The ever-growing level of business competitiveness requires businesses to adapt to new conditions and set SMART goals continually. The achievement of these goals largely depends on how the team manages the involved tasks and processes and shares information. Thankfully, there are also modern project management tools that provide new capabilities to manage vibrant business processes effectively. The problem is, the team doesn’t always feel like using them or, at least, do not use all the features the tools provide.
In this post, we are looking at the reasons why, as well as the ways to engage the team in using the project management tech stack and reap maximum benefits from it.
Reason 1: The Tool Lacks Functionality
Even though project management systems provide extensive functionality, they may not be ready for the team to use. In most cases, systems require customization or purchase of features that are available only to Premium users. Sometimes, the team may feel like the options available in the project management tool do not change anything about their work and are redundant, while the functions that would make an impact are lacking.
Reason 2: Misuse
Even the best project management tools will not make any difference if you use a project management tool for the sake of using one. Such misuse of project management software makes business processes unnecessarily complicated and increases not reduces the workload. For example, problems arise when users spend more time on setting statuses of tasks than on completing a task itself or when employees do not assume responsibility for the processes within their scope of work if there is no respective task on the management platform.
Reason 3: No Clarity
If your project management tool does not provide complete clarity into how the tasks are managed in the tool, all business processes risk being on hold. For example, red, green, and yellow are suitable colors for traffic lights and trigger respective associations. Still, if you do not have clear guidelines in place, users may take it as signals for both task importance and tasks driven off track.
Reason 4: Placing the Client, Not the Team First
Sometimes, B2B companies give access to project management software to partners and end clients. Of course, the request to use polite, professional language when discussing the tasks is quite understandable here. However, the managers may also discourage the team from discussing problem points or voicing disagreements on the platform. This makes the team frustrated over your project management tool that doesn’t show the right picture of the project dynamics.
Reason 5: Lack of Integration
Management of business processes requires the collaboration of multiple teams and the integration of the tools they use. The lack of integration makes the teams spend much time tracking progress in other tools, reporting for their working day, or communicating project information in chats. All in all, the large number of disparate tools and no core enterprise system uniting them is another common reason for the teams’ disdain.
Reason 6: Lack of Flexibility
Another reason why the team might not like your project management tool is that it’s not flexible enough to manage unique tasks and delays. If your current project management system shows you only a linear chain of actions required to complete a project, then your team may not be able to respond and correct the situation quickly. All tasks depend on each other, and if one of the tasks is completed outside the deadline, this will affect the entire work schedule. And if your team works with multiple clients, then the delay in one project will inevitably affect the rest.
Reason 7: UX Issues
We are all used to simple, intuitive navigation and the ability to access and use programs using well-optimized mobile apps. As the time to wait for a response is shrinking (e.g., it is now common to expect an instant response to emails and support requests), it is a must for all tools to be easy to manage using a mobile phone. If your custom project management software doesn’t meet these expectations, it is almost sure your team will not like using it.
The Key to Successful Project Management
All the above-listed problems mainly arise due to the vain use of legacy systems and lack of enterprise mobility. The project management tool must meet the specific needs of the organization, determine the functions and tools of the system that are required. The selected system should correspond to the following requirements:
- Basic functionality
- Possibility of gradual improvement
- Quick start of all basic processes
- Ease of use, ease of learning
- User-friendly interface
- Flexibility
Due to a well-elaborated enterprise mobility strategy, you will be able to develop a solution that the entire team loves and uses anytime and anywhere to stay on top of all project-related processes. Using enterprise mobile app development services, you can make the system integrate solutions for various teams and business processes.
Final Word
As competition intensifies in the business world, the importance of managing the project process and getting it right takes on a new meaning. For some organizations, setting up an effective project management tool will require a transformation of the entire business management process. For others, this will mean establishing links between existing disparate subsystems. Anyway, it is worth asking yourself not only how effective the tool is created to be, but how it is actually perceived and used by your team—and acting upon the response to this question.
DepositPhotos – project management
