The biggest monuments in history couldn’t have been built without effective project management. They all required a clear goal, spotless organization, and people knowing their roles. These iconic landmarks are still standing today, and so will your business if you manage your projects thoughtfully.
By introducing online project management software into your team, projects will be clearly laid out, deadlines more difficult to miss, and each team member will know what they’re supposed to do. Throughout our website, you’ll find comprehensive reviews on the best online project managers, advice on how to try out each software at zero cost, and the greatest discounts available.
Benefits of project management
A company’s success heavily depends on how organized it is. A clear set of goals motivates people, which results in a happier and more productive team. With effective project management, team members always know which tasks are designated to them and are able to manage their own time.
It also enhances team communication. By mapping out everything at the beginning of each project, everyone is on the same page regarding deadlines, who is doing what, and the overall project stage. This also eliminates any confusion, making sure all project actors have the necessary information to deliver what they need on time.
Effective project management helps getting a holistic view of the full project, as well. This way, it’s much easier for project managers to prioritize resources, make and communicate changes on ongoing projects, and ensure everything is on track. This way, projects not only become more efficient but there’s also a lower risk of failing.
Project management best practices
In order to reap all the benefits of project management, it’s essential to do it correctly. Laying out all stages and getting a clear view of everything that is happening is great, but if this is used to micromanage people, it can actually backfire. However, there’s more to effective project management than giving power to the project members:
- Write a clear project brief: Establish the project scope, objectives, and budget in a clear way for everyone to understand.
- Have a kickoff meeting: Officially start the project with a kickoff meeting with all the stakeholders to align the objectives and interests of everyone involved.
- Communicate consistently: Keep all project actors updated throughout the project’s lifecycle to mitigate miscommunications or confusion.
- Create a resource plan: Have an overview of all the available resources and where they’re being allocated to.
- Establish a risk response team: Prepare contingency plans for any risks that the project may face and have a dedicated team to handle them in case they happen.
- Be ready for changes: Make sure that the project is open to some flexibility. In most scenarios, changes will happen, and you need to avoid scope creep.
- Document everything: Ensure everyone is properly logging every step and decision of the project so it’s easy to bring someone up to speed. However, be careful not to lose sight of the actual project objective.
- Track constantly: Measure KPIs, manage variances and risks, and check scope creep frequently to ensure the project is on the right path to be delivered on time and with high quality.
How project management software helps businesses
It can be overwhelming to think about all these techniques, but online project management software is extremely helpful in managing projects efficiently. For starters, it provides a shared dashboard that everyone can access, making it way easier to communicate all major project updates to all stakeholders.
More than that, online project managers also improve the way to provide feedback and log updates on specific stages and tasks of a project. Even better, these logs stay there for years to come, which is a huge improvement compared to going through countless emails when trying to find a specific decision.
Tracking project deadlines and KPIs is also made easier with project management software. Instead of constantly updating spreadsheets and presentations, these platforms usually bundle all information together in easy-to-read reports. Plus, it’s possible to see the project evolution in different views with just a few clicks.
Finally, all the automation possibilities that come with online project management apps save a lot of time on menial tasks and make every project fool-proof. From changing projects’ status when an important deadline is coming to assigning project roles at a click of a button, automation makes project managers’ lives much easier.
Richárd Z.
Saskia H.
