Small projects may sound like a simple option but remember all the benefits of project management training that you have learned and don’t forget to apply them to a small project in the same way as you would to a larger project. It can be really tempting to skip some stages, such as skipping the planning process, but this is never a good idea and could lead to some rather costly mistakes in the long run.
Recognise your project is small
In a busy office space, it can be hard to separate your project work from the day to day tasks, but it is important to do so and work out what size of project you are faced with. This will allow you to put all of the things you learned on your project management training course into practice in order to achieve the best possible results with your project.
There are a few things to remember however with a smaller project; you will probably have less time to plan and carry out the required work, the deadlines might seem more unrealistic, and most importantly if this is the case there is a lot less time for communication. Ensure that you try to keep the lines of communication as open as possible given any time constraints you might have.
Responsibilities and roles
Once you have identified what type of project you have the next thing you need to do, and this is really important to the success of your project, is to identify which roles will be undertaken by which members of the team. This can often be a little tricky but see where people’s strengths lie and work with that.
Do you need a formal plan?
Depending on the type of small project you are involved with you may find that a formal plan is simply not necessary and may in fact cut into the limited time that you have available to complete the project. If this is the case a rough plan should be enough to get through the project, but you must at least have a rough plan, no matter how small a project you’re taking on.
Communicate
The most important key to the success of any project, no matter what size, is communication. You need to ensure that the members of your team keep each other updated on their part of the project. This will ensure that any issues that occur and known about as soon as possible and you can make the necessary adjustments to deal with them. This is especially important if you only have a limited time to complete the project.
A good definition of project management is the ability to be able to adapt your skills to the type of project that you take on. Whilst small projects may at first glance seem simple there is more to them than you might realise so it is important to use the same methods you would use on a larger project, bearing in mind the time constraints you may have.