Why start-ups need project managers now more than ever
Running a Start-up is not for the faint of heart. It can involve dealing with any number of different tasks on a daily basis, no two days will be the same, a whole team will be looking to you to put plans in place and more importantly deal with those plans when things go a little array. Juggling so many different tasks can be difficult at the best of times, but often start-ups work to a number of constrains that can make this an even harder task.
It’s true that start-ups are exciting, and certainly something that it is great to be involved in but they are not for everyone. Certainly not someone who can get a little nervous under pressure and will not be able to deal with too many things happening at once.
It might be possible to keep on top of everything in the beginning of the project but there is a good chance there will come a point where it is wise to let someone else take over the role. For this reason, having a project manager, preferably one who has experience of working with this type of project before, is vital to any start-up that wants to be in with the best chance of succeeding.
Luckily, not only are start-ups something of a still rather new concept but project management is one of the fastest growing roles around. It seems too much of a coincidence, but it is fair to say that project management most certainly has a very valuable role to play in the world of start-ups.
WHAT DOES A PROJECT MANAGER DO?
Hiring someone to oversee your start-up might seem daunting but there is a lot that a project manager can bring to your start-up that can help your project have the best possible chance of success. Perhaps it is best to take a look at what a project manager can do for you on a day to day basis to better understand just why hiring one could be the best decision that you make.
These are the key functions of a project manager:
- They can provide an approach to your project that is highly disciplined and will assist with successful project delivery
- They can identify and then reduce risks to the project in a way that will be proactive
- They can evaluate and organise all the members of the project team to ensure that the team works effectively
- They can effectively develop and then manage any project budgets and the project schedule
- Agreement negotiating with other members of the project team
- Communicating with team members to ensure that they all understand the goals of the project and also the expectations
- Being responsible for making the correct decisions for the project at the correct time
- Dealing with any project issues
- Being responsible for making sure that the project team are motivated
- Making sure that the owner has full control of the start-up
- Acting as a communication liaison between the project team and upper management
Project managers fulfil this type of role all the time. They can quickly identify issues, implement solutions and turn things around in favour of the start-up.
It is their job to make sure that productivity is boosted, that team morale is kept high and ultimately ensure that the entrepreneur responsible for the ideas behind the start-up achieve a greater degree of profitability whilst being free from the constraints of managing the day to day work involved with the management of the project.
WHAT CAN THEY BRING TO YOUR START-UP?
Start-ups need clear plans and great strategy order to succeed in the ever-competitive business market. Often, a good idea is not enough without the planning behind it.
For many start-ups money can be tight, and this can lead to resources, including staff being limited. Therefore it is vital that everyone works as efficiently as possible, and this means working as a team on the right thing at the right time. If this is the case, then you might want to consider a project manager who has recently completed apprenticeships.
It only takes one thing to go wrong for the structure of your team, and their careful plans to fall apart, but a good project manager sort this out. A great project manager who is working closely with your team will be working on a contingency plan before it happens to ensure that the team can continue to work smoothly whatever is thrown at them
Hiring a project manager from outside your company will give you someone who is impartial on the team, their only role is to make sure that the start-up is a success. They won’t be distracted by any other duties that they have within the company. But perhaps most why start-ups need project managers is because of all they bring in terms of experience, agile thinking and the skills to use that experience to the best of their ability to make your start-up a success.
