Using a Project Management System to Organize Your Business

One of the biggest challenges facing small business owners is staying organized and finding a system that works for them to keep all those projects under control. Without some kind of organizational system in place, deadlines get forgotten, clients feel neglected, and it’s easy to waste time on less important tasks. The solution to all of these problems is to use a project management software—it helps you by dividing up tasks by client and project, setting deadlines, and providing reminders about work that needs to be finished.

Modern project management systems are usually web-based, with mobile or desktop applications available. That way you can check the status of work being done from anywhere in the world, on any device. This is critical for making sure nothing falls through the cracks and you manage your time wisely. Another benefit to virtual project management is the fact that many systems can integrate with other useful applications, like calendars, time trackers, and invoicing websites. The best part, a project management system can be set up for you by a virtual assistant, so you don’t have to learn how to use from scratch.

[Tweet “Too many sticky notes? Forgotten projects? Sounds like you need a project management system.”]

Organizing Projects by Client
Using a project management system to organize all of your client work involves a little bit of initial set-up, but will save you a lot of time in the long-run. Again, this is a great task to hand off to your virtual assistant. You can set up sections for each client where all ongoing projects can be tracked. Tasks and subtasks can be designated for each project. Setting deadlines for all of these tasks will help you know what to prioritize working on each day, and you can check them off as you complete them.

Collaborating with a Virtual Team
Probably the most helpful aspect of using a virtual project management system is the ability to add collaborators to various projects or tasks. When trying to keep a virtual team running smoothly, it is invaluable to be able to easily assign work and deadlines to individual team members, and see when they’ve completed something in real time. You can change the privacy settings on individual projects or tasks to maintain discretion, and allow only those team members working on a task to see it.

You can also use a project management system to bring your clients onboard. It can be very helpful if there are tasks that you will be assigning them to have ready for a certain date, or you want them to be able to see where a small task of theirs (such as providing a draft or some information) is the limiting step in a whole set of tasks to be accomplished.

Of course, a project management system won’t fulfill all your team or client communication needs. Good project management also needs to be complemented with good communication systems.

[Tweet “Using a project management system ensures that nothing slips through the cracks.”]

It doesn’t really matter which project management software you choose to go with, so long as it has the features necessary to keep your business organized. If you don’t like the interface of one system, you won’t use it, which defeats the purpose! Find one that works for you and your business, so you’ll use it regularly to track all your work.

I hope this post inspires you to get organized with a project management system, and remember that if you need help setting one up for your business, I would love to help!