Project management software has been in use for many years and is an essential part of any business in modern times, large or small. While the definition of “project management” can vary widely between different organizations, you are guaranteed to be able to find the correct program(s) that will suit your needs and management style. Various programs can be used to help keep track of large numbers of tasks, assist in project collaboration between users, delegate tasks to employees or partners, schedule, communicate with clients, and much more.
However, even the best program out there is functionally useless to your organization if you don’t understand how to implement it correctly. Here is some of the best advice we can give on choosing and using the right project management software for your team:
1) Figure out what kind of software you need. Consider your team and your business: do you have exclusively internal projects, or do you need to work with clients and vendors within the program as well? Do you have a large enough team that you need to assign tasks and projects to individual employees, or do you only need a space where everyone can collaborate? Does your project need invoices or a budget breakdown?
2) Consider a cloud-based program or service. The reasons for this are abundant: your team can access the cloud from virtually everywhere at any time, the upfront costs are often minimal, the technology is generally low-maintenance, the workspace is flexible since all you require is an internet connection and a web service, most cloud-based services offer top-notch security, and best of all, many applications offer a free trial so you can try before you whip out the company credit card.
3) Ensure that the software you pick is easy to use. You don’t want to buy an app only to find out that you can’t intuitively navigate it. Make sure that you include your team in the selection process and gather input from them before selecting something that they can’t use.
4) Plan for the long term: pick out software that can scale with your company. If you have a small organization you may only need a barebones application, but is that same app going to be useful if you double the size of the business?
5) Get your team trained on whatever software you pick out. Some applications are simple enough that they can be picked up in a matter of minutes, but never assume that everyone is operating at the same level of understanding that you are. Schedule multiple training sessions so that everyone can find a time to attend, make sure that everyone has an account and login, and at the end of the training, set up a project right away so the trainees can get hands-on with the software. You can better reinforce what the employees have learned by scheduling a follow-up a week or two after the initial training so that they can offer input and ask questions.
6) Choose an application that has good community support. These online communities can be a gold mine for you if you come across a problem with the software or want to find a way to maximize its usage.
7) And lastly, assign a project manager to check up on the team in real time. This is essential to make sure that any issues get located and fixed before a project goes up in flames two days before it’s due. Stay in regular communication with your team and make sure that everyone is actually using the application!
