It’s time to break free from the chaos and start crushing your goals with an ideal project list. Simple, quick, and effective. Without wrapping yourself up in a web of deadlines and uncompleted tasks. So, prepare project details, make yourself a cup of coffee (or tea), and take over the world of organization and productivity.
This isn’t going to be an average to-do list. This is a checklist full of actionable tips that will help you streamline the way you work. Once and for all.
Table of Contents
Project tasks to check off to create a perfectly tailored project task list template
As soon as you decide where you want to create a project list, you can learn some rules that will be useful as you set it up. Here is step by step approach to creating a project task list. Let it simplify your planning.
#1 Scope out success
Before diving into creating your project list template, project managers, along with team members, have to have a clear idea of the scope (i.e., What does the project intend to accomplish?). It includes identifying the project’s goals, important tasks, and deliverables. Take into account your overall timeline and budget as well. This step is the one that is inevitable to make all your other steps much easier. Having a concrete reference to what your project is about will help you stay focused and have a better-organized task list.
Create and maintain an overview of the project scope statement to keep you and your team on track. This document can be extremely helpful if any modifications have to be made along the way.
📚 Learn more about how to manage scope creep to complete the project without fractions: 9 Scenarios of Unavoidable Scope Creep and How to Deal With Them
#2 Break tasks into smaller pieces (and set priorities)
Breaking large tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces is a wise strategy that helps you push the project forward (even with the most reluctant team member). It’s the tactic that allows you to easily track and update task progress, increasing your team’s productivity in return. Whenever people see that something is bringing them closer to their goal, it releases dopamine which evokes positive emotions.
Organize the logical sequence of completing the pieces. Start with the first one, then the second, then the third, etc. Identify which tasks are critical to the project’s success and prioritize them accordingly. Use a priority matrix to categorize tasks based on their importance and urgency.
#3 Identify who and where
When you have everything laid out on the table, it’s time to assign tasks to the particular team member. A great way to do this is to think of each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their availability.
Here’s where project management software comes in handy. With tools such as Allfred, you can easily identify which tasks have been assigned to whom, allowing you to operate them efficiently. Knowing who will be working on which part of the project and for how long is essential for effective communication and collaboration. Identify your team members and any other stakeholders – if you don’t leave anyone out, more chances that the project will succeed.
#4 Set a budget
Your project’s financial feasibility is dependent on planning a detailed budget plan. Determine the project’s cost and allocate resources accordingly. Be aware of any potential unexpected expenses.
You couldn’t have hit better than on Allfred. It’s a comprehensive tool for budget monitoring and planning. Create your own project list with budget spending – thanks to that, you’ll quickly notice any deviations in your budget. Any budget overruns? Or perhaps some free funds for additional activities? Using Allfred, you can catch them quickly and allocate resources accordingly.
#5 Plan realistic timelines and milestones
The project list wouldn’t be completed without setting up end dates. This is one of the hardest parts to do – anticipating a realistic timeframe for each project’s phase. Set milestones to better track progress and easily verify that you’re following deadlines. Having a clear timeline works as a boost for motivation. For example, you can easily spot any delays or check if a project is on schedule.
Allfred’s resource planning with the option to set deadlines allows you to set up to-dos and milestones that are perfectly spaced out. This way, you’ll have an eye on when your project will be ready for the next big step.
#6 Manage project risks
Managing risks beforehand will help you prevent future problems and set up backup plans for when the inevitable happens. Identify potential risks that could impact the project’s success. Develop a risk management plan to mitigate and respond to any risks that arise. Communicate the plan to all team members and do some training so that they are aware of how to react in particular situations.
#7 Develop a communication plan
To keep stakeholders in the loop, set up a communication strategy. Develop a communication plan that outlines how the project information will be shared, who will be responsible for communication, and how often updates will be provided. The same rules apply to communication within the team so that everyone is on the same page and knows about key decisions and developments in the project.
Finally, document all communications – both internally and externally – so that everyone is kept informed at all times. In case you don’t want to share the data with external contributors via your project management tool, you can, e.g., download all the project documents to a spreadsheet, such as Excel.
#8 Streamline routine tasks
What about having the skills to automate routine tasks, such as transferring data, copying texts, or generating reports? By automating those routine duties, you can save a lot of time and energy, allowing you to focus on more important tasks. There is also an option to connect your project management software with third-party applications and make it easier for team members to share data across multiple platforms.
#9 Monitor costs and progress
The better tool for budget planning you choose, the easier it is to track the progress of your projects and monitor their costs. If you have everything visualized clearly on your dashboard, you can easily see how much money you are investing in each project and check that the costs remain within your budget. With a better understanding of where the money is going, it will be easier for you to adjust to any changes and develop strategies for cost reduction.
It’s also a good time to mention the super handy Allfred feature – invoicing management. You can track and manage all your invoices in one place (their status, balance, and planned amount). And with its automated notifications, you can make sure that all your bills are paid on time.
#10 Review regularly
Now you understand why it’s so important to have a perfect tool for managing several tasks and creating project lists there. After all, your cooperation doesn’t end with the launch or completion of a project. Regularly review your tasks, check your team’s time balance, and track all incoming money. There will be no delays in your projects, and your finances will be in order.
What’s more, regular reviews can serve as an indicator of how successful each project is going to be. This way, it’s easier for you to recognize any potential problems and solve them before they cause bigger issues.
But… what if you could do it in a few simple steps with Allfred as your project manager?
“How much time does it take to check this list above off?” Maybe this is the first question you think of. All the tasks are already taking up enough of your time, so why add more?
Well, meet Allfred again.
Designed with creative teams in mind, Allfred, as one of the best project management software, helps you manage your projects efficiently by creating the perfect project list. It’s the ideal tool for getting organized and tracking progress quickly. It allows you to easily review project lists at any given time and verify that everything is running smoothly (especially in terms of budget).
With its real-time tracking and features, such as budgeting, invoicing, time tracking, and resources and tasks management, Allfred is the perfect solution for successful project completion.
Can you imagine Asana or Basecamp with complex finance features? So you see their integrations with Allfred.
➡️ Book a demo to see the tool in action. Allfred has all the features you need to get projects done on time, on budget, and with no surprises.
Shh! Don’t forget to save the project list template
To make things easier next time, you can save and archive past projects and use them as a template. During the process, you’ll notice methods that work for you and the ones that don’t. It is useless to keep setting them up over and over again. Pick the right tool that supports you in saving your project list template. Then, your team will save a ton of time and get started with every project title at full speed.
For example, Allfred allows you to use archived projects or pre-made budget templates with a click!
The project task list completed
You got it! Now you know how to create your perfect project list, and there’s nothing stopping you from being a superorganized project manager. Creating an ideal project list is an excellent way to stay focused, organized and achieve your goals faster. To sum it all up:
- Scope out success
- Break tasks into smaller chunks
- Identify who and where
- Set a budget
- Plan realistic timelines
- Manage project risks
- Develop a communication plan
- Streamline routine tasks
- Monitor costs and progress
- Review regularly
Let’s craft the ultimate project list that works for you. With much less effort (and with no missed due date!).
And Allfred can become your right hand for managing project task lists and keep this checklist above to the minimum. Go and see for yourself! 🚀
