Introduction

““Begin with the end in mind”
-Stephen Covey
”

As a small business owner, you’re required to wear many different hats. You’re an expert in your field, a marketing specialist, a sales person, an entrepreneur, and an accountant. One role you may not think you need to take on is that of project manager.

When you think of project management, many people tend to picture teams in large corporations working on large-scale projects. You may not be aware that many of your small business’ processes are actually projects as well. You may not feel the need to understand how project management works, since it’s assumed that a small business owner can handle everything themselves.

However, proper planning is required even for small projects in small businesses. An investment in planning upfront can make the entire project much easier to implement and more effective in the results you get. There are many benefits for you, as a small business owner, in learning the basics of project management and the stages that a project goes through.

Following standard project management principles helps you to efficiently manage costs and resources, and to more effectively meet client expectations. The result is a business that’s more manageable and profitable. Project planning keeps your business and clients healthy and happy.

In this course, you’ll learn proven project management processes and strategies specific to small and medium sized businesses. You will then apply what you’ve learned to one of your own projects.

By the time you finish this course, you’ll be able to:

• Clearly define and understand the stages of a project appropriate to small or medium sized projects.
• Develop a project plan to help frame and organize your project.
• Develop an implementation plan to monitor the progress of your project.
• Plan your project review and the activities needed in order to finish and close a project upon completion.