As a project manager, you need to fulfill many roles and responsibilities. Apart from being an effective and communicative leader, you must be well-organized to ensure that your projects are always successful. Conducting a project preparation for your team can go a long way if you do it right.
You can refer to this article if you’re at a loss on what to do to prepare your team for a brand new or fresh project. Undertaking a new project requires teamwork, and you all have to tackle many things initially so the entire team can finally be more at ease when working together or individually.
Before getting your project off the ground, here are some project preparations tips that are valuable for your team:
- Utilize The Right Project Management Tool
First thing’s first when launching a project, it’s crucial to tick off your list about using the right project management tool. It should be the first tool you use and rely on to ensure an organized project workflow. After all, project management software can offer so many benefits for the entire team. Getting real-time feedback and notifying the team members becomes a lot easier with the help of this software. Prioritizing the tasks will help you stay on top of them.
It is imperative to use project management software today. And to be an effective project manager, you must inform the rest of the team about this tool as early as possible. For your project to run smoothly, you will need suitable software. And to be able to choose the best one, you need to go through a project management tools comparison first.
The most effective project management software makes managing, organizing, and executing projects easy. Having all your project data in a single platform allows you to perform all project tasks efficiently, delegate assignments to your members, communicate with them, monitor progress, and share project documents and files. It’s truly an effective tool that lets everyone be on the same page. So, during your project preparation phase, get this thing off the list and choose the right project management tool.
- Define The Project And Set Expectations
An initiation project starts with defining what the project is about and setting expectations about it. This is the time to set SMART (systematic, measurable, achievable, and timely) goals. Determine the project objectives and identify the points that are not within the project’s scope. During your project initiation meeting, it’s best to discuss this together as a group, so everyone will know what the project’s end game is.
List down all the project goals and action plans toward it. Setting expectations in this regard also means setting up rules to which every member should conform. Everyone should listen and keep in mind what is expected of them. After all, they’re part of an important project and should contribute to its success no matter their position.
- Nurture Good Habits
Good working habits are not always innate in every project team. And so, during the project preparation phase, it’s crucial to set things right. Introduce the appropriate work habits and encourage everyone to follow through. Building good habits can yield successful project results. However, when nurturing good habits, note that every person is unique. What may work for some may not work for others.
As you implement change, you must be sensitive to the personalities within your team. Get to know the new ones in your group if you haven’t worked with them yet. And meet with them one on one, if necessary. Listen to their work styles and share advice if they need it. Changing your team’s habits will likely change their emotions toward work, so ensure to instigate positive practices to nurture positive emotions.
You can use a variety of approaches to help your team adopt the proper habits. For instance, you can start with the one-on-one meetings and ask about their honest work routines and styles. Then, observe them keenly and see their strengths and weaknesses. Motivating your team in different ways and setting an example is also important. Make it a point to be the first follower of your own good habits at work. Doing this can motivate others to follow in your footsteps.
- Encourage Participation And Collaboration
Collaboration is necessary to achieve visions and goals. Emphasize the importance of participation and cooperation, especially during your project preparation stage. These are essential elements to make a project more successful and productive.
Try to motivate everyone to participate more by welcoming their ideas and two cents during meetings. Make it a point to ask and encourage everyone to speak up. Having excellent and open communication helps everyone collaborate more effectively. To boost productivity and trust in your team, you need open communication.
- Handle And Tackle Cultural Differences
This tip is specifically helpful for diverse project teams. If you have members and staff coming from different cities and countries, tackle and handle cultural differences early on. Discuss this at the beginning stage of your project meeting. It will allow everyone to learn to adjust and work with people they haven’t been exposed to.
Unfortunately, some project leaders fail to realize how significant cultural differences are. More often than not, conflicts and failures at work are related to this issue. To prevent such circumstances, deal with them early on. Businesses are globalizing, which means more remote workers from far and wide will collaborate with your team. It’s even more crucial to let everyone be mindful of each other’s work ethics, practices, and culture, to ensure effective and smooth collaboration.
As the project leader, try to bridge culture gaps and ensure fairness when treating each employee. Incorporate ice breakers, games, and other fun events to keep the team more involved with each other. The key here is to encourage all team members to be more comfortable with their workmates, regardless of their nationality or language.
Conclusion
As you prepare your team for a new project, utilize the appropriate project management and engineering tools to make projects run smoothly. Meet with the team members initially, and discuss various points such as setting expectations and goals and encouraging good working habits. You can use this guide as a stepping stone toward having an optimal and productive team. Launching a project and applying the tips above can give you a good head start as a project manager.
