How to Start a New Project at Work

November 29th, 2023 (11 months ago) • 1 minute

Project management is challenging, but it's a skill everyone needs to cultivate for improvement.

Here's how I'd approach a new technical project:

1. Select a problem with high business impact or one that addresses a critical pain point. Quantify the problem using key metrics; Do market research confirms its significance and whether people want it to be solved over other problems.

2. Secure buy-ins from key team members, possibly 1 or 2 senior individuals. This is crucial for garnering support and facilitating communication when presenting to the rest of the team.

3. Draft a Request for Comments (RFC) and, as the project owner, encourage team members to provide comments and address feedback. Avoid initiating development at this stage.

4. Conduct a whiteboarding session with the team to discuss design and implementations, if necessary.

5. Share decisions and plans with the entire team.

6. Start development.

7. Regularly update the team and customers on the project's progress.

8. Avoid waiting for perfection before release. Aim to launch as soon as possible and iterate from there.