As someone who has invested a lot of time and effort into their company, you likely have experience with a range of projects and tasks that need to be completed according to specific standards and deadlines. You maybe have even organized many of these projects yourself, stepping into the role of project manager, if only on a temporary basis. However, what you may not realize is that hiring a dedicated project management company can not only save you time – it can save you money that you wouldn’t even know you were spending.
Like any field, you don’t just want to hire the first company you find online. You need an expert, and we have some ideas on how to recognize quality when you see it.
Managing Expectations
What should you expect from a project management team? It’s the job of the team to create a story for your project: They need to have a narrative in place that outlines the beginning, middle, and end of your project. If your team tells you they know how to get started but won’t commit to how the end of the project will look, you will likely find your business woefully underprepared for the next steps.
A great project management team will sit down with you and work with you to identify the specifics of the tasks you want to accomplish. Your project can struggle to achieve success if you don’t identify your ideal, end result, first. A good team will ask the tough and insightful questions that uncover previously unidentified changes and details. The more information you can give them, the better they will be able to customize your project plan to make you more successful. This is your opportunity to tell your project management team about struggles you have faced with this or similar projects, ideas that have not panned out in the past, and which outcomes have resulted from failed project management in previous undertakings. Then you can decide on your new approach and hash out every detail, along with a timeline.
Find a team that is ready to tell you the entire story – and how they plan on making it happen. Transparency is key.
Managing Details
This next step to a successful project experience is key: Listen to the experts! In the beginning, they will rely on you to give them the information they need to create a plan (and backup plans). Once they have all the facts they need, they can show you how to meet your goals. However, it is ultimately up to you to make sure you follow sound judgment.
For instance, let’s say you are working with a project management team on a new product you recently conceived. Your team may uncover essential tasks that may not have been thought of before such as, securing your ideal website URL, filing for new intellectual property, engaging with a branding expert to define product colors, or identifying possible supplier issues before they become a problem. These are just a few examples of how an experienced team can bring in their other experiences to your project. Otherwise, you may not uncover these tasks soon enough which could hurt your business and cost you money. Running a company doesn’t give you a ton of spare time, so it’s important to find a project manager that can be a trusted advisor and has experience with projects like yours
If you’re going to hire experts, you should listen to what they have to say! You may not fully understand a part of the plan or agree that it’s the most efficient way to accomplish your task, but these instances are great opportunities to discuss the details with your management team. Share your concerns or ideas with them, and just as they will take your experience into account, you should rely on theirs to accomplish your goals. Be sure you understand exactly how many steps it will take to get to the next stage of your plan and maintain constant communication with the project management team to stay in the loop.
Managing Costs
Projects cost money. There is no way to avoid it. However, if you and your project management team work together to determine your budget and expectations, you can avoid the perils of unseen or unexpected costs. This is the time, to be honest with your team – your budget and resources will determine how you can complete your project successfully, but your project management team has to know your financial limit to give you an accurate plan.
You also want to work with your team to determine multiple plans for each step of the process. In the website URL example above, you would likely be pretty frustrated if you did not get the website address you wanted. However, a good project management team will have already worked with you to make contingencies for this. It may mean you find an alternate address, or it may mean you buy the URL from the person who owns it now. Whatever steps you decide to take, you don’t always want to wait until a problem arises to figure out how to solve it. This will not only make your project run more smoothly, but it will keep you from blowing your budget on unexpected circumstance. No one can predict the future, but a quality project management team will outline multiple possibilities and help prepare you for any changes.
When it comes to project management, quality is key. You don’t just need anyone – you need an expert who can help you tell your story through accomplishing your goals. At The Hendey Group, we know what it means to truly manage a project. Give us a call at 317-550-4006 to learn how we can make your next idea a reality.
