- Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management System
- Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management System
- Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Tools
- Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Template
- Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management
But while elements of personal style may vary, there are absolutes one can point to about management substance. Accordingly, here are 5 things the best managers do - and don't do. On the positive. In short, the best personal task management system enables you to focus more on the tasks and less on creating the to-do lists for various units as well as worrying about deadlines and last-minute projects. When all your tasks for the day, week or month are already scheduled and the data is conveniently stored in one place, the job of the.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
There's Springpad. There's Evernote. There's Google Tasks and TeuxDeux. There's a ton of personal task management software to choose from out there – perhaps hundreds, if not thousands – and depending on whom you're asking, one is significantly better than the other. But 'personal' being the operative word, one is inclined to ask, what does a personal task management software have to do with team-based tasks and enterprise-wide projects?
Task automation, working with teams and your personal task management tool
Task automation
Automation is a tricky, if not sensitive, subject. Whenever automation is broached, many people think of robots displacing human beings, of jobs disappearing, of tax collections diminishing, of the economy collapsing. This belief, of course, isn't unfounded, particularly when you think about Detroit and car manufacturing automation being a contributor to the city's decline.
And yet without task automation, the chance of the modern-day worker having difficulty surviving one fine day at the office increases, where one fine day means having to juggle multiple tasks and assignments, needing to determine which is urgent from which is not based on the metrics the company utilizes, responding to requests from other project managers or departments, and perhaps worst of all, having to look at the monster that is your ever-growing to-do list.
Overwhelm, as they say, can effectively kill motivation, and employee demotivation is the last thing a team leader wants to deal with when working with tight deadlines. This is where a team collaboration software that also functions as a personal task management tool can help save the day.
Working with teams
When working with teams, what team-based task management tools normally do is streamline the task execution process from start to finish. When a team member successfully completes an assigned task, the task management engine sends out an auto-notification to the next person in the task chain. When a task is about to go overdue, the auto-notification system kicks into gear again, ensuring that every task is done properly and on time.
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management System
Comindware Tracker and personal task management
While collaboration is the force behind Comindware Tracker, the software also functions as a personal task management tool. When tasks are assigned to you, they become your responsibility, and this is where things get personal.
When you login to Comindware Tracker, all of your tasks appear in your main dashboard, along with vital information such as due date, level of priority, task status, and others. This way, right at the start of the work day, you already have an idea which tasks to tackle first and, quite possibly, how your entire day will shape up.
Aside from those assigned to you, you can also create your own tasks, such as a list of things you've done for the day, week, month, or quarter so that when it's time to create a report, you won't have to look through various emails, files or reporting platforms, essentially saving you tons of time for other tasks – personal task management at its best.
Conclusion
Trust and accountability are essential for teamwork to really work. Every member comprising a team has something to contribute, but until personal responsibility is seriously internalized, successful team execution may still be far ahead. That being the case, a collaboration application that supports personal task management in a flexible and user-friendly way becomes a vital tool in your team's task management arsenal.
Project management is a tedious job accompanied by numerous tasks that project managers need to do right, including project initiation, planning and execution, and control and closure. What makes it even more challenging is when such are delegated to teams who are given a set of goals, a timeline, and a specific budget. To make matters a bit more complicated, project managers need to see to it that everything goes smoothly to ensure a project's success.
This article points out the skills needed to accomplish the works stated above. These include technical, business, and management capabilities, along with a few soft skills. This fairly short read also mentions some of the tools that are helpful for project managers, as pointed out in this guide to project management software. This way, you can better equip yourself to meet the demands of the project management industry.
Important Skills of Project Managers
However, such skills need to be accompanied by the necessary tools that make project management much more easier. The purpose of project management software is primarily to automate processes, promote collaboration and foster communication among team members. These technologies have been rapidly growing in popularity. In fact, the global project management software market is expected to reach more than $1 billion by the year 2020.
Indeed, project managers' skills have become a very important commodity for businesses of all kinds nowadays. This is because current project management trends require them to step up their game. Such trends, if met head-on and strategically by project managers could spell success for projects. That's why one of the reasons behind the success of high performing companies is providing project management training. According to one study about the state of the project management office, here's the training these companies provide:
Source: PMSolutions
In this article, we'll answer the question, 'What are the most important skills of a project manager?' to help you improve your project management capabilities and, in effect, achieve your 6-figure income goal. We will also detail some examples of project management software that are currently available in the market.
10 Most Important Project Management Skills to Have
Project managers require a variety of skills to be able to effectively do their jobs and ultimately benefit both their respective organizations and project stakeholders. These capabilities can be gleaned from experience and take years to master. However, they offer great benefits that could significantly contribute to managers' career development. The following are some of the best project management skills that project managers should possess:
1. Leadership
The issue of project leadership has always been and always will be a focal point among businesses. This is why it is undoubtedly at the top of a project manager's most important skills. This skill enables project managers to come up with corporate visions and lead teams effectively. Boosting this skill will greatly improve the project managers' career advancement.
2. Communication
Communication goes hand-in-hand with leadership skills. To be an effective leader, one has to be able to make clear what project teams must do. However, communication is not limited to the project team, it also applies to all stakeholders, including vendors, contractors, and customers. Such can be done through the use of technologies such as reporting tools, chat or file sharing. Such tools facilitate person-to-person and group communication alike.
3. Scheduling Capability
Another one of the project manager's most important skills is the ability to create project schedules cannot be undermined. However, it has been established that many project managers are lacking in this skill, an area where improvements are greatly needed.
4. Risk Management
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management System
The proliferation of unique projects has resulted in project managers becoming more adept at risk management. Unlike common projects, which are often outsourced or assigned to less seasoned project managers, these unique undertakings entail more complicated efforts that only mature project managers are capable of handling. Having this skill is a sign of having control over your project. Besides, it's an effective way of assuring project sponsors that their investments are in good hands.
5. Negotiating
Project managers who have excellent negotiating skills are likely to resolve conflicts that may arise among project stakeholders. This could lead to the formulation of ideal scenarios that could prove to be amicable to all concerned.
6. Contract Management
The ability to manage contracts is very useful in maintaining relationships with suppliers. As every project involves material supply, such skill really comes in handy for project managers. Managing purchases is basically the cream of contract management. As such functions have previously been handled by finance departments, relegating it to project managers makes the process much simpler.
7. Team Management
There's Springpad. There's Evernote. There's Google Tasks and TeuxDeux. There's a ton of personal task management software to choose from out there – perhaps hundreds, if not thousands – and depending on whom you're asking, one is significantly better than the other. But 'personal' being the operative word, one is inclined to ask, what does a personal task management software have to do with team-based tasks and enterprise-wide projects?
Task automation, working with teams and your personal task management tool
Task automation
Automation is a tricky, if not sensitive, subject. Whenever automation is broached, many people think of robots displacing human beings, of jobs disappearing, of tax collections diminishing, of the economy collapsing. This belief, of course, isn't unfounded, particularly when you think about Detroit and car manufacturing automation being a contributor to the city's decline.
And yet without task automation, the chance of the modern-day worker having difficulty surviving one fine day at the office increases, where one fine day means having to juggle multiple tasks and assignments, needing to determine which is urgent from which is not based on the metrics the company utilizes, responding to requests from other project managers or departments, and perhaps worst of all, having to look at the monster that is your ever-growing to-do list.
Overwhelm, as they say, can effectively kill motivation, and employee demotivation is the last thing a team leader wants to deal with when working with tight deadlines. This is where a team collaboration software that also functions as a personal task management tool can help save the day.
Working with teams
When working with teams, what team-based task management tools normally do is streamline the task execution process from start to finish. When a team member successfully completes an assigned task, the task management engine sends out an auto-notification to the next person in the task chain. When a task is about to go overdue, the auto-notification system kicks into gear again, ensuring that every task is done properly and on time.
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management System
Comindware Tracker and personal task management
While collaboration is the force behind Comindware Tracker, the software also functions as a personal task management tool. When tasks are assigned to you, they become your responsibility, and this is where things get personal.
When you login to Comindware Tracker, all of your tasks appear in your main dashboard, along with vital information such as due date, level of priority, task status, and others. This way, right at the start of the work day, you already have an idea which tasks to tackle first and, quite possibly, how your entire day will shape up.
Aside from those assigned to you, you can also create your own tasks, such as a list of things you've done for the day, week, month, or quarter so that when it's time to create a report, you won't have to look through various emails, files or reporting platforms, essentially saving you tons of time for other tasks – personal task management at its best.
Conclusion
Trust and accountability are essential for teamwork to really work. Every member comprising a team has something to contribute, but until personal responsibility is seriously internalized, successful team execution may still be far ahead. That being the case, a collaboration application that supports personal task management in a flexible and user-friendly way becomes a vital tool in your team's task management arsenal.
Project management is a tedious job accompanied by numerous tasks that project managers need to do right, including project initiation, planning and execution, and control and closure. What makes it even more challenging is when such are delegated to teams who are given a set of goals, a timeline, and a specific budget. To make matters a bit more complicated, project managers need to see to it that everything goes smoothly to ensure a project's success.
This article points out the skills needed to accomplish the works stated above. These include technical, business, and management capabilities, along with a few soft skills. This fairly short read also mentions some of the tools that are helpful for project managers, as pointed out in this guide to project management software. This way, you can better equip yourself to meet the demands of the project management industry.
Important Skills of Project Managers
However, such skills need to be accompanied by the necessary tools that make project management much more easier. The purpose of project management software is primarily to automate processes, promote collaboration and foster communication among team members. These technologies have been rapidly growing in popularity. In fact, the global project management software market is expected to reach more than $1 billion by the year 2020.
Indeed, project managers' skills have become a very important commodity for businesses of all kinds nowadays. This is because current project management trends require them to step up their game. Such trends, if met head-on and strategically by project managers could spell success for projects. That's why one of the reasons behind the success of high performing companies is providing project management training. According to one study about the state of the project management office, here's the training these companies provide:
Source: PMSolutions
In this article, we'll answer the question, 'What are the most important skills of a project manager?' to help you improve your project management capabilities and, in effect, achieve your 6-figure income goal. We will also detail some examples of project management software that are currently available in the market.
10 Most Important Project Management Skills to Have
Project managers require a variety of skills to be able to effectively do their jobs and ultimately benefit both their respective organizations and project stakeholders. These capabilities can be gleaned from experience and take years to master. However, they offer great benefits that could significantly contribute to managers' career development. The following are some of the best project management skills that project managers should possess:
1. Leadership
The issue of project leadership has always been and always will be a focal point among businesses. This is why it is undoubtedly at the top of a project manager's most important skills. This skill enables project managers to come up with corporate visions and lead teams effectively. Boosting this skill will greatly improve the project managers' career advancement.
2. Communication
Communication goes hand-in-hand with leadership skills. To be an effective leader, one has to be able to make clear what project teams must do. However, communication is not limited to the project team, it also applies to all stakeholders, including vendors, contractors, and customers. Such can be done through the use of technologies such as reporting tools, chat or file sharing. Such tools facilitate person-to-person and group communication alike.
3. Scheduling Capability
Another one of the project manager's most important skills is the ability to create project schedules cannot be undermined. However, it has been established that many project managers are lacking in this skill, an area where improvements are greatly needed.
4. Risk Management
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management System
The proliferation of unique projects has resulted in project managers becoming more adept at risk management. Unlike common projects, which are often outsourced or assigned to less seasoned project managers, these unique undertakings entail more complicated efforts that only mature project managers are capable of handling. Having this skill is a sign of having control over your project. Besides, it's an effective way of assuring project sponsors that their investments are in good hands.
5. Negotiating
Project managers who have excellent negotiating skills are likely to resolve conflicts that may arise among project stakeholders. This could lead to the formulation of ideal scenarios that could prove to be amicable to all concerned.
6. Contract Management
The ability to manage contracts is very useful in maintaining relationships with suppliers. As every project involves material supply, such skill really comes in handy for project managers. Managing purchases is basically the cream of contract management. As such functions have previously been handled by finance departments, relegating it to project managers makes the process much simpler.
7. Team Management
Needless to say, most members of project teams need guidance from project managers and the most effective way to do this is by coaching. Having this skill will enable you to make up for employee shortcomings such as inadequate project experience and therefore, need coaching. And besides, coaching has been proven to help students to significantly boost their performance.
8. Cost Management
An essential project management skill, cost management is of critical importance to most businesses. Failure to comply with this need could hurt organizations that run on tight budgets. Project managers who are knowledgeable in this area can deliver projects not only on time but within the budget as well.
9. Critical Thinking
It is a fact that critical thinking is the basis of all sound decisions and corporate decisions are no exception to this rule. Project managers who consider the pros and cons of potential answers to specific problems, practice critical thinking. This skill separates those who are adept at managing issues from those who are not. The development of critical thinking skills require practice and tools that can help you logically structure arguments before coming up with a decision.
10. Task Management
An effective project manager should also be adept at task management. This skill involves the ability to come up with task lists and delegate them while keeping absolute control over the project. To be able to harness this skill, one must learn the process of making lists. Strategies for ensuring that one is constantly on top of such a list should also be developed. This is known to ensure that project completion time is always on time.
One more thing… sense of humor
Although this may sound absurd, this skill is definitely no laughing matter as far as project management is concerned. In fact, a good sense of humor is one of the most important skills that a project manager could possess. Aside from allowing one to see a problem from an alternative point of view, it is effective in relieving both managers' and teams' stress. Relieving stress allows key people to focus on generating ideas as opposed to working in a tension-filled environment.
Project Management Trends
As project management reaches new heights, project managers should be abreast of new developments in the field. Having the right skillset and tools does not necessarily denote success, one should likewise be on the lookout for changes in the area of project management. The following highlights the current project management trends that managers should be aware of.
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Tools
- Business Agile. As more and more organizations adopt the Agile development framework, many have been reaping its benefits to project management. The methodology has proved to be effective in boosting communication, making teams more receptive to change and improving returns on investment. What's even more appealing is that the use of the framework is known to start from small to mid-size businesses. It caters specifically to younger workers as they have a more flexible work mindset. Another reason for the framework's popularity is the proliferation of tools that help in its implementation. These tools include artificial intelligence, which automates project management decisions such as in the case of task assignments
- Focus on Project Strategy. As businesses are constantly affected by competition, lack of resources and time and budgetary difficulties, project managers must focus more on reaching corporate goals. This can be done by shifting away from industry-specific information as a way to reach objectives by identifying organizational strengths and weaknesses.
- Leveraging Staff Strength by Shifting Away from Hierarchies. Even as executives commonly influence corporate culture, employee-level concerns can impact corporate culture one way or another. Employee recognition is a sure-fire way of improving the work environment. Managers should seek ways by which to boost employee strengths, which can positively impact the organization.
- Accountability and Social Responsibility. Contrary to popular belief, profitability is not the most crucial thing for a business. There are also aspects of social responsibility and accountability that come with projects. Companies are now under pressure to consider social and environmental factors when executing projects. Besides, doing so can significantly boost the corporate image as both people and businesses prefer to deal with transparent organizations.
- Remote Project Management Tools, Labor, and Security. The need for remote project management tools and labor stemmed from the rise of the mobile workforce. The popularity of such tools has been steadily increasing. With this development comes the need for security policies and processes as ways of safekeeping client data in view of the use of mobile devices. However, the above-mentioned makeup but the tip of the iceberg as project managers have so many more responsibilities.
Examples of Project Management Software
There are a lot of project management systems to choose from out there. These more popular ones are well known to fulfill the purpose of project management software. So to help you get an idea of what you should be looking for in this type of technology, we have listed a few examples of project management solutions below and provided the details of their features, functionalities, and pricing.
1. monday.com
A leading collaboration and communication application designed for project management teams, monday.com syncs all data in a single location and facilitates decision-making for team members and agents alike. It streamlines contributions, boosting teams and departments' performance. Progress data is assembled and displayed logically and can be understood by all users. The platform likewise ensures that users get to have the needed incentives to help with tasks and assignments, even those not related to their roles. The interface is neat, well-organized and designed for collaboration. Its simplicity eliminates the need for formal user training, letting you use the app upon installation. However, the vendor thought it prudent to compile training materials for those who want them. What's even better about monday.com is its scheduling feature, which can be used for both task and project management, helping you get rid of paperwork. monday.com is available in a variety of pricing plans starting at $49/month.
You can use all the features for free for a period of time to see if the software matches your needs.
monday.com
Try out monday.com with their free trial
2. Wrike
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Template
Online project management software Wrike is designed to speed up projects both in co-located and distributed teams. It is highly flexible, allowing for team collaboration from a single location. Using the software, you can prioritize, schedule, discuss and monitor both work and project progress in real-time, all it takes is but a few clicks. The solution sports a myriad of business collaboration and information management features that are bound to boost your business. Wrike's easy-to-use navigation feature makes project management easy for both managers and teams. It likewise has top-of-the-line security measures that make sure that only project-relevant individuals have access to vital information. Its mobile applications let you track project progress from your mobile at any given time and place. The software's three-pane layout enables you to view important data, allowing for a clear view of project operations. It also allows you to work on subtasks or move across different projects. Wrike is sold at a variety of pricing plans starting at $9.80/user per month. If you require only basic functionalities, a free version is available.
You may further inspect the features that this product has to offer if you take advantage of their free trial plan.
Wrike
Try out Wrike with their free trial
3. ConnectWise Manage
This project management solution is designed to provide a core platform for crucial business processes. ConnectWise Manage not only serves as a single source of truth for businesses, but it also helps streamline business operations, allowing you to maximize your resources. Among the business processes that ConnectWise Manage supports are sales and procurement. Billing your clients is also faster and more efficient with the help of automation systems that streamline the billing process from gathering all necessary details to generating invoices.
ConnectWise Manage also provides error-proof ticketing with service dashboards for a faster and more efficient way of tracking and resolving customer issues. In terms of reporting, this cloud-based solution is equipped with robust reporting options to help you make strategic data-driven business decisions.
ConnectWise Manage
Try out ConnectWise Manage with their free trial
4. Zoho Projects
Aiming to provide its users with the ultimate project management experience, Zoho Projects is equipped with tools that help project leaders achieve their goals. With features that are both highly customizable and fully-automated, the entire project management process, from initial to closing, is handled more efficiently and effectively. For instance, its milestone mapping tool makes project planning and collaboration between team members smoother and less complicated. Every progress in tasks is also being tracked in real-time so that you can easily gauge your teams' productivity and take actions to ensure you are operating within your timetable. Zoho Projects offer a free plan for up to five users and four paid packages starting from $150/year. There's a 10-day trial for each paid plan.
The vendor has an appealing free trial where you can tinker with the features at no cost.
5. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is an industry-leading collaboration tool that caters to your needs for project management, crowdsourcing, and team task management to name a few. It's a versatile software that is ideal for businesses in the construction, education, retail, technology, manufacturing, and other industries. With its wide range of functionalities, Smartsheet isn't for project managers alone but is also useful for your personnel in other departments including HR, sales, marketing, and IT. The system also provides transparency into your team's actions through their activity logs, shared views, detailed history, etc. This improves the accountability of your staff. There are three pricing packages offered by Smartsheet – Individual, Business, and Enterprise. The first two plans are available for $14/user/month and $25/user/month respectively. The Enterprise plan is available by quote.
The vendor offers a comprehensive free trial to get you up to speed with the features.
Smartsheet
Things 2 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management
Try out Smartsheet with their free trial
More Articles for Project Managers to Read
So, there you have it — the most important skills that project managers need to possess to step up their game. If you're a project manager, you can try to improve on some of these skills as they will work to your advantage. These capabilities will not only benefit your organization but your management career as well.
If you're interested in learning more about this trade, go check this article discussing the purpose of project management. It also provides some helpful pointers like how to choose the best project management software and how to efficiently roll out a project management system.
Moreover, if you want to learn the figures surrounding this industry, take a look at our project management statistics. This shows the reasons for project failure, how much is spent by companies for each project, the key developments in project management software, and a lot more. With this information at your fingertips, you can stay abreast of what's new in the industry and remain one step ahead at all times.
