Project Management can seem like a daunting job if you’re a freelance newbie. As well as the responsibility and organisation required, it can be very easy to feel intimidated by the many project management training courses and extensive methodology that every other project manager seems to have. Yet the basics to being a good project manager are really very simple; here’s my guide to keeping it cool with a straightforward project management technique.
Step One: What’s your outcome?
Or more importantly, what’s your client’s desired outcome? This is ultimately the big picture so it’s important that the client knows exactly both what they want and what they are going to get, and that you are able to keep your eye on this big picture throughout the project. If the client cannot put this clearly or isn’t even entirely sure what they want, then your project risks failure from the offset.
Step Two: What’s your process?
Or once again, what process will work with the client? Just as you should be able to envisage your outcome, you should also be able to envisage how you’re going to get there – before you begin. Of course this planned process will be more general than your outcome. But regardless, outlining your process is crucial (especially for a long-term project) so that the client knows exactly what the timeline is and what role they will need to play throughout.
Step Three: What are you doing?
Once you’ve defined your process, you will need to keep your client up-to-date. Keeping the client informed of what mini-milestones you’ve reached, whether you’re on target and what’s next will help you to keep the project simple and the client confident the whole way through. Sending regular reports will ensure you stay focused and will allow you to efficiently respond to client feedback, before it’s too late to act on.
Step Four: Where are you?
Breaking your project down into small stages will help you keep your cool during a large project. It means that you can focus on reaching the end of a small stage, whilst being aware of where you are within the scale of a project – hence not letting your eye off the outcome. The regular reports will help you maintain a clear sense of where you are.
… And there you go; just keep on repeating 3 and 4 until you get there! The constant communication is crucial as a freelance in order to both stop you procrastinating and to maintain the confidence of your client. But really anyone managing a project for the first time should remember these simple tips: take it in little steps and keep your eye on the goal.
This guest blog was written by Heather Buckley, photographer and co-founder / director at Silicon Beach Training. Silicon Beach Training are a Brighton-based training company with a wide range of hands-on IT and Business training courses either on-site in Brighton or bespoke worldwide. Popular courses include Photoshop Training, Management Training, Social Media Training and also PRINCE2 Training, recently launched in Birmingham. When not taking photos in and around Brighton, Heather writes regularly on all things Project Management, Social Media and Photoshop on the Silicon Beach Training blog and free resources.
