Setting A Standard For Success

Does your company have a definition for success? Without one it may be hard to effectively turn over projects.

When you run a project-based business like mine, there are often a variety of obstacles that come with the successful completion of a project. But not knowing when you’ve actually finished can be one of the most damaging.

You, your employees, and your clients likely to have varying definitions for success. Starting projects without any criteria to verify success can cause teams to doubt the progress, so eliminate this by setting a standard. It may be after the client signs off or upon the completion of the entire scope of work. Defining this will ensure efficiency and effectiveness within your organization.

Setting your standard for success often comes with trial and error. I previously generated a few factors for measuring success of a project, but I wanted to add a few more:

Communication. The successful production and completion of a project isn’t possible without the proper chains of communication. Direct communication should be taking place between everyone working on the project, along with the customer. How will you know the status of the project without regular updates?

Objectives. Does your finished product meet all of its business objectives? This often goes beyond customer satisfaction. Unmet objectives may be a sign of insufficient resources or work. To be sure all objectives are met after completion, reach out to the end users of this product and verify their feedback.

Timeline. Success is often meeting a deadline. It’s possible the schedule of the project relates to either a budget or product launch date, so timing is an easy way to define terms for success. Sometimes clients come to us with a hard deadline, and other times they’re just looking for the end product. Either way, my team always have a schedule we need to meet.

Scope. What’s your timeframe? Even if it’s just a list of features or a simple idea, your scope of work should be driving force of your project.

Evaluation. The honest evaluation of a project is key to understanding where you are and how far you have to go in terms of success. Evaluation should take place throughout the timeline of the project. Is the project satisfactory? Are you within budget? Reach out to your project managers, employees, and even your customers during your evaluation.

Budget. Money is typically the most important factor for many projects. Did you stick to the budget? For your business to remain profitable, it’s always good to keep budget in mind throughout a project--especially if you’re hoping to come out under the expected budget.

Team satisfaction. Project management often leads to taking your team for granted. This can happen when you’ve become accustomed to working with them for so long. Focus on keeping your team happy to ensure the best results on all of the projects that you’re working on.

Customer satisfaction. It’s your job to figure out what your clients are looking for in order to ensure their happiness. Tracking client satisfaction isn’t always easy. Ask them to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 every week or so, and analyze and review your findings. This will give your team a better idea of how to meet their needs.

Quality of work. Keeping track of the quality of your team’s work is highly important in indicating success. The quality of one project often affects another. Having a consistent track record for your projects will produce a level of client satisfaction that could possibly generate new client referrals.

Follow-up. Projects are often passed off to clients never to be heard from again. Radio silence doesn’t always mean satisfaction. Reach out to your previous clients and evaluate the adoption of the work you provided them with. Are things still going smoothly? If not, ask what changes are necessary. This will likely create a chance for other business opportunities.

Creating a definition for success will help you and your team ensure all around satisfaction on the completion of projects. Make sure the standard is known throughout the company.