Managing multiple solar installations simultaneously can be challenging. Without good solar project management practices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and fall behind on tasks. In this article, we’ve put together eight tips on how solar project managers can manage more installations efficiently.
1. Plan thoroughly before starting
Create a standardized project plan (template) that you can use for every solar installation. Set reasonable expectations and include quality gates to ensure solar energy project managers follow a standard. Knowing that busy times are coming up can help you better prepare for them.
2. Prioritize tasks that are urgent
Identify which tasks have the most impact on the progress of the installation and prioritize them accordingly. Group similar tasks from different installations to maximize your efficiency. To manage multiple installations, start by identifying what’s most important for each installation every day. You can plan your time and your team’s time around the most critical tasks for a project. Make a list of the project’s priorities and tasks within those projects that need immediate attention.
3. Track your progress
Keep an eye on how much time you are spending on every activity. You’ll soon get a feel for which task is taking up too much time. Block out some time each week to review your progress and update the installation progress regularly. Ideally, you are able to automate repetitive tasks that take most of your time.
4. Regularly review and adjust your plan
Be flexible and update your plan regularly as needed. Hold review sessions with your project management team to keep everyone on track. Communicate the progress of the installation with your customers for a better customer experience.
5. Delegate tasks when necessary
Trust your team and delegate tasks when you have too much on your plate. This allows you to focus on more important tasks. Even if you delegate, you still have to provide some oversight to your colleague to ensure the work is done effectively and to the required standard. By hiring the right solar energy project manager for your solar business, team collaboration and task delegation will be much easier.
6. Stay focused on the task
Multitasking is a myth. Start by blocking time in your calendar for one customer or installation or to do a specific task. This forces you to carve out time for a particular reason during the day and then stick to it.
7. Maintain effective communication
Communication is key to successful project management. Create an open space where team members can share information and discuss potential problems to avoid delays. Ideally, you have a system of record where all the communication takes place.
8. Utilize project management tools
Use processes, systems, and tools to stay organized so that you can always find documents and plans that relate to a particular installation or customer. Make sure that you keep everything in order so that you don’t waste time looking for things. Automate processes to save time and manage more installations per project manager.
Manage multiple solar installations on Kwest
Kwest offers innovative features to help you manage more solar installations at once. Our software lets you quickly see everything that’s in progress and the status of every installation. By creating structure, Kwest helps project managers to drive better day-to-day decision making for more profitable installations. By implementing automation, Kwest helps project managers to reduce manual work and thereby manage more solar installations.