Best Practices in Project Coordination

At LevelTen, Project Coordinators wear a multitude of hats. The role is never exclusively defined because it bleeds into several areas. Because it is a mixture of so many aspects of the web business, it is important to follow best practices to make things a little less hectic. Whether discussing deadlines with clients or typing meeting notes, there are several items Project Coordinators should keep in mind when doing their job.

1. Writing and typing meeting notes is a key part of the Project Coordinator's role. I always make sure to bring my Action Book and a pen to every meeting I go to, even if it's a I only need 5 minutes of your time meeting. The most important thing in a meeting is to be able to take away Action Items for the next steps in the project. I do this by writing down important items of interest in the discussion and then forming conclusions about the next steps to take. It is always important to relay the Action Items back to all parties before the meeting is over, as well as typing them up in an email and sending to all members involved. Follow-up on each Action Item is also important, as people tend to forget.



2. Project Coordinators run the show, so they need to be a self-starter. I try to be the initiator on the project. Instead of an Account Manager coming to me and saying this needs to be done, I try to be on top of everything and initiate discussion first. It is important for me to feel in control of everything in the mix, and I do this by being proactive.


3. Project Coordinators need to be in control of their email. There is never anything left sitting in my Inbox. This is because I use the Getting Things Done - Inbox Zero Method to clear out my inbox every day. The content in my emails gets transferred to my task list, calendar, or reference system - organized folders in Outlook. Then in my task list, I prioritize everything by due date. If I had to deal with flagging emails all day I would go insane.


4. It is always important for Project Coordinators to keep open communication with everyone they work with. For me, there is no email or IM that goes unanswered and if I am told something important about the project, I type it up and save it in the project folder. My memory is not the greatest, so documentation always helps.


5. Project Coordinators need to be able to adapt and change, as the daily routine can be changed in an instant. New projects and therefore new clients come in the door and new responsibilities come into play. I never get too comfortable in my work because I know that at any moment I could be switching gears.

Recently, I have been creating documentation for Project Coordinators, which lists our day to day duties and what our responsibilities are. I believe that structure and processes are needed to be a Project Coordinator. Organization is key in the role as well as following the best practices which I have listed.