10 benefits of hiring a freelance project manager

A project manager is the one who steers the team towards the desired finish line and ensures that the team meets its deadlines; it requires a dedicated manager and a team to coordinate everyone’s efforts and stay on track. As the name suggests, a project manager coordinates the team's activities throughout the project.

Moreover, they also identify and take care of risks relating to the completion of the project and come up with solutions. They are also responsible for reporting back to the team on the project's progress. Hence, it is essential to understand why you need a project manager, the type of project you have, and how a competent project manager can help you.

Here are the top 10 reasons for hiring a freelance project manager:

Provide a Point of Contact

As a business owner, you and your employees are constantly busy. Whether providing services to customers or handling the business's day-to-day operations, the last thing you need to do is manage a project yourself — especially if you are not trained to do so. A project manager can serve as a practical point of contact for all parties involved in the project, keeping everyone abreast of the status of any given project.

Increase Project Efficiency

Project managers have years of experience dealing with projects of all types and sizes, allowing them to take a holistic approach to managing your business’s project needs. They can bring their ideas and proven methods for managing projects successfully and in the most efficient manner possible. Using this knowledge, they can seamlessly integrate into your existing team and make positive adjustments to improve team efficiency.

Control the Project's Scope

Creating a budget for your project is one thing, but sticking to it is another. That's why a project manager is so helpful in controlling costs. A good project manager can keep the project on track, helping to avoid cost overruns from scope creep.

A project manager will also help you understand all the costs involved in completing your project. That way, you can decide whether or not to pursue your project at all. It's better to find out upfront that your dream website redesign isn't possible within your budget than to learn that after spending thousands of dollars and several months working on it.

Manage Project Costs

The project manager will have a budget to work with, and it is their responsibility to make sure that the project stays within this budget. As a project progresses, costs are likely to change, and the project manager will need to understand how these changes will affect their budget, both positively and negatively. In addition, they will also need to be able to negotiate with suppliers or other contractors if they exceed their budget so as not to compromise on quality or service.

Managing Time and Deadlines

One of the essential roles of a project manager is to manage time and deadlines. This means ensuring that tasks are completed by the deadlines set for them. If a particular job is delayed, it can cause stress to other people on the team and push back essential milestones. 

A project manager will monitor the time spent on each task and ensure that deadlines are met. They will also report any issues with time management back to the team so they can be resolved.

Schedule the Work

A project manager is responsible for scheduling work throughout the project. This means they will create a timeline for when every task needs to be completed and what order they need to be completed. This schedule will ensure that no one is working on two tasks at once or has too much work to do in one day. It also makes sure there aren't any gaps in time where someone isn't working on anything, which would waste valuable resources.

Deal with Potential Risks

Projects are complex, and they involve many different people. As a result, project teams may face several potential risks that can interfere with the successful completion of a project. Project managers have the experience to help project teams be more effective by identifying any potential problems before they happen and then allowing the team to develop strategies to deal with those challenges.

Administer Procurements from Vendors

Project managers also oversee all the procurement of resources for a project. This includes getting quotes and bids from vendors, reviewing them, and selecting suppliers who offer high-quality products at reasonable prices. The project manager will negotiate terms of service and payment with vendors and manage their performance throughout the project.

Communicate with Stakeholders

A project manager can keep stakeholders informed of the project's progress through written and verbal updates. Their status reports will include current tasks, issues, changes, resources, and costs. These reports can be distributed to project team members and stakeholders via e-mail or in person at regular intervals throughout the project. In addition to detailed reports, the project manager should communicate with stakeholders promptly if any significant issues arise. If a critical resource leaves the company or is suddenly unavailable due to illness, you must let stakeholders know immediately so appropriate action can be taken.

Close the Project

At the end of a project, they will ensure that all tasks have been completed successfully and that deliverables have been delivered to stakeholders. They'll also prepare a final report summarising the work accomplished during the project and recommendations for improvement. This report becomes part of your organisation's product knowledge base for future development efforts.

Convinced to Hire a Project Manager?

Project management is a complex job, often requiring more than ten years of experience to master. If you decide to hire the services of a project manager, be sure that they possess all the necessary traits required for managing projects in your company. A good project manager is always flexible in their approach, fast at responding to changes in the development process, and highly interactive with other team members.