The Privatum* team houses experienced Project Managers that excel in effective IT and software project management. To achieve this, the Privatum PMs employ various methods and tools. And they possess the right balance of soft and hard skills that help them in communication and coordination with stakeholders and teams.

Of course, there is more to good project management than applying the best-fitting methods and tools. From our own experience, we drafted this list of project management tips and tricks.

• 1.      Invest in time to get to know your team members and stakeholders. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses makes it easy to negotiate and assign tasks efficiently.

• 2.      Communicate continuously in layman terms. As a project manager, you are not only responsible for keeping your team members updated on changes and progress, but informing the broader organization and keeping your stakeholders up to speed with the evolution of your project is going to help you in the long run.

• 3.      Make sure that you have a good, shared understanding of your project goals within your team and amongst stakeholders. Joined with achievable metrics, this understanding is elementary to create driven project teams. Clear and shared goals will aid project teams in avoiding distractions and non-essential work.

• 4.      Focus on successful completion instead of perfection by rigorous time management. By dividing your larger project into smaller, achievable increments, you will be able keep your team motivated. It is fine to accept imperfections to save time.

• 5.      Project management methods come in all sizes and forms, and all have value in certain circumstances. Early in your project, it is wise to invest time to choose the best project method based on the project type and context. A good project management tool or software that supports your chosen method can be a great value-add.

• 6.      Plan sequentially and focus on one task at a time. Large teams and extensive resources are very inviting to make complex project plans with many synchronous tasks. Parallel activities need orchestration and will increase the chances of communication issues and distractions. Planning tasks in sequence and independently will save a lot of time and pain.

If you need more tips from experienced professionals, please contact hello@privatum.be.