You don’t need to be a project management whiz-kid or attend a ton of project management courses to ensure your client projects are managed well and meet agreed client outcomes and deadlines, but you do need to know the basics and the principles behind them.
Without good management, projects can overrun and cause headaches for both you and your client.
With this in mind, here are three astute project management tips for freelancers.
1. Review scope and project terms at the beginning
At the beginning of the project, even if you’ve already covered the main points in your previous correspondence, such as your written proposal and onboarding process, now is a good time to go over all the salient points once again, including the scope of the project, timescales, milestones, expected outcomes, deliverables and of course, ensure your payment terms and conditions are agreed upon in advance and are in writing.
For example, if you stipulated a deposit, has it been paid yet? If not, it’s advisable only to commence work once the funds are in the bank.
If you agreed to milestone invoicing, make sure due dates, amounts and payment methods are agreed upon so there is no room for any misunderstanding.
The last thing you want to do is chase payments during the project, which can disrupt your workflow, take up your time, and lead to project delays.
Likewise, recap on exactly what each outcome will look like, who is responsible for what, how and when.
2. Communication, communication, communication
Did we mention communication?
Larger projects tend to have a lot of moving parts, so if one of the elements is delayed, it has a knock-on effect on others in the project. But it’s the same for smaller projects, too; even a seemingly minor error or mistiming can significantly impact the project. That’s why it’s essential to keep all communication channels open during the project.
Agree on a communication method/channel and terms of reference (i.e. how and when to communicate with all project team members) and stick to it.
For example, you may have weekly check-in meetings and regular progress updates, and it’s also likely you’ll use a project management tool where everyone involved can share updates and progress.
If it’s a smaller project where the client hasn’t got anything as sophisticated in place, it’s a good idea to have your own project management tools and processes to keep the client informed of progress. You don’t need pricey tools either; there are plenty of free and freemium project management tools online, and even a simple email update will oftentimes suffice.
The key is to keep in communication at all times throughout the project and let your client know where you are up to, the next steps, and timescales. By keeping in communication and knowing who is responsible for what and when you’ll also be in a better position to identify and mitigate scope creep.
You’ll also want to track the time you spend on the project so you can invoice accurately. With the Invoice Ninja time tracking extension for Google Chrome, you can log and manage all your tasks within Invoice Ninja. You can also organize and plan your client work with Invoice Ninja’s visual project management tool. Find out more in our short video here.
What’s more, with Invoice Ninja, every action your client takes is recorded and viewed in their client-side portal. Invoices, quotes, payments and more are tracked. You can even upload documents so everything is accessible and recorded to ensure a smooth experience for you and your clients.
Try Invoice Ninja for free at the link here.
3. Deliver on time
While underpromising and over-delivering is generally a good maxim to work to, sometimes, if you deliver your work too early on a project with a lot of moving parts, it can have implications for other team members as much as you’ll be throwing their timetable out as well.
However, as a general rule of thumb, it’s a pretty good principle for most client projects. One way you can achieve this without disrupting others is to set your own goals and internal deadlines so you are always ahead of your client’s schedule and know you can deliver early and definitely on time.
This is where good time management comes in and is essential for your freelance business if you want to thrive and function at your most productive.
In any event, for projects, it’s always a good idea to schedule more time than you think you’ll need, and just like any budget, give yourself some wiggle room. You can’t always plan for the unexpected, but you can mitigate some things by creating some sensible buffer zones.
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Good project management means projects will run smoothly without hiccups, clients will be happy with your work, and they are much more likely to rehire you or refer you to others in their network. It’s a win-win for both your clients and your freelance business.
Happy freelancing!
