If your business is planning a project then you’ll need to have all the right tools in place to complete it.

No matter what the task – whether it’s something completely new or an extension of your existing operation – it’s important to plan it out properly to assess whether or not you are able to do it and, if not, what it will take to get into a position to handle your project effectively.

Audit of existing equipment

First things first, what equipment do you already own? You need to keep a full record of all the equipment you have to hand so that you don’t go ahead and buy items that you don’t need. If you don’t have this already then now is the time to start as it could save you lots of time and money.

You then need to use this inventory wisely. Take a look at the equipment you have and check the condition it’s in. There’s no point banking on a piece of machinery that is long overdue a visit to the scrap heap. There’s also the issue of safety – your equipment might well need to comply with rules in this field. Make sure the equipment you own is in good working order before you get headfirst into the project and realise it’s not fit for purpose. That could only cause costly delays.

Effective project management

It’s important to understand exactly what you’re planning to do. Effective project management should take a task and break it down into all of the constituent parts that are needed to make it happen. As the Management Study Guide notes, proper project management must take a ‘scientific approach’ – and every scientific experiment needs the right equipment, right? This process should conduct the audit mentioned above and identify all of the skills and tools that need to be used at every step of the way. Once you know what you’ll need, you’ll be able to answer whether or not you have it.

Pinpointing specialist equipment

Effective project management might well identify the need for a piece of equipment that you don’t have access to. Then, it’s vital that you thoroughly research what you need and the ways in which you can obtain this.

Do you need to purchase a physical piece of equipment or can you hire it or sub-contract that part of the job? It’s important to be as specific as possible too. If your task involves preparing and painting an industrial surface, for example, then it’s not enough to know that alone. You need to be able to identify the exact type of blast cabinet that you might need to use, the media that is best to prepare your surface, and the paint required to handle the task in hand. By being as specific as possible you’ll be able to identify the very best piece of equipment for the job in hand.

Carry out an audit, break down the task in hand and search out any specialist items you need. Only then can you effectively answer whether or not you have the right tools to complete the task in hand.