Project Management Software Features For Start Ups

Your new business doesn’t need a lot of staff and big projects to use project management software. Startups with just a few workers can benefit from software that manages projects, schedules, and tracks tasks.

Do you want to improve the productivity of your business? Consider the following benefits of using dedicated project management software.

In 2020, 82% of organizations worldwide had at least one dedicated project management officer. However, if your business is brand new, it may not be ready to hire dedicated project managers. Yet it can implement and use project management software that will come into its own, i.e., scale as the business grows.

There’s no reason why your business can not use the same software when it has matured into an SME. Here are some of the core features of project management software:

• Calendar and contact sharing
• Task management
• Project planning and scheduling
• Document management
• Error reporting

Improving Productivity

How do project management apps aid the success of startups and entrepreneurs? We’ve outlined a few points below.

Problem-Solving

No project is immune to issues. Sometimes, problems may arise that cause delays or bottlenecks in the company’s process.

With a well-updated project management app, project managers can anticipate possible risks and identify problems as they arise. They could even predict potential issues before they happen, allowing administrators and leaders to make necessary changes.

Internal and External Communication

Most project management apps have tools that allow team members to access multiple tasks and projects the company is working on, including integrating mind mapping for project visualization and dependencies. These apps also often allow people to add comments and suggestions directly on the mind maps, facilitating more effortless follow-ups and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Good internal communication helps teams function better as a unit. Project management apps with mind-mapping capabilities help employees visualize their collective tasks and responsibilities more efficiently. This allows them to stay in tune with one another and on top of current and upcoming tasks for the company’s projects.

A visual approach enhances understanding and collaboration across the board. In addition to fostering improved internal communication, project managers could use this software to communicate more effectively with clients and other external stakeholders.

Granting clients access to mind maps within these apps can offer a clear and engaging overview of project progress and details, making the communication of your workflow with outside parties more intuitive and efficient. This method streamlines external interactions and aligns expectations seamlessly.

Reports and Updates

Project management apps often update in real time. This is an essential feature, especially for remote working arrangements. It allows all team members to be constantly updated and aware of new developments regarding relevant projects.

Time is also of great importance for businesses. Well-updated project management software helps companies determine a project’s time frame, allowing teams to make improvements or adjustments.

Aside from keeping everyone updated, these apps also allow project managers and team leaders to create more comprehensive external reports. These will help clients better understand the company’s process and set more realistic expectations for working together.

Collaboration

A healthy, collaborative workplace helps each employee perform better. In a Stanford study, participants exposed to social cues of working together persisted longer at work, even if they had to work alone or had challenging tasks.

Large projects are managed by creating many smaller projects. A good project management app will be a one-stop shop for any assignment at every project stage.

Below are some key features of any project management app that help improve team collaboration.

Team dashboard

This feature is an overview of each team member’s task list, possibly including due dates, to-do lists for each day or week, and project updates.

Team communication

Most apps allow members to communicate through comments and suggestion boxes. As each team member has an individual account, they can also tag relevant people to alert them of urgent concerns.

File sharing

This critical feature allows easy access to suitable project files, helping team members ensure consistency in their work.

Customer/client data

Creating an accessible customer and client information repository would significantly help teams accomplish projects. Accessing client preferences and approaches would help team members personalize their methods.

Time Management

Time is money. This saying is true for nearly all businesses across several industries. The more efficiently a team handles projects, the better their chances are of generating revenue and attaining business success.

What are the client’s demands? Will your company be able to meet them on time? What can the team do to meet specific deadlines?

Your chosen software should help you answer these questions, save time, and accurately communicate with clients and stakeholders about your decisions.

Monitoring the time your teams take to accomplish specific tasks will also help inform planning for future projects, as managers now better understand their team’s capabilities. It’s worth noting that simple time management strategies are insufficient for many businesses. That’s where a battle-tested workflow comes in handy.

Customer Satisfaction

Business revolves around a working relationship with stakeholders, customers, suppliers, advocates, and staff.  Therefore, stakeholder relationships are a KPI for most projects and goals.

Looking Ahead

Improvements in productivity, daily operations, data capture, and management are paramount to the growth and success of all organizations.  Most apps will have or will soon use automation, AI, and the Cloud to improve productivity and service.

All industries are entering a new digital transformation era, and you’ve probably heard the term Business 4.0.

Start as you mean to continue the digital adoption of software apps that will scale to meet your business’s demands.