Have you ever wondered why some people find projects to be a burden; while others sail through projects without a problem? If you observe carefully, you will see that some people manage projects better than others due to using efficient project management tools. An efficient project manager will not allow the project run him but rather he run the project. Let’s take a look at the qualities of an efficient project manager and the latest project management features.
Qualities of an Efficient Project Manager
- Foresight – An efficient project manager foresees the problems that can jeopardize budgets and deadlines.
- Organized – A good PM focuses on the big picture and prioritizes tasks accordingly. He should know how to organize top priority projects over others, therefore, knowing how to prioritize is very important when it comes to distributing work among various team members.
- Good communicators – Communication with the team is key when it comes to keeping in contact with remote team members as well as in-house employees. This is the only way for a project manager to stay on top of the status of any project. Lines of communications should always be open and direct. Being a good communicator shows the ability to negotiate and persuade stake holders.
In brief, an effective project manager is not just a people person, but also tech savvy. It’s important for the manager to stay up to date on new technology, such as new project management tools. This can help ease the burden on the project team and manage important projects.
Features of Quality Project Management Software
Web-based software – These days project management software on the cloud is gaining momentum. Cloud computing has made making changes, updates, modifications easier in real time. People who are involved in a project and work remotely from various parts of the globe can view what is happening a lot quicker and faster.
Easy to use and multi-user logins – The software must be designed in such a way that it must be easy to use for all levels of users. Some software will not put a limit to the number users who can login at any given time. Users can then be given privileges such as ‘read only’ or ‘read-write only’.
File sharing – Files required for a project can be stored in a central repository. This feature makes it possible for team members to access it anytime, anywhere. You can store any type of files such as word docs, spreadsheets, graphics and so on.
Accountability – The success of any project is having a team who is accountable for their actions and tasks. Accountability feature of the software allows the members of the project to update theirs tasks, see the projected time line and real time expended on the project.
Flexibility – The latest project management software’s have features that allow you to customize according to your needs. Therefore, it allows the project team to communicate and report on the progress of the project. This will allow other members of the group to know what others are doing. Delegation of tasks and monitoring becomes easier.
Choose a suite of good project management features that will help you run your projects more efficiently.
