Leverage a project template to set expectations up front
Being in charge of a project can sometimes feel overwhelming. Stakeholder and team member expectations can be tricky to navigate. What do you need to communicate at the beginning of the project to make sure everyone has the same expectations?
We recommend using a project template that covers scope, communications, risks, timeline and the team. Taking the time to define these key areas up front can help start the project on the right track. It may even help the team realize that this project is not ready to be kicked off and/or has a larger scope than anticipated.
A project template doesn’t have to be long, but we recommend answering the following questions and reviewing the answers with the project team and stakeholders.
What pain point are you trying to solve?
What is included in this project and what is not included? What does success look like?
Who are the members of the team and their specific role on the project?
Where will the project deliverables be stored? How often will the team meet? How will you communicate between meetings?
What are the high-level milestones for the project?
What are the risks if the project is not done? What risks may occur during the project?
What assumptions are being made or dependencies exist for the project?
Another benefit of using a project template is consistency. If your organization is running multiple projects at the same time with different project leads, the project template can make sure all the projects are defined and started in a similar way.
The project template can also be helpful if you run a project on a specific frequency. Having these key items defined can help the project lead reference the past project faster each time it is repeated.