Steps to Successful Project Launch:- Starting a project can look like a road full of pitfalls. Be well organized to plan your project launch as efficiently as possible. To help you, compare the project launch to the construction of a house. If you start by trying to lay the roof and the windows, without building the foundations and the walls, you will not get anywhere.
7 – Steps to Successful Project Launch
A project is built step by step by following the steps in order, without rushing and with a competent team. Here are seven steps to successfully launch your project.
- Define your Project
How many floors will your house be? What will be the number of pieces? How many windows? To build the home of your dreams, you need accurate plans. The same is true for a project.
What is your vision of the project? What are your expectations and goals?
You must clearly and precisely define your project. Your expectations must be realistic and accurate. A concrete vision makes it possible to adapt to the vagaries and the unexpected. So that you and your team know in which direction you are going, determine which are:
- Challenges
- Goals
- Limits and risks
- Ways
- The budget
- The skills to be implemented
- The roles and responsibilities of each
It is this clear vision of the project that will generate the support, loyalty and involvement of your project team.
- Choose your team
For the construction of your home, you need qualified people to carry out the various tasks: a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter, a mason, etc
In project management, it’s the same thing. As a project manager, you are the conductor and you need people with different skills to carry out your project.
Do not forget that the team thus formed will work together until the end of the project. Together, the members of the team will have good times, but also difficult moments of stress and tension. A good understanding within the team is therefore essential for a better collaboration and the guarantee of success of your project.
Finally, clearly define the roles and tasks of each: time guardian, budget manager, external relations officer, etc. Also make sure your team is experienced and trained enough.
- Establish an Action Plan
You have defined your vision and assemble your team; it is time to develop your action plan. To achieve your project, you need a guide to move forward and achieve your goals step by step. The action plan defines a framework, organizes, plans and implements all the means necessary to achieve the objectives set. It is the transformation of your ideas and reflections into concrete and operational elements.
The action plan gives you a global vision of the progress of the project: the tasks to be accomplished, human and financial resources and deadlines. Use the Gantt chart, an excellent planning tool, perfect to visualize the progress of the different tasks to carry out your project.
Do not hesitate to involve your team in the construction of the action plan for a better appropriation of the project. The team needs to know what you want from the start.
- Select the right tools
A plumber, an electrician, or a mason needs the right tools to do his job properly. In project management, the project manager and his / her collaborators also need the right tools to be efficient and effective.
Excellent communication between the different actors of the project is essential. Today, there are many tools that facilitate communication in particular, and project management in general. This is the case for collaborative project management software.
Monitoring and coordination of project development, centralization of information, simplification of exchanges, transparency and visibility … Their advantages are many. They promote collaborative work and save you time.
- Define your Driving mode
To achieve your goal, you can choose different methods of project management. There are two main categories:
In conventional methods, you and your team work on the whole project by following the customer’s specifications. You commit yourself to a precise schedule that leaves little (or no) room for unforeseen events and changes. It is as if, after having chosen your house on plan, you recover the keys once it is finished, without ever having visited the site.
In Agile methods, interaction with the client is more important. The project is divided into mini-projects which are validated by the client. Contingencies and changes are possible and the client can evolve his project as he goes along.
Not only do you follow the construction of your home, but additionally, you can change elements along the way. The agile method is one of the trends to follow in 2017.
- Enhance teamwork
In project management, teamwork is the key element that determines the success or failure of a project. So managing your team is important, knowing how to make the best of it is essential.
Be sure to maintain the motivation of your team throughout the duration of the project. To do this, you need to build up membership. Your employees must share a common vision and feel that their skills will be used wisely. It is therefore important that everyone knows how it contributes to the overall goal. Finally, pay attention to each member of your team: identify their needs and acknowledge the effort.
- Learn from your Mistakes
Do not overlook the important stage of the end-of-project review. With your team, take the time to take stock of the project: what are the good practices to remember and the mistakes to avoid. Review the results and listen to feedback from your staff. Make a list of what worked and what did not work. This will help you avoid making mistakes in future projects.
In Summary
The launch of a project is not improvised, but is preparing carefully. Be organized, surround yourself with a competent team and know how to keep it motivated, arm yourself with effective tools and choose your method of project management. Follow these seven steps for a successful project launch.
Hello everyone! This is Richard Daniels, a full-time passionate researcher & blogger. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics. He loves to write about economics, e-commerce, and business-related topics for students to assist them in their studies. That's the sole purpose of Business Study Notes.
Love my efforts? Don't forget to share this blog.