Hey entrepreneurs, we know your secret. You’re not quite an expert at everything in your business. Some of your decisions are just the easiest and quickest option. And that’s OK! You can’t be expected to boss every aspect of your business, which is why we’re doing the hard work for you.
When it comes to choosing project management solutions, there is a lot out there — and not all of it is great. So if you’re an entrepreneur looking for a project management tool and time isn’t on your side, read through our guide of what to look for and what to avoid.
Unless you’ve got Elon Musk on speed dial, funding is probably a constant struggle for your business. So, when you’re choosing project management solutions, a free tool is always going to attract your attention.
You might be thinking that it’s too good to be true, but you can find project management solutions for you and your team that are totally free of cost. You might also be impressed with the range of features you get for that, with some platforms covering all your business needs in one place.
How can I save time on my project management?
As an entrepreneur, money isn’t the only thing that won’t be on your side. Time constraints are huge when you’re setting up and running a business, so the best project planning software for you will have in-built time-saving features.
One efficient way of doing this that has built a lot of traction recently is automation of the more menial tasks. The options are virtually endless, and will only keep growing into the future. Below are just a few examples of how automation can improve your business:
Reviewing work can cause a real backlog, and in fast-paced startups, that’s not ideal. So what’s the solution? Set an automated system that sends a notification to a line manager as soon as a task is completed. This clears out the bottlenecks that can happen because managers don’t know a review is needed, or because of confusing email chains.
Being able to efficiently manage tasks is a key factor to take into account when choosing the best project planning software. With good foresight and a tool that features a range of automation, you can set your project into motion, and like a chain reaction, tasks will be assigned without you lifting a finger.
The best software project management tools take this one step further and work with dependencies. These crafty “if, then” commands mean you can specify exactly when a task is assigned. Maybe when task A is finished, task B begins, or perhaps task B begins only when task A has already begun.
It’s great to automate next steps within your project management organization software, but what if you need to automate a call or an email to a client?
Some of your workflows will inevitably need to go from one tool to another, so finding a project management tool that does the work for you is essential. Gone are the days of isolated tools — when you’re choosing project management solutions, you need one that can link up with your communication, HR, sales tools, and calendars.
In the very early stages of setting up a business, you might find yourself naming documents “FIRST DRAFT” or “FINAL”. That can work for a day or two, but you’ll soon find yourself sifting through endless versions of the same document looking for the newest one.
When choosing project management solutions for your company, look for document management tools that allow you to work collaboratively on the same document, avoiding the chaos of multiple drafts, but with a version history feature that allows you to see past versions. As an entrepreneur, it’s crucial to put your best document management practices from the very beginning so you can scale up with a neat, organized cloud that anyone can navigate.
For security, you can restrict access to key documents so that only a select few people can edit them. That way, you know nobody will be making minor edits, and you can confidently share quality documents both internally and externally.
Choosing project management solutions with multiple views
Not everyone works in the same way, so the best project management solutions should provide a range of agile visualization options. Similarly, although you might be used to one way of working now, if your tool gives you new options, you could find yourself working more efficiently in the future.
Take Kanban boards for example. Most entrepreneurs will have an idea of what they are, even if they haven’t directly used them before. You’ll generally have different columns on your board, and as your tasks progress, you move them from left to right until they are completed.
This is great for a good overview, but if you need to see exactly how much time your staff has available, you might want to try a Gantt chart. By syncing your tasks with your calendar, a Gantt chart immediately lets you see what tasks are currently underway and when they will end.
Choosing project management solutions with a range of visualizations allows you to make your tools work to your methods, rather than sacrificing your workflows to make room for the software.
Now you’ve got a clear idea of what’s on the market, it’s time to find the best software project management tools for you. Remember, you don’t need to break the bank on your tools, so don’t be sucked into paying top dollar, when powerful, feature-packed alternatives like Bitrix24 are available for free.
Over 9,000,000 companies have already chosen Bitrix24 as their project management organization software, and with so many other features, it is a fantastic platform to get all your business operations in one place.