As 2018 comes to a close, many of us are writing out New Year’s resolutions to prepare for a strong start to 2019.
Many small businesses have the same resolution – to improve internal processes and project management. Working on a small team, while offering many benefits, provides some challenges when it comes to managing projects. Team members must wear many hats, and it can be hard to keep track of tasks and details.
We have felt those struggles, and as we continue to grow our processes are refined to keep projects running smoothly. That doesn’t come without some help. Here are some of the free project management tools that we use to help keep us on track, and we hope they can help you achieve your goals for the new year!
Slack
Contrary to the name, this app is not for SLACK-ers.
Slack is a place for your entire team to collaborate and communicate effectively. The workspace is set up in channels – dedicated places for organized conversations, integrated file sharing, and even video/voice calls. In addition to internal team members, you can share channels with companies and businesses you regularly work with – clients, vendors, and partners – to bring all the right people into the same *virtual* room. Slack also integrates with over 1,500 apps, including Google Drive and Salesforce, allowing for seamless integration into your current workflow.
Teamwork Projects
Juggling a ton of projects at once and having trouble keeping everything organized? Teamwork could be a solution for you.
Teamwork Projects has everything you need to track a project from start to finish. You can assign tasks (or sub-tasks) to different team members, track progress and time spent, and organize your all your projects in one dashboard.
Trello
If you want a visually-appealing, fun place to manage your projects, say “Hello” to Trello!
Trello’s boards, lists, and cards allow you to organize and prioritize all your projects in a flexible way. You can dive into all the project details by adding comments, attachments, task checklists, and more. One of the coolest features is the ability to click and drag cards from one list to another, so you can move it through a sales funnel or editorial calendar. The possibilities are endless!
Wunderlist
Sometimes you just need a little reminder. Wunderlist houses all your necessary “To-Do” lists, both professional and personal.
With Wunderlist, you can organize related lists into folders, set deadlines and reminders, assign to-dos, and even turn actionable emails into tasks by simply forwarding to Wunderlist. This provides a simple way to keep your entire team on track for specific projects or internal deadlines.
G Suite
This may seem like a no-brainer, but Google provides a great, easy platform for project management and collaboration with G Suite.
Utilize Google Sheets to create dynamic project plans and allow team members to update their progress. Create shared Google Calendars to keep everyone up to do date with deadlines and reminders. Securely store and manage your project documents on a Team Drive or collaborate on documents including project proposals or reports in Google Docs.
Using one or all of these tools could prove a vital addition to any small team in any industry. For us, these tools allow for more creative brainstorming and production time! Let’s collaborate on one of these platforms soon!
Here’s to better project management and continued business growth in 2019!
