You wouldn’t think that when you manage a project that you need to become a professional juggler, but that’s exactly what it takes. The job intensifies with every new project – with every new person – and it’s the project manager who must remain focused to make sure that everything is done on time and with polish and finesse. Whew! Any tips for those who are just getting started or who would like to manage their own personal projects? Yes! Kitty Kellman, the project manager here at Online Sales Pro, manages all of these details and more. In fact, here’s what she says about the process, “I’m insanely passionate about working with my team to accomplish development features for software and mobile apps, bringing the finished product to the finish line. From concept to completion, I love this process!” Let’s get some tips from her.
Write Things Down
That sounds rather basic, but it’s one of the most important safeguards: tasks forgotten, deadlines missed – that all happens when things are not written down. You can find all sorts of tools out there – but you can also just create a spreadsheet to do the task, depending on how many balls you have in the air. What does Kitty say? Our team here at OSP uses a stack of tools: Slack, Basecamp, Google Suite, and more. Try out these and see what works for you and your business.
Share What You Know
Those on your team need to know the status of a project – they need to know what they need to know and what they must do. They need to have a timeline to plan what they must do at each step of the way. What does Kitty do? 90% of project management is based on communication. Keep people connected, share ideas, check in on clarification, ship deliverables, TALK! She firmly believes there aren’t any stupid questions: share what you know and ask if you don’t.
Congratulate and Celebrate
When people have done their best and the project is off the to-do list, then what? It’s important to praise and celebrate and remind people of all that they have accomplished – and how well they did. Be specific and target your praise so that people are energized to tackle the next task. What does Kitty know? She likes to celebrate small wins by calling out and acknowledging people when a goal is reached, a deliverable is shipped, when a feature releases. Remember to enjoy the process and the journey getting there. Oh, and being positive is not just a plus, but extremely contagious to a team. Good vibes only.
Learn From It
For the rest of the team, the project is now over. Not for the PM. Now comes the time to reflect and determine what was done well – and what could have been done better. How well did the team meet deadlines? What roadblocks were in the way? How well did the various stages get done? What improvements could be made for future projects? What does Kitty learn? Each project and feature shipped is different. The team at OSP constantly refines the process and strategies implemented here. The analysis and review post-project are critical. You can learn from your mistakes, make improvements, and apply what you’ve learned to the next project. It’s all about evolving, Baby.
It’s not an easy job, but what a rewarding career choice! You might need to drink more coffee than the average person, but you can make such a big difference to your team, to your business. By writing things down – by sharing what you know – by congratulating and celebrating – and by learning from it all: this might be the best job you could ever have. Kitty will tell you that. Not only that, but her team here at Online Sales Pro will tell you how grateful they are that she can somehow keep all of those balls in the air! Oh, and did we mention coffee? Kitty’s drink of choice consumed, on the daily: a Venti 4-shot espresso, light heavy cream, extra caramel drizzle, 2 raw sugars, and don’t forget the green straw. ☕
New to OSP? Check us out and get started with Online Sales Pro today.
