Any project comes with its fair share of twists and turns, ups and downs, and that constant threat of failure. Why not try your best to straight line the process and reduce your chances of failure. By following this 5 Point Project Checklist, we allow you to do exactly that. Reduce the odds of failure while simultaneously getting organized, assigning crucial tasks, and forming a plan that works for you.
This article will cover what we believe are the 5 most crucial aspects of a project checklist. While others may disagree (and that’s ok because there is no one recipe for success), this is what rvResortScout has used to propel our business forward and obtain the level of success we have. We will touch upon the five topics: roles and responsibility, vision, budget, timeline and scope, and scheduled-check ins. Now let’s see how each of these contributes to the success of your project.
Before starting your project, you should have a clear idea of your role in the business.
Roles and Responsibilities
Before starting your project, you should have a clear idea of your role in the business. Will you be handling sales? Will you be in charge of customer service? Or will your role encompass all of these tasks? So, whatever your role is, be sure to identify it and stick to it. One of the biggest reasons businesses fail is not sticking to their roles or having no clear roles. If no direction is given, people will either remain stagnant, focus on tasks they shouldn’t focus on, or combine the two.
Use your project checklist to stay on task. Some key points of this topic include:
- Delegating work to the right people
- Staying within your line of work
- Be extremely clear with role responsibility.
- Do a weekly/monthly check to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding their tasks.
If you follow these rules, it will make your project flow smoother and result in a higher completion percentage of your tasks. Take a look at your business now and determine who should be working on what and assign clear-cut tasks with clear objectives to your team. Be sure you focus on the tasks that are most crucial to the functioning of your business.
Keep people on the same page and follow through with your team to ensure everyone knows the important role in bringing this vision to life.
Have a Vison
Having a vision for you and your team to follow is crucial to the success of your business. Keeping everyone on the same page of your vision is where the difficultly lies. As a business owner, people might be at a disconnect with how you see things. It is up to you to keep everyone on the same page and work towards completing the vision.
It might even help to create a vision board where you outline the steps it will take to bring your business to your end goal. People should know their role in this whole process and strive to work their best to complete it. Now might be that perfect time to think about setting up a team meeting or perhaps even sending out a group email to remind everyone of the goals and what we are doing to work towards project completion. Keep people on the same page and follow through with your team to ensure everyone knows the important role in bringing this vision to life. So reach out today and get everyone on the same page.
Not having a well-planned budget will leave you struggling down the line.
Project Checklist: The All-Important Budget
This step of your project checklist needs to be carefully calculated and thought to see your project to completion. Running out of money when your project is 80% complete and about ready to start making revenue is never fun. Unfortunately, this is what happens to many business owners. Not having a well-planned budget will leave you struggling down the line.
Your team should forecast any expenses, consider everything from salary to web cost, campground overhead, rent, etc. and then leave wiggle room for the unforeseen expenses. A water line on your property breaks, and you need to spend $5,000 to get it fixed. A swarm of insects terrorizes your trees and leaves your campground looking barren and left with a $1,000 pesticide bill.
All these expenses (web cost, rent, campground overhead, etc.), the project budget, should be thought of, and if needed, you should allocate funds to cover these expenses. If you already have a budget in place, take this time to review it. Ensure it still accurately reflects all the costs associated with your business; if you don’t have one create a spreadsheet and create a budget. Looking for some helpful budget-creating spreadsheets, you can check out Template.net, where you can find an array of budget-planning spreadsheets.
… be sure to update your project timeline constantly.
Timeline & Scope
When creating a project checklist, you should always have a timeline in mind. A completion date, milestones that need to be reached, and all the work that needs to be done to complete the task. This should be made known to the whole team. Your team needs to know what needs to be done and what should be completed to meet the project deadline.
As a quick tip, be sure to update your project timeline constantly. If you find you are running ahead or behind, adjust accordingly. Oftentimes people forget that one small change that delays you a day or two can push you back significantly. Make adjustments and do your best to stick to the timeline that you planned out.
Understanding the scope of your project goes a long way. When the scope changes, the timeline can be significantly altered. If a pool remodeling turned into a massive water leak followed by a drainage issue, that 2-month project might have turned into a 6-month nightmare. Regardless, Milestones should adjust the milestones and subsequent timeline accordingly, and everyone should be made aware of the changes. New completion dates should be set, new work schedules, and the overall scope of the project, need to be adjusted.
… be sure to regularly schedule check-ins where people can share thoughts, address concerns, and get an overall update on the project …
Scheduled Check-ins
Weekly, monthly, or even quarterly meetings are a must for any business. Keeping people on the same page and communicating with them any updates is key. This also gives people a chance to share the roadblocks and successes they have had throughout the way. Perhaps the biggest benefit is bringing so many minds together, so ideas are thrown around, and you see ways to improve your business.
If you have a large team, perhaps the best way to complete this objective is to use a forum where people can submit their questions beforehand so you can answer them to the best of your ability. If you have a smaller team, you may have a more intimate meeting to share the attendees’ thoughts. Regardless of your approach, be sure to regularly schedule check-ins where people can share thoughts, address concerns, and get an overall update on the project at hand.
5-Point Project Checklist Summary
After reading this article, you should know how to keep your project on track, see it from start to finish, and keep your whole team on board throughout the duration of the process. Focusing on just these 5 topics has the ability to boost your chances of overall success greatly. We hope you will now take the time out of your busy day to do a quick review of your business as a whole. Schedule a meeting, review your budget, understand your time-line and scope, clarify your vision, and identify each person’s roles and responsibilities.
rvResortScout will be here with you every step of the way. If you are interested in receiving some guidance on completing these objectives, please book a discovery meeting with our team. You will see the full array of rvResortScouts offerings and how we can help you keep your project on track.
