IT projects are common, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. While the complexity varies depending on the project’s needs, the processes rarely change. In this blog, we will discuss how you can innovate your approach to projects and ensure their smoother and quicker delivery.
Project management is not an easy task. Its fluid nature requires you to stay alert at all times. No matter how accurate the forecast should have been, things always go awry - from scope creep to struggling to meet deadlines, and many other issues in between. While all of this is to be expected, there are ways to make it less impactful.
When it comes to IT projects, the stakes can be very high. It’s a competitive field with high demands, and therefore anything below perfection can damage your company’s reputation. Clients are aware of this and consequently raise their expectations even further. In other words, you must consistently perform at your best to outshine your competitors. In this blog, we will share some practical tips on achieving this with minimal effort.
How to Better Your Project Delivery Process?
There are many sources on the internet offering a wide range of tips on how to achieve smoother project delivery experiences. While most are accurate, they often lack depth. So here’s a concise list of the key tips:
-
Utilise the right software;
-
Be strategic with your project team;
-
Record as much data as you can;
-
Emphasise team alignment and communication;
-
Prioritise project completion .
That said, let’s delve deeper into each of these tips.
-
Decide on Your Tech Stack
The software you use to carry out and deliver the project is quite literally the cornerstone of your success. And we aren’t talking only of a project management platform. Of course, it’s certainly a key component of a stack as it’s used to track progress and allocate resources accordingly, but no project relies on a single solution. You need to have other areas covered too. Think accounting package, communication channels, time tracking, and other solutions your project may need. The tools you will require to support progress will normally depend on the scope of the project and what the deliverables are.
However, an important thing to keep in mind is that not only should you gather the right tools, but you also need to connect them with one another. Having centralised access to all your project-related tools is extremely advantageous. First of all, you won’t need to transfer data between platforms manually. Integrated solutions reduce that process to just a few clicks. Secondly, it will enable more in-depth insights, as data can now be analysed in different contexts. And finally, integrations unlock new automation opportunities - a valuable asset for any project.
-
Build a Flexible Team
Your project team is the backbone of your project. Even with the right tools in place, you need the right people to operate them. That’s why it’s crucial to carefully consider who should be on the delivery team. Generally, you should focus most on people’s skillsets - what will be most beneficial to the objectives and what will not. However, it’s also important to remember that these skills should complement each other rather than conflict.
Not to mention, don’t focus solely on each member’s core function: every person has a range of different skills, even if some are less developed than others, but they still possess them. This can help your project team to effectively support each other when needed. Also, don’t be discouraged if you lack one or more people with specific skill sets required for a project. It’s increasingly common to hire freelancers and contractors for this purpose. Consider this – it’s often more cost-effective than hiring a new full-time employee, especially if the scope of the work isn’t something you encounter frequently.
-
Keep Track…Of Everything
We mean it. Not just how the project is progressing, but literally everything. From documentation and correspondence to expenses and timesheets. First of all, this will be your primary defence if something goes wrong. Secondly, you are doing it mainly for your own benefit. If you keep all data neatly documented from start to finish, analysing it later becomes very easy. A thorough analysis of one or more projects can clearly identify where the gaps in your strategy are and where you have potentially missed opportunities. With that information, you can tailor your approach for future IT projects more accurately.
It’s best to have agreed-upon processes for recording data and tracking items before the project begins. This way, everyone will understand their responsibilities, reducing the risk of mistakes and gaps. For optimal results, we advise using your tech stack to handle most of the tracking and recording. Not only will this free up your time, but it also minimises errors. Additionally, most tools are equipped with report generation features that compile recorded data into a clear format within minutes.
-
Establish Smooth Communication
Now, assembling a team is only half the job done. Ultimately, they are simply a group of individuals brought together to achieve a common goal. It’s quite natural for them to lack alignment, especially if they have never worked together before. For example, it would be naive to expect your full-time employees to be familiar with a newly hired contractor’s working style, and vice versa. So, how do you get these strangers to collaborate and quickly adapt to one another? Correct - by ensuring they have a good communication channel.
This doesn’t include direct communication channels like email or instant messaging either. Most SaaS solutions are designed for collaborative work, meaning that changes made by each team member become visible to others. This way, everyone gains insight into each other's progress and the potential insights gathered, which can be applied elsewhere. Although this type of communication involves little to no human-to-human contact, it remains essential for the success of your IT projects.
-
Completion over Perfection
It’s very easy to get carried away when delivering a project. Naturally, we always aim to deliver the best results to the client - this is not a wrong approach at all. However, this can escalate into a major issue when perfecting the deliverables becomes your main focus. This usually involves nitpicking smaller, less important details, which can lead to paying less attention to bigger issues. This might mean rushing larger parts of the project to meet the deadline, thereby compromising quality, or missing the deadline altogether. And even though this mishap stems from good intentions... Your client won’t be happy.
This is why it’s important to concentrate on the overall completion rather than pausing to perfect every detail. Simply put, the imperfections you can adjust will still be there even after the main part is finished. There’s no need to undermine the entire project over a few minor bits that aren’t essential and might not even be noticed. Additionally, when you focus on completing the work, you’re likely to have some time to spare - and this is when you can polish any rough edges left in the process.
Summary
There are many tips to share when it comes to delivering IT projects. However, most can be summed up into just five: choose the right software and the right people. Use the software to track everything you do, as well as a collaboration and communication platform for your team. And, finally, don’t get bogged down in the details as you go - complete the project first and polish it later.
While all these tasks may seem relatively straightforward, they require careful thought. From defining your goals to selecting the best approaches considering the scope, budget, and timeframe. Overall, IT projects can be challenging to deliver, especially in a competitive market with high expectations — but there are ways to simplify and make the process more intuitive. At Timesheet Portal, we have plenty of tips and are happy to share them with you.
Interested in finding out more? Reach out to us.