Project Management for Teachers

Your most effective teachers are good at designing the curriculum and managing projects all year round. These projects are implemented while keeping in mind student needs and at the same time making sure that rules and regulations are being followed. A class has a mix of students from different backgrounds and possessing different strengths and weaknesses. Hence the teacher has to apply a variety of methods to conduct the lesson in accordance with the capabilities of each student. Further teachers have to work in collaboration with other teachers, administrative staff and their subordinates. They have to provide status updates and make changes to meet the requirements of the given project.

So what is Project Management? In a project there are six phases that need to be managed well:

Scope

This defines the main purpose of the project. For example, in case of a written project like a book report you need to outline the duration, format, type of report, bibliography requirements etc.

Schedule

This will include important dates like starting date, completion date, submission date, other important milestones of the project etc.

Resources

Resources will include all the people involved i.e. teachers, students and maybe even the parents.

Budget

Budgeting means to estimate the cost of supplies i.e. all the material needed for the project.

Quality

You need to ensure all requirements are met and that the project is of high quality e.g. spelling and grammar check for a written project, well-written and easily comprehendible.

Risks

 Risks can be any unforeseen situations that can delay the project or may affect the quality of the work e.g. late submission due to other commitments.

The Do’s of Project Management

First of all keep everyone informed via a central and simple system like these:

Trello

For handling a team workflow Trello is a great project management tool. It can be used for organizing events, tracking projects, checking the status of tasks and time management. It basically uses cards, boards and lists to prioritize projects in a simple and flexible manner. Find more information at:
https://trello.com

JIRA

JIRA is a powerful, self-hosted project management tool. According to a report by Gartner, 2017, JIRA is amongst the top project management tools available online. From customized workflows to creating project milestones, reports and summaries to time tracking, it has all the important aspects that a project requires for efficient and timely management. To find out more go to:
https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira

Meister Task

MeisterTask is a free system that can be integrated into Google Drive. Hence it is a cost effective way of implementing project management into your school system. Check for details on their website: www.meistertask.com

So whether you are planning lessons, curriculum or making a new campus, a project management system will help you organize everything, budget money, time and deliver the project successfully. Please let us know what do you use to manage your institute?