Planning, strategizing, and executing a successful project can be a bit of a minefield if this isn’t your area of expertise. It can feel like standing at the base of Mt. Everest in flip flops with a half-eaten granola bar and no gear when all you really want to do is head to the beach — especially if you’re not a details person!

I get it… marketing projects can be a bit complex with a lot of layers to juggle. Luckily, project management is a big part of what I do. It’s what I live for! (Actually, it’s a toss up between that and strategy. I reeeeeeally love strategy. But I also love organization. And details. And queso. I guess that last one isn’t relevant to business, but it is a love of mine!)

Before we both get too hungry and go rooting around for snacks, let’s swing back to marketing projects. I know you have a lot going on and you’re wildly capable of managing it all — after all, you’re a kickass business owner with the success and reputation to back it. But are your marketing projects as efficient or impactful as they can be? Is something standing in the way of you getting to the next level? With these simple steps, you’ll learn the must-haves you need to streamline your projects and reach a level of ease and success you (and I!) know you’re capable of.

Project Management Success Step 1: Plan

I know, you’re like, “Koree, I could have told you that.” But (and I mean this lovingly!) if you know that, are you really doing that with your projects? Often, busy business owners tend to overlook the small yet important first steps, like this one. If that’s you, don’t worry. It just takes a few minutes and will make a world of difference to your efficiency.

Grab a calendar, spreadsheet, or your favorite project management software and note the BIG dates happening throughout the year. Holidays, recurring launches, events, time off for you and your team. Make sure you also note personal things like days off school, non-negotiable appointments, and other important “blackout” dates where you know you’ll need time around them. Focus on the upcoming quarter first, then expand it out.

Next, figure out the lead time you’ll need for your project deliverables. Think strategy, graphics, copy, quality/tech checks, and so on. Creating all of this takes time, so map it out now. That way, you aren’t scrambling to do it all right before you’re set to launch or make your project live. I cover these details in this two-minute video — following this tip will really set you up for project success! 

Success Tip: Planning like this will allow you to assign manageable deadlines to team members. That way, there’s plenty of time for them to do their best work. Also, you can see if you’re overloading projects into a certain time and address it now so your people aren’t crushed in an endless sea of fast-turn projects that burn them out.

Psst: Want a handy worksheet to record your project plans (along with a few more tips to efficiently and successfully plan your projects)?

Subscribe to my email list and I’ll send you a mini masterclass where you’ll learn 10 tips I’ve learned that will boost your project management success.

Project Management Success Step 2: Document

All that time I spent talking about having a brand strategy is coming back right now! Having a document with an overall brand strategy is necessary if you’re leading a team, or even as a solopreneur, to keep the vision in mind.

But the most successful projects also have a strategy document broken down at a per-project level.

Document basic details like when is this happening, what final deliverables will you need, and do you need to hire any outside contractors to support this project. Also consider what goals this project will support, what is the overall mission/benefit of the project, and how do you hope people will be impacted by it?

Then, think through the specifics of copy, graphics, website, and creative tone/style. Do you already have resources created or will new ones have to be created? What project requirements/preferences do you have as materials are being created/updated?

And finally, think about the success metrics you’ll use to track the results of this project. What does “success” look like to you in terms of good/better/best, what action do you want someone to take, do you need special tech/resources to track this?

Success Tip: Assign a place to house this detailed document and all deliverables as they’re approved so you and your team can easily access what they need as they’re putting the project into motion.

Related Reading: Brand Strategy: 8 Reasons Why It Matters Most to Your Brand

Project Management Success Step 3: Communicate

You can’t just post your creative details document in your team Slack and then ghost. In the words of Stephanie Tanner: How rude!

Communication, along with planning, is essential to managing projects well. It’s here where I often see some things break down. Don’t let this happen to you! Make sure everyone knows what their expectations are and who is doing what.

Also, have a clear communication path. If your designer has questions about graphics, do they ask the copywriter? You? Your VA? A clear chain of communication allows questions to be answered efficiently so folks can carry on smoothly.

Success Tip: Tools like Slack and Voxer allow for quick team communication and collaboration. Another great way to work efficiently is by having regular team meetings for everyone to check-in and answer questions that affect many at once.

Project Management Success Step 4: Lead

As the leader of your business, you have to lead the vision and the project. Yes, you’ve hired people who know what to do. But they still need to hear from you. Why is this project important? What will it allow your company (and them) to do? What’s the benefit to the end user?

Keeping these big goals at the forefront will help you embody your mission and “lead by example”. If they see you focused on it, they will be too! Be in communication with your team, show up with a clear vision, and know that by doing so, you’ve gotten one step closer to success with this project.

Success Tip: If you don’t have a team, tell your spouse, kids, dog, neighbors, and anyone who will listen. The more you hold this vision and talk about it, the easier it is to be accountable to doing it well and leading yourself to success!

Related Reading: Branding and Brand Strategy: What’s the Difference?

Project Management Success Step 5: Measure

Like I mentioned in Step 2: Document, it’s important to know your success metrics ahead of time. That way, you can track and analyze your project as you go along. You can see how you’re doing and make plans to pivot or test new messages to see if they’ll positively impact your results.

And don’t limit this to just purely project metrics. Look at team performance, too. Are there any spots where you’re missing a key player or are finding redundancies? Maybe you’re seeing a new skill set that you didn’t know about and you can use it to your advantage as you go along.

Of course, measure before, during and at the end of the project. It’ll give you a baseline, real-time info for any necessary pivots, and a recap of what happened.

Success Tip: Get to know the systems you’ll be using before the project kicks off so you aren’t wasting resources and scrambling to fix it right before/during your project with it could negatively impact your metrics.

Project Management Success Step 6: Learn

Like I mentioned, you’ll want to look at your metrics at the end of the project so you can learn what creative and strategic decisions worked and what didn’t. Gather all the information, both soft and hard data, to make your next project even more successful.

Similar to what I noted in Step 5: Measure, look at what you can learn about yourself, your team, how you worked, what systems or processes did/didn’t help you, and so on. Your team will definitely have brilliant insight, too, so don’t skip this step. Often, business owners jump from one project to the next without pausing to gather feedback or reflections. 

If it’s relevant, also ask for feedback from people who signed up for what you were doing. This is a great way to learn about what was effective and what wasn’t from the horse’s mouth: the end user.

Success Tip: Gather this in your project file but also duplicate it into a main feedback file and analytics file for easy access in the future!

At a minimum, these are the 6 steps you must take to ensure your projects go off without a hitch. If you really want to dig into project management and do it well, I’ve recorded a few more steps to help you boost your success and maximize your efficiency. Sign up to receive this free mini-masterclass here! It’ll only take you about an hour to do this all start to finish for your next project!