Every project has its own type of mayhem. With any of number of tradies, contractors and stakeholders on and off-site, it takes an expert manager to make sure the job gets done. But project managers aren’t left to fend for themselves. Using the best tools available, project managers can increase their skills and ensure every job is completed on time, on budget, and meeting their high standards.
Below we explore 5 affordable project management tools which you can use to up your project management game.
Asana is a simple and intuitive project management tool that is popular in a number of industries. Considering the company has partnerships with businesses like Uber, Airbnb and Google, the program is only becoming more prevalent. Asana allows you to create and assign tasks to different teams and individuals in a simple, user-friendly way. You can then check on progress and measure workflows and results.
Asana’s due-dates and notification system ensures everything is done on time. It’s also easy to communicate with other users, sharing and viewing documents instantly. Further, Asana can be integrated with Dropbox, Slack, Google Drive and many other programs, so you’ll never lose track of data.
If you’re looking for a tool that has all the bells and whistles as well as a sleek design, Flow is your program. Flow pushes effortless organisation to the next level. Its best attribute is its communication. Using a clear and simple user interface, you can easily keep track of all your jobs and correspondences with different teams. Tasks can be assigned and progress checked, with an option for group or individual discussions. Flow users can ask for help so that training can be improved and more jobs can be finished on time.
Orchestra is a tool that offers an innovative solution to a lot of project management problems. Its system for resource coordination helps distribute the appropriate labour resources for your particular project, so you’re never under or over-staffed. The workflow and portfolio management assists you allocate tasks and demand to ensure it gets done on time. Orchestra also offers a reporting and dashboard so that you can see progress whenever you need to.
Importantly, the timesheet management capabilities will give you confidence that your workers are being paid on time and the right amount, saving you from any unnecessary disputes. This is coupled with the cost management function, helping you estimate and measure costs, so you’re always on budget. Orchestra also places an emphasis on collaboration, allowing you to share work and communicate with other teams.
Basecamp has been around project management circles for a while, and with over 100,000 companies using the program, it’s got the backing of a lot of happy customers. Basecamp changed the game as far as visibility and usability are concerned. Projects, tasks and conversations can be pinned on your page and you’ll get a notification so you never miss anything. Further, the simple method of posting deadlines and conversing between different teams keeps everyone on the right track and climbing up towards those project goals.
Whatever the job, project management tools can help you stay ahead of dreaded deadlines and keep your teams working towards shared goals. Research these programs and other tools further and become a project management expert.
It’d be hard to compile a list of must-have project management tools and not include Google Docs. This program from Google works in conjunction with the tech giant’s integrated system, which include Google Sheets, Gmail, Google Forms, Google Drive and many others. Google Docs allows many people to work on a document at once. This means people can view, write and edit, saving you a lot of effort on those time-consuming tenders. Because all work is saved immediately to the cloud, even if a freak cyclone hits, or coffee spills on your laptop, you’ll never lose any work.
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