Workflow Management: 8 Helpful Tips to Manage Your Projects

Tired of planning and planning and never getting the work done? Is your to-do list slowly turning into a snake hissing at you from behind the un-checked and pending tasks? Or, maybe your team is having trouble managing tasks. And at the end of the day, more time is spent clarifying or understanding how to do simple processes rather than complete tasks. It is no surprise, workflow management is absolutely essential to the proper functioning of any project or task. 

Helpful Workflow Management Tips

Whether you’re working on it solo or within a team where each person contributes to the final product, without proper and comfortable management, it is easy to fall behind on important tasks. This, in turn, affects productivity. So, what can you or your team do to maintain, manage, and increase productivity?

1) Set and Clarify Goals

What are you trying to achieve through this project or business idea? What is the end goal here? Set realistic goals. In a team, everyone should know what needs to be accomplished by the end of the month, quarter, or year. This way, each member is working in the same direction and not prioritizing different subtasks.

2) Make Expectations Clear

Before you start any project or task, make sure that you are clear on the goals and expectations of what needs to be achieved. This is also true for good workflow management for teams. Everyone is on the same page. Communication is essential to the successful running of any company. And so, make expectations clear and task details specific. 

3) Choose the Perfect Workflow Management Method

Now, when it comes to managing and completing a task with different processes, each person has their own preference. Some prefer visual management, some prefer tagging, while others don’t need any tracking. We all work differently and so, in a team, you need to consider how each person works and what can be helpful to all. This is why it’s important to research and experiment with different methods to find one that works best for you. Some workflow management methods are:

• Lists with checkboxes: track number of tasks or projects completed
• Tags and labels: organize files and tasks
• Hierarchies with tasks and subtasks (good for group or teamwork): move tasks between team members where after a task is completed, it moves to the next person in the hierarchy
• Visual management: record progress of tasks and goals on whiteboards or digital boards with charts and diagrams
• Spreadsheets: organize and manage taskflow through columns and rows
• Customer relationship management (CRM) systems (good for call centers or customer service agencies): tracking calls and customer information from regular and virtual numbers
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are used to manage almost every aspect of a business. (The difference between ERP vs CRM softwares is their focus. ERP focuses on the business as a whole, while CRM focuses only on the customers).

4) Invest in a Task/Project Management System

Even with all of these techniques, workflow management can be difficult to achieve. In that case, you may want to consider investing in a project management system that provides tools and features that help with organization and task management. Some popular project management and CRM systems, software, and tools are:

• Microsoft Office
• G Suite
• Dropbox
• Teamwork
• Monday
• Slack
• Trello
• Zoho
• Asana

Most of these systems can be integrated with other tools and applications like Google Docs or Dropbox. This way, your work process is not entirely altered and you can still use your favorite tools. Similarly, you can get call tracking software from virtual phone service providers, like Global Call Forwarding (https://www.globalcallforwarding.com/), etc.

5) Create a Realistic Schedule

Next, develop a schedule that doesn’t ask too much or too little from yourself or your team. Keep average task times (time to complete a task) and end goals in mind when creating the schedule. Also, note what other sub or side projects team members may be in charge of so that they are not overwhelmed.

6) Acknowledge Milestones and Achievements

Set milestones to show how a project should progress and get approval from management to ensure there are no issues. Also, and this goes without saying, appreciate and acknowledge achievements.

7) Plans for Potential Conflicts

Keep an eye out for potential issues that may pop up in your workflow management system. Plan for side and priority projects. Also, when introducing a new project management system to a team that is used to a different one, you may find some resistance in adopting the new software. Plan for this as well by reducing workload temporarily and making tutorials and webinars easily accessible.

8) Get Feedback and Improve

Finally, collect employee feedback and thoughts about how processes can be improved. This ensures that the system continues to work. If employees are not comfortable, even after a few months, you may need to find another system. Additionally, project management systems are constantly adding new features and tools. So, stay updated and keep the workflow going.

Closing: Increase Productivity by Managing Workflow

Effective workflow management can make tasks seem easier and more manageable. Checking a task off is a pure rush, bringing on a sense of achievement! And when you are not overwhelmed or falling behind, it gets even better. Manage your workload, complete your projects, and move one step closer to accomplishing your goals!

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Meryl D’Sa, in her writing, explores concepts and ideas related to travel, communications, literature, relationships, and more.