How to Make Your Plan a Success

Hint: Get the Right People on the Team

The one secret to success in project management: good people.

Good people make all the difference. They’re responsible for about 90% of any project’s success. Unfortunately, finding the right people is a real challenge. It’s not always easy to know who has what it takes to help you succeed.

Here are some tips that can help you get started finding the right people for your project.

Tip # 1 — Make a list of everything you will need to complete the project in order of priority.

The first thing you need to do to build a team is to make a list of everything you need to complete your project. Ask yourself what skills are required for the project and what experience will be helpful.

Perhaps you need one of the following:

• A designer who has the skills to create wireframes, prototypes and mockups
• A developer who can write code in a particular language
• A content strategist who can help structure and organize information in a meaningful way

Making this list is your compass that will guide you in finding the right team members. It will also help you think through all the different roles that are needed to make your product successful.

Tip # 2 — Make a list of preferred skills, and the top three requirements for each position.

Your goal is not to find people who can do any job: You want to find people who have the exact skills needed for each position.

To do that, make a list of preferred skills, and the top three requirements for each position.

For example:

• Must be able to work with JavaScript libraries like React
• Should have experience with data visualization tools like D3
• Preferred: Familiarity with database design and SQL queries