Step by Step Guide to Crush Your Next Project

Your project deadline is looming, and the stress is palpable.

You're staring down a mountain of work, unsure of your team's progress, and the tension is visible for you and your team members. It's a familiar scenario, but it's time for a change.

Projects: The Engine of Our Businesses

Projects propel our organizations forward. They are the work we do above and beyond the recurring activities that currently deliver the value to our customers. As we grow as leaders, our focus increasingly shifts towards projects to upgrade the engine of our businesses. But without a clear plan to lead projects, they become sources of stress and fail to deliver on the outcomes we need to build our businesses. 

Simplified Project Management for Everyone

You don't need a PMI certification to lead a successful project. You just need to be shown how to do it. 

Here's a step by step guide to crush your next project, no stress or anxiety required. 

1. Dump all Project Tasks to a Single List: Begin by getting every task related to the project out of your head and onto a single list. This foundational step ensures nothing is overlooked.

2. Define Measurable Milestones: Organize tasks into milestones with clear, achievable goals and an obvious definition of "Done". This structure allows for effective progress tracking and priority setting.

3. Empower Project Team Members and Get Commitment: Assign milestones to your team, securing their full commitment to the timeline and outcomes of each milestone. Ownership and accountability are key. Don't move on from this step until you have both. 

4. Request Plans from Milestone Owners: Require concise, actionable plans from milestone owners, breaking down their milestone into one to four hour tasks, assigned to specific team members, and noting any dependencies on each task.  This step forces the milestone owners to plan ahead, uncovers potential bottlenecks and ensures readiness for everyone involved. 

5. Orchestrate Project Plans as a Team: Review plans collectively as a project team, identifying any gaps or dependencies. This collaboration creates a unified commitment to make the project happen, and mitigates risks in the plan from the start. 

6. Demand Whole-hearted Commitment: Committing as a team anchors everyone to the project's success. Sharing commitments publicly enhances accountability. Encourage your milestone owners to send the plan to at least three people (e.g. their teammates, their boss, their employees) as a way to ramp their commitment to the project. 

7. Check-in Regularly & Adjust as Needed: Regular check-ins deal with the reality of competing priorities, new uncovered project tasks, and any other roadblocks that might arise. Run this recipe for the duration of the project, and don't leave a check-in without the reaffirmed commitment of each team member. 

8. Celebrate Your Project Win: Once you crush the project, don't skip the step of recognizing the contribution of each team member and celebrating the win! This won't be the last project you run together, and want project team members to be excited to work with you again in the future! 

Projects Rise & Fall on Time Management

Effective project management hinges on effective time management. If your projects are failing or stress is diminishing your or your team members' results, the Time Boss Weekly Operating System Masterclass offers a comprehensive guide to get more done with less stress. It's perfect for the self-starter that's ready to implement strategies today.

If you think you might be best served with coaching and accountability, the Time Boss 6 Week Coaching Cohort provides personalized support to transform your relationship with time and projects. Cohort members are solving their relationship with time in just 6 weeks. If curious, please schedule a call with Andrew to see if it's a good fit for you. 

By adopting these principles, you'll not only ensure project success but also cultivate a stress-free, cohesive team environment.