What are the basics of project management?

Project management in the digital era has evolved so much that it almost feels like a new dawn — especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, as it creates an amazing learning curve for even the most experienced professional.

Those working within project and client services management need to be very efficient in all aspects of their role. So we’ve put together a few pointers to help you provide one of the most fundamental aspects of any PR agency.

Time management is crucial

Planning you and your team’s time effectively is key to client services management.

You act as the backbone of a project, working hard behind the scenes and ensuring things are running smoothly. The project management duties completed by client services managers help create the foundations needed for any task to be executed successfully and on time.

Set realistic deadlines

Make “chunking” a very significant part of your professional life (and your personal life, for that matter).

Essentially, chunking is breaking up your day into, as the name suggests, chunks. This helps you to devote a good amount of time to a specific task, without constant interruptions. The less you have to stop and start in your work, the more your efficiency can improve, almost immediately.

The same process can be applied to planning an entire project. 

Once you have divided it into chunks, you should start creating deadlines but in reverse order.

However, always create a buffer when setting deadlines –  especially when you work with different cultures and timezones.

Know your team

Another important aspect of project management is how you communicate with your team regarding deadlines. It is important to be mindful of different cultures and time zones, but also with people of different ages/generations.

Everyone is different, so try and gauge what type of workers you have within your team and their strengths. This will help you to get the most out of them when working on projects together.

Some people thrive under pressure, while others take a more methodological approach to completing their work. Therefore, it’s vital that you tailor your management style depending on the individual.

If you have five days to put something together, including passing it to a colleague for them to add or check elements, don’t spend 4.5 days plodding through it and then expect them to turn around their work on it in an afternoon.

Even if you do end up taking slightly longer to complete the work than expected, keep your colleague updated with a quick message and let them know when they should expect to receive your finished draft.

Realistic deadlines are vital. The chance of success diminishes the less time you give someone to complete a piece of work.

Good communication is a must

Maintaining good communication with your clients, not just your colleagues, is essential.

The relationship you have with a client is arguably as important as the work that you produce for them. Having a positive experience of working with you makes them much more likely to sign contracts for future work.

Depending on the client, and their experience of using PR agencies, you may be required to answer a lot of questions about the process, the work and the deliverables. You may have to manage their expectations at times, as well. Therefore, using a professional tone in all communications is extremely important so that you can reassure the client about any doubts they have, persuade them to listen to you and rein in their unrealistic expectations with minimal fuss.

I realised that one client needed a lot of time to give us feedback to allow us to complete even daily tasks, such as social media posts. So we started planning things way ahead of time.
For instance, if a social media post was supposed to go out on a Friday, we’d initiate the conversation with the client about it at least 4-5 days earlier in the week. 

Avoid overthinking and analysis paralysis

I used to overthink a lot, even when sending out a message internally that I knew I was doing correctly. I’d fall victim to “analysis paralysis.”

However, over time, I learnt to differentiate between big and small decisions and identify what my core objectives are. I also reached out to get a second opinion from a trusted colleague or an experienced professional when needed.

This allowed me to become more efficient and spend my time much more wisely, instead of thinking far too much about every single aspect of a project.

In project management, time is everything. Therefore, making the best use of your time is essential to the success of any project.

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Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team bd@curzonpr.com