When you start a brand new project, the outcome can seem a long way off and completely out of reach.

One of the suggestions we made in overcoming this (what may seem to be) mammoth problem, was to work backwards - from outcome to beginning, in addition to working out our project in the normal manner.

But one thing we haven't looked at is the importance of proper time management as it relates to project management.

Obviously the bigger the project is, the longer it is going to take to do. The bigger the project, usually means there are more people involved as well. So not only do you have to manage your time, but you have to manage theirs as well.  Given the problems associated with working with other people, this can have a major impact on the timeline and budget. All you need is for one of the "Team" members to do a little less today than they should have been able to do, and you will have delays further down the line. To give you an example - take any kind of production line. If the worker at the beginning of the job decides to miss something off the assembly or wastes time or walks off the job - the finished product will be a) delayed and b) faulty. So as a project manager it is essential to find the right people for your particular production line. Does everyone want to be involved? Are they enthusiastic or there because someone told them they should be? Are they helpful or disruptive? Are they a team player or should they be off manning a lighthouse somewhere?

So how can you ensure your project moves forward in the way that it should - apart from doing the work yourself, or making sure the people you hire to help, do help rather than hinder.

One of the best ways is to ensure people are accountable for their actions. Regular team meetings. What's done, what needs to be done? Where are the hold ups? Peer pressure can work when nothing else will. As well as having realistic milestones. Rome wasn't built in a day, because there were so many people and so many things to construct. Put your project into perspective - it's important.

But there is a better way than the stick approach and that is to give people a sense of pride in what the outcome will be. "I helped design that ..." "I helped build that ..." "My team ...."

Break down the project into manageable sizes. Don't make the chunks so big, that even the chunks are daunting. Make every day doable and make every day count.