As a parent, you can apply techniques normally used for million-dollar business projects to manage family life. Project management principles can help reduce stress, improve communication, and streamline life at home.

Here’s an example of how my husband and I use project management at home to manage schoolwork and chores, as well as suggestions for other families.

How We Use Project Management at Home

We use project management techniques to manage schoolwork and chores for my nine-year-old son. We start by writing down what my son needs to do for school and his chores for that day on a whiteboard. When he accomplishes a task, we erase it. If there are tasks that take longer than a day, like a school art project, we list those at the bottom of the whiteboard in a separate box so we can remember to keep working on it.

My son gets certain amount of screen time when he accomplishes his tasks. We also ask him what he thinks the consequences should be for not completing his work and come to an agreement. 

During the day, if he asks me if he can have screen time, I tell him the check his list first and see what needs to be done.  We often talk through how to plan his time and when he will do various tasks, based on how the day is going.

The Benefits of Project Management at Home

One benefit of this approach is that it allows my son to work independently because he knows what he needs to do and can choose when he does particular tasks. It also improves communication between my husband and me because we can both see what our son has to do. It reduces the need for back-and-forth conversation that may interrupt our day. This process has also improved communication and understanding with our son.  His input brings buy-in when those rewards or consequences are implemented. Plus, he gives us less pushback because he has been involved in the planning process and isn’t surprised by anything.

Our system is paying off in other ways, too. Most importantly, we’re starting to see my son plan out his day and prioritize tasks it on his own. For example, this weekend he’s planning when he’s going to do his chores, have his screen time, and go outside and play with his friends. These project management techniques are helping to develop executive functioning and planning skills that will serve him well in school and later in life at work.

Suggestions for Other Families

Here are some suggestions for other families for how to use project management at home for schoolwork and chores.

1) First, talk about an upcoming project as a family. Communication is key, as people are more likely to want to do something if they were involved in the planning. Get family members’ input on what needs to be done and how to do it, and agree in advance on rewards and consequences.

2) The next step is to identify the work and clearly communicate it; this is the foundation of project management. Make a list of each task, who’s responsible for it, and when it needs to be completed. Break it down into small enough tasks that the kids can understand. Younger kids need easier tasks, while older kids can handle more complicated ones. There are a variety of task management tools to choose from: sheets of paper, whiteboards, calendars, spreadsheets, posters, or even computer programs. A simple system with a few sheets of paper may be fine for a smaller family, while a larger family may require spreadsheets or task management software or apps. Choose the least complex system that works for your family.

Identify the work and clearly communicate it; this is the foundation of project management.

3) To motivate your kids to get things done, add personalized rewards. Think about what motivates your kids and how to tie it to the work. You can use points or stars to bundle tasks to reach a larger reward, or use completion of a day’s or week’s tasks to equate to the reward. Change up the rewards to keep things interesting for your child. In our house, we’ve gone from trips to the dollar store, to trips to toy stores, to screen time and an allowance.

Together, these steps can help families strengthen teamwork, streamline workloads, and teach executive function skills to our children. I hope you find these insights helpful. Let me know if you have any questions or success stories from using project management at home!

Hilary Kinney is the author of Project Management for Parents, a timeless book that provides resources for busy parents to streamline life at home. She is a certified Professional Project Manager with 17 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company.