Maintain a project communication, decision and action register so important decisions, client instructions, approvals, commitments and actions don’t get lost in emails and meeting minutes. Use it as a searchable history of the project and an index to the original project records.
Important client conversations should not exist only in people’s memories. Document decisions, instructions, commitments and other material communication so your project has a reliable record.
Understand the what, when and why of the project and its due dates. This involves clear communication, and results in a realistic schedule that should satisfy the requirements of the client and your team’s ability to deliver it.
Once you are established in your career, prioritise job details that impact your daily life, like commute time and project management systems rather than pay and career development. This will give you more time for a better work-life balance and time for personal growth and development.
Use good, concise and informative email subject lines (email titles). Doing so will save people’s time and make your project team more likely to open and read your emails. A proper title allows the readers to know whether they should keep reading, and also makes searching for that email later much easier.
Don’t delete the history in email chains. Keep it in place so your recipients can read the full details if they need to. This will save time and reduce the possibility that people may miss out on important discussion information.
Write and use a good Project Management Plan. A project management plan is one of the most important project documents. Every project should have one. Even a short plan is better than no plan.
Some companies make it very difficult and time consuming to release unneeded project budgets. Project budget release should be simple, quick and easy. This will allow the funding of other projects to be much easier.
Get to know useful project contacts within your client and supplier organisations. This will save you lots of time and will improve the efficiency of your projects and reduce the difficulty in getting the information or decisions you need.
Deliver successful projects by using your company’s project systems properly. Ensure your team does too. It is important that your team does correct email filing, document and file storage, use of chat systems, and all the other systems you have available. Set the right example, train them, and enforce it. This will save your project time and money.