Daily Archives: May 3, 2010

10 Awesome Tips to Improve Your Project Management Skills

It doesn’t matter how large or small your project is, if you want a successful outcome, the best way to do it is to be a good project manager. It is predicted that less than half of all large scale projects fail, and that many projects wind up with cost overruns by the time they are completed. One way to avoid this happening with your project is to be a good project manager. To be a good project manager requires that you keep your managerial skills honed. Here are 10 awesome tips to improve your project management skills.

Create an outline of your project

An outline should include a basic description of the project, why the project is necessary, who the project manager is, and all resources that will be used to complete the project. All team members should receive a copy of the outline.

Create a plan

The plan should include schedules, projects costs, resources to be used, possible risks that may arise, and have all supporting documentation, if applicable. It should also include a plan for how all elements of the project will be handled.

Get organized

The project should be mapped out by tasks, who will be responsible for said tasks, the resources to be used, when the tasks should be completed, and who should be informed when the tasks are completed.

Develop a risk assessment

What may go wrong? When may it occur? How will it affect the project? What can be done to avoid it? Come up with an alternative approach in case the risk turns out to be real, and possibly put the whole project in jeopardy.

Communicate

Communicate with your team members at every stage of the project whether things are going well or not. Be proactive, and get involved with your team members. Listen to them, and interact with them. This will ensure that all team players are on the same page.

Be in aware

Know what’s going on with your team members with regard to their productivity, and concerns, and address any issues that arise.

Be in control

Oversee each task, and compensate when issues arise.

Build up your team

Motivate your team along the way. Recognize their achievements and reward them. Provide positive feedback. Recognize their strengths, and challenge their weaknesses.

Finalize the project

Review all aspects of the project, and ensure that each one has been completed to the specifics of the project plan before calling the project a success. File all documentation relevant to the project for future reference should the need arise.

Celebrate

Don’t forget to celebrate the successful outcome of the project! A lot of time, energy and dedication went into making the project a success. Have a team celebration such as a group luncheon, or a night out. Make sure every team member knows that you appreciate their contributions to the project.

As a blogger Trudi Buck writes about how to pursue a Master`s in Project Management.

How To Get More Email List Subscribers

One of the key concerns for someone starting out in email marketing is getting people to actually sign up for your list. The return on investment is terribly low for email lists that have been purchased or rented, so these are generally not worth your time at all. But it can be challenging figuring out how to get people to opt in to receive your mailings.

There are two basic ingredients that will help you to convert web site visitors (or offline customers) into opt-in mailing list subscribers. The first is value, and the second is ease.

With regard to value, you must make it clear to your visitors what they have to gain from joining your mailing list. Try to use language that focuses attention on the benefits of membership. For example, you might describe the type of useful information that can be expected as a regular part of your email marketing campaign, you might offer a specific bonus for signing up, or you might offer a desirable prize “for one lucky subscriber.”

The second issue you should take into account is the ease with which a new subscriber may sign up to your list. There should be a clearly visible sign-up form on every page of your website, and the form should not demand too much information. If you need extra information in order to make the mailing list more useful to them, it would be a good idea to explain how it will help the subscriber to provide that piece of information.

Once a web site visitor or a visitor to your brick and mortar business has been exposed to these two factors, they will likely sign up for your mailing list. Provided that the value you have offered is one that they find desirable, and you have made sign-up easy and accessible, there really is no reason why they would not sign up for your email list.