What Managers Should Know About Project Management

Assigning tasks to employees and managing workflows are everyday responsibilities for managers and supervisors. Organizing and optimizing these tasks takes a lot of time and effort. Several companies have resulted in using workflow management tools to achieve efficiency and scale their operations.

Like any other demanding task, project management requires a set of skills and resources to ensure success. As a manager, navigating all the complexities of workflow management can be difficult, but you can efficiently execute your project management duties with the following three tips:

1. Put People first

These days, there are several tasks and file management tools that resource managers can use to streamline employees’ daily workflow. However, the secret to successful workflow management is focusing on resource scheduling and capacity planning with a people-first approach. In other words, you should assign tasks and projects to different individuals based on their skills, experience, and availability.

Instead of piling up tasks to employees without considering individual work schedules, you want to visualize projects with the team’s preferences and capabilities in mind. This will help minimize missed deadlines and work overload on the employees’ side.

2. Prioritize Effective Communication

At the heart of successful collaboration and project management is effective communication. As a manager, you should ensure employees have an easy time communicating amongst themselves and to their respective supervisors. Teams should also be encouraged to share ideas, updates and help each other where necessary to minimize cases of employee burnout.

The communication channel should help eliminate bureaucratic processes and procedures that may cause delays in project execution. Similarly, teams shouldn’t feel the need to be always-on, lest they miss important updates. A solution is to set expectations and guidelines for communicating through specific channels based on their importance and urgency.

3. Work On Your Project Management Skills

Having the best project management tools isn’t a substitute for great interpersonal and people management skills. Some workflow management tools in the market require a steep learning curve to fully utilize all the software features.

Managers should have basic knowledge of workflow management and may consider the benefits of project management training if they are to gain in-demand skills and add real value to their organization.

End note

In today’s hybrid and remote working environment, workforce planning and project management have risen to the top of the corporate agenda. Every company wants to onboard its employees to the virtual workplace where efficiency and productivity are the new workplace performance metrics.

A majority of these workplace tools and software offer seamless user interfaces, and some come with advanced features and may be more suited for your organization than others. For instance, a quick look at the Monday vs. Asana project management tools highlights the major differences and the pros and cons of the two popular project management tools.

No two organizations have similar needs, so not every workflow management software will work for all the companies. When choosing the best software to manage your tasks and projects, always consider the three tips we’ve highlighted above. That way, you’ll pick the right tool for your unique business and workforce needs.

Image source