In my signature DISCO framework, the C stands for Create. As in create phases and milestones for your workflow so tasks don’t get missed. Creating phases and milestones for your client workflow is a CRUCIAL first step in getting your client processes streamlined and automated.
But before I go into all the juicy reasons why phases and milestones are so important for an efficient process, let’s back up and talk about what exactly each of these are, shall we?
Phases
Any great project manager will tell you the best way to complete a big project is to break it down. You want to focus on one piece at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed and make sure that you are staying on target to complete your goal.
This holds true for your workflow, i.e. the steps you take to complete a project for your client. In order to help you manage your workload (how many client projects you can handle at once) you need to have phases in place and know what happens at each phase.
What constitutes as a phase?
A phase in your workflow will have the following characteristics:
-a clear set of tasks that must be completed
-tasks that should be completed in conjunction with each other or closely following each other
-a clear ending
This brings us to milestones.
Milestones
As Wikipedia puts it:
“Milestones are tools used in project management to mark specific points along a project timeline. These points may signal anchors such as a project start and end date, or a need for external review or input and budget checks.”
More plainly, milestones are checkpoints throughout your workflow that help you, your team and your client know you are on track to complete the project by the expected date.
Milestones are also significant because they mark the end of a phase in your workflow.
So now that you know what phases and milestones are and how they relate to your client management workflow (also called a process), let’s dig in to why these 2 things are so important.
Delegating
Delegating becomes WAY easier when you have clear phases and milestones in your client management workflow. Why? Because instead of piecemealing tasks and wasting a ton of time following up with a VA about this task and that, you can assign a phase to a VA, contractor, etc.
If you have successfully created phases and milestones for your process, then by simply telling your team that client x is in phase 2 everyone knows what to do.
Because remember, a phase has:
-a clear set of tasks that must be completed
-tasks that should be completed in conjunction with each other or closely following each other
-a clear ending
Read that again – a clear set of tasks and clear ending. By saying phase 2 every team member knows what those clear set of tasks are and when they are to be completed by (i.e. YOU don’t need to say go do this and this and this and get it done by this day).
See how this comes into play?
Automating
Just as with delegating, automating your process becomes much easier when you have a “flow” in place. When you know about how long each phase lasts and specifically what needs to be accomplished during what phase of the project, what to automate becomes clear.
For example, let’s say phase 2 of your workflow starts about 3 weeks after your project start date. And before you begin work on phase 2, you need a questionnaire filled out by your client. Set up a Dubsado workflow (or whichever tool you use to create such automations) to send the questionnaire 3 weeks after the project start date.
Now, you don’t need to remember so send the form and better yet, it will be completed and waiting for you right when you need it.