You're struggling to meet project deadlines. How can you set realistic goals to boost productivity?

When leading a project, I believe every project manager must constantly assess the team's capabilities and any difficulties faced on a weekly basis. At times, we can feel pressured to provide deadlines; however, stepping back and assessing the project progress along with the team's commitments helps in providing accurate deadlines.

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -Neil Armstrong Now this is a life changing event in above quote, but translating this to a project is that if you take lots of small steps or individual tasks for progress, the overall project will benefit. Always thinking about projects status, action and accomplishments one step or task at a time will inevitably lead to project success.

I find prioritizing tasks to be a skill that is learned from constant practice when leading projects. Initially, it can be overwhelming, especially when there are critical deadlines to meet. However, accepting that mistakes can happen makes for an opportunity for every project manager to learn from and further understand how to prioritize tasks based on their importance.

A key discussion point in creating a project plan is to evaluate and outline the critical path of a project. Defining what are "nice to have" versus "must have" in regards to completion of project tasks is a very important step in prioritization.

Monitor the daily tasks either through tracker or tools like Jira. Identify the backlogs and list down the reasons for the same. Measure the velocity using burn up chart to maintain the agility of the task. Hold people accountable for the delay.

Celebrating achievements, no matter how minor, is essential for boosting motivation and team spirit. It emphasizes how important it is to reach goals and recognizes everyone's hard work. These occasions, which can range from a small token of appreciation to a lavish award, help to create a positive team environment and motivate continuing hard work.

It's always helpful to periodically bring your client through the project plan, describe the actions being taken and reviewing status to plan with them. It always improves the final discussion and deliverables.