How Mobile Apps Can Help to Manage Your Teams for Better Results
Leading a team through project management isn’t a new phenomenon. For centuries, people have collaborated to complete projects together. Whether in business or in pursuit of a common goal, like writing the declaration of independence, teams function by working together.
In today’s fast-paced, connected world, team work on projects comes with new challenges. For example, team members can communicate on multiple platforms rapidly, making it difficult to keep track of who is doing or saying what and challenging to organize communication. That’s why many project managers are turning to team management apps.
Whether you manage a social club, kids’ sports teams, or a business department, using a team management app can be helpful because of it:
1. Centralized Communications
Used to help manage a team, club, or even a league, a common team management app will boast a communication feature. Usually a form of a messaging system, this feature is useful for any kind of project management.
Typically, the communications feature of a team management app with allow all users to engage in discussions with everyone or with selected parties. The communication is documented and strung together for easier tracking and reference, making communications usefully transparent. The centralized communications still take place rapidly in real time, but with better organization.
2. Saves Time
Going back through emails and notes to try to find information or figure out what’ already been done can take a lot of time. One of the main benefits of managing a project through a team app is saving time on tasks like these.
Simple, public checklists, for example, make knowing what has been done and what is left to do easily. Many apps allow team managers to make tasks dependent on each other. For instance, the manager may be able to make “format copy” dependent on “write copy,” establishing a clear order for the process of the project.
Other time-saving features include notification systems and search bar options. Being able to look up information is usually much faster than digging through previous communications to find it. Since team management apps are mobile, they all save time by being accessible anywhere, anytime.
3. Makes Information Accessible
Team members and managers all know the frustration of inaccessible information. Whether it’s having to share just one copy of a resource or having to check back through an email thread to find dates and times, inaccessible information wastes time and can make matters confusing.
Hard-to-access information can also be really inconvenient. For example, having to request, receive, download, fill out, and resubmit forms makes for a lot of work for managers and team members. With many team management apps, forms can simply be posted. Team members can find them, fill them out electronically, and send them back without all of the hassles.
Having the ability to upload or post information and resources is one of the most popular features of team management apps. Video uploads are increasingly desirable since they offer the potential to explain “how to” information to teammates conveniently. When selecting a team management app for your project and team, find out what kinds of media can be accessible.
4. Organize Tasks
Keeping everything in order is one of the main challenges of project management. Just a few decades ago, many project managers relied on large bulletin or marker boards to explain and track project progress in the sight of all team members. Now, mobile team management apps create digital, easy-to-update versions of these boards. They allow managers and team members to view the project process and progress anytime, anywhere they need to.
Unlike the project management boards of old, though, mobile management apps automate the organization of tasks. If one team member completes a task, they can notify everyone else immediately. Their work can be updated online, making the changes they’ve made show up in everyone else’s folders or space too. This kind of organized interconnectedness makes completing tasks individually and as a team much more efficient.
Through many apps, managers can also choose between how they create and digitally visualize project progress and layout. Some use flowcharts, for example, while others use checklists. The versatility of how tasks can be organized is a bonus for many project managers.
5. Offers Training and Feedback
Of course, team management apps come with their own challenges. The main challenge is ensuring users know how to navigate and utilize the app effectively. Studies show that one in four people abandon an app after the first time they use it, but this is believed to be in part due to confusion over how to use it.
To ensure team management apps help you complete projects more effectively and efficiently, utilize the training videos and resources most apps include. Walk your team members through the process and capabilities of the app. Then, use integrated feedback features to gauge how your team uses the app and leverage the info to streamline your process. You’ll find that when used well, team management apps can help you manage your team better.
