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Apr 25

Project Management Software: 5 Tips For Setting Up Your Software

By: Tony Catone

Did you know online project management software could reach a valuation of $6.68 billion by 2026? If you’re looking to increase productivity at your office, the fastest way to accomplish your goal is with a project management software. However, regardless of the software you select, you’ll need to consider how to configure it to work best for the way your team functions. Here are some tips on setting up your project management software to improve your workflow.

 

1. Outline Common Projects

In order to improve processes, you first need to identify them. What are your business’ best practices? What are the steps that need to be followed to ensure a perfect product each time? To best understand this, pick one recurring project, and create an outline of the steps needed to complete it. This outline should include the project goal, standard timeline, and important milestones. Having an outline will help you create a project template that your team can easily follow along with. Robust project templates help your team remain accountable and focused.

2. Understand Your Team’s Tasks

Ever have such a busy day at work that you look back on your day and wonder if anything truly got accomplished? One of the hardest metrics to nail down for project management is: where does the time go? If you’re not paying attention to your time and the tasks at hand, productivity goes out the window. It’s easy to lose track of time- so consider starting a process that will help you stay focused and on track.

The first step is understanding not just your team member’s roles, but what they are actually handling on a daily basis- because often this will differ. At times job roles are expanded when team members volunteer to take on additional tasks. Be sure to have all regular, recurring tasks and responsibilities outlined so you can make decisions about how tasks should be addressed and represented.

3. Know What Slows You Down

When considering new tools to invest in, start with solutions for your most time-consuming tasks. Whether it’s client communication, marketing follow-ups, budget planning, or tracking time- if you select a project management software that automates all- or a portion of- your most time consuming tasks, your time will be freed up to work on other initiatives.

4. Avoid Feature Overkill

There are thousands of project management software options on the market today. Some are focused on specific verticals, some address a handful of features, and some require attending courses or paying consultants to fully utilize. While it’s possible your company may grow to need more features if you select a software that’s light on features, you also don’t want to have employees spending days or weeks learning how to use a software effectively instead of actually doing their jobs. Consider the features you truly need, and find a software to meets those requirements.

5. Selecting the Right Project Management Software 

Project managers will want to find software that’s straight forward and has the features necessary to improve workflow and operations. Choose a software that’s accessible to employees on many devices, is simple to use, and doesn’t require a lengthy training process to understand. 

Learn more about how businesses can improve using a CRM system.

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We hope you found this article on project management methods insightful. Consider getting a CRM system for your business.

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