As a business owner for more than 20 years, I realized that my IT business was going to be mediocre if I failed to find new ways to generate income. Every entrepreneur knows that sales is the lifeblood of a startup. My mindset quickly changed to finding new clients who needed help with their businesses, and to increase the work we were doing for our current clients. That combination alone resulted in our business expanding by 500% in the first year.
The point here is that you should consider project management to make your business a success. A project is defined as a temporary endeavor designed to either generate revenue or create efficiencies. The project must have a start and end date, and it must generate a unique product, service, or result. One more thing: it must be unique and not routine work, such as processing payroll or managing customer service calls.
The fact is that there are a ton of potential projects in every business. For example, one project might be to improve the level of customer service provided to your current clients. You can conduct a quick survey to see what is important to them, allowing you to focus on the key result areas. This project on its own will make your clients feel like you care, and you will learn about other products and services you can provide them.
My recommendation is that you spend a little time with the definition of a project. You should call a meeting with the key stakeholders in your company and brainstorm the top three projects that can make an immediate difference for your company. Once those projects are defined, get started with the first one.
Keep the process simple, and start working on that main project. Remember that it must have a start and end date. Therefore, ensure that the project’s scope is well-defined, and that everyone is clear on what needs to be done. Your role as the project manager is to provide guidance, funding, support, and to remove any obstacles that might interfere with the success of the project.
Once you complete Project #1, get to Project #2, and then on to Project #3. This commitment alone will transform your business, and much faster than you think.