Effective task management is an integral part behind the success of every successful project manager. Behind every successful project, we can see the hard work, acumen, and foresightedness of a skilled project manager.
Not all projects are equally successful, however. With that in mind, here are 7 task management strategies that will help your next project be one of the successful ones.
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- Delegate Duties
Prior to allocating tasks and responsibilities, it is important for a project manager to define the roles and responsibilities of each team member in a clear-cut and effective manner.
Nobody possesses superhuman qualities or knows exactly what they are supposed to do and not do for a given project, and as such, it is important to communicate clearly and not overburden the team members with tasks that can adversely affect their productivity.
Here, delegation is the key. Each team member should have a clear understanding about the tasks to be performed at each stage of the project. So, delegation of work to the right and capable hand is very important.
- Communicate Early and Often
Effective communication is one of the crucial, but often overlooked, elements when it comes to the successful completion of a project. Often, project managers tend to take this area for granted, despite management gurus highlighting its crucial role time and again.
Managers should ensure that they communicate with their team members throughout the stages of the project in an unambiguous and unequivocal manner.
Effective communication helps project managers avoid a lot of unpleasant, and unavoidable, situations such as passing the buck, and indulging in blame game when things go wrong. The lack of proper communication among team players can cost the organization dearly. Surveys have found that companies have suffered huge losses due to the lack of proper communication at different stages of project implementation.
Essentially, managers must streamline their team’s communication process. Establishing proper communication channels aimed at guaranteeing a free and steady flow of information among all the team members is important.
Everyone in the team should get their doubts clarified and questions answered by their respective managers. This emboldens them in numerous ways, and adds to their productivity.
- Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking is often assumed. However, project managers who multitask during the course of their projects often find that performing multiple tasks haven’t yielded the desired results.
It’s like you are trying to gobble up everything all at once, only to end up achieving nothing, or in worse case, harming yourself in the process. Successful managers across the world have attempted and realized the futility of multitasking, eventually saying an emphatic no to it.
Instead, divide large tasks into tiny and easy-to-perform works. That way it will be possible for project managers to focus on finishing each task one by one without being distracted by many.
- Find the Right Task Management Software
Automation and process is the project manager’s friend. This requires good project management software.
There are many solutions on the market, so you should first define your needs and evaluate the options against those needs. But in general, look for flexible, feature-rich solutions that focus on easy to update statuses and both include automation and multiple ways to view projects—as Kanban boards, as lists, as calendar, etc.
Tools that cover a project’s whole scope from brainstorming and problem-solving to task management are key for any good project manager. Tools like MeisterTask and MindMeister integrate seamlessly and cover the whole project process from ideas generation to actions and tasks.
- Go Heavy with Collaboration and Involvement
As a project manager, you shouldn’t work in isolation; it is imperative that you take your team members into confidence when it comes to exhibiting your task management strengths.
Have regular interactions with your team so that you will get a clear understanding about the status of the project, what’s really happening on the ground, the team members’ needs and grievances, and any unseen issues in the present task management strategy. After receiving their feedback, the project manager can organize the tasks better.
The project manager should not go absent after work delegation of core duties and critical tasks, either. Doing so can endanger the entire project. So it is very important that project managers get involved in all aspects of the project by following up regularly and diligently. It is in the best interest of the project’s success.
This does not mean that project managers should get involved in every minute aspect of the project by micromanaging. As a project manager, all you need to do is to make yourself reachable and available whenever your team needs you. They should have the feeling that you are there whenever needed.
Read more: Best project management software
- Solicit Feedback Often
Feedback is very important when it comes to the successful completion of any project. There should always be sufficient room for giving and receiving feedback. As a project manager, you can give your feedback on various critical aspects about the project. At the same time, you can take feedback from your team members wherever you think it necessary. That way it is possible to ensure a constant rapport between you and your team members.
Feedback also helps managers to be flexible and take actions, or revisit the actions that have already been taken. Flexibility and the readiness to attune to the changing situations or trends is very important for pivoting when issues arise. Doing so will make sure that both your team and your work processes are evolving, and you are well on your way to achieve the best possible results.
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- 100% Customizable
- Collaborate Across Teams & Departments
- CRM Software Integration
- Used by 152,000 Companies
- Set Realistic Deadlines
For the successful completion of any project, it is important to set realistic deadlines for each sub-task in hand. Always set sub-deadlines for each task. This will ensure that unfinished works don’t pile up on the project manager’s table, leading to inordinate delay in the completion of the project within the prescribed time limit.
Project managers should set clear-cut deadlines after exercising due diligence and holding extensive discussions with the entire team. Having said that, the team leaders have to ensure that the deadlines or milestones they set are truly achievable. It is equally important that the project manager does not exert undue pressure on your team.
If you’re not already practicing agile project management, you also should consider it as a method for defining realistic deadlines with your team.
Projects, like people, are always unique. But just as there are general strategies for managing people despite the variation, there the above strategies that apply to most projects. Learn them, use them, internalize them.