How Virtual Assistants Can Help You Manage Your Projects
By Mary Mateus // Virtual Hero
It was Douglas Brandt who once said: “Central to any journey is defining the destination.” Although entrepreneurs and rising professionals have different journeys along with their professional and business careers, the goal of every journey is to reach a specific destination. Our team of Virtual Assistants are trained to use their expertise and skills to support you on everything related to Project Management (PM) by managing complex projects in various dynamic environments.
Project Management involves a variety of techniques and tools used by project managers and stakeholders to prepare and consolidate project plans.
At OrangeUP we believe that the appropriate use of these tools is the linchpin of success for any professional or organization. In this edition of our blog, we will discuss how our virtual assistants manage the different processes involved in the four phases of PM: initiation, planning, execution, and closing.
Insights
Our team can support you from beginning to end in all the developmental phases of project management.
We are learning for our clients all the time. Here’s a quick and simple checklist to get started with a virtual assistant.
INITIATION
The project initiation phase is the first phase within the project management life cycle, as it involves starting up a new project. Within the initiation phase, the business problem or opportunity is identified, a solution is defined, a project is formed, and a project team is appointed to build and deliver the solution to the customer.
PLANNING
In the planning phase, we help our clients prepare to effectively articulate the schedule, scope, and cost of the project. To accomplish this we can: 1) help you consolidate project plans by outlining the activities, dependencies, and timeframes; 2) provide assistance writing and organizing information related to the establishment of the goals and objectives to be achieved during the project and how the project will be carried out to meet the objectives; 3) attend virtual meetings and take notes on different topics including key requirements, expectations of the stakeholders, major milestones, resources required, major risks, etc.; 4) coordinate the preparation of a project budget by providing cost estimates for the labor, equipment, and materials costs for the project; 5) support you to find ways to organize databases based on your organization’s criteria. Alternatively, we can suggest different models for organizing your projects like using a project
for the development of the project.
EXECUTION, MONITORING & CONTROL
Project monitoring and control entails special attention to meeting all the commitments proposed in the project plan. It begins by collecting the measures and metrics defined in the planning phase to monitor project performance. To accomplish this purpose our VAs can: 1) document all the changes related to the execution of the project; 2) help you create and keep a status report highlighting relevant aspects such as project measures and high priority risks and issues; 3) pay close attention to change control orders and make sure that they are all documented.
CLOSING
Closing a project is a relevant phase in PM as it helps you determine if the project achieved the objectives and requirements as laid out in the project plan. Our team of VAs can 1) help you consolidate information to develop a closure plan; 2) organize documents to ensure that all activities on the project have been completed; 3) make sure all deliverables have been turned over to the customer; 4) create final reports highlighting lessons learned and best practices for the benefit of future projects.
Based on your particular requirements and needs, our team can support you from beginning to end in all the developmental phases of project management. By doing so, we can help you start taking more control over your projects and make sure that everything is being accomplished in a timely fashion.
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