Project management tools simplify the planning process, increasing team productivity and overall process efficiency.
Why effective project planning requires tools to simplify the process?
According to Finance Online, 77% of high-performing projects use project management software, 40% of those plans deliver results as expected, and 35% of organisations are delighted with their level of project management maturity.
Therefore, the role of project management tools is significant.
Because project planning can frequently be complicated and confusing, especially when managing multiple tasks and team members.
Let's take a look at how the right planning tools can help your business.
What is Project Management Software?
According to Business News Daily, project management software is a technology for managing your business workflow.
Project management software allows you to track, schedule and map your company's projects and tasks.
Project management software has various features and functionality to simplify the project management process.
Some typical features of project management software include project planning, scheduling and time management, task management, team collaboration, resource management, and monitoring.
Why Do Businesses Need Project Management Tools?
According to a 2020 Wellington survey covering 111 organisations in 29 countries, 25% of project teams reported needing the right tools for collaboration, and 36% of respondents said manually compiling project status information took up to 5 hours a day.
Using a project management tool provides significant benefits. Here are some reasons why your business needs a project management tool:
1. Increase Productivity
Project management tools help increase productivity by providing the necessary structure and organisation for managing projects.
Features such as task assignments, scheduling, progress tracking, and reminders help teams focus on the tasks that must be completed.
The features also ensure work moves on schedule.
2. Optimise the Use of Resources
Project management tools help you manage resources more efficiently.
You can track and control the use of labour, equipment, and materials required in the project, so you can avoid resource shortages that can impact the project’s progress.
It also enables better coordination between team members. With this tool, your team members can see their assigned tasks, keep track of deadlines, and collaborate with other team members. This helps avoid overlapping duties and improves teamwork efficiency.
3. Improve Communication and Collaboration
The Digital Project Manager mentions that one of the benefits of project management tools is that they can improve team communication and collaboration.
You can share information, discuss and coordinate in real-time, reducing communication errors and ensuring all team members work in the same direction. You can use the chat feature for this.
It also facilitates collaboration across teams and strengthens working relationships between team members.
4. Better Risk Management
Project management tools help in identifying, managing, and mitigating risks in projects.
You can track potential threats, develop risk management strategies, and take the right precautions.
Continuous risk monitoring allows you to anticipate problems and take the necessary steps to reduce their impact.
5. Improve Transparency and Accountability
By using a project management tool, all project-related information is transparently available. This includes task progress, schedules, and other records.
This transparency allows teams and stakeholders to track progress in real-time and understand individual contributions to the project. It also strengthens accountability and motivates your team to achieve project goals.
6. Facilitate Reporting
Project management tools provide reporting features that allow you to generate project reports automatically.
You can easily collect data, create graphs, and present project information. This helps you communicate project progress to stakeholders and make informed decisions based on accurate information.
Tips for Choosing a Project Management Tool
According to Forbes, there are nine factors to consider when choosing a project management tool, which include:
- Business needs
- Required tasks for the team
- Features and functionality offered
- User-friendliness of the tool
- Integration capabilities with other tools
- Data security in project management tools
- Communication methods within the team
- Consideration of team diversity
- Availability of customer support
Considering the factors above, you can choose a project management tool that suits your business needs.
Project Management Using VirtualSpace
VirtualSpace is an all-in-one project management platform that can improve team communication and collaboration more effectively, thereby preventing a lack of productivity in a team.
The following are some of the benefits and features offered by project management tools using VirtualSpace:
1. Effective Team Collaboration
VirtualSpace allows project team members involved in the same project to collaborate effectively, even in different locations.
They can share information, discuss and work together in real-time through communication, such as group chats.
2. Access to Centralised Information
In VirtualSpace, all project information, such as schedules, budgets, project-related documents, and files, is stored centrally.
This makes it easy for team members to access the information they need anytime and anywhere, reducing confusion and doubt.
3. Progress Monitoring
Within VirtualSpace, project managers can assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and monitor the progress of each job.
This ensures that all team members clearly understand their responsibilities, and project managers can track progress in real-time to ensure projects are on schedule.
4. Resource Management
VirtualSpace provides scheduling features that allow project managers to schedule projects, set priorities, and manage available resources.
By looking at the overall schedule, project managers can identify resource conflicts or overloads and take the necessary actions to optimise resource use.
5. Integration with Other Tools
VirtualSpace can be integrated with other tools used in your business. This feature allows you to connect with other relevant applications or software, enabling a smooth information flow between different systems.
Here are some examples of integration features in project management using Virtualspace:
- Integration with Communication Tools: Virtualspace can be integrated with communication tools like Gmail, Asana, and other business communication platforms.
- Integration with Calendar: With calendar integration, project schedules in VirtualSpace can be automatically synchronised with personal or team calendars.
- Integration with File Storage: VirtualSpace can connect with cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
Conclusion
Efficient project planning is the cornerstone of successful project execution.
Utilising the correct project management tools taking into account multiple business needs factors, allows teams to simplify the planning process, increase productivity, and improve overall project efficiency.
