If you run a startup you’re required to wear multiple hats to make sure every operation of the business work out well. You have to be smart enough to tackle all issues and take your projects across the finish line. This is where project management can help. Effective project management can make your break your newly established business. Here’s a quick guide to help you understand why a startup needs project management to reach success.
Startups are newly established, fast-growing businesses that aim to develop innovative products, services, or platforms which have considerable demand in the market. The resources being limited in a startup, owners like you can’t afford to waste time or money. There are a lot of tasks involved, like planning, delivery, taking care of budgets, and project execution, among others. Businesses report that more than 67% of their projects completely fail when they operate without an effective project management strategy.
Having the right methodology for project management is crucial for your business to run efficiently during initial stages of your business. Get more done in less time with good project management.
Your project management strategy should be built according to your business needs. Start understanding your needs, including:
- Your business structure
- Size of organisation
- Business goals
- Complexity of project
- Your expectation from final deliverables
- Do your clients prefer a particular methodology?
After you’ve picked up the right methodology, follow these project management tips to boost the operation efficiency of your startup business.
Set Realistic Goals
Every entrepreneur should set realistic goals that they want to achieve. Before starting work, everyone on board the project needs to know the end goal. Make sure your goals are not unrealistic and they do not clash with other projects that are already underway.
Define Roles
Before you start work, define who’s in charge of what work. You might consider assigning a single person as the project head, who’s accountable for its success or failure. They can then delegate work to others as needed.
In this role-planning stage it is important that you determine who you need on this project, so you can make adjustments in their schedule.
Set a Project Timeline
Break the project into a list of deliverables. Map out the right milestones and set due dates for your team. The due dates should be realistic and an indication of the project’s priority. Adjust existing timelines according to the new project’s priority.
Set Project Scope, Budget and Time
The triple constraints of scope, budget and time is an important part to keep track of for startup projects. Time is essential to bring your project into the world. Project scope determines the requirements necessary to complete the project on time and within budget. Cost budgeting helps create a cost baseline to allocate funds, so you do not fall short of money.
Project Management ToolsThere are several online project management tools to organize projects during your startup journey and meet client expectations. Furthermore, there are reputable online platforms where you can learn project management and how to best manage your business.
