Every small business owner knows that no matter how much they like their employees, or how much the employees like them, more often than not, the employee will eventually move on to “greener pastures.” Most of the time, your employees leave your company on their own terms. But what happens if one of your clients lures them away? If you run a staffing agency, this is all too often a reality.

If you are providing consulting services to a client, your employees are at risk of being lured away with a job offer from the very client you were helping out. This is why any time you provide employees for consulting, you should have your client sign a staffing agreement. This agreement states that they will not attempt to hire any of the employees or staff you provide during your consulting agreement. This ensures that your best employees stay with you, and allow you to provide better services, knowing that there is little risk of your employees being hired away.

For more tips on running a staffing agency, visit the TechInsurance Small Business Center. Here you will find valuable resources including templates for project management, information on contracts, managing timelines and more.

So you think you’re a subcontractor right? Well do you have a contract? The problem that seems to be floating around the subcontractor/independent contractor arenas these days is the lack of education when it comes to drafting service contracts. As an independent contractor, you are your own company and if you don’t have contracts that clearly define your scope of work, payment structures, etc. you will eventually be giving away your services and losing your “company” money.

Not only is it important for you to have the proper insurance coverage as a subcontractor, it is important that your risk is managed in other ways as well. Although no contract is guaranteed to be perfect, they can prevent you from having to do extra work, or bending over backwards for clients who constantly change the scope of your project. Once it is in writing, you can be rest assured that you, the employee know exactly what the job entails, and you, the manager know that the contract will not be changed without your approval.

For more information on subcontractor agreements, visit www.ContractEdge.com or you can visit the TechInsurance Small Business Portal for tips and tricks on managing successful projects.

Every project needs a timeline. Whether you are creating a revolutionary jet engine for the government, the latest smart phone, or if you are developing an office network – timelines are the key to success. They keep you on track, they keep you on budget, and maybe even more importantly, they help keep your clients out of your hair.

As any project manager knows, the relationship between their company and the client hinges greatly on whether or not the project you were hired to manage is successful or not. If the client is not aware of what is going on at all times, they are going to become anxious and leery of where all of their hard earned money is going. This is where project timelines can help. With a clearly labeled timeline, the client will know exactly when to expect specific items and parts of the project from you. An informed client is a happier client, and a happier client is more likely to let your company do its job and not interfere with questions and concerns.

On your side of things, timelines give everyone on the team a goal to shoot for, and no matter how big or how small the project is, finishing on time gives everyone a sense of accomplishment. Start implementing timelines for every project you have, no matter how small, mundane or menial it seems. You will begin to see a difference.

For more information on managing IT projects, visit the section just for IT Managers on the TechInsurance Small Business Center. Here you will find valuable tips and resources for managing risk, employees, and deadlines.

If you are having trouble keeping your management consulting projects on task, consider creating custom timelines for each of your projects. Having timelines allows your employees to stay on task, since the due dates for their individual pieces of the project are clearly laid out. Timelines also ease your client’s mind, since they know that you have taken the time to explain when items will be due. There will be less back and forth from clients, wanting to know when pieces are going to be delivered.

Timelines also reduce your risk of being sued, since items are less likely to be overlooked and, if the client agrees to the timeline, you cannot be held liable for delivery unless it doesn’t get delivered in the agreed time frame. You will no longer have to go back and forth between emails to see when items were promised, delivered, or returned, it should all be right in front of you!

For more tips on how to effectively oversee management projects, visit the Small Business Center at TechInsurance.com. The Small Business Center has tips and resources for business of all types, allowing them to effectively reduce their risk, and manage their projects better.

One of the biggest roadblocks to completing your software development projects on time, is staying on task with the individual pieces. Whether you are creating a brand new piece of software, or if you are simply working the bugs out of an automation system, it is important to begin creating timelines for every one of your projects.

Having timelines gives you a visual representation of each component of the project, and will even help your employees and contractors see just how important getting their piece done on time really is. Timelines allow you to see potential potholes in the road to success and give you enough warning so you can usually avoid them.

Timelines also allow you to communicate more definite dates to your clients and internal supervisors. You can assure them that the projects will be completed on time, since it is all laid out and scheduled accordingly.

For more tips on how to effectively manage the software development and programming process, visit the Systems Integrators section of the TechInsurance Small Business Center. Here you can find tips on choosing the right insurance, translating what your customer really wants into specialized software and programs, and creating project agreements that benefit both you and your client.