What are the necessary steps that a team needs to keep in mind while working on a project? You could find plenty of articles written about Project Management. One needs to understand what exactly project management means; you would find terms like architecture, prototypes, agile methodologies, scrum and what not. But the things I think are most important are listed below.
1. Getting a grasp of the requirements - Basically understanding the requirements is imperative for any project. This can be termed as the vital ingredient that the team of developers needs to keep in mind. This is the foundation on which the code is built. As a general rule, if the foundation is strong then what you build would also be strong.
2. Making sure your team understands what needs to be done - In the usual process, after the requirements are written and discussed with the client it would be taken to the architecture board defining the architecture, database and the platform in which the development will take place. Equally important is to include and involve all your team members so that all are on the same page and would know what exactly is needed to be done.
3. The Team - Being a Project Lead or a Project Manager does not mean that all that needs to be taken care of is to meet the deadline set by the team. It is important as a PL/PM to understand and allocate tasks to each and every team member according to their strengths and weaknesses. One might be good at iPhone apps and another very good at social media apps; as a leader, one should understand where to fit in the right resources. How well one analyzes the members directly shapes the end results.
4. Helping the team to have more fun at work - If fun can be injected into the whole development process, you would be astonished by the positive results that the team would bring in. If the team understands that you are always there to support them rather than bossing around and if they feel that it is always good to have you around, get ready for plenty of kudos and congrats.
5. No hard and fast rule - It all depends on how one sees things, be it positive or negative. Inject a positive attitude into your team members. Teach them that a positive frame of mind can bring in great results:
- Teach them the "Can do" spirit.
- Teach them to be a team player.
- Teach them to be proactive.
This would create a healthy environment amongst the team members.
6. Do your homework and be very well prepared - The most important thing as a PM/PL is to be prepared for anything: expect the unexpected, expect the worst. But then take it easy and be proactive, since life will throw challenges; meet them with your heart and success is yours.
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