Project Management Simplified

This time of year, I usually find myself swamped with big projects. It can be completely overwhelming to stare a "big project" in the face with no clue of where to begin or how to organize it. Next time you're staring down one of these monsters (either personally or professionally), consider using the following guide to help you conceptualize and organize the various aspects involved with your project.

1. Break it down
Describe the project, set goals, state a purpose and design a general overview

2. Budget
How much do you have? How much will it cost?

3. Resources
What equipment/tools do you need, how much and by when?

4. Tasks/Sub-tasks
What are the specific actions required to get the job done?

5. Team
Who will you recruit to help? What will be each person's role and responsibility?

6. Schedule
Create a timeline of events that need to take place to get the job done on time

7. Notes
Keep a notebook for each project where you write down notes. This will be a handy reference tool the next time you work on this project (or a similar one). When you're all done, do a "final analysis" where you note what worked and what didn't. This will be invaluable!
Remember to start at the beginning and just take it one step at a time. It's very easy to put the big projects on the back burner because they take so much time and energy, it can be very intimidating. But you know what happens then - all the work piles up and it's a mad rush at the end to get everything done. Don't let that happen to you. Start early, be prepared, evaluate your progress regularly and take pride in the joy of a job well done.