As small business owners who manage all the functions of running a business, improving methods of managing our daily workflows and projects can be a gamechanger. Do you find yourself trying to “keep up” with all the different projects and tasks you have going on at one time for your clients? Is all of your important client information spread across emails, texts and sticky notes? Project management software can offer many benefits to help keep your work running smoothly and more efficiently.
Listed below are three ways project management software can improve your workflows.
- Improved Organization ~ Project management software can greatly improve the organization of all your workflows. Having all of your important project related documents and information in many different places really doesn’t work. This holds true for your clients, as well as for your own business. You also lose a lot of time trying to find this particular paper or remember where that request originated from. Project management software can help with that. You can track your project or task from start to finish, and have all your steps listed. As you move along you can mark the tasks as in progress or completed so you will always know where you are in the process. Having everything in one program will create an organizational workflow that will save you time and subsequently money. As we all know time is money!
- Increased Productivity ~ Project management software can help you and your team members be more productive each day. Along with the improved organization mentioned above, you will also have the capability to automate repetitive tasks. Not only does this reduce manual input, but reduces the margin for error. Everyone will be on the same page, and easily be able to see if there are any tasks that need reassigned or more attention. This will help ensure all tasks and projects are completed in a timely manner. Everyone can stay focused on their assigned tasks, timelines, and deadlines while keeping an eye on the project as a whole. Teamwork makes the dreamwork right?
- Communicate and Collaborate ~ Project management software allows for more effective communication not only between team members within an organization, but with external clients as well. Effective communication is vital for the success of any project. One program or platform that houses all of the important “need to know ” information regarding the project that can be accessed by everyone working on the project will improve the efficiency of the work being produced. No more back and forth emails trying to figure out what’s going on or who has the information you need. Utilizing project management software will enable you, your team and your clients to stay in the know about the progress and next steps of any project.
There are many project management software options to choose from. A few examples are Trello, Monday and ClickUp. Most will offer a free version or free trial to allow you an opportunity to get a feel for how it works and decide if it will work well for your business. I can personally attest to Trello. I use it in my business for both my workflows and those for my clients, and I love it. As with most things there will be a little set up and perhaps a learning curve in the beginning, but as you move along you will find the benefits are worth it. Who doesn’t love a better organized way to run tasks and projects? Project management software is a very viable solution to help you meet that goal.
