By: Chad Bell
An increase in project acquisition is usually the first sign of growth for small businesses. Great as it is for your business development goals, taking on more work also means more room for mistakes.
To maintain your momentum while also keeping up with the unique demands of each client, project management tools can be used to keep colleagues and/or clients working together. For small businesses, this small step signifies a giant leap towards expansion.
Not all businesses are operated identically. Successful implementation of project management begins with the understanding that not all projects are managed identically. So before you start perusing the web for the “best” project management system, consider your objectives. Here are some to get you started.
EXAMPLES OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES:
- Define Roles for all (Small-Large) Project Scales
- Assign Tasks & Set Milestones
- Monitor Progress & Efficiency
- Integrate with Time Logging System
- Establish Benchmarks for Quality-Control
- Facilitate Team Collaboration
Next, consider how your day-to-day work process can be expedited by your project management application. In most cases, communication is central to the success of any project, and fully functional Gantt chart generator just doesn’t cut it. Nowadays, critical paths are supported by Google Calendar and iCal integration, and status updates are just one of the many social project networking features available.
HERE ARE SOME GREAT NEW PROJECT MANAGEMENT FEATURES:
- Email Integration to receive & reply to message notifications
- File attachment capabilities
- HTML formatting of notes
- Link saving ability for 3rd party applications, such as links and web pages (e.g. Google Documents, YouTube Videos, and Standard Web pages)
- Custom Calendar reminders
- Time Tracking for billing & payroll
- Social Project Networking to update status or share links and resources
- Mobile Integration for on-the-go project management
We all know that adapting to change, even a positive one, often requires overcoming some growing pains. But just like what we tell many of our clients, the hard work is usually front-loaded. In this case, ease-of-use will come with understanding project management objectives, familiarization with its functionalities, and collaboration among members.
If you don’t already, you may soon find the value of project management in helping to deliver high-quality products/services, improve overall efficiency, and increase overall ROI.
Here are some helpful links to get you started!
2011 Online Project Management Review Comparisons
20 Online Project Management Tools to Boost Productivity
Find the Best (Comparison Tool)
Have you ever implemented a project management system? Share your experience with us!
