A project is a short-term undertaking to create a product or provide a service that is not part of day-to-day business operations. According to Shaun Stenning, small businesses don’t need a complex methodology for managing a project, but they benefit from a designated project manager.
The importance of project planning becomes clear when you understand that properly managed projects help profits increase and businesses to grow. A project manager increases the likelihood a project will be successful and profitable.
Provide a Point of Contact
A project manager like Shaun Stenning is the central figure of a project, disseminating project information and updates to the project team, business leaders, and project customers, decreasing confusion and increasing accuracy.
Increase Project Efficiency
One purpose of the project management staff is to make sure things run smoothly. Therefore, the project manager works with team members to confirm which activities must occur in the project and how to complete projects faster and more efficiently. Every project comprises related activities, each of which has its own set of checks and balances.
Control the Project’s Scope
Project scope details the work and activities required to deliver the completed product or service. A phenomenon that often occurs is “scope creep,” which refers to continuous changes to the initial project. To contain creep, a project manager puts markers in place before anyone can add or take away from the scope.
Manage Time and Deadlines
Time is arguably the most important constraint of any project. Managing their time can be challenging because project team members still have day-to-day responsibilities. A project manager manages deadlines by setting a schedule at the project’s inception, Says Shaun Stenning.
Schedule the Work
The role of the project manager includes ensuring all the team members work on their assigned activities in the appropriate order. The project manager helps members calculate the time a task takes and successfully solves any problems to meet their deadlines.
Deal with Potential Risks
No matter how well planned, a chance for potential risks in a project exists. A project manager anticipates and identifies risks and creates a risk response process to track their status. It’s important to make risk prevention part of the initial planning phase. If the project manager can’t prevent the problems, managing them is the next best solution.
Close the Project
After the project meets the goals and expectations of the project customer, the project management documents and reviews the project phases with the team members and leadership to analyze patterns, trends, and opportunities for improvement for the next project.
As you see, project managers are a crucial part of the project development process, but another aspect of their job makes them worth their weight in gold.
