Successfully Integrating People into Projects

New projects present a fresh start to explore, create, collaborate, and most importantly, win. Motivation and excitement are at their peak at the launch of every project. But in order to succeed, the team must start off on the right foot.

Proper forecasting and resource allocation set the tone at the beginning of each project. Project managers must integrate employees into their roles with ease, maintain motivation, and set their team up for success.

Communicate Goals and Expectations

Employees stay motivated when they have a purpose. Before assigning tasks to individuals, teams should be clear on the overall mission of the project. If the team is unclear about goals and misinterpret their roles, the project will ultimately fail. Poor communication and a lack of details from the start will cause chaos throughout the entire project.

When the team believes in the end goal, each member will work hard to execute their role to contribute to its success. Consistent communication throughout different phases of the project will keep team members focused and on the right track to completing projects on time, within budget, and to expectations.

Set Deadlines and Track Time

Setting deadlines and time estimates will take the guesswork out of delivery expectations. Employees typically have a full to-do list any given week, working on a variety of different projects. Without clear deadlines, employees can not be expected to manage their time accordingly. Missed deadlines derail the remainder of the project. Timelines become crunched, resources become overwhelmed, and quality begins to dwindle.

Deadlines hold team members accountable for their responsibilities. When employees track their time, project managers can see how effectively they are working and measure the overall health of the project. Time tracking also allows team members to build data to make better estimates for consistent tasks in future projects.

Benchmarking and Reporting

Creating benchmarks and establishing check-in points with team members helps to track the progression of the project. If teams only meet at the start and do not collaborate with one another throughout the remainder of the project, it’s not uncommon for tasks to be overlooked and mistakes to be made. Without monitoring progression and identifying any issues in real-time, hiccups down the road may deter the scope of the project.

Set benchmarks based on time or deliverables. Some teams prefer to touch base on a weekly basis to keep in the know and track the status of the project while other teams prefer to meet when important deliverables are completed. Determine what is best for your team. KPI dashboards are a great way to give visibility to the team outside scheduled meetings.

Using Project Management Software to Centralize Information

Projects require many resources moving together in harmony time to achieve success. The more people working on a project, the messier it can get. Spreadsheets or pen and paper expose your team to a number of opportunities for error and miscommunication. If things fall through the cracks, the entire team could be set back.

Using project management software, like Resource Hero, guarantees accurate data-based documentation and consistent communication. When important information on the project is stored in one, centralized place, it’s quicker to access and understand the current status. Project management software organizes:

• Project resources
• Benchmarks and deadlines, both past and future
• Planned and completed tasks with details and notes
• Progression of the project

Knowing how to access all of this information helps when integrating new team members to projects after the initial.