So much to do, so little time… How are we supposed to keep it all straight?!

With project management software, of course.

Project management software – like Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com – streamline communication by eliminating communications. That’s right! We’re cutting out communications for better communication. (See what I mean there?) 

Consider how many emails you get in a day to discuss a project or task – and now cut those emails out completely. Consider how many meetings you’re sitting in to get updates from your team – and now cut those meetings out completely. Consider how many quick calls you’re hopping on to confirm the status of this or that – and now (you guessed it) cut those calls out completely. 

Project management software allows you to reduce communications while also keeping track of important tasks and your team’s progress.

Before we dive in any further… if your team is already organized and high-functioning – stop now! Whatever you’re doing works, so don't rock the boat.

But if you’re struggling to keep track of anything and everything, consider the following situations.

• It’s hard to coordinate across departments.
• Leadership lacks visibility, and they struggle to follow progress.
• Meetings are spent providing status updates on projects.
• You’re losing track of important work and missing deadlines.

Sound like your organization? Project management software can help – and here’s how.

1. Make big things small.

How do you eat an elephant? You don't! (What's wrong with you?) But how do you feed an elephant? One peanut at a time.

Project management software helps you break down large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks that your team can act on. 

Imagine that your next gala is in six months. What do you need to do today to prepare for that event? What about tomorrow? What about a month from now or one month before the event? Project management software allows your organization to outline the Who, What, When, Where, and How of every event, project, strategy, and more in small, easy-to-tackle tasks. 

2. Streamline communication

When people say, “This meeting could have been an email,” they’re actually saying, “We didn’t need to all coordinate our schedules to be in the room together for this information to be delivered.” 

Email isn’t really the solution to too many meetings because, while email works for some communications, it can be a chaotic place to keep track of things. It’s a dumping ground for all sorts of content: proposals, notifications, newsletters, billing reminders, 2FA emails… the list goes on! 

(If your email inbox is overwhelming, read my article on creating a streamlined communication culture.)

Instead, project management software offers a streamlined approach to communication where notifications are directly connected to the work they’re associated with and to the people doing the work.

3. Visibility

Wouldn’t it be great to ditch the phrase: “Hey, what’s the status of…?” Organizations often default to phone calls and meetings for leadership to get visibility into a project's progress.

Project management software, on the other hand, creates ongoing visibility. As people add status updates to projects, they build a history of the project over time. As tasks are added and completed, people can get a sense of progress. When challenges arise (they always do!), status updates are the perfect way to surface those to the broader team. 

But my favorite gain from visibility is that it eliminates a ton of work communicating about work. 

4. Accountability

Visibility into a project leads straight to accountability.

Instead of holding a meeting to get status updates and responding reactively, leadership can check status updates in project management software, proactively ensuring project tasks are being completed. Meetings can be saved for more complex, adaptive work (no more reviewing checklists). 

Want to give it a try? 

Almost every project management tool offers a free trial, and many offer nonprofit pricing. My favorites are Asana and Basecamp, but hundreds of options exist. (Refer back to the “So That” Framework to narrow your options down in search.)

Next Up

Next week, I’ll focus on the five critical questions you should answer before rolling out a project management software for your team.

Until then, keep up the great work!