice of this old adage. Because of their intimate knowledge of the business, many believe they know what they need to do, and that creating a formal plan is a waste of time. Unfortunately, the countless details that keep a business running can often overwhelm even the best of us.
If you are a business owner too involved in daily operations to manage your future expansion, it may be time to avail yourself of external project management services.
What are my options?
There are two different approaches available: formalize an internal project management team or outsource to a project management consulting group. Regardless of which you choose, implementing a formal process will assist in balancing your daily work and future business growth, and will provide valuable documentation if you request a small business loan.
How do I do it?
The first step in implementing a project management process is for the designated project manager to attend a project management course or seminar, with the ultimate goal of having all team members receiving basic project management training. This ensures that each team member is aware of the process and his or her personal role / responsibility inside the process.
The next step is choosing your project management tool. If, like many small businesses, your project team consists of one person (you), you may decide on a stand-alone project management software, such as Microsoft Project. If you have several project members, or you have made the decision to outsource to a project management group, you may decide to utilize an online project management tool. Most likely, if you have outsourced, the project management service will already have a web project management tool you can access.
What should I look for in a project management tool?
As project manager for a small business, some of the features you should look for when choosing project management software are ease of use, integration with your email system, integration with your calendaring and scheduling software, and multiple user and / or network compatibility. Additionally, robust task management, task assignment / delegation and easily configured status reporting are also important.
Ease of use is extremely important as your primary job is managing your business, not trying to figure out how to drive overly complex project management software. You will be more comfortable with your software if it also integrates with your email and your time management and time tracking software. Having software that can send out meeting notices, set up your to-do lists, or automatically notify other project members of status changes leaves less of the little stuff for you to take care of.
When you start planning your business' future, plan your work and work your plan. Project management services may seem like a waste of time, but formalizing a process can save you time, money and labor. Ask any long-term businessperson their secret to success, and they will undoubtedly tell you it was all in the planning.
