Project managers should always make sure their team members use project planning tools and software to reach the best outcomes. Today, we will outline some of the best practices organisations should employ for excellent project tracking.
Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? It claims that 80 percent of the effect of your work comes from 20 percent of the work you accomplish.
If you carefully analyze a list of project tasks, you'll likely find that only a few are tied to critical outcomes. The 80/20 rule implies that when you concentrate on the most crucial items or tasks that will generate the most powerful results, you maximise productivity.
If you’re a project manager, carefully plot and prioritize the project tasks to optimise your teams' time and project performance. Be wise with your time and focus on the most critical project tasks. There's no way you can track every single aspect of a project, so be intentional about deciding which aspects are the most important.
For example, when you track your project, focus on these key aspects:
The main purpose of project tracking and measurement is comparing your baseline plans to your estimated progress throughout the span of the project. Develop a thorough performance measurement baseline with reasonable targets to accurately track project performance. Make sure the entire team is on board and identify risk management factors ahead of time.
Once you have your new project priorities in place, determine how you are going to measure project performance. Set targets and goals and assign key performance indicators (KPIs) that are clearly measurable with a project tracking tool.
Use online project management software like Samewave to help you track progress and the lifecycle of multiple projects in real-time. Our software allows project team members to create goals and targets, collaborate effectively, communicate in chat streams and hold one another accountable to task completion with Promise-Based Management and Social Discipline.
Samewave gives teams a transparent, collaborative space that naturally fosters adherence to goals because everyone can view individual and team performance. There's no guessing who is responsible for accomplishing goals or tasks or when they need to the completed. Project managers can easily identify their top performers and see who has room for improvement at any time.
Setting the project schedule and timeline with software that allows real-time visibility is a major advantage. It allows you to view project status at any time, unlike a cumbersome GANTT chart in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Every new project needs to include regular reporting to executives and stakeholders. Project reports help identify potential problems, communicate successes and guide team meetings regarding project performance.
With Samewave, project managers have instant access to real-time reporting features in just a few clicks. Team members can have customised reports sent directly to their email inboxes at the frequency of their choosing. Even better, anyone can sign up for Samewave for free and begin making project reporting a breeze.
There are a lot of moving parts in any project. Efficient, robust communication between team members and stakeholders is key to successful project management for every organisation.
Project dashboards are great for showcasing project status from a broad view. Team members can see potential barriers, provide important project information and serve as one place to keep everyone in the loop, saving project members valuable time and effort.
Samewave gives companies the ability to have a scoreboard for every team, a narrative for every goal and provides status reports for each team member for important actionable project insights at a moment's notice. Teams can also share files, store documents and collaborate on them in one central place.
When it comes to project planning, never assume anything. Be clear about expectations for every team member.
Provide specific details for each task, outline the 'why' of each project phase and set clear timelines and milestones to keep your project on task. Encourage team members to ask questions and clarify that everyone understands what is expected of them during each phase of any project.
If a team member fails to perform well and meet expectations, be prepared to have tough conversations regarding performance. If they don't have the skills or tools to do the job well, make sure you fill in the gaps and equip them with what they need for optimum performance.
The only way teams improve their project management and tracking process is to evaluate the major successes and failures. At the end of the project, get your team members together and create a list of recommendations and future opportunities for improvement.
Keep that information handy to incorporate into your next new project. Project planning and tracking can be a complicated process and you can learn from your mistakes to improve your outcomes. Think of project management as a dynamic rather than a static process to get the best business results.
Tracking and measuring the most important aspects of your projects doesn't have to be complicated. Foster effective communication, robust collaboration and maximum productivity across your organisation with these best practices.
Organise project data, enhance accountability between team members and use all-in-one tools to start driving the best business results. We can't wait to hear your project management success stories!
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