An important yardstick for the health of your business is how you approach the topic of project management. If you’re on top of it, progress toward your goals will be smooth and resources will be allocated efficiently. If you aren’t, it has the potential to derail any forward momentum your business is currently enjoying.
Successfully Managing Projects
Propelled forward by the tech world, project management became one of the business buzzwords of the last decade. It’s become fashionable to employ a project manager to initiate, monitor and successfully close large projects. This individual is comfortable wearing several hats; from allocating resources, to managing several teams, through to budgets and deadlines. To help with this endeavour, several project management apps have sprung up in recent years. Here are some of our favourite project management apps and websites.
Project Management Apps
Basecamp
Basecamp is considered the gold standard in project management software. It allows users to assign tasks with milestones and other necessary details. Due date reminders are automatically emailed to users, while comments can be left below tasks within Basecamp in case clarification is needed on any points. The software centralizes a team around the desired goal and each project can be viewed as a timeline of activity. A free, one-month trial of the software is available with cost reverting to $99 per month after that. For this cost, users can add unlimited members of their team, work on unlimited projects and receive 500gb of file storage.
Trello
Trello enables easier collaboration by organizing projects into boards. Users can see, in one glance, what’s being worked on, who is working on what, and where something is in process. Think of it as a digital version of a whiteboard filled with sticky notes. Each of those notes can hold photos, attachments and a place to comment. There are multiple tiers of Trello accounts, with free options available for businesses operating on a tight budget. The same core functionality is available to free and premium users, with those who pay enjoying larger file capacity and other extras.
Asana
Much like Basecamp and Trello, Asana conveniently organizes projects into one place. However, there is one important addition. Asana also replaces the use of email for work communication, embedding emails directly within the project management software. Asana also features a handy calendar feature, so members of your team can assign tasks in advance of meetings. This calendar can also be used as a content calendar, enabling your team to collaborate and organize your content marketing efforts.
Business Ticketing Systems
Need something a little simpler? Several websites and applications exist that allow you to assign tickets to members of your team. Here are three options to try:
Unfuddle
Geared initially toward developers and the world of IT, Unfuddle provides a cheap and effective method to track bugs and issues in one place. Users receive email notifications, while tasks can be viewed, pivoted and organized with drag and drop convenience. Users can trial the software for free, with pricing starting at $19 per month for ten user accounts.
Redmine
Redmine is a flexible, open source project management and ticketing system written on the Ruby on Rails framework. Users can submit tickets via email, which fires a trigger that sends the ticket into the system. It is cross-platform and cross-database. However, some developer input is required to set up the email trigger.
Freshdesk
Much like the two apps above, Freshdesk can be used as a ticketing system to aid in software management. It can also be used to track customer facing requests, making it an excellent all-round option. With some small developer input, the project manager can set up an email trigger to populate the ticketing feed.
Here to Help
No matter what stage of business, or what problem you face, Small Business BC offers a range of seminars and one-on-one advisory sessions to suit any business.
