Improve Your Project Results With A Customized Workflow.
Are you not getting the project results you want? Are you wondering how to improve and optimize your overall workflow? Customized project workflows might just be the tool that’s missing from your project management toolbox.
What Is Project Workflow?
Project workflow refers to a set of tasks done in a distinct order. It can be just a few tasks or a large number of tasks. While this may seem like a list, it’s a bit different. A workflow differs from a checklist in that items on a checklist don’t have to relate to one another. Think of something like a to-do or grocery list. A workflow is logic-based since it uses an if-then scenario—all steps must relate to the step above it.
For instance, let’s say you need to send invitations to a party through email. Here’s how you would execute this “project” using a simple workflow.
Make a guest list
Create invitations
Email the invitations to your guests
Why Do We Need Project Workflow?
Did you know that 75-80 percent of projects fail? Many reasons for that include poor communication, poor resource management, and poor planning. Related to these reasons is neglecting to use a customized workflow. A customized workflow can help you overcome these problems by making communication, resource management, and planning easier and more efficient.
Workflows also eliminate the need to recreate a process that has already been successful once. But hold on, you’re thinking. Not every project uses the same processes. Of course, that’s why you can use templates to make a customized workflow for each kind of project your company pursues.
How Can We Have A Successful Project?
Good planning is key to any successful project, personal or business. We could spend this entire article on project management, of which planning is just one part. Whole books have been written on the topic, classes are taught on it, and you can even get a college degree in project management.
The good news is that you don’t have to do all that. Project management software for beginners exists that is just right for small and mid-sized companies and nonprofit organizations.
When planning, start at the end of the project: your solution deliverables. Deliverables are tangible products delivered to the client. These include:
Floor plans
Artwork
Software
User documentation
Reports
Specifications
Training materials
Figuring out your deliverables first will help you decide what tasks you need to do to produce the work. A work breakdown structure (WBS) is an ideal tool for planning your project and checking its progress. A WBS is a user-friendly visual tool to help you identify and track all your project work. It’s a terrific way to see your entire project at a glance.
Project Assistant is an easy-to-use project management software service that uses WBS and smart templates to help beginners, and non-technical employees assigned the task of project management for the first time.
Writing A Project Plan
The project plan is essential to the project process. Don’t skip this step! That’s a sure-fire way for your project to fail. Unfortunately, this article isn’t long enough to go into deep detail about planning. So instead, here are a few key components of a plan:
Project purpose: The problem the project is expected to solve.
Project team: Include employees, customers, management, and stakeholders. Define their responsibilities.
Communication plan: This is crucial. It explains how and when communication is to take place.
Project schedule
Project budget
If the project is small, a project background might suffice. Created before starting the project and including the problem to be addressed by the project, a project background is a description of what is to be done for the project, what the project must-haves are, and how to perform the work.
What Makes A Project A Success?
A project is a success when it produces the desired outcome and meets the criteria set by the client and agreed to by the company. It means all the deliverables are present with nothing missing. It means that you delivered the project on time and within the scope of the budget.
Project success can also be based on how much the project beneficiaries value the outcome. It can also come from how smoothly the project ran. If the team thinks you managed the task well with minimal bumps in the road, that project is a success to those who worked on it.
Project Assistant is project management software dedicated to helping your company or organization best manage your project and enjoy a successful project from start to finish. So don’t delay; give it a try today!