Project Management: How to Implement and Thrive with a Productive System (pt.1)
After reading this post, Check part 2 of the series: Project Management — Organizing TasksCheck part 3 of the series:
Project Management — Notion Set Up
Project Management has been the most significant investment in my productivity in the last couple of months. From higher levels of organisation, to daily progress, and consistent achievements.
First, on a personal level, having a library of all past, ongoing and future projects, gives me a boost of motivation and encourages consistent action. Besides, with a project management system, no mental space is wasted pondering what the next task should be.
Second, on a professional level, this organisation system clarifies what is in my charge, helps me define priorities, and most importantly, guides the following tasks.
Finally, having dedicated projects to the goals I want to achieve, I can expect consistent results and steady accomplishments across time.
What is a Project?
A project is anything that has a concrete objective, lasts for a particular time and requires a set of different tasks to be completed.
Thus, three components should be present in a well-set project:
A concrete objective or expected result — clarity in terms of the primary goal;
A deadline — rather than wishful thinking;
A set of tasks — each project should have more than 1 task associated with it.
The 4 Rules of Project Management
1. Make your project S.M.A.R.T
Specific: The project must be concrete for you and for those with whom you share it.
Measurable: You should establish metrics to measure if the result was reached, and if not, why.
Attainable: Establish outcomes that don't depend on variables you cannot control.
Realistic: I love ambitious and dreamy goals, but if the projects I set are by no means realistic, I'm setting myself up for failure. The key is to balance both ambitions with the daily challenges of reality.
Ask yourself: Is this realistic? If the answer is a clear no, given the workload you're managing, don't put unnecessary pressure upon yourself.Time-Bound: What makes you think you will get something done when you have not scheduled it? Set a due date for each of your projects. Otherwise, it is not a project but wishful thinking.
2. Have a Timeline
The second rule of project management is having a timeline with all the existing projects you are managing. If you use specific apps to manage your projects, you will have this function incorporated. If not, you must manually add them to your calendar.
Having all your projects laid out in a timeline helps you get a broader picture of your progress and future workload. This timeline also enables you to decide if you can or cannot engage in additional projects, given your future commitments.
3. Collaborate & Delegate
The third rule of Project Management is adding others to your system. This allows for collaboration and delegation and is crucial if your projects require the input of others. Otherwise, your system will not reflect the whole progression of the project, and the timeline view will not give you an accurate picture of the tasks you must get done vs the tasks others must get done.
4. Review your projects and progress often
The fourth rule of project management will help you consolidate all the work you have put into the system. It is all about reviewing the projects you're working on, managing what was done, what still needs to be done, and most importantly, adapting the system to your current circumstances.
Remember, your system is your tool, and you are the one managing it, and never the opposite. This means you should not feel guilty about changing deadlines or re-adapting projects. This is an iterative process, and as things change, so should the system.
I usually review the projects and tasks I have to get done twice per day — morning and evening, which takes me less than 5 minutes total.
When reviewing your project management system:
You find what things need to be done that day;
You have the opportunity to adapt your plan to the current circumstances, either by changing deadlines, tasks, or projects;
By reviewing your system, you get to feel inspired and motivated by your daily progress and the overall path to achieving your projects.
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How to Implement Project Management
Brainstorming: The first step is brainstorming all the projects you’re working on and future ones. The goal is to get a clear picture of the projects you need to create in your organisation system.
Examples of projects look like: “write a thesis”; “deliver the plan to client x”; “losing 3 kilos”; “publishing the blog post y”, and so on. A project is a main bucket that can later be filled with smaller buckets - tasks.Refining: After having all your projects laid out, look into each one and ask yourself if you have a project or a task. For example, delivering a business plan to a client is a project, while calling the client to ask questions about it is a task.
Grouping: Categorise each project in terms of the main areas of your life. At the moment, I’ve got three main ones: Personal, Business and Learning. Inside the personal bucket, I’ve got projects such as habit formation or trips I want to make. Then, in the business bucket, I’ve got projects related to blog posts I want to write, online courses to create, or start-up ideas to develop. And inside learning, I’ve got projects related to what I want to learn, as well as the master thesis. Create 3-5 main areas and group your projects into each one of them.
Timing: Finally, you must give each of your projects a deadline. The whole point of the system is helping you accomplish projects and goals and not simply accumulating dozens of written intentions. It is far better to have fewer projects that leave the paper, than having multiple interesting projects that forever stay in a queue.
Common Mistakes in Project Management
A too broad project
In terms of defining a project too broadly, here's an example: let's say you work for a consultancy business, in which your primary function is to produce and deliver reports for clients. A too broad of a project would be "doing projects for clients". This project says nothing about what you must provide, when you must deliver, and the actions associated with it. A well-done project would imply specifying the client and the type of report, like "deliver the report to John, about the US energy market, by the end of March."
A too narrow project
On the other side of the spectrum, your project should not be too narrow. Taking the same example, "research companies in the energy market in the US" is a too narrow project. In this case, what you have set is not a project but a task that is a part of the leading project. A project usually requires a set of tasks to be completed.
Check part 2 of the series: Project Management — Organizing TasksCheck part 3 of the series:
Project Management — Notion Set Up