Architects, in their day-to-day work already have plenty of distractions that don’t allow them to fully focus on what’s really important: effective project and time management. Let’s face it, project schedules are getting shorter and building designs are getting complex, making project management all the harder.
Efficient project management ensures that each one of your processes from designing, planning, to executing flows smoothly from the very start to the finish. Unfortunately, there aren’t many helpful project management tips out on the internet. Most of them are too generalized to be of much help. Therefore, here in this article, we have listed down a bunch of tips that are not only practical but will also increase your productivity and minimize errors.
Know Your Tools
With the increasing involvement of technology within job processes, management tools have become a must-have. Project management and architecture project tracking software allows you to assign tasks, set deadlines, keep a track of the project status, and basically be aware of everything going on in the pipeline. It will also allow you to have a clear view of what’s really happening in each one of your projects. This is essential when you or your team members are working remotely.
Even though there is plenty of project management software out there, choosing the one that is the absolute perfect fit for your needs, can be daunting. So, it is important to explore your options, take suggestions, experiment, and then find the one that is the best fit for you and your team. Don’t forget to read reviews when selecting one. Other than that, take price into consideration as well. Different project management platform solutions, such as BQE CORE come with different pricing plans. Go through them in detail and select the one that’s easy on your budget while providing you and your team with the maximum features.
Break down and Simplify
In case you’re handling multiple projects at a time, try and avoid jumping back and forth to one another. Instead, handle them in batches. This way, you’ll ensure that you are managing similar tasks of each project at a time. Using time logs and allocated shifts to minimize the time wasted, which will help you allocate enough time to each task. Use tools, software, templates, checklists to simplify your processes and maximize efficiency. Set up a system that allows data to smoothly move on from one end to the other. You can use various cloud-based apps as well, to create an app ecosystem that suits your business requirements the best.
Use Effective Work Plans
Whether or not you’re working on creating a pre-design for the project, always create a work plan for you and your team before you get started. This roadmap will clearly show you the tasks the job entails, the firm’s resources, the client’s requirements, and the ways to organize relationships between the two parties. Basically, this document serves as a smooth path to complete an architecture project. The work plan also helps with matters like project staffing, accomplishing tasks within a provided time, and often striking balance between the two.
Set Expectations with Clients
As mentioned before, you can use architecture project management software to track your project pipeline and progress. This will allow you to analyze your progress in real-time through which you can determine the capacity of each one of your employees. It will also help you determine whether or not you can finish off with a project within a time limit or even take on a new one. Not only does this maximize transparency but also allows you to set realistic expectations for yourself and your client.
In the end, remember to have fun. If you don’t truly enjoy what you’re doing, being productive and managing it well, automatically goes out the window. Not all days of work are going to be pleasant, but keeping in mind the tips we spoke about and approaching it with an open mind will most certainly help yield better results. So, stay dedicated and motivated. Work when you’re refreshed. This will help you manage your projects in a better way.