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Sports are a rapidly developing area, which will grow in the foreseeable future. This field incorporates multiple events, people, organizations, audiences, and other constituents of mass appeal. Organizing initiatives on such a scale takes managerial skills and project thinking. Any sports manager should view their activities as part of a larger task. Understanding strategic planning is essential in ascertaining the necessary steps in the management process of a sports project.
The first step is defining the goal of a project. Before devising a strategy, it is important to outlay the purpose of the planned undertaking. Petkovic et al. (2016) argue that goal setting should reflect the mission of an organization that implements a project. Specifically, goals should be formulated considering the mission, but they have to acquire a formula reflecting the result in time (p. 65). It means that a sports manager has criteria for evaluating whether the project is successful. They should be defined during the goal-setting stage.
The second step is the selection of the strategy for executing a project. At this stage, a manager starts to consider the general direction of project implementation. For this purpose, a strategic analysis of internal and external factors is conducted (Petkovic et al., 2016). It outlines the opportunities, threats, favorable conditions, and negative factors for the outcome of a project. In practice, this stage means composing documentation and registering a project.
The next step entails the operational planning of a project. Unlike the previous stages, which were theoretical and detached from reality, this one directly relates to the actual implementation. Whereas strategizing is about the long-term perspective, operational planning requires a sports manager to set short-term goals (Petkovic et al., 2016). For instance, if the project is holding a regional soccer competition, the corresponding goals are inviting the teams to play, hosting them, advertising the event, gathering viewers, and other organizational activities. The manager also decides on the key people involved in the project, the resources, and finances, which are critical for the project.
An important part of operational and strategic planning is the selection of tools. Petkovic et al. (2016) write that the correct choice can increase the opportunities for small and medium business survival in the competitive business environment and contribute to its growth (p. 59). An example of an effective tool in project management is a Gantt chart. Essentially, it is a graphical representation of the scheduled activities and their time frames (McHale, 2020). Not only can they provide an overview of an entire project, but they also allow a manager to track the overall progress. Gantt charts are an effective solution for planning activities and checking their status within the final step of project management, which is implementation.
Altogether, there are four steps in managing a sports project. The first is setting an overall goal, the second is devising a strategy, the third is operational planning, and the fourth is the actual implementation of a project. A particularly useful tool for management is Gantt charts, which allow the director to keep track of progress. They enable the manager to employ a broader vision and evaluate how well the results correspond with goals. In general, project management in sports is similar to other areas, with the difference being a larger emphasis on the type of sport involved and the target audience.
References
McHale, B. (2020). How can Gantt charts improve your project management? ProjectCentral. Web.
Petkovic, J., Jasinskas, E., & Jesevi
ikt-Ufartien, L. (2016). Significance of strategic planning for results of a sports organization. Ekonomika a Management, 19(4). 56-72. Web.
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