Your volunteering organization is growing fast. How can you keep up with the demands of project management?

2 Choose your project methodology

Depending on the nature, size, and complexity of your project, you may want to adopt a different project methodology to guide your process. For instance, the Waterfall approach is linear and sequential, following predefined phases such as initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. This method is suitable for projects with clear requirements and minimal changes. On the other hand, Agile is an iterative and adaptive approach that delivers value in short cycles while incorporating feedback and changes. It's suitable for projects with uncertain or changing requirements that need flexibility and innovation. Lastly, Hybrid is a combination of both Waterfall and Agile methods that balances structure and flexibility. It's suitable for projects with both stable and dynamic elements that need to accommodate different stakeholder needs.

3 Use project management tools

To manage your project effectively, you need the right tools to help organize, communicate, and collaborate with your team and stakeholders. A project plan document is essential; it outlines the scope, objectives, deliverables, milestones, tasks, roles, and responsibilities of your project. You can use a Gantt chart, a timeline, or a work breakdown structure to visualize it. Additionally, a project budget document should be created to estimate the costs and revenues of your project. This can be done using a spreadsheet, software, or template. Finally, a project dashboard is necessary to display key performance indicators, metrics, and status of your project. This tool can be used to monitor progress, identify risks and issues, and report results.

5 Evaluate your project outcomes and impacts

Once you have completed your project, it is important to evaluate the outcomes and impacts in order to measure the success and learn from the experience. This will help you to improve future projects and demonstrate the value and impact to donors, partners, and beneficiaries. Evaluating project outcomes and impacts can be done through a project review, where you use a project closure report, evaluation report, or lessons learned report. Additionally, project feedback can be collected through surveys, interviews, or focus groups. Lastly, a project impact assessment should be conducted using a logic model, theory of change, or impact evaluation framework to assess the long-term effects of the project on its beneficiaries and society.