Small Projects are Important, Too!

I remember my father taking time to teach me the game of Chess when I was a young girl. I so enjoyed his time, but boy, he sure took forever to make a move on that chessboard. Taking the time and being patient has been a lifelong learning process for me! So it is with many of our small projects. We may spend a lot of time making sure our large projects use sound project management techniques and carefully planning our moves, but neglect to do so for our small projects. Consider that even small projects are worthy of applying our project management knowledge:

• Does your project have a "vision" that is strategic in nature, is developed with input from all interested parties, communicates the project purpose, and is passionate enough to inspire others to support your project?

• Does your project have goals that must be met within a specified time frame to accomplish this vision?

• Are strategy-oriented tasks aligned with these goals and assigned to leaders, with clearly specified deliverables and time frames?

• Has the team identified possible risks to the project, and developed a "plan B", where necessary?

• Does the project have a capable leader that can make sure energy stays positive, identify unexpected circumstances, and make necessary adjustments?