The Ins and Outs of Managing a Large-Scale Project

Managing a large-scale project, especially one that extends across platforms or mediums, can be challenging. Large-scale projects require multiple team members across departments and organizations to all work in sync. It is, therefore, important to identify and mitigate potential challenges early in the process to keep the project on track and under budget. 

At Grio, our product managers use several key strategies for success when managing any large-scale undertaking: 

1. Start with Clear Ideation

Before putting pen to paper (or, more realistically, fingers to keyboards), Grio likes to meet with a client several times to ensure we have a clear understanding of your short-term and long-term goals for the project. This process of collaborative ideation provides several key benefits. 

First and foremost, it allows everyone on the team to understand the overarching goal of the project. It allows you, the client, to fully realize your own vision and then successfully share it with the developers, designers, and managers who will be bringing it to life.

As the project becomes fully realized, it becomes easier to identify potential issues that we may encounter so that we can prevent them or prepare for them before they come to fruition. Minimizing unforeseen obstacles makes it much easier for the team to stay on track. 

Finally, the ideation phase allows the entire client-Grio team to define their roles and responsibilities, establish clear communication channels, set realistic deadlines, and agree on short-term and long-term goals for the project. 

2. Create Long-Term Milestones

Once the ideation phase is complete, our client-Grio team typically should have a comprehensive list of goals and deadlines for the project. It’s then time to create the long-term milestones for the project. 

The final project deadline is inked in red on the calendar, and then product managers begin to work backward, setting internal milestones for each step of the process. This allows the Grio team to further confirm that any deadlines set can be reasonably reached without compromising on quality or scope. 

3. Organize Short-Term Sprints

Grio’s Agile methodology allows for frequent check-ins between team members. For large-scale projects, Grio teams typically meet daily to check in and for sprint planning at least once a week to confirm that each team member understands their goals and is on time to meet their individual deadlines. If a team member is behind, those meetings allow the product manager to find solutions to keep the project on schedule.

The short-term sprints also let Grio deliver the client team smaller increments of the project at regular intervals, allowing for more effective client communications. It also allows Grio to work together with the client to catch any design issues during the initial stages rather than needing to implement large-scale revisions during the final stages of the project.

4. Encourage Communication

Grio product managers have one rule when it comes to challenging projects: Overcommunicating is the only way to success. They make sure each team member understands that there are no stupid questions and no shame in asking for help, and they give each team member the resources and support they need to succeed at every step of the project.

This safe-space approach allows team members to bring questions and concerns to her immediately so that they can find solutions quickly.

5. Maintain a User-Centric Approach

No matter how great a project is, it will only succeed with the approval of its users. Grio PMs are not only focused on a project’s progress but also on ensuring that the user’s needs and client’s visions aren’t lost along the way. 

It is especially important on large-scale projects to periodically reassess that the project is putting the users’ needs first. Whether it’s through user testing, user surveys, market research, client check-ins, or a number of other methods, Grio makes sure that each project prioritizes users. Whenever decisions are made throughout the process, they are made with the needs of the users in mind.

Managing Your Project with Grio

If you’re considering a large-scale project and need a software development company to manage the work, look no further than the wonderful product and project managers at Grio. We are here to help you through every step of your project, from ideation to execution. 

Schedule a free consultation with Grio and see how we can help!