How online project management tools are changing the way teams work
The face of professional world has changed dramatically over the past few years. Part of that change is directed at the technology the world of business has been offered with. It goes without saying that the technology behind project management tool has been a revolutionary one, in completely transforming the way teams work; in a good way.
Given below are a few points that make it clear just how far things have come in the world of project management and teamwork thanks to this technology revolution. Take a look at how management tools are contributing in the same –
- Encouraging remote work culture
Teams are no longer cooped-up in one room. They have spread out with the support team functioning from London, while the designers are located in Australia, and the headquarters being managed in the US. Thanks to the project management software, remote work culture has blossomed over the years. In fact, these tools have been a major driving force in encouraging remote work and convincing managers that it’s actually possible to manage projects even when teams are spread out internationally. They have easily remedied all the common pain points of working remotely.
- Made it less daunting to manage large teams
Small teams are easy to manage. The confusion arises when you have to manage more resources. The reason is simple. Human mind can only focus on one thing at a time. Your attention gets divided when you have keep an eye on bigger teams and more resources. A management software is that outlet where a manager can keep monitoring all the things from only one place. He/she can see everything he/she needs to derive meaningful conclusions such as – the number of tasks in progress, how they’re distributed, completed and open tasks – all from one tool. With that arrangement, the woes of team management have been eradicated to great extent.
- Less frequent emails
Emails have long dominated the professional world whenever it came to exchanging information. But, slowly management software are taking things over. This is not to say that emails have gone totally out of the picture, but they sure have become less frequent. Emails are confusing. Sorting through a conversation that happened through email can seem like forever and leave you frustrated. Management software have come forth as a convenient replacement of it. With dedicated sections for finding information related to tasks, discussion, files, reports, etc. these tools are an excellent as well as smart improvement over emails.
- Puts an end to the questions
Who’s in charge of that task? How long before we reach a milestone? How many tasks are pending before you hit that milestone? You must have found yourself asking such questions at one point or another. Finding answers to questions can take up a lot of time. And, you need to find them to move ahead and made decisions. But management software saves that time wastage, because everything you need to know about a project is available in one place. You don’t have to leave your cubicle and walk up to people to find answers. The tool tells you everything you need to know about whatever is going on.
- Promotes transparent dealings
Healthy functioning teams are the ones where there’s openness and transparency in work. Transparency means team members are knowledgeable of the work distribution and flow. Knowing who’s in charge of what tasks. Management software have brought more transparency in teamwork by bringing everything out in the open. The fact that team members are required to input all of their work related details into the software automatically preserves openness and transparency in workflow. Teams don’t have to deal with situations where someone is taking credit for other people’s contribution. Since everything is out in the open, teams can use project details/information to make better decision.
- Fosters innovative thinking and idea-sharing
Companies long for a progressive environment that supports out-of-the-box thinking. But, how to promote that kind of work environment? Well, you don’t need to come-up with some fancy way to do that. A management software does that job just fine. If a team member wants to share any ideas or present any suggestion, he/she can do that via management software. You can think of it as online meetings/discussions platform. Initiating a discussion is as easy as creating a topic and inviting people to share their thoughts. No need to call everybody to a room to initiate discussions. Scope for innovative ideas increases several fold when teams are allowed to come forth and share innovative insight.
It has not been very long since project management tools first hit the market. In a very short span, they have positively changed the face of how teams used to function. It will be interesting to see what more these tools have to offer in the near future.