Your startup is on a mission. It’s why you founded it and why you’re hiring like crazy to fill roles you need today, tomorrow, and — most important of all — yesterday.
There’s just one problem. Your startup is growing so quickly and in so many different directions that it’s beginning to lose sight of business basics like project management.
Some founders argue that it’s okay to accept some project management sloppiness when you’re in growth mode, but experience tells us otherwise. Startup visionaries like Kris Duggan, who helped build and scale several successful software businesses over a career spanning more than 20 years and counting, are firm believers in sound project management at all costs.
Use these five hacks to manage everything you’re working on better, without giving up any growth potential.
1. Proactively Assess and Plan for Risks (Known and Unknown)
Great project managers think about possible risks before they begin the work. They consider risks both known and unknown, and more specifically, “known knowns,” “known unknowns,” and the most terrifying of all, “unknown unknowns” (which some people refer to as “black swans”).
According to UCLA Business & Finance Solutions, risk assessors should ask questions like “what activities of ours are regulated?” and “what is our greatest legal exposure?” and “how could someone disrupt our operations?” It’s important to consider all angles to avoid surprises.
2. Avoid “Scope Creep” at All Costs
Scope creep happens when a project expands to try to solve problems or achieve goals that were not part of the original plan.
It has a variety of causes, including lack of clarity and depth in the original scoping document, unmanaged contact between project participants and clients, and poor communication between project managers and roleplayers, according to the Project Management Institute.
These causes hint at how to avoid scope creep. Clearly communicate expectations upfront, keep clients “siloed” from your team, and maintain robust contact with said team throughout the project, and you’ll be on your way.
3. Hire a Seasoned Project Manager As Employee #5, Not #50
Your company needs a seasoned project manager yesterday, not tomorrow. So hire them, as soon as you’re able. If you don’t, you’ll find your time taxed by tasks that really should be delegated to someone whose whole job revolves around project management, and who is probably better at it than you anyhow.
4. Retain Ownership of What You’re Best At
Everyone on your growing team has strengths, including you. While delegating as much as possible to others, be sure to keep ownership of the tasks that you do better than anyone else in the organization. Not only will your team operate more efficiently this way, you’ll enjoy your daily grind more.
5. Use Robust Project Management Software
Don’t be old-fashioned about this. Sure, it’s technically true that if your predecessors could get by with pen-and-paper project management tactics, so can your team. But your predecessors got by with fax machines and inter-office mail too. Times change, and you need to keep up.
When it comes to project management, the best way to keep up is to choose a high-quality software solution that’s recommended by actual project managers. Look for something flexible enough to handle every type of project your organization tackles, as well as project types that might come up in the future.
Find Your Productivity Hack
Which of these productivity hacks do you value most? Maybe it’s the perfect project management software, the one you found after seemingly endless experimentation. It could be your decision to hire a rockstar project manager as your first non-founding employee. Or perhaps it’s your insistence on keeping ownership over the things you do very well.
You won’t know until you try. When you do, and you finally learn which strategies are best for your startup, keep it up. As you’ve no doubt learned, one of the secrets to successful projects is repeating what works and ditching what doesn’t.
