Wudatime

Finishing or turning in a project does not mean that it will be successful. A project, as you already know, has many phases, and all of them are equally critical and complicated. Starting a project from scratch is not easy. Starting to plan something will require dedication, time, organization, and patience. Also, developing your project will not be rose covered path. During the projects problems will come up with your coworkers and errors will be made. Giving the project its finishing touches and delivering it according to what was agreed upon with the boss or the client can cause stress and also  tense and overwhelming moments in the office. However, life is not always so complicated, and nothing lasts forever. Do not stress out and follow these tips. You will see that your project will turn out well.

1. Where to start. Review this post regarding starting a new project. Often,  the beginning is one of the most complicated phases of the project. The moment of deciding what to do and how seems to take forever, which leads to the first instances of stress within the team.
2. Distribute the tasks. It is crucial that each person in the team or every person involved in the project knows what they are doing from the beginning. It is also important that these tasks are written down, so that no one becomes confused and so that everyone knows what they should do and when they should do it. For this, you can use Wudatime or a spreadsheet where you can specify tasks, the date it is due, and who will do it, for example.
3. Plan. Divide the project into phases, defined by small objectives. Make it clear to all team members what needs to be done in each phase and how. If you are a team member, ask what exactly needs to be done by you and by when, so that you will be able to perform the job correctly. If you are the leader of the team, also plan a schedule for meetings. These follow up meetings are very important to know how the project is evolving, what errors are occurring or what tasks need to followed up on. If you only convene with your team at the beginning and the end of the project, it will possibly be a failure. These meetings will help detect possible errors or dynamics that may not be functioning correctly. And even the best teams make mistakes.
4. Be clear with the objectives. Be clear about where the project should end up or which direction the project should go. Keep in mind that if you are in charge of a project, it is because someone believes that you are capable of leading it. And that means: guiding your coworkers to success.
5. Communicate! Be concise and clear with your explanations. If something does not seem right to you, say it without fear but politely and tactfully. Waiting until the end to say it will only cause you problems and stress. It has been mentioned in other articles that communication is the base of all relationships, including work relationships. For any problem that comes up, it is necessary to talk about it. Because only by talking will you be able to understand people and projects only turn out successfully by talking (and working hard).
6. Review the end of each phase. When one phase of a project ends, it is necessary to review it. Not doing it can bring problems and may cause the work to be redone in the end, and when time is running out no one will be happy to do it. The team should all take some time to get on the same page at the end of each phase. Sometimes unexpected events can occur and the entire team must be up to date with how the project is going and the difficulties that are occurring.
7. The importance of positive reinforcement. Whether you are the team leader or a team member, use positive reinforcement to encourage and give strength to your coworkers. Above all, in the end, tiredness and exhaustion can de-motivate anyone.  It is crucial to have a positive attitude during all of the phases of the project.
8. Believe in it yourself! Working on a project that no one believes in is a failure from the start. The team members should be convinced and eager to work on it. If no one believes in the project, it will not move forward. Possibly this is one of the most important pieces of advice.

As you can see, the success of your project depends on an endless amount of factors: motivating your team, communication between workers, good organization, the definition of objectives and goals, etc. Getting all of these variables into harmony is not an easy task, but with enthusiasm, experience, and help from everyone, it will not be such a complicated task.