12 Project Management Best Practices: The Guide for Beginners

Project management is the process of planning, organizing and managing tasks and resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.

It's a critical part of any business, but can be especially challenging for small businesses, startups and anyone new to the field.

In this guide, we'll discuss project management best practices for beginners, and share tips on how to choose the right project management tool for your business and for effective project management on the whole.

We'll also highlight the importance of integrating your project management tool with your shared inbox tool, so you can enjoy better collaboration with your team and provide better service to your customers.

What are project management best practices for a project manager who's just starting out?

A project team looking to amp up their project success? Let's find out!

1) Create a project management plan:

A project management plan is a document that outlines how you will manage the resources, risks and challenges associated with your project.

This document should include your project's goals, objectives, timeline, budget, deliverables and more.  

Creating a project plan will help you to better understand your project, and identify any potential risks or challenges that could impact its success. It will also help improve task management on the whole.

Framework for your project plan

For effective project management, here's a quick framework you can follow to start building your project plan:

Executive summary

Briefly explain at a high level what you're tackling with this project.

-Project description. Describe in detail what the project is all about, its objectives and goals.

Scope statement

Define what's included and excluded from the project.

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

Break down your project into smaller to-dos that can be assigned to individuals or teams.

Project schedule

Create a timeline for your project, and identify key milestones.

Budget

Determine how much money you will need to complete your project.

Communication plan

Describe how you will communicate with stakeholders throughout the project.

Change management plan

Describe how you will manage changes to the scope, schedule or budget of your project.

Approval process

Describe the process you will use to get approval for your project from stakeholders.

Implementing a project management plan

Once you've created your integrated project plan, it's time to put it into action.

There are a few key steps you'll need to take to implement your plan and keep your project on track:

Assemble your team

Identify the individuals or teams who will be responsible for completing each task in your project.

Delegate to-dos

Assign specific to-dos to individuals or teams, and make sure they have the resources they need to complete them.

Monitor progress

Track the progress of your project, and identify any areas that are falling behind.

Communicate with stakeholders

Keep stakeholders updated on the progress of your project, and solicit their feedback.

Make adjustments

As your project progresses, you may need to make changes to the scope, schedule or budget.

Document these changes in your change management plan.

The above steps are just a few of the things you'll need to do to manage your project effectively.

2) Have a kickoff meeting

A kickoff meeting is a great way to start off any project on the right foot.

This is the time when you'll bring together your team, stakeholders and any other key players to discuss the project goals, objectives, timeline and deliverables.

Make sure everyone is on the same page from the start, so there are no surprises later on.

How to host a kick off meeting as the project manager:

  • Schedule a meeting with all key players.
  • Discuss the project goals, objectives, timeline and deliverables.
  • Make sure everyone is on the same page.

Framework for your kick off meeting

  • Introduction. Spend 5-10 minutes introducing yourself, the project and the team.
  • Agenda. Review the agenda for the meeting and ensure that everyone understands what will be discussed.
  • Project Overview. Give a high-level overview of the project, including its goals, objectives, timeline and deliverables.
  • Q&A. Allow time for questions and answers from all attendees.
  • Action Items. Assign action items to team members and establish a timeline for completion.
  • Wrap Up. Thank everyone for their time and participation, and remind them of the next steps in the project.

3) Develop a project brief for assets as the project manager

No project is complete without the right assets. And your project process won't stay on track until you develop a project brief.

These could include images, videos, text documents or anything else that you need to complete your project.

Developing a brief for these assets will help ensure that you get exactly what you need, when you need it—and it'll better equip you for project success.

Here's how to develop a brief for assets in your project:

  • Identify the assets you need.
  • Create a list of all the assets you need for your project, and be as specific as possible.
  • Include deadlines.
  • For each asset, include a deadline for when you need it delivered.
  • Include specifications.
  • If there are any specific specifications for the asset, include them in the brief.
  • Include contact information.
  • Provide the contact information for the person who will be responsible for delivering the asset. This could be your project manager, creative director or another member of your team.

By following these steps, you can be sure that you'll get the assets you need to maintain project progress and achieve a successful project overall.

4) As a project manager, you should maintain a schedule and cadence

One of the most important aspects of project management is maintaining a schedule and cadence.

This means setting deadlines for deliverables, and making sure that everyone involved in the project is aware of these deadlines.

It also means following up with team members to ensure that to-dos are being completed on time.

Here are a few tips for maintaining a schedule and cadence:

  • Set deadlines. Even for small to-dos, setting deadlines is key.
  • Make sure everyone involved in the project is aware of these deadlines.
  • Follow up with team members to ensure that their deliverables are being completed on time.
  • Hold regular status meetings.

5) Mind the workload of your team as a project manager

In any project, it's important to mind the workload of your team.

This means making sure that everyone is aware of their tasks and deliverables, and that no one is being overloaded with work.

It's also important to provide adequate resources for your team, so they can manage and complete their work on time and to the best of their ability.

Here are a few tips for minding the workload of your team as a project manager:

  • Make sure everyone is aware of their deliverables. No one should be overloaded with work.
  • Provide adequate resources for your team. This could include training, tools or anything else they need to manage their tasks.
  • Hold regular status meetings. You can't set and forget your project. You need to regularly be checking in with the key resources (your people) who manage all aspects of the project.  
  • No one likes surprises. By tracking progress and keeping everyone in the loop, you can avoid any potential issues with scope creep or unrealistic deadlines.  

It may sound easy, but workflow can fluctuate and team member's may not always be the first to flag something when it's becoming overwhelming.

6) Closely monitor your project for scope creep

Scope creep is one of the most common problems in project management.

It happens when the scope of a project starts to increase, without a corresponding increase in resources or time.

This can lead to deadlines being missed and projects going over budget.

To avoid going outside your project scope, it's important to closely monitor your project for any signs of it.

Here are a few tips for closely monitoring your project:

  • Use those regular status meetings for check-ins on scope. By regularly checking in with your team, you can catch any scope creep before it gets out of hand.
  • Keep an eye on your budget. If you start to see project costs creeping up, that's a sign that scope creep might be happening.

7) Avoid adding unrealistic milestones to your project

One of the most common mistakes project managers make is adding unrealistic milestones.

This happens when you set a deadline that's either too soon or too late.

It can also happen when you try to cram too much into one project.

To avoid adding unrealistic milestones, it's important to be realistic about what your team can achieve.

Here are a few tips for setting realistic milestones:

  • Set deadlines that are achievable, but challenging.
  • Make sure your team has the resources they need to meet those deadlines.
  • Don't try to cram too much into one project. Break larger projects down into smaller, more manageable pieces.

8) Establish clear and consistent communication

It's important to establish clear and consistent communication channels with your team. This is a soft skill that every project manager should have, as it will help everyone stay on the same page, and avoid any misunderstandings.

Here are a few tips for setting up clear communication channels:

  • Communicate deadlines, assigned tasks, and progress updates regularly to your team
  • Have a clear process for reporting issues or problems. This could be a project management software tool, or a simple email address.  
  • Make sure your team knows how to reach you, and that you're available when they need you.

9) Expect and accommodate change requests

Another common mistake in project management is not expecting or accommodating change requests.

Change requests are a normal part of any project, and should be expected.

To avoid problems with change requests, it's important to have a process for handling them.

Here are a few tips for handling change requests:

  • Have a clear and consistent process for handling change requests. This could involve getting approval from the project sponsor, or running a change control board.
  • Be flexible in your approach to change requests. Not all changes will be approved, but it's important to consider them all.  

10) Keep project documents up to date

It's important to keep project documents up to date, so everyone on the team is working from the same information. Here are a few tips for keeping project documents up to date:

  • Use a project management tools to store all project documents in one place.
  • Make sure only authorized team members have access to those documents.
  • Track versions of documents, and who made changes.  
  • Regularly review project documents to make sure they're accurate.

11) Review and reflect on the performance of your project

Once your project is complete, it's important to take some time to review and reflect on the performance of your project.

This will help you identify any areas that need improvement, and make sure you're using best practices in future projects. Here are a few tips for reviewing your project:

  • Use software to track project metrics, such as budget, deadlines, and scope.
  • Conduct a post-mortem meeting with your team. This is a meeting where you review what went well, and what could be improved.
  • Write a project report, detailing the performance of the project. This can be used for future reference.

12) Ask for feedback, and act on it

Finally, it's important to ask for feedback from your team, and then actually use that feedback to improve the project. Here are a few tips for asking for and using feedback:

  • Collect feedback. This could be in the form of progress reports, or simply comments on assigned tasks.  
  • Hold regular feedback sessions with your team. This could be a weekly meeting, or an ad hoc meeting when necessary.
  • Use the feedback you collect to improve this project...or the next one. This could be in the form of changes to the project scope, or simply adjusting deadlines.

How to choose the right project management software

Now that we've gone over some project management best practices, let's focus specifically on choosing the right project management tool.

There are a lot of different project management software options out there, so how do you know which one is right for you?

Here are a few things to consider when choosing software:

  • Does the software integrate with your shared inbox tool? This is important for better collaboration.
  • What types of workflows and features does the software offer? Make sure it has everything you need to manage your projects effectively.
  • Is the software easy to use? You don't want your team to waste time learning a complicated new system.
  • Is the software affordable? Make sure it fits within your budget.
  • Was it built with project managers and project stakeholders in mind?  This will help ensure that the software meets your needs...and can be used by everyone on the team.

Key features you want in your project tracking tool

When you're looking for tools or software, there are a few key features you'll want to look for.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Make sure the software allows you to create and track tasks. This is the most basic function of any project management tool.
  • Look for software that offers project templates. Project managers: this can be a great way to get started with managing your projects.
  • Make sure the software allows you to assign tasks to team members. This is essential for collaboration and a critical asset for project managers and project stakeholders alike
  • Look for software that offers robust tracking features. This could include things like milestones, deadlines, and progress reports.
  • Make sure the software integrates with your shared inbox tool. This is important for better collaboration and using real feedback from customers to drive project deliverables forward
  • Make sure that the project management software you choose has a free trial period so you can try it out before committing to it.

Choosing the right tool can be a challenge, but it's worth taking the time to find a tool that meets your needs.

By following these tips project managers, you'll be well on your way to managing your projects effectively and your project team will thank you for it.

Key takeaways

We've covered a lot in this post. From  project management best practices to choosing the right project management tool, there's a lot to think about when it comes to managing projects.

Here are the key takeaways from this post on project management best practices:

  • Use software to track project metrics, such as budget, deadlines, and scope.
  • Conduct a project audit at the end of each project to ensure that lessons learned are captured and used to improve future projects.
  • Use feedback from your team to improve the project.
  • Look for software that integrates with your shared inbox tool, offers robust tracking features, and has a free trial period.  

By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to managing your projects effectively.

Do you have any project management best practices to share? Let us know! Or simply give DoneDone a try. It's free project tracking software that's loved by project managers and project teams alike. If you enjoyed this post, we think you'll like it, too.

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