Business project management is an essential part of the success of your business. Knowing the project management basics will help you to choose the right employees to handle the job.

Not everyone has a knack for project management. A good project manager is detail oriented and able to handle many different tasks at once. If you have the budget, it's usually best to hire an in-house employee to provide project management services. However, with certain projects, you may be able to work with an outside team. It depends on the situation.

When thinking about the project management basics:

1. Look for someone that has experience with many project management systems. They will be able to work with a system that best fits your business.

2. Make sure that your provide you manager with any project management tool that he or she needs to get the job done. Everyone has certain preferences and you should try to accommodate these.

3. Ask for regular corporate project management updates. The best way to get a project done is to break large goals into smaller tasks with deadlines along the way. Check in to see that employees are meeting deadlines.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire someone you trust do take care of your project management

Look for someone that has experience with project management and who has demonstrated results. If you don't need full-time project management, consider a project management consulting company to help you manage from a distance.

I recommend: PM Solutions can help you with remote project management, as well as management consulting. Business Management Consultants has experienced project managers on hand to assist you.

Train your employees in project management so that everyone is on the same page

All employees can benefit from project and time management training to help learn to prioritize tasks. If you send your employees to a seminar, you can be sure that everyone is working from the same knowledge.

I recommend: The Project Management Institute offers eLearning courses to help employees learn new techniques. Skill Path offers on-site training, so that employees don't even need to leave the office to get the training they need.

Encourage efficiency by giving everyone access to a project collaboration tool

Whether you have two people working together on your project or two hundred, it's important that everyone knows where the project stands. Project management software helps everyone to keep track of tasks and deadlines.

I recommend: Primavera offers a software tool for project management that is easy for employees to use. If you have employees working on a project from several different locations, you may want to use an online project management tool. Take a tour of Basecamp to see if it has what you need.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you own a tech company, make sure that you choose someone with experience in tech-related project management. You need someone that understands the industry specific needs and terminology.

Streamlined project management doesn't have to be the stuff of dreams. Look at the task as a step-by-step process instead of one big headache. Use these simple steps to help your projects run much more smoothly:

1. Set project goals
2. Delegate and follow up
3. Remember that attitude is everything

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Divide and conquer

When viewed as a whole, any project can seem daunting. Breaking the project into several smaller parts not only makes it seem more doable but also makes it easier to delegate and/or schedule each component.

I recommend: Delegation Template Tools can help you determine how best to divvy up a task based on various employees' skill sets. Use Project Management Templates from the Project Agency or various Excel forms from eLounge's eProjects, BusinessArts or Systems2Win to keep track of which tasks you've assigned to which employees. Programs like FranklinCovey's PlanPlus will help you plug everything into to-do lists.

Watch the clock

Whether you delegate or do it all yourself, one key to a successful project is keeping each aspect on track.

I recommend: Assign a time frame to complete component, then use software like TimeWhiz, TimeSheet or Hours (all of which are Palm compatible and can be imported into a spreadsheet or database) so team members can keep track. Use a program like EasyProjects.Net to keep on top of progress, or schedule a weekly touch-base meeting to ensure everyone's on target.

Have a plan B

Be on the ball with lists of suppliers, technicians and support staff in case something goes wrong. You'll want to be able to fix the computer, quickly procure new supplies or shift another employee over to fill in if someone runs into trouble.

I recommend: Head to PMForum, eLounge's eProjects or ProjectSmart, which all have generous communities of project managers around the world community who share expertise and answer questions. Project management software like AtTask, OzGrid and dozens listed on InfoGoal help you monitor all aspects of project management to avoid, or at least fix, snafus.

Be accessible, optimistic and supportive

A frazzled, negative attitude is a sure route to project failure. Announce your availability to your team, keep them energized with encouragement, and praise jobs done well.

I recommend: Humor is a terrific motivator. Check out Despair.com's "demotivational" workplace posters to lighten the mood in your office. Try a Ken Blanchard workshop, video or book for positive leadership tips.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Spell out everything to everyone. If you assume something's being handled, it probably isn't.
• •  Stay organized. It's hard to stay on schedule if you can't find what you need at a moment's notice.
• •  Greet all questions with enthusiasm. The only stupid question is the one not asked.
• •  Don't be afraid to ask your own questions. Whether you're asking your own boss or the client, it's better to clarify needs and desires during the process instead of after the fact.

Supplies for project management help your workers get the job done efficiently and on time. All project managers need to work with some type of project management tool so that they can keep track of project details.

While some workers may prefer pen and paper, project management software has improved the ways that you can keep track of various projects. They allow you to track the tasks of one project, or keep track of several projects at once.

When thinking about supplies for project management:

1. Ask employees what types of project management systems they prefer working with. Everyone has a favorite tool and, if possible, you should provide that employee with the tool that they like best.

2. Look for a business project management system that allows you to track deadlines as well as tasks. You want to be sure that you can complete the tasks in a timely fashion.

3. Find a project collaboration tool that can help you address problems before they arise. Look for something that will flag inconsistencies or missed deadlines to get a better handle on the full scope of the project.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider old-fashioned planners for corporate project management

While many people prefer the bells and whistles associated with the latest software program, something about handwriting your daily to-do list works well for many people. With a paper planner, you can easily take your project management notes with you wherever you go.

I recommend: TheDailyPlanner.com has a number of different planner options, but if you're really interested in getting organized, nothing beats the Franklin Covey system. You can purchase additional project planning forms to fit in your binder.

Purchase project tracking software to monitor your progress

Software is another convenient method for project planning. In most cases, it allows all project participants the ability to see how the project is progressing, which can help them to meet deadlines.

I recommend: Micro Planning International offers a software program and an additional support system to help you understand the system. If you are looking for an online project management tool, OpenAir offers a free trial so that you can see if their project management software is right for you.

Use a time tracking program in your project management

In many cases, it's important to keep track of how long it takes to complete certain tasks, particularly if you are billing a client on a per-hour basis. Time tracking software helps you determine how much time employees spend on each product.

I recommend: Timesheets MTS Software offers free and low-cost options for time tracking. If you prefer something a bit more robust, check out DOVICO Timesheet.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you have several people working on a project, it's important that they are all using the same project management tool. Once you have decided which one will work best in your office, make sure that you train all employees so that they know how to use the system.

Project management helps a business streamline the organization, set short- and long-term goals and assist employees in meeting their personal goals for the overall success of the project at hand. Project management also helps keep specific phases on track so the client will receive a completed project according to a schedule and budget provided. Every project undertaken is easier to monitor and control when it is set up into phases, reaching small milestones along the way.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Feasibility study

A feasibility study is conducted to determine the likelihood that any range of alternative goals or solutions can meet the client's requirements within the set budget.

I recommend: Sample Proposal provides guidelines on building a successful feasibility study, mistakes to avoid and a sample study.

Milestone

A milestone is the recognition of an important point in the project. A project milestone is usually a point where the project can deliver something tangible to the client.

I recommend: Working Smarter provides an introduction to milestones, which includes information on integrating milestones into project charts.

Phase review

A phase review is similar to a checkpoint. A review is conducted at the end of each project phase to ensure it has met objectives and the project is ready to move on to the next phase.

I recommend: Read about how to perform efficient phase reviews for a project on the Method 123 website.

Project life cycle

The project life cycle is the collection of phases in a project. The life cycle includes all phases of the project from conception to delivery.

I recommend: Ten Step provides information on the project life cycle and how establishing phases helps to visualize and manage the life cycle of a project.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance is a review of the project at hand. The quality assurance reviews look for a standard of quality based on the schedule and budget for the project to see if it is on time and on budget.

I recommend: Quality Software provides a quality assurance checklist for project managers to assess the project and help to resolve any problems in meeting project milestones.

Risk management

Risk management is the process of identifying and working on solutions to control risks that may be present throughout a project.

I recommend: Project Perfect breaks down risk management into four categories for successfully analyzing and minimizing risks in a project.