Planning a project is a daunting task, and you need to be prepared for things going haywire. Certain things might not happen as you had planned, and that might derail your project or delay its completion. That’s why project monitoring and tracking are invaluable in project management.
If you’re trying to figure out the best ways to track the progress of your project, here’s a handy guide.
Use Project Tracking Tools
Having a handy organizer in your arsenal to track project progress can take away the stresses of manually tracking your project. In addition, it can save you a lot of time and effort when you need to view the project’s progress report. Thanks to the right tools, a project manager can quickly generate reports and get an in-depth understanding of how your project is progressing and whether it is aligned with your goals.
When using project tracking tools, you’ll come across myriad options. Each tool has different suitabilities and strengths. First, you need to select the right tool for your project, equipped with real-time features and enables you to monitor actual progress.
Typically, project tracking tools will help you with the following:
- Make it easier to keep track of resources to ensure that your project is on track. Also, when you monitor the available resources, you can ensure that if there’s any deficit, the team will look into the problem sooner rather than later so the project completion date is unaffected.
- The project tracking tool will enable the team members to view the milestones and understand where things are at.
- The tool can even streamline collaboration efforts and ensure every team member is on the same page with the project’s progress.
Involve The Entire Team To Track The Project Progress
Successful completion of projects is a team effort, and therefore, you must involve every team member working on the project. Consult with them and get regular updates to ensure everyone is actively involved in the project’s progression.
Therefore, you need to bring the entire team together and monitor the project’s progress. If the team members understand the importance of tracking projects, you can overcome unpredicted hurdles without a fuss.
Determine the project objectives and stick to them
Having goals for your project is important because, without objectives, you cannot track your project’s performance. So, ensure your project goals are measurable, clear, and realistic. Also, don’t forget to share the goals with your team members to stick to them.
Effective Communication Goes A Long Way In Tracking Project Progress
Keeping track of your projects will be an overwhelming task without proper team communication.
Effective team communication will ensure every team member is on the same page, and this goes a long way in making project tracking stress-free.
Remember To Share The Progress Report With The Stakeholders
One of the primary responsibilities of a project manager is to deliver project reports to the stakeholders. The reports must be clear enough to answer the stakeholders’ questions regarding the project. In addition, the stakeholders must be kept aware of the project’s progress to assure them the project will be completed within the stipulated time frame. Therefore, creating and discussing project progress with the stakeholders is vital for project management.
Furthermore, regular monitoring and tracking will enable you to identify potential issues as early as possible. Therefore, you can make timely adjustments and ensure your project moves forward as planned. For example, if it seems like the upcoming milestone might be missed, you need to alert the stakeholders right away.
The Task And Project Deadlines Must Be Established Clearly
Large projects may take months or years to complete. If you don’t have a project timeline and clear-cut deadlines, it won’t be easy to track the project progress.
One of the best ways to establish project and task deadlines is to split the project into several phases and set milestones. You can even have a deadline for important pieces of work within your project. Then, it will become easier for you to track the progress of your project.
Furthermore, deadlines can be quite motivating for your team. For example, if you are working on a project due to be completed in four months, you might lose the sense of urgency. But if you have set milestones for specific tasks within that project, it will provide your team the impetus they need to get the work done.
Wrapping Up
Working on projects doesn’t mean delivering excellent results. You need to ensure you are sticking to the budget and on time. Such goals can be achieved by tracking the project progress and creating detailed project reports to make everyone aware of the milestones achieved, resources used, and tentative deadlines.
So, get your team together, select the right project tracking and management tool, and don’t forget to involve the stakeholders. That’s all you need to ensure your project is on track.
