Project Management
Whether freelance or independent contractor, project management does have an effect on your career. To complete a project there must be a plan and just as a business plan would be written, a project must be managed by writing its own plan using the four main points - resources, time, money, and scope. These are the key factors in managing a project.
Manage Task Points
You can plan your projects by using different types of software or a basic template. What matters is to manage each of the four main tasks at hand. Number one, Resources. They must be determined before the project can begin. Resources would include things such as persons performing on the project, equipment needed to complete the task and any material required. All possible resources must be entered into this area for pricing of final product or service. You can determine the final tally later if there are materials not used and eliminate the excess fee. Number two, time. In order to determine the time limit of your project completion, factors such as tasks, who or what is dependent upon those tasks and what is the critical path for the time limit are extremely important.
For example, you have five tasks to be completed and the project is due within a month's time. We will name these tasks 1a, 2b, 3c, 4d, and 5e for an easier explanation the project management time line. Two of those tasks (3c and 5e) are depending upon two others (1a and 2b). If the main tasks (1a and 2b) are not completed within the certain time limit set, the critical path cannot be followed because the two tasks (3c and 5e) cannot begin. The project then comes to a halt or finishes later than scheduled time. Using this small example above, you can build your own critical path. These tasks build both the longest and the shortest period of time for the completion dates.
Number three, money. This must be determined from the beginning so there is a basis on how much to charge the client. Number four, scope. You could actually determine this before the resources because without a time line, the plan cannot be scheduled. This can be a little tricky because a project manager does not know actual dates per say. They can only give a guess of a timeline unless there is a deadline to meet. In the case of estimating on a finish date, it is best to plan ahead with a date that is later than the actual finish date. For example, a project is assigned to a small business and it will only take the company 20 days to complete it. Now, even though it will take the company 20 days to complete the project there still does not leave any time for error should it occur. So the best solution is to add additional days to the completed date. To explain further, if the company were to add 5 days to there project due date (25 days) it will give them an extra week in case there are errors that slow the process of completing the project.
Chart your projects
Be sure to chart your progress and your projects. You can use two different types of charts; either a Gantt chart or a PERT chart. The Gantt Chart is very useful because it will show the timeline from the beginning of the project to where it is at the current time. It shows the estimated length of time until completion. You can add milestones to your project; the Gantt Chart shows when you have reached those points. The Pert Chart shows the dependencies of tasks together in the Time section. The Pert Chart shows a cross line of tasks meeting and whether or not they will cross paths. There are templates to help you chart your plan found here ProjectConnections.com or at Project Management Templates.