Project management is often a complicated beast. Different people are motivated by different things, and the same applies to stressors, roadblocks, and other potential issues. There is no ‘one size fits all for how to project manage different groups of people. In this piece, we are going to look intensely into seven strategies for effective project management; and how to ensure the best productivity within your team.

1: Make Sure the Team is Balanced Out 

Who you hire is scores more important than what you do after that point. If your basis of recruitment and who you have in your business is not sturdy; nothing past that point will be productive or efficient. Harris Hattie, a marketing writer at Draftbeyond, noted,

 “Make sure that you have the right people involved in the project for exactly what outcome you want to achieve.” 

Similarly, make sure that people within the project balance each other out. For example, make sure that for every ‘dreamer’, you also have a ‘realist’; otherwise, you are never going to reach a suitable solution. Finding the perfect balance when initially crafting your team is crucial to the success of any project.   

2: Make Sure the Project (and you) is and are Transparent 

Transparency within a project is necessary for all those who are involved to be 100% onboard and effective. The hallmark of an insecure and ineffective leader is keeping information that is not crucially secret on a ‘need to know basis. Having things hidden from people within a project is never going to be an effective way to manage a project. Do not mushroom manage! Transparency within a project will only improve the results and streamline the project itself.

3: Drive in the Vitality of Effective Communication  

Communication is the glue. It is the string that ties everything together, and no project can be effectively completed without it. Now, this is not just important within the team, but also with outside sources, contacts, and contractors. Project communication needs to be streamlined and efficient, and any issues with communication within a team need to be nipped in the bud early on to avoid any further repercussions down the line.

4: Create and Praise a Collaborative Culture 

A lot of these strategies fall into each other, and many cannot be achieved without the other. Collaboration can only be fully achieved to an optimised level when a project has both effective transparency and solid communication channels. A collaborative team is a productive team, and encouraging this culture is the best way to ensure results.

5: Ensure that Everyone’s Opinions and Ideas are Valued and Discussed 

Kai Richards, a business expert at Researchpapersuk and Writinity, commented that

“There is nothing worse than being in a team where you do not feel valued or appreciated. If you are involved in a project where no one listens to your options you will not feel valued, and the collaboration culture will fall apart.”

Though some ideas may be better than others and not all will be picked, it is crucial to ensure that everyone’s perspectives are heard out. This is crucial to the success of collaboration and communication within a project.

6: Define what Success Looks Like and Reward Those who Excel 

Healthy competition is necessary for any project or environment. Without it, people can become uninspired and lack drive, which may result in the work rate of the project taking a significant downturn. Reward systems such as bonus schemes or even smaller thoughtful rewards may have a significant impact on the quality and quantity of work being produced. If systems like these go missing, it is very likely that the work rate within a project will take a downturn and the project may be significantly impacted.

7: Do not Micromanage, Delegate to Encourage Growth 

The people who are just team members within your project at the moment will eventually one day become leaders, and they need time and effort from yourself and other leaders to grow into that role. It is important to remember this and ensure that you do not micromanage the important roles and tasks when project managing. If you do this, you will not have the leaders of tomorrow ready when you need them.