As we work on multiple projects, plans, and tasks in the workplace, whether in business or even in just general collaboration, it’s very hard to keep everything organized and run everything at the same time.
This is where the project management applications come into play. They could help with the notion review, task giving, timetable, and just overall better collaboration in the workplace.
Here are 8 advantages of using applications for project management and cross-platform collaboration.
What is the Main Purpose of These Applications?
The main purpose of using a project management app is to help with productivity and collaboration in the workplace. It could stand as an all-on-one workplace where you would be able to find tasks, calendars, and even databases.
It would help with the flexibility as you jot down notes, ideas, and journal entries on any electronic device making it accessible anytime and anywhere.
The project management applications are also used to keep track of the work progress of the whole team and individual members of the team since you would be able to see the timeline, calendars, and other assets that are useful for your team.
What Are the Key Benefits of Having a Project Management App?
1) Resource management
With a project management application, you would be able to make sure that nothing in the timeline would clash and your resources would easily be managed since everything you need to know is already in one application so you could know which resources you have and which you need more of.
2) Better collaboration
Your team would easily be able to collaborate better since you could have a better view of everyone’s roles in the team and keep everyone on loop to see who is doing what.
This could also help you see what tasks are needed to be more focused on, reduce having to re-work some stuff, and create more focus on the team.
3) Easy and solid reporting
Everything is laid out on you in the application and you would be able to see the progress of each person on your team and whether the projects that you are working on would be able to be completed on time or not.
This would be able to give you an idea if you are making the right decision or if you need to make a few changes on either task placement or priorities.
4) Customer satisfaction
Since you are able to really be hands-on with your projects, your customers would really be satisfied with the outcome of your projects.
Using these apps could really help you carry on and even strengthen your relationships with your clients since they already have trust in your work.
5) Effortless planning
This would have to be one of the main reasons why different businesses choose to work with a project management app. It would be able to help in organizing the costs, scope, and even the scheduling of everyone on the team, making planning easier since things schedules would not clash and you could easily keep track of everyone’s progress.
6) Forecasting
You would be able to manage a lot of projects at the same time with these applications and it could give you a clear overview of what projects are still in progress, which ones are finished, what projects need more attention, and what resources you need more of, avoiding future disasters from happening.
7) Budget management
There are some project management applications that would help you keep track of your budget, how you are doing financially, and if you are earning money or if you are losing money.
8) Effective communication
Project management applications give you a platform that you could use to communicate better with your team, clients, suppliers, or any other 3rd party systems that you may be working with.
Aside from communication, this could give you a chance to better collaborate with them.
How to Choose the Right Project Management App
1) Know your needs
When you are looking for the perfect project management for you and your team, you need to have a clear idea of what you and everyone on the team need.
So before anything else, you have to make sure that every single person on your team is ready for this new solution that you all are going to have to partake in.
You could assess where your current solution failed, what you are going to need for the new solution, what methodology your project and your team are compatible with, and what tools you could use.
2) Have alternatives
Since you are done with your outline, you could take the time and do your research. Look for other providers and applications that have the tools that could match your needs.
A great way to start your list is by asking for some recommendations from your fellow project managers and looking at trade magazines, search engines, and reviews.
The more providers that you are able to search, the more options that you may have, the wider pool you could choose from.
3) Test and evaluate
Once you have your list and have narrowed down some of your chives, it’s time to test it. See if this application is the right fit for you and your team.
You could try and get demo versions of these applications so that you won’t have to pay long term for the apps so you would not have to spend a lot of money on subscriptions. The demos would give you a general idea of how the app works, so you would know whether it would work for you or not.
While you are testing it, don’t forget to evaluate it as well. You could create a system that would be able to help you check which of the applications matches your needs and which one doesn’t.
You and your team could also make a list of all of the apps you tested and rank it from 1 to 10.
4) Look at the costs
One thing you have to also look at is how much you are going to have to spend on the project management app and if the application you chose is in your budget.
The price range of each project management application could vary. Some may be $10 and some may even cost you thousands of dollars.
You could weigh out the costs. Check if the application really fits your team. From your collaboration style to your communication.
If in the evaluation of the whole app, it actually enhances it, then it might be worth the investment. You don’t want to purchase an app that would only negatively impact your team dynamic and productivity.
5) Implement
Once you have found the perfect application for you and your team, then it’s time to implement it.
You have to remember that the app that you chose is for the whole team, so you could outline a plan that would be able to show your colleagues the new solutions, and perform training sessions on how to use the app for better collaboration.
How Does this Application Help Project Managers in Productivity?
Project management applications have been used for different reasons and it is used mainly to increase productivity in the workplace.
With these apps, they would be able to help you plan projects effectively, be able to document the whole development from step one, be able to focus on the tasks that you need to be focusing on, and it could help you find the activities that you think are just wasting your time and eliminate them.