Project Management 101: Tools for Every Team Member
Project management is an integral part of any business, regardless of its size. In order for any business to explore growth opportunities, they have to be able to complete projects efficiently from start to finish. With project management tools, you’re able to gain a high-level overview of your team’s roadmap, and oversee each aspect from concept to completion.
Fortunately, there are a wide variety of project management tools that can benefit every team, individual, and industry. Sometimes, it even helps to have personal project management integrated with your company’s project management. However, different platforms work better for different team members and niches, and the tool you choose is the key to efficiency. With that in mind, here are ideal project management tips and tools for different members of the team:
The Admin Assistant: Wunderlist
Admin assistants and teams and tasked with a variety of obligations during each workday. From preparing documents to scheduling appointments and organizing files, admin teams need to be on top of everyday tasks to maintain operational efficiency. Wunderlist ticks all the boxes when it comes to offering an intuitive platform for admin juggling. In 2016, Apple called it the “App of the Year” and in 2017, HubSpot named it the best to-do list app.
Not only can admin create simple lists, they can also collaborate with other members of the admin team in real-time. It also has a “Smart Due Dates” feature that recognizes natural language, which is ideal for admin in a rush. You can also prioritize tasks with labels and filter your tasks based on your custom labels (for example, Urgent and Medium Priority).
The Software Developer: Jira
Poor results and delays in project processes are key hurdles that developers might experience.
After all, working with code requires multiple moving parts and careful management. For example, managing Docker containers can quickly become frustrating without project management tools and integrations. If you’re wondering, “what is Docker integration?,” in short, it allows developers to cover the full lifecycle of their Docker registries, from development to distribution. But there are right and wrong ways to manage software development complexities, and understanding integrations and how to take an iterative, continuous approach is important.
Jira is beloved tool used by software developers around the world, and ideal for addressing these complexities. It makes it easy for developers to run on two popular agile methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Scrum and Kanban boards can be used in conjunction with one another to gain a clear view of tasks at hand, and what’s in store for the future. It’s also a great tool for quality assurance and ensuring concepts don’t get lost in the hustle of code and deadlines.
The Marketing Guru: Trello
For the marketing team, Trello is an ideal fit. With the use of various columns and “cards,” visualizing the status of a project is simple. Simply put, you can think of a Trello as a Pinterest account for all your marketing needs. And the fact is, marketing professionals walk a fine line between the organizational needs of developers and the creative needs of designers.
Each “List” you create contains “Cards.” And each Card can contain multiple different elements, from files, images, and much more—you can even color code them to fit different clients or organize in any way you see fit. It also integrates with several useful third-party apps, like DropBox, Microsoft Teams, and Confluence.
The Designer: Teamweek
Graphic design projects are just as multifaceted as development, marketing, and other projects. Many individuals falsely assume that in the creative world of design, organization and management is an afterthought, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Today, thousands of designers from big-box companies like Airbnb, Spotify, Sony, and BuzzFeed use Teamweek to manage their design projects, and there are plenty of reasons why.
With this platform, it’s all about the overview; the ability to see various aspects of the project from different vantage points. Like Trello, Teamweek offers a visual overview of your to-do list—overlaid on a timeline. You can set expectations for long and short term plans, collaborate with other designers and team members, and share tasks intuitively. With the “Projects” view, you can divide any project in different segments to simplify your planning process. And with your “Groups” view, you can see how individual projects stack up against one another.
