6 Steps To Manage A Successful Project

No matter what job or industry you work in, it’s likely that you’ll have to manage a project at some point. Some occupations are largely project-based, like agency or consulting work, whereas others are less project based. But at the end of the day, most of the work we do can be broken down into specific buckets — aka projects — which makes it easier to assess progress, achievements and milestones.

Throughout this article, we’re going to give you some killer insight on how to manage any project successfully. But first, let’s identify a few different types of projects:

1. Management project – These types of project fall into the operational sector, and “arise when companies relocate their headquarters, develop and introduce a new computer system, launch a marketing campaign, prepare for a trade exhibition, produce feasibility or other study report, restructure the organization… [or] mount a stage show” per Project Smart. Management projects produce value by saving a company time, energy, or resources.
2. Research Project – This project is the least tangible of the three, and can best be identified as a project that requires extensive data collection and, as the name suggests, research. The result of these types of projects is information and knowledge, as opposed to a physical product.
3. Manufacturing Project – This type of project has a clear goal and end result — to produce an item. Throughout this project, you’re operating under the assumption that everything you do is building towards the creation of a physical product.

Now that we’ve identified project types, let’s get into the details of managing a project itself. Ahead, find the elements you should consider when setting out to manage a project.

1. Set expectations. 

Before you embark on a project, you need to make sure that you’ve identified the deliverables and expectations. Outline clear goals and preferred outcomes, as well as any challenges you might face throughout the project. Then, bring together all of the necessary individuals and participants in the project and clearly outline what their micro-goals exist within the larger scheme of the project.

Once you’ve identified the key stakeholders and the goals of each contributor, you can move forward to the actual planning and project kickoff. Also, having one primary stakeholder can be beneficial — they will oversee all aspects and ensure the project stays on track.

2. Utilize a project management tool. 

Hive is part of this category, and project management, or productivity tools, can really help keep a project on track. The benefits of project management tools include extensive tracking capabilities, automation, enhanced communication, and planning features. 

With Hive, the lifecycle and kickoff starts when you create a project. From there, you can add tasks and assign these tasks within the project, communicate via chat, and utilize over 1,000 integrations. Hive also has a native email integration that allows you to read, answer, and assign emails from your inbox.

The benefits of a tool like Hive are plentiful, but some of the most obvious are that it keeps you organized, keeps all of the materials and data you need in one place, enhances team communication, and allows for ultimate transparency. These are all key components to a project and a major part of what makes them successful.

If you’re looking for a tool to help you plan and manage your projects successfully, every step of the way, Hive is for you. Join thousands of fast-moving teams in Hive and start your free 14-day trial here.

3. Create and manage your project timeline.

Once you’ve laid out the basic components of the project, you can plot out a rough timeline to identify and plan how long the project will take. Ensuring there’s a timeline in place helps keep the team on track and accountable, and increases transparency across the organization. Using a project management tool like Hive, which offers a built-in Gantt chart tool, is a simple and effective way to visualize your timeline and make sure deliverables are following accordingly.

4. Check in on your project status.

Status check-ins are a key part of managing a project. You need to bring all the key stakeholders together to identify progress, roadblocks, and other areas of improvement. These check-ins can exist as bi-weekly meetings, weekly emails, or a combination of the two. 

Tools like Hive and Zoom, a video chatting software, make meetings and check-ins simple, because you don’t have to be in-person to get them done. With Hive, you can see the full status of a project day-by-day, and can easily send out a recap and progress email without meeting in person. But if you do want to have a check-in, you can utilize Zoom to connect remote employees with people in the office. Zoom also allows people to attend a meeting from their desk if they want to simply listen in on progress.

Even better? Use the Hive Notes app within your Zoom meetings to take notes, create actionable next steps, and send follow-up emails directly within your Zoom meeting window. It’s a brand new note-taking experience that lets you start working on projects within your meetings, rather than waiting until they are done.

5. Track and report project milestones.

When you’re working through a long and complicated project, or even a high-priority shorter project, it’s important to track and report on milestones throughout the project lifespan. These milestones will have been set-out in the expectations section of the project planning process (and can even be tracked in Hive), and making sure to track performance against milestones and timeline is crucial.

As you track, it’s also helpful to report on hits and misses, analytics, and any other data you’ve acquired throughout the project management process. Utilizing analytics built into tools like Hive is easy and brings all of your data into one view and platform.

6. Review achievements and improvement opportunities. 

Once you’ve completed a project, it’s important to take a look back at achievements, how closely you adhered to the expectations set, how everyone worked together, and identify areas of improvement. If you’ve been tracking progress and tasks in Hive or another project management tool, it should be easy to take a look back at the project’s lifespan and identify accomplishments or shortcomings throughout the process.

This project review process allows you to evaluate the success of the project, learn from any challenges faced, and make necessary adjustments for future projects. Sharing these insights and reporting back to the team will help improve workflow for the next project and ensure continued success.

Overall, these are just a few of the keys to securing project management success. As with any process, these are just suggested areas to focus on, and you can modify to best fit your specific project and team. You can definitely run a successful project by only need to focus on one or two of the above areas, but our biggest suggestion is getting on board with a project management tool. It will make your life easier.

If you’ve got any additional suggestions you’d like to share, please let us know in the comments below!