{"id":27556,"date":"2022-03-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/?p=27556"},"modified":"2026-02-17T15:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:40:50","slug":"project-management-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/project-management-tips","title":{"rendered":"10 Proven Project Management Tips For Small-Team Project Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Small teams face very different project management challenges<\/a> compared to larger teams. In this article, you\u2019ll learn proven project management tips that you can implement in your creative, consulting, or implementation projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a project manager, you\u2019re constantly balancing work quality, deadlines, and budgets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smaller teams have very little wriggle room. As a result, things can quickly become stressful. These often result not only in work management and delivery<\/a> issues but also in team burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips that will help you manage project projects successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Confirm capacity before taking up new projects<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a small agency, consultancy, or software team, every new project is an opportunity to grow your business. That\u2019s why it\u2019s hard to say no to new projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, your team is already stretched delivering existing projects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By taking on new projects without looking at your team\u2019s schedule, you risk overworking your team, annoying existing customers, and failing to satisfy your new customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you get around the capacity planning challenge?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most new project managers rely on either their memory, Excel sheets, or capacity planning tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t rely on memory alone. It\u2019s hard to remember every detail. Simple things like keeping track of employee off-days and shared team schedules can trip your memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use spreadsheets to track your team\u2019s capacity<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

However, spreadsheets are not very collaboration-friendly. Plus, they are not very efficient. You\u2019ll have to look at multiple resource planning spreadsheets<\/a> to track your team\u2019s capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use capacity planning tools<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Toggl
Visualize your team’s capacity in Toggl Plan<\/a>‘s Team timeline view. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Capacity planning tools<\/a> make it easy to track your team\u2019s availability. However, most capacity planning tools are made for enterprise businesses. They are either too complex, too expensive, or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Set expectations early<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Setting expectations early is universally critical for all projects, small or large. However, small teams often ignore it. They tend to overpromise delivery schedules and overlook their team\u2019s workloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end result is failed project delivery and overworked, burnt-out teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to set clear expectations?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Expectations are set early in the project\u2019s lifecycle during the initiation phase. Learn more about the four phases in our project management guide for beginners<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Define project goals<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Goals bring clarity to your project\u2019s objectives. Everything else follows from these goals, thus help you avoid conflicts in later stages of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establish project scope<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A documented project scope helps you prioritize project initiatives and avoid last-minute scope changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use Gantt timelines <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
You can visualize your project’s schedule using Toggl Plan’s Project timelines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Gantt chart timeline is a visual representation of your project\u2019s schedule. Instead of looking at boring spreadsheets, a timeline gives your team and your clients a clear overview of project schedules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project timelines are especially useful for complex projects that involve shared resources and have dependencies across other projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most visual project management tools<\/a> come with a Gantt timeline feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Add milestones to your schedule<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Splitting your project into phases and establishing delivery milestones along the way helps you manage your projects better. You can better manage expectations and risks. As a result, this improves your project\u2019s success rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, milestones also give your team something to look forward to and motivate them to get work done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to identify milestones?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Create
Set clear deadlines with color-coded milestones in Toggl Plan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We look at project milestones in detail<\/a> here. But here are the steps to identify and manage project milestones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with a project roadmap<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A project roadmap<\/a> is a high-level overview of the project\u2019s schedule. Typically created in the early planning stages, a roadmap helps you and the clients understand the project timeline<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divide the roadmap into phases<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you have the roadmap ready, divide it into more manageable phases. Each phase marks the end of a project execution stage. At the end of each stage, you deliver something concrete to the client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set milestones <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The end of each project phase falls on a specific date. Add this date as a milestone in your project. Once everyone agrees upon a milestone, every possible effort should be made to meet these deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Manage risks <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Risks are unexpected occurrences that affect a project adversely. They are inevitable in any project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your problem-solving and project management skills are tested during such times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone involved in a project \u2014 project managers, project team members, and stakeholders \u2014 must keep an eye on potential risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For successful project management<\/a>, project managers must learn how to deal with risks. Dealing with risks involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n