- As a project manager or leader,
you want to show you care about your project,
it's people and the process.
So how do you do this when you've got a new project
and a new client?
It comes down to knowing what makes a project run well
and what questions to ask to make sure you
have those details locked in place.
Before you start any project,
take some time to sit down with your client
and ask some tough, direct questions.
This will go a long way in making sure you're applying
the right processes to the right project
and setting the right expectations
about how your team will work together.
Here's seven questions to ask your client
to get your project started on the right foot.
Knowing the why behind a project can help
keep your team focused on the goal at hand.
It also enables you to devise a project strategy
that ensures you meet your client's overall objective.
Every project has a deadline.
Sometimes it's arbitrary.
Other times it's related to a meeting campaign
or other big event that has a hard date,
using project management software like TeamGantt
can help you ensure you get everything done on time.
Don't just sketch out a plan that might make the deadline,
create a project plan that's based on the urgency
of a final date and keep that in sight.
A Gantt chart is a great tool
for mapping out your project plan,
communicating timelines to your team
and tracking progress all the way to the finish.
Want to set your team up for project success?
Then have a goal in mind and establish some clear metrics
around those goals.
Work closely with your client
to determine what criteria will make the project a success.
This simple question can help set your team up
for success beyond a single project,
whether it's in the form of client referrals,
additional projects or another long-term win.
Responsibility is primarily internal,
who owns what part of the project,
make sure your team serves your client's needs
by staying organized
and clearly communicating responsibilities.
Every project also has an owner.
It might be the person you're talking to.
It might be that person's boss,
no matter what you need to know,
who's going to give you final approval
and who's going to sign those checks.
Be sure you loop the owner of the project in
and keep them informed at the right steps.
It's important to sort those details out
before you start work,
use something like a RACI chart to delegate roles
and responsibilities so everyone knows how they contribute
to a project success.
If you're accepting client feedback and iterating on any
of your deliverables,
you want to be sure your clients understand
how the process works.
There's nothing worse than receiving five sets
of conflicting feedback and having to sort through it all.
It'll confuse you, annoy you and set your timeline on fire.
Talk about the feedback process
and set expectations early on about how you'd like
to receive feedback and who should be involved.
It's not uncommon to educate your clients about your work.
This may come in the form of presenting your project plan
and explaining your process in each deliverable.
It might mean you have to explain the intent
of a deliverable before you present it.
Either way, knowing just how much effort you put
into explaining things will help build trust
with your client and set you up as the expert.
History can teach us a lot when it comes
to running projects,
if your client has completed similar projects,
they might be able to share some insight on how
to make things go smoothly.
The more you can learn about what does and doesn't work,
when it comes to how projects run
in your client's organization,
the better prepared you'll be to create a process
that works for them.
That way you look like a total pro.
Risks or issues are inherent in any project.
As a project manager,
it's your job to predict project risks,
then seek and destroy them if possible.
So why not ask your client what risks they might see
before you even get started?
There's no shame in starting a project with the upper hand,
plus keeping your clients happy will boost your mood.
As you keep things on track.
Consider this example,
you're ready to present the biggest deliverable
of the project and your client declines the meeting
because their company will be closed for a staff meeting.
Your plans thrown off, putting the final deadline at risk.
You can easily avoid that situation by simply asking
for a peek at your client's calendar.
You also might want to ask this question again
midway through the project because schedules change often.
If you're looking for a simple way to stay on top
of project risk and communicate clearly with your clients,
consider using TeamGantt.
It makes it easy to track progress
and share project updates with your clients
and other stakeholders.
You'll have all the features you need
to make sure projects finish on time and under budget.
That's it for this video.
I hope these questions help keep you out in front
of potential project issues.
If you've enjoyed this video or it's helped you out,
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Thanks for watching, I'll see you next time.