Running projects and task management is an inherent element of everyday professional duties. Small companies, large corporations, newly founded start-ups, organizations, and institutions—all manage tasks and projects. Regardless of the organization’s size and profile, they all have one goal: to implement the project until its completion with a positive result. Managing a project is, most of all, a systematic sequence of actions of several teams who have to achieve a pre-determined goal within a specific time and cost frame. There are lots of methods to manage projects, but they all have their pros and cons. All projects can be divided into three stages: planning; execution—assignment of tasks; determination of deadlines and cost (risk management); and closure of the project, i.e., the summary of results.
Project size and team size when running a project
Running large projects is not exclusively the domain of large corporations. The project size is not always equal to the team size. Small companies can run really large projects, which require excellent organizational and communication skills. A smaller group of people and, thus, more to focus on, requires a great deal of attention from each team member. In any case, running projects is a team job with a breakdown into individual duties that eventually lead to the success of the completed project.
Communication errors in a large group
In large groups, there are often communication issues that can disrupt the process of running a project. At the “brainstorming” stage, the exchange of ideas is used to plan the incoming project, but then, at the later stages, irregularities arise. Misinterpretation of messages, failure to meet deadlines, rushing, the imprecise performance of duties, or even a lack of assertiveness on the part of participants all contributes to an unequal division of roles. All this results in a delay in the execution of the action plan. It is important to use a tool that will facilitate communication and make it fast and efficient for all participants.
Methods of project management
Projects can be implemented in many ways. Everyone must choose their route to make project implementation convenient and to obtain a positive result. The most traditional method is a notebook and a block of colored sticky notes. This is a way to go for those who are rusty with technological advancements or those who are afraid of overly complicated programs.
A glance at the sticky note on our monitor will remind us about assigned duties, but, at some point, we all lose one or two such notes, thus losing important information. Another method is to use your memory, but this one is probably the most prone to failure of them all. No one is a robot ready to memorize endless amounts of information. Humans have two types of memory: long-term and short-term memory. The former is responsible for fixed information like names, surnames, or addresses. The latter, on the other hand, is responsible for information that might be valid for a long period, but it is not fixed. This includes professional duties but also private affairs. This is why it is important to note down the information we hear. Short-term memory quickly erases itself to make room for new information and messages. Special applications facilitating project management is also a good solution. Not all of them have all the desired functions, though. When choosing the application, we should follow our expectations. What has to be considered is whether the project entrusted to us requires the use of Kanban cards, worktime recording, cost control, or the use of a messenger. This is why it is good to choose a program featuring all the most important functions. ICP makes project management easier. The management system based on Kanban cards is a transparent method to record tasks and assigning them to their participants. Worktime reports and messenger will undoubtedly come in handy when managing a project.
