🚩The Biggest Problem with Project Management

Project management involves juggling multiple moving parts.

At the same time, you must also consider the big picture, move the project toward its goal, and ensure every stakeholder is in the loop.

The biggest problem in project management comes from not setting clear objectives from the start.

The first challenge you’ll encounter is to get specific on the project’s objectives and communicate these effectively to everyone involved.

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Why Setting Objectives Is So Important 

What is a project’s objective? It’s the result it needs to achieve within a restricted period of time.

You have the roadmap for the work that shows you the path to follow, so why is it so important to also define the objective? The reason is that it gives you the end goal so that no one involved loses their way. You also have a clear track to measure progress. It’s not just how far you’ve gone in your plan but how close you’ve come to achieving your goals.

The Right Way to Set Objectives

Objectives for a project must be clear and specific. The more detailed the plan, the better team members can understand what needs to be done. It’s no exaggeration to say this is what determines the success or failure of the whole process. Each stakeholder needs to understand these directives in order to successfully complete their part of the project.

Make Goals SMART

A smooth and easy way to set objectives is to use the SMART goals-setting framework. This states that goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You can use these criteria to flesh out and improve your objectives and increase the likelihood they’ll be appropriate for the desired result.

Breaking up the Steps

In addition to setting clear objectives for the entire project, the manager also needs to create milestones along the way. These mini objectives define the required results of each step of the project that eventually meets the final target. By starting with the result and working your way back, you can create a roadmap for the project that’s integrated with its goals.

Aligning Project Goals with Your Business

For even better results with your projects, align customer objectives with the general strategic ones you use in your business. For example, one overall goal might be to increase customer retention. While defining the objective for a project, tie it in with your longer-term efforts to keep customers coming back.

Collaborating with Your Team

The task of setting objectives isn’t something the project manager has to do alone. You can enlist your team members to help identify and refine the goal. Don’t forget to reach out to other stakeholders as well. Get a variety of feedback so that you can make what you want to achieve even more clear and specific.

How to Start Each Project the Right Way

If things don’t go as planned and a project goes off the rails, it’s usually due to a lack of clear and specific objectives. When you learn how to start your planning with the right end result in mind, and communicate this well to all stakeholders, you’ll start each project off on the right foot.

Until next time,

Justin

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