Project restraints are limiting factors that impact a project’s quality and delivery. Time, costs, and scope creep are three of the most common project restraints, and they’re concepts labs wrestle with frequently. But it’s hard to uphold quality with scheduling and budget constraints.
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How to Finish Lab Projects On Time and On Budget
As a project manager, you can’t take a reactive approach to projects. However, if you prepare, communicate with your team, and use the following tips, you’ll meet your deadlines.
1. Know Your Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Most of your lab techs will have a similar skill set, but they’ll be stronger and weaker in certain subjects. For example, one tech may be a great leader, while another may finish experiments faster. If you place the appropriate people on a given task, you’ll waste less time and money.
You’ll need to know your team well to understand how they perform. Use data to track how long they take on specific tasks and interview them after projects to see where their strengths lie.
2. Outline The Scope of the Project Before Starting
Scope creep refers to how a project’s requirements change over time, but the deadline doesn’t, or rarely, change. You can fix scope creep in your lab by defining the project’s goals and deliverables ahead of time and by conducting preliminary research and creating a project brief.
If scope creep is out of your control and it happens often, add space at the end of the project. This ensures you can still deliver your project on time, regardless of what’s thrown at you.
3. Use High-Quality Project Management Tools
Project management software can help you create project milestones that help your team meet their goals. However, if you need help managing your lab data, consider a tool that specifically helps scientific R&D teams to gain a holistic view of every lab experiment.
With a lab project management tool, you can plan your project roadmap, assign tasks, set deadlines, and track your progress. These features can help you finish projects faster.
4. Keep Communicating Throughout the Project
When no one knows what to do, things start to slow down. If your team doesn’t know who to talk to when they’re stuck, they’ll fall behind. If another team member is waiting on their cue to start their task, they’ll create bottlenecks. All of these problems can be solved with communication.
Before a project starts, designate a team leader. Explain to your team that they can refer to them when they need help. Or set aside time to answer questions at the beginning of the day.
5. Watch For Red Flags, So You Can Adjust Early
If you see team members staring off into space or casually chatting too often, it could mean they don’t know what to do next, or they aren’t a good team player. It’s essential to speak to team members who aren’t engaged with a project, so you can get them back on track ASAP.
The moment you see a red flag, document what happened and tackle it right away and adjust accordingly. Whether you fixed the problem or not, apply what you learned for future projects.
6. Celebrate Milestones and Plan for Future Projects
It’s hard to stay motivated when you don’t feel appreciated. Managers can encourage their team by celebrating milestones. If you notice a team member struggling, don’t punish them. Instead, allow your team to experiment with new ideas safely to foster confidence and creativity.
At the end of your project, congratulate your team on a job well done. Reflect on the project to understand what worked, what didn’t, and what you and your team can do better next time.
