There are a few small project team challenges that most project managers will come across at some point. By being aware of them it is going to be far easier for you to lower the risks associated with them.
Indeed, by approaching these challenges in the right way then you can find solutions that help you to make your project management career brighter and more successful. Don’t fear smaller projects when you can get so many benefits from them.
People Could Forget About You
When you run a small project it can be easy to feel sort of invisible. Maybe senior management rarely ask for an update or perhaps you feel as though no-one cares about what you and your team are doing.
This is one of the most common small project team challenges and it is something that you simply have to live with to some degree. You certainly can’t expect to take up lots of time updating the senior managers on something that is relatively simple.
However, perhaps you can turn this into a positive by seeing it as a way of working without too much pressure or attention. If you are quite new to project management and have recently completely your PRINCE2 Foundation training then this is a great way of gaining experience.
You Don’t Have a Wide Range of Skills
Even smaller projects can require a fairly wide range of skills. If you have only a few business analysts in your team then you might worry about being able to do all of the tasks that crop up over time.
Thankfully, there are a few solutions in this case that could turn out to big positives. For a start, you could use this as an opportunity to get a multi-skilled team by putting everyone through a number of training courses.
Another option is to outsource some jobs to contractors or freelancers as they become necessary. In this way, you will get used to running a bigger team and will have specialists on hand for whenever you might need them.
It should be easy to convince your manager that important training is needed for you and your team.
Lack of Motivation and Other Small Project Team Challenges
Another worrying possibility is that you find that you run out of motivation. This is another of the common small project team challenges you need to be aware of.
In this instance, what you could look to do is find ways of motivating yourself and your team. It is going to be extremely good news for your career if you can find methods of gaining motivation even on small and relatively unchallenging projects.
Of course, you will be keen to put your PRINCE2 techniques and methods into practice as much as possible. Perhaps you can use this as your main motivation, as your prepare yourself as well as possible for bigger projects in the future.
No matter how small your current project is, you shouldn’t lose sight of the need to run the work as professionally as possible. Provided that you do this you then there is nothing to fear and everything to gain from this type of work.