Effective project management is vital for the success of any organization. The ability to plan, execute, and deliver projects on time and within budget is critical for small businesses to large corporations. Even for seasoned professionals, navigating the complexities of project management can be a daunting task.  

This article delves into the 6 most frequently asked project management questions, shedding light on common challenges and providing practical insights to improve project success. We draw from the collective wisdom of experienced project managers and industry best practices. Understanding these fundamental questions can provide invaluable guidance for your projects, whether you’re an aspiring project manager, a team member working on a project, or a business owner looking to streamline operations.

The Most Frequently Asked Project Management Questions

By addressing these common queries, we aim to demystify project management and equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to tackle your projects with confidence. So, if you’ve ever wondered, “What is the role of a project manager?” or “How can I effectively manage project risks?” then this article is for you. 

1. What Is Project Management?

Project management is a discipline and set of practices that entails planning, organizing, and controlling resources and activities in order to achieve specific goals within a specified scope, budget, and timeframe. It is a methodical approach to initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects in order to achieve desired results.

In a nutshell, project management entails coordinating various elements, such as people, tasks, timelines, and resources, in order to complete a project successfully. It includes defining project objectives, developing a project plan, allocating resources, managing risks, communicating with stakeholders, and monitoring progress. 

Project management is useful in a wide range of industries and sectors, from construction to information technology to marketing and healthcare. It provides a structured framework for managing projects of varying sizes and complexities, ensuring their efficient and successful completion.  

Organizations can optimize resources, reduce risks, improve collaboration, and ultimately deliver projects that meet the expectations of stakeholders by employing project management principles and methodologies. It provides a systematic approach to project execution, allowing teams to achieve their objectives while maintaining control over the scope, budget, and timeline of the project. 

2. What Is the Role of a Project Manager? 

The role of a project manager in project management is multi-faceted and crucial for the success of any project. Project managers serve as the central point of coordination, overseeing all aspects of a project from initiation to completion. Their primary objective is to ensure that the project is delivered on time, within budget, and with the desired quality. 

Here are some key responsibilities and roles of a project manager: 

Planning:

Project managers play a pivotal role in project planning. They define project goals, scope, and deliverables, and create a comprehensive project plan that outlines the tasks, timelines, and resources required for successful project execution. This involves breaking down the project into manageable phases and setting realistic objectives. 

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Organizing and Resource Management:

Project managers coordinate resources, including human resources, equipment, materials, and finances. They allocate tasks to team members, ensure that resources are available when needed, and optimize their utilization to maximize efficiency. 

Leadership and Team Management:

Project managers lead and motivate project teams, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment. They assign roles and responsibilities, provide guidance, and facilitate effective communication among team members. They also monitor team performance, address conflicts, and ensure that everyone is working towards common project goals. 

Risk Management:

Project managers identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate or minimize their impact on the project. They conduct risk assessments, create contingency plans, and monitor risks throughout the project lifecycle. This proactive approach helps in anticipating and addressing challenges, ensuring project success. 

Monitoring and Control:

Project managers continuously monitor project progress, track milestones, and compare actual progress against the project plan. They identify deviations, analyze their causes, and take corrective actions to keep the project on track. Regular status updates and reporting to stakeholders are also part of their responsibility. 

Stakeholder Management:

Project managers engage with project stakeholders, including clients, team members, sponsors, and external parties. They ensure effective communication, manage expectations, and address stakeholder concerns. Building and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders are crucial for project success. 

Quality Assurance:

Project managers are responsible for ensuring that project deliverables meet the required quality standards. They define quality parameters, establish quality control processes, and conduct regular reviews to verify adherence to quality requirements.

Project managers are therefore accountable for driving projects towards successful outcomes by effectively planning, organizing, leading, and controlling project activities. Their role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, requiring strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills to navigate the complexities of project management and achieve project objectives.

3. What Are the 5 Stages of Project Management? 

The 5 stages of project management, commonly known as the project life cycle, provide a structured framework for managing projects from initiation to completion. While the specific terminology and processes may vary depending on the methodology used, the core stages typically include: 

1st Stage: Project Initiation

• Define the project’s objectives, scope, and stakeholders. 
• Conduct a feasibility study to assess the project’s viability. 
• Develop a project charter or initiation document that outlines the project’s high-level details. 

 2nd Stage: Project Planning

• Create a detailed project plan that includes tasks, milestones, timelines, and resource requirements. 
• Identify project dependencies, risks, and constraints. 
• Develop a communication plan and stakeholder engagement strategy. 
• Set project baselines for scope, schedule, and budget. 

3rd Stage: Project Execution

• Execute the project plan by assigning tasks to team members and allocating resources. 
• Manage and coordinate project activities, ensuring they are performed according to the defined schedule. 
• Monitor progress and track project milestones. 
• Manage changes and make necessary adjustments to keep the project on track. 

4th Stage: Project Monitoring and Control

• Continuously monitor project performance against the baselines. 
• Track and analyze project metrics, such as cost, schedule, and quality. 
• Identify and manage risks and issues that may arise during project execution. 
• Take corrective actions when deviations occur, and communicate updates to stakeholders. 

5th Stage: Project Closure

• Validate project deliverables against acceptance criteria. 
• Conduct a formal project review to assess project success and lessons learned. 
• Close financial accounts, finalize contracts, and complete administrative tasks. 
• Prepare a final project report and formally close the project. 

It’s important to note that these stages are not always strictly linear, and iterations or overlapping activities may occur depending on the project’s nature and methodology used. Nonetheless, the five stages provide a general framework that helps project managers and teams navigate the project life cycle, ensuring a systematic and organized approach to project management.

4. How to Effectively Manage Project Risks 

Effectively managing project risks is crucial for ensuring project success and minimizing the negative impact of unforeseen events. Here are some steps to help you manage project risks effectively: 

Identify Risks:

Begin by identifying potential risks that could impact your project. This involves brainstorming with your project team, stakeholders, and subject matter experts to identify all possible risks. Consider risks related to project scope, resources, timeline, technology, external factors, and any other relevant aspects. Document these risks in a risk register or risk log. 

Assess Risks:

Once risks are identified, assess their likelihood of occurring and their potential impact on the project’s objectives. Prioritize the risks based on their significance, using qualitative or quantitative assessment techniques. This will help you determine which risks require immediate attention and which ones can be managed or mitigated. 

Plan Risk Response:

Develop a risk response plan for each identified risk. This plan outlines specific actions to address and mitigate the risks. Consider various strategies such as avoidance (eliminating the risk), mitigation (reducing the likelihood or impact), transfer (shifting the risk to another party), or acceptance (acknowledging the risk and having a contingency plan in place). Assign responsibilities and allocate resources for implementing the risk response strategies. 

Monitor and Control:

Continuously monitor the identified risks throughout the project lifecycle. Regularly review and update the risk register to capture any new risks that may arise. Track the effectiveness of implemented risk response strategies and adjust as necessary. Maintain open communication channels to ensure that the project team remains aware of potential risks and can respond promptly. 

Establish Contingency Plans:

Develop contingency plans for high-priority risks that pose a significant impact on the project if they occur. Contingency plans outline specific actions to be taken if a risk materializes. Having predetermined alternative approaches or backup plans can help minimize the impact of unforeseen events and ensure the continuity of project progress. 

Engage Stakeholders:

Involve relevant stakeholders in the risk management process. Keep them informed about identified risks, mitigation strategies, and progress. Seek their input and support in addressing risks and obtaining necessary resources. Effective stakeholder engagement can help build a collaborative environment and enhance risk management effectiveness. 

Learn from Lessons:

Continuously learn from past projects and experiences. Capture lessons learned from risk management efforts and incorporate them into future projects. This helps improve risk identification, assessment, and response planning for subsequent projects.

Remember that risk management is an ongoing process, and risks may evolve and change throughout the project lifecycle. Regularly revisit and update your risk management strategies to ensure they remain relevant and effective. By proactively identifying, assessing, and managing project risks, you can minimize potential disruptions and increase the likelihood of project success.

5. What Are the Key Project Management Skills? 

Effective project management requires a combination of technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Here are some key project management skills that are essential for successful project execution: 

Communication:

Strong communication skills are crucial for project managers to effectively convey information, expectations, and instructions to team members, stakeholders, and clients. Clear and concise communication helps ensure everyone is on the same page, promotes collaboration, and minimizes misunderstandings. 

Leadership:

Project managers need to provide strong leadership to guide their teams towards project success. This includes inspiring and motivating team members, setting clear goals and expectations, making decisions, and resolving conflicts. Effective leadership encourages teamwork, fosters a positive work environment, and keeps the project on track. 

Organization and Time Management:

Project managers must possess excellent organizational and time management skills to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and manage resources efficiently. Being able to prioritize activities, create realistic schedules, and effectively allocate resources helps maintain project progress and prevent delays. 

Risk Management:

The ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks is crucial for project managers. They should be skilled in anticipating potential risks, analyzing their impact, and developing appropriate strategies to minimize or address them. Proactive risk management helps reduce the negative impact of unforeseen events on the project. 

Problem-Solving:

Project managers encounter challenges and obstacles throughout the project lifecycle. Strong problem-solving skills enable them to identify issues, analyze root causes, and develop creative solutions. The ability to think critically and make timely decisions helps keep the project moving forward and overcome roadblocks. 

Stakeholder Management:

Project managers need to effectively engage and manage various stakeholders, including clients, team members, sponsors, and external parties. Building and maintaining positive relationships, understanding stakeholders’ needs and expectations, and managing communication channels are vital for stakeholder satisfaction and project success. 

Adaptability:

Projects are subject to changes and uncertainties. Project managers should be adaptable and flexible in response to evolving circumstances. They need to be open to change, adjust project plans as necessary, and find alternative approaches when required. Adapting to unexpected situations helps maintain project momentum and deliver successful outcomes. 

Financial and Budget Management:

Understanding project finances and effectively managing budgets is essential for project managers. They should have a good grasp of financial concepts, be able to track and control project costs and make informed decisions to optimize resource allocation. 

Team Management:

Project managers are responsible for leading and managing project teams. This requires strong team management skills, including the ability to delegate tasks, provide guidance and support, foster collaboration, and recognize and leverage individual strengths.

Continuous Learning:

Project managers should have a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. Keeping up with industry trends, best practices, and emerging project management methodologies helps enhance their skills and adapt to evolving project management practices.

While this list provides a comprehensive overview, the specific skills required may vary depending on the project’s nature, industry, and organizational context. Developing and refining these skills can significantly enhance a project manager’s ability to navigate complex projects and deliver successful outcomes.

6. What Are Project Management Tools? 

Project management tools are software applications or platforms that assist project managers and teams in planning, organizing, tracking, and collaborating on projects. These tools help streamline project management processes, improve communication, and enhance overall project efficiency.

Here are some commonly used project management tools: 

Project Planning and Scheduling Tools: 

• Gantt Chart Tools: These tools, such as Microsoft Project or Zenkit Projects allow project managers to create visual timelines, assign tasks, set dependencies, and track progress using Gantt charts. 
• Kanban Boards: Tools like Jira or Zenkit Projects enable teams to manage and visualize tasks using a Kanban board layout, with cards representing individual tasks or work items. 

Collaboration and Communication Tools: 

• Communication Platforms: Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zenchat facilitate real-time communication and collaboration among team members, allowing for efficient sharing of information, discussions, and file sharing. 
• Document Sharing and Collaboration Tools: Platforms such as Google Drive, SharePoint, or Dropbox provide a central location for teams to store, access, and collaborate on project-related documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. 

Task and Workflow Management Tools: 

• To-Do Lists and Task Managers: Tools like Any.do or Zenkit To Do help individuals and teams create and manage to-do lists, set deadlines, and track progress on tasks. 
• Workflow Automation Tools: Platforms like Zapier or IFTTT automate repetitive tasks by integrating various applications and triggering actions based on predefined rules. 

Time and Resource Management Tools: 

• Time Tracking Software: Tools such as Toggl, Harvest, or Clockify help track time spent on project tasks, providing insights into resource utilization, estimating project costs, and analyzing productivity. 
• Resource Planning Tools: These tools, such as ResourceGuru, Float, Teamdeck, or Zenkit Projects assist in scheduling and allocating resources, managing team availability, and avoiding over/underbooking of resources. 

Issue and Risk Management Tools: 

• Issue Tracking Systems: Tools like Jira, GitHub Issues, or Redmine allow project teams to report, track, and manage project issues, bugs, and feature requests, ensuring they are addressed and resolved efficiently. 
• Risk Management Software: Platforms such as RiskyProject, ProjectManager.com, or ActiveCollab provide features to identify, assess, track, and mitigate project risks, helping project managers proactively manage potential threats. 

Reporting and Analytics Tools: 

• Dashboard and Reporting Tools: Platforms like Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, or Google Data Studio help project managers visualize and present project data in the form of interactive dashboards and reports, facilitating data-driven decision-making. 
• Project Performance Analytics: Tools such as ProjectManager.com, Workfront, or Smartsheet offer built-in analytics capabilities to track project progress, monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), and generate performance reports. 

The selection of project management tools depends on the specific needs and requirements of the project, team size, budget, and preferences. It’s important to evaluate different tools and choose those that align with the project management approach, team collaboration needs, and overall project goals.

Final Thoughts

Project management is certainly a complex and multifaceted discipline that requires a diverse set of skills and knowledge. Hopefully, this article has provided valuable insights into the 6 most frequently asked project management questions. By understanding these key discussion points, individuals can navigate the challenges of project management more effectively and increase the chances of project success.

Whether you are an aspiring project manager or a seasoned professional, having a solid foundation in project management concepts and best practices is essential. By familiarizing yourself with the fundamental principles and applying them in your projects, you can improve your ability to plan, execute, and control projects, leading to better outcomes and stakeholder satisfaction. Additionally, staying updated with the latest trends, methodologies, and tools in project management can help you adapt to the evolving needs of the industry and continuously improve your project management skills.

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While marketing can be challenging for small companies with limited budgets and resources, implementing a clever marketing strategy can be cost-effective to achieve their goals and stand out. Building relationships with your customers, nurturing leads, or utilizing digital tools are great ways to start, but don’t stop there. We’ve assembled a list of creative features to strengthen your marketing strategy, but first, it’s important to understand the significance and role of creativity in marketing strategy.

How Can a Creative Marketing Strategy Benefit Your Business? 

Incorporating creativity into marketing strategy facilitates establishing a deeper and more meaningful connection with the target audience. It can be a game-changer for businesses looking to enhance customer value. It enhances brand awareness and recognition, resulting in a higher return on investment. The most significant advantage of creative marketing strategies is that they don’t have to break the bank. Even smaller companies can implement innovative, unique, memorable, and practical ideas as effectively as larger corporations.

6 Elements of Creative Marketing Strategy for Small Business

These are the key steps to developing a marketing strategy that’s unique to your business.

1. Develop a Unique Brand Identity

Establishing a distinctive brand identity is not merely an added advantage but a vital aspect of any successful marketing plan. Your website’s first impression on users can determine whether they stay or leave within seconds. Research has shown that it takes users as little as 0.05 seconds to form an opinion of your site. 

Your brand identity influences how customers perceive your business and their purchasing behavior. Therefore, developing a brand identity that is consistent, memorable, and emotionally resonant with your target audience is crucial and achievable even on a budget.  

Many inspiring brands claim you should have a clear vision that you’ll transform into all the parts of the branding— an eye-catching logo, a consistent and harmonious color palette, and fonts that convey a strong message. 

As your brand’s identity develops, launching new products will also become more manageable, even if they differ from your previous offerings. As a result, your brand will have a better chance to gain customer loyalty and interest with new products that align with your brand’s image.

2. Focus on Content Marketing

Content marketing provides many opportunities to develop and embrace creativity. Unlike traditional marketing methods that focus on pushing overtly promotional messages, content marketing involves creating content that educates, entertains, and informs the audience. Through creativity, businesses can reach more people, inspire them to take action and create a stronger connection with their brand.

Another advantage of content marketing is that it generates three times more leads than outbound marketing and is 62% cheaper than traditional marketing. 

While content marketing is a cost-effective way for companies to generate leads, it must be accompanied by relevant content that resonates with the audience. Companies often get caught up in the idea that top-tier, flawless content is the only way to stay ahead of the competition. Truth be told, it is more important to prioritize visually appealing, well-written content that is authentic, relatable, and transparent.

These qualities are set to become even more critical as businesses strive to engage customers and build trust. Brands willing to be transparent about their values and business approach are in greater consumer demand.

For example, if your target audience is Gen Z, consider three factors related to consumption:  

• Access over possession, 
• Individuality identity expression
• Ethical concerns

To cater to different audience preferences, create content in various formats, such as blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, and social media updates. Ensure your content is valuable, informative, and relevant to your target audience. Focus on answering questions and offering solutions to the problems. Show the personality, people behind your brand, your brand’s story, and industry-related stories for emotional connection. Emphasize storytelling to make your content more relatable and to demonstrate the value of your products or services.

3. Utilitize Email Marketing

Email marketing continues to be popular and successful, providing the highest ROI of all marketing channels at $42 for every dollar spent. The secret of email marketing success is based on customization and personalization. 

When done right, email marketing can be a powerful tool to help businesses connect with their customers on a deeper, more personal level. Companies can create targeted campaigns that resonate with their audience by analyzing customer behavior and preferences, driving higher engagement and conversions. This personalized approach also provides valuable insights that marketers can use to improve other areas of a company’s marketing strategy, making it an essential part of any modern business’s toolkit. 

To utilize email marketing, identify the target audience and understand their needs, interests, and preferences first. Use your email campaigns to encourage two-way communication with your audience, using captivating and personalized content that should focus on quality rather than quantity to ensure higher engagement. 

Seize the chance to experiment with different types of emails, such as newsletters, promotional emails, and event invitations, to determine what resonates best with the audience. Encourage recipients to open your emails with compelling subject lines and creative elements like eye-catching visuals, GIFs, or other interactive content. Set up automated welcome emails for new subscribers, cart abandonment reminders, and personalized product recommendations. 

Ensure emails are optimized for mobile devices, as many people check them on smartphones or tablets. Ask for feedback, opinions, or questions, and respond promptly to build trust and rapport. Keep up with the latest email marketing trends to see what works best for you

4. Implement a Multi-Channel Approach

Did you know that multi-channel shoppers spend three times more than single-channel shoppers? By offering customers different ways to purchase and communicate with the brand, businesses can reach a wider audience and convert more customers.

Businesses can build brand recognition and loyalty for their products and services by implementing different marketing channels. A good starting point for implementing a multi-channel approach is creating a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate website showcasing your products while sharing your brand’s story and values. Additionally, establishing a presence on well-known social media platforms can effectively showcase your business’s visual and personalized side. You can boost your email marketing efforts by building an email list of subscribers through website sign-ups and social media promotions.

Finding the right tool to manage different marketing teams effectively can be challenging for small businesses. This is where Zenkit’s flexible and customizable workspace allows teams to organize their marketing projects and day-to-day tasks in one centralized platform. 

5. Bet on Affiliate Marketing

In a highly competitive online marketplace, it can be challenging for businesses to distinguish themselves from their competitors and expand their reach into new markets. However, affiliate partnerships are one effective way businesses can boost their traffic and sales.

Affiliate marketing is a mutually beneficial relationship between a merchant and an affiliate. The affiliates use their marketing channels to advertise the merchant’s offerings and earn a commission for every sale they make.

Using affiliate marketing is easy even for beginners – here are some tips to get the most out of it: 

• Leverage your email list to send newsletters or promotional emails featuring links to your affiliate products or services. Make sure to personalize your email content and segment your list based on your subscribers’ interests to increase the chances of conversions.
• Write in-depth product reviews or comparisons highlighting the features, benefits, and drawbacks of the affiliate products or services. By helping your audience make informed decisions, you’ll establish yourself as an authority within the niche.
• Promote your affiliate products or services with contests or giveaways to create buzz around your brand and entice people to try them.
• Organize contests or giveaways featuring your affiliate products or services as prizes that can create buzz around your brand and entice more people to try out the products or services you are promoting.

6. Offer Discounts and Promotions

Good deals are win-win. Not only will your customers be happy to save their money, but you’ll also attract new ones looking for a great bargain. By providing attractive discounts and promotions, small businesses can incentivize potential customers to purchase and entice them to become repeat customers.

While it may involve some initial costs, offering discounts and promotions can increase sales and customer loyalty, making it a worthwhile investment for small businesses. Deals and promotions can take many forms, such as a percentage off the total purchase, free shipping, or a complimentary gift. 

Offering discounts and promotions as a part of a creative marketing strategy can also leverage word-of-mouth marketing, which consumers find trustworthy. Research states that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends, family, or people they know. Reward those who refer others to your business by offering a discount code for both the referrer and the referee. 

An online referral system can automate the process of tracking and rewarding successful referrals by providing a unique referral link or code. This streamlined approach allows customers to easily share the information with their network, leading to increased brand awareness and a higher likelihood of attracting new customers. 

Discounts and promotions can also create a sense of urgency among potential customers, encouraging them to buy before the discount or promotion expires. By doing this, a company can generate immediate sales and create a sense of excitement and anticipation surrounding its products. By tracking which promotions and discounts generate the most sales, small companies can better understand what their customers value and adjust their marketing strategy accordingly.

Final Thoughts

It’s essential to set clear objectives for each component of the marketing strategy and measure its success to determine what’s working and what needs to be adjusted. A successful creative marketing strategy combines the correct elements, creative content, and effective methods to get the message out. By being innovative, adaptable, and willing to take risks, small companies can create a powerful marketing strategy that can help them achieve long-term success.

About the Author: Natália Nálešníková is a member of the outreach and content team at LiveAgent. Outside of work, she enjoys reading books and planning low-cost trips, preferably in the mountains. She is also a coffee enthusiast and minimalist, finding joy in the simplicity of life.

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Project management is one of the most resource-demanding and time-consuming endeavors. Project managers are required to oversee a variety of aspects of the project. From managing the budget to ensuring the outcome meets the client’s needs, all this is a direct responsibility of a project manager. 

But how do they manage to stay on top of all this? How do they ensure the project stays within the budget and gets delivered on time? 

The answer is they use a project management pipeline. 

In this blog, we will reveal the concept of project pipeline management, discuss its best practices and answer some of the frequently asked questions. So, sit tight and read on.

What Is a Project Management Pipeline?

Project pipeline management is an approach PMs take when overseeing and tracking all recurrent projects. It allows PMs to gain an overview of all the projects and prioritize high-value projects and tasks while also handling challenging situations.

A project management pipeline helps managers oversee the team’s progress and timely address any issues that arise in the workflow. With a tool like this, project managers can ensure that project goals are met on time without exceeding the budget.

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Five Stages of Project Pipeline Management

Project pipeline management is a complex process consisting of multiple tasks. In order to effectively manage a project’s pipeline, it is essential to understand the five stages that constitute project pipeline management. Here they are.

1. Ideation

Ideation is the brainstorming phase where new ideas are generated. This phase is crucial to generating project proposals, which will further be deployed to produce high-quality projects. It is important to get insights from every team member during the ideation phase. You never know when a simple concept might turn out to be your best project, so do get everyone involved in this phase. 

Here are some additional suggestions to help you maximize the ideation phase:

• Rather than using sticky notes to jot down ideas, encourage your team to utilize project management software to effortlessly collaborate and exchange ideas with one another. 
• Maintain a record of crucial details about a concept, like its origin, the day it was formed, the criticism it received, and more.
• It’s crucial to get rid of ideas that don’t work well together or can’t be completed within a set time frame or realistic budget.

2. Idea Review and Analysis 

Only the most viable ideas reach this phase. This is where clients and/or stakeholders get a chance to review the project ideas and provide feedback. 

The next step is presenting your idea to the client and/or stakeholders. This is a phase of an active dialogue where aspects such as the project’s scope, the budget, and the desired results are discussed and feedback from the client is received. 

This stage is important as it acts as a starting point for the entire team ready to get to work. A project cannot reasonably be started only because you feel positive about its success. 

You’ll need consent from investors, business partners, industry experts, and even from your client if you want to get working on the new project.

3. Project Planning

After obtaining the client’s approval, it is time to sit down and do some planning. Planning enables you to divide your project into smaller tasks, distribute them to proper team members, and closely observe the team’s progress on every assignment.

Mapping out a project plan is a time and resource-consuming task, but project managers can simplify this process by following these steps:

• Create a team and assign each member jobs and responsibilities.
• Create tasks for the project and their sub-tasks.
• Set deadlines for each task.
• Schedule regular meetings to track progress and address issues. 

Share the plan with the entire team after it is finished to ensure everyone is on the same page. Each team member needs to be fully informed of their duties and the expectations of the company.

4. Project in Progress

The real work starts when projects enter the “In progress” phase. While this phase is the longest and most complicated of all, there are ways to navigate it and make this stressful stage an easy one.

Here they are:

• Update the status of tasks along with their due dates. This will help you stay on top of task progress. 
• To ensure that everyone is on the same page, hold regular team meetings. This will help the entire team stay up-to-date with the project’s progress. 
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and evaluate performance. This will allow you to ensure you are moving steadily and confidently toward the final project goal. 
• Determine the issues and fix them. This will help you stay on track and not go beyond the deadline. 
• Report progress to important stakeholders. Your clients will also want to be aware of the project’s progress, so do keep them informed. 

The Project in Progress phase takes up the most time and effort out of all the phases that make up a project pipeline. Constantly dealing with clients, other managers, and various team members on a daily basis is common for this project stage.

5. Completed Projects

After a project is finished and delivered to the client, it enters the Completed Projects stage.

You can now rejoice that the project has been completed. But don’t get too excited about celebrating. 

It’s crucial to evaluate your performance and resolve to some introspection to identify any areas where you could have done better.

And don’t forget about your team. Choose and reward the best workers who made finishing the project simple. After all, it is the team members who are the most valuable asset of any company and who bring the most value to the table.

Best Practices of Effective Project Pipeline Management

A properly maintained project pipeline is your roadmap to completing the project. It offers helpful information about the due dates, progress, and status of various projects. It also helps spot any hazards or bottlenecks that might prevent the project from progressing. Here are a few of the greatest techniques for managing your project pipeline efficiently.

1. Invest in a Project Management Tool

Project management tools allow you to expedite all project stages, from ideation through launch and everything in between. This type of task management software reduces cumbersome workflows and enables you to improve the entire project management process from start to finish task management, project visualization, communication, and reporting tools.

Zenkit is a project management software that helps project managers and teams manage their projects effectively and stay on schedule.

2. Present the Project Pipeline Visually

Visual representation is the most efficient approach to conveying detail-intensive information about the projects in your pipeline. You can make graphic stories about how the projects are being managed, tracked, and executed by using design templates to create high-level representations like roadmaps, timelines, bar charts, and sequential diagrams.

The tasks within your project management pipeline can be organized into categories like “to-do,” “in progress,” “done,” etc. allowing you to use this as your project dashboard to monitor project progress.

3. Thoroughly Assess the Resource Pool

The most important aspect to consider before beginning any project is to ensure that you have the resources to finish the assignments on time. Without evaluating the capability and competency of your team, making any commitments could ultimately thwart your efforts toward accomplishing the project goals. 

Assess your resource pool by gaining a general understanding of the organization’s capacity and skill set necessary to complete each task.

4. Make Accurate Estimations

The success of any project is directly impacted by how accurately project parameters are estimated. The timely completion of the project will be hampered if there is a discrepancy between your estimation of project resources and the actual resources required to execute the important tasks. 

So, in order to guarantee the timely and cost-free delivery of the results, the project managers must create accurate estimations of project deliverables during the planning stage. Project managers must first evaluate the project budget, potential hazards, goals, and profits in addition to the resourcing strategies, and only then can they get the project going. 

5. Create a Portfolio Roadmap

The portfolio roadmap is a powerful time-management tool that allows project managers to visualize all active projects against a timeline. This helps project managers see where certain projects are stuck and make any necessary changes in the workflow to help the project move forward. 

Project managers can add other important metadata, such as milestones, strategic goals, etc., on the roadmap in addition to the start and finish dates of the projects in the pipeline. That way PMs will be able to present the full project picture to the stakeholders.

Examples of a Project Management Pipeline

As discussed earlier in this article, the project management pipeline holds a crucial role in the project management process. It helps PMs oversee the entire project completion and resolve all bottlenecks before they grow into serious problems capable of compromising the entire project completion. While a project management pipeline can be used to manage almost any type of project, it is mostly used in marketing, sales and product development.

1. Marketing Pipeline

One of the best examples of applying best practices of project pipeline management is in marketing. Marketing managers use project management tools to manage tasks such as content creation, social media management, marketing strategy development etc. Teams can assign tasks statuses as simple as “in progress”, and “completed”, or expand upon them to include more details and re-assign tasks to other team members. Teams can also use the tool to communicate with each other and minimize any misunderstandings when it comes to defining who’s responsible for what. 

The functionalities of the project management tool in this capacity are almost limitless and can expand depending on the project’s progress.

2. Sales Pipeline

Sales are one of the areas where a project management pipeline is most frequently used. Pipelines are used by sales teams to track leads as they move through the sales cycle. Sales managers can be missing out on important information about how successful their sales process is and where their deals are at any one time if they aren’t using a sales pipeline.

Just like the project management pipeline, the sales pipeline consists of stages such as prospecting, qualifying, contacting, building relationships, closing and following up with cold leads. These stages help track the progress of the deal from prospecting to closing. Sales pipeline stages help sales managers smoothly track deals and activity if they are correctly implemented, managed, and updated.

3. Product Development Pipeline

Another common use of the project management pipeline is in product development. A pipeline can be used by product development teams to manage data, conduct tests, and handle delivery. It also helps facilitate effective communication and collaboration as team members use a single platform to stay connected and coordinated throughout the product development process. 

Final Thoughts

Project pipeline management allows PMs to visually follow a project’s progression through its many stages while adhering to time and budget limitations. It is a great project management practice that can help teams stay organized and focused on their goals. It is also a great way to keep clients and stakeholders up-to-date with the project’s progression. If you are looking for ways to improve your workflow and achieve goals faster, a project management pipeline is the go-to solution.

FAQs

1. What is a project pipeline tracker?

A project pipeline tracker is a tool PMs use to keep track of the project’s status, bugs, due dates, budget, etc. 

It allows PMs to effectively manage every aspect of their project, from the beginning to the end. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of the project’s progress which is extremely helpful in important decision-making.

A project pipeline tracker helps plan, monitor, and assess the advancement of a project. Additionally, it helps set efficient workflows and structured management procedures.

2. Why is pipeline management important?

The importance of pipeline management cannot be overstated. It provides a comprehensive view of all of your projects and helps with planning your project budgets and other resources. 

It also allows you to monitor the status of your projects and evaluate the performance of your team if you are a project manager. 

3. What is the difference between a project management pipeline and project portfolio management?

A project management pipeline should be looked at as one of the methods used for project portfolio management. A project portfolio can be managed using old-school methods such as files, folders and spreadsheets. Or, it can be managed by utilizing more innovative and digitized tools and strategies such as project pipeline management. 

The post Project Pipeline Management 101 appeared first on Zenkit.

When it comes to tackling workplace goals consistently and effectively, good project management is key. Through project management, every worker knows what to do, every employee knows his or her place, and every task gets completed on time.

But to accomplish strong project management, you need to know how to set goals and objectives correctly. After all, setting your goals properly is just as important as setting them in the first place. 

Let’s break down some key tips and techniques you can use to manage your company objectives successfully.

Why Are Goals Important in Project Management?

In a nutshell, goals are key for project management because they help teams tackle larger objectives step-by-step.

Imagine that you have a big, broad goal, like launching a new retail store for your organization. That’s a major undertaking, and it necessarily includes several subsidiary projects and steps, such as:

• Finding the location for the new store
• Negotiating a lease for the retail location
• Getting employees and products in place to staff and fill the new store
• Marketing the new store for a successful grand opening

While you could assign that broad project to a team, you’ll have much more success if you break it down into achievable chunks for your team members. By setting individual, achievable goals, it’s more likely that your team will succeed efficiently and cost-effectively across the board.

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Setting goals, in other words, makes projects manageable. Therefore, it’s only logical that it’s a major part of good project management.

But simply setting goals is not enough. You need to know how to set goals and how to break them down into manageable tasks.

How to Set and Achieve Good Project Goals

If you’re not sure where to start, keep reading. We’ll break down seven approaches or strategies you can use to set and achieve excellent project goals that result in long-term benefits for your brand.

Keep Your Goals Achievable with the SMART Approach

First, practice setting goals using the “SMART” approach:

• Specific – your goals should be specific rather than generalized, which will help your team members know exactly what they should be aiming for. For instance, if you have a chief compliance officer, they will be primarily responsible for ensuring compliance among other team members rather than completing the original work
• Measurable – Similarly, each SMART goal needs to be measurable with a KPI or key performance indicator (or several). That way, your team members know when they have reached their goal and when they need to step on the proverbial gas
• Attainable – each goal should be attainable. That’s important for team member motivation, as your team members will be less likely to give it their all if they feel like they will never complete their objectives
• Relevant – make sure each goal is tied toward your brand’s more significant focus or mission statement. That’s vital for team motivation, so your workers know exactly what each project accomplishes in the big picture
• Time-bound – put another way, each goal should have a deadline. That ensures your employees know how to pace themselves and how to spend their energy to make sure things get done on time and in full

Keep Objects Approachable with the CLEAR Approach

Another good way to set goals and objectives for your project management strategy is to use the “CLEAR” approach, broken down below:

• Collaborative – your team-based goals should be inherently collaborative and include opportunities for group work
• Limited – each goal needs to be somewhat limited to avoid scope creep (see more below) and so your team members don’t feel overwhelmed from the get-go
• Emotional – good goals have an emotional basis or inspiration. Make sure your workers know what they are accomplishing and what they should be proud of when they start a new project
• Appreciable – similarly, good goals need to be understandable and appreciated by your team members. No goal should feel useless or like busywork 
• Refinable – even the best goals may need to be iterated on or edited from time to time

By following both the SMART and CLEAR approaches, your project objectives will be much more understandable and feel more achievable to your team members.

Break Projects Down Into Tasks

It’s a good idea to break down larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. This is advisable because it enables you to assign work to individual team members or smaller subsidiary teams, plus it allows your team to celebrate hitting benchmarks.

Avoid Scope Creep

“Scope creep” describes the inadvertent tendency of projects to expand beyond their initial specifications or objectives. For instance, you might initially start with the goal of completing one project on time. But because of a combination of factors, your team gradually takes on other responsibilities and ends up having to complete three projects instead.

Scope creep is often disastrous for many teams and objectives. If left unchecked, it can cause you to spread your resources and personnel too thinly across too many focuses. This can also cause your budget to bloom. This is never a good thing for a project manager or company executive.

Plan Your Budget Accurately

The best projects are those that don’t go over budget. Thus, as you set objectives for an upcoming project or big initiative, make sure that you budget for it accordingly and accurately. One of the best strategies to ensure you budget properly and accurately is to keep track of your project income and expenses via easy-to-follow budgeting spreadsheet templates. If you don’t keep track of your budget in this manner, you could inadvertently spend much more money than you intend. This can spell disaster later down the road.

Require the Use of a Collaborative Platform

To facilitate good team communication, make sure everyone uses the same collaborative platform and project management software. Not only will this make it easier for you to keep track of smaller tasks and assign work to people as they complete subsidiary goals, but it will also ensure that everyone knows where to connect if they have a question, need to request assistance, etc.

Get Ahead of Team Conflicts

In any large team, some amount of conflict is inevitable. The mark of a good project manager or leader is their ability to stay ahead of conflicts. They must also negotiate cease-fires between the battling parties.

If two important team members are butting heads, for example, talk to them and help them come to an understanding. If necessary, you can reassign team members to ensure a smooth work experience for everyone involved.

Keep Yourself Accountable for Your Objectives

Above all else, make sure that you hold yourself accountable for the work and goals that you need to complete. As you set goals, make sure that you can accomplish them on time. As a leader or project manager, you are an example and inspiration for everyone working on the same project. If your objectives are completed on time, you can’t expect other work to get done by important deadlines, either.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, setting your goals smartly and wisely is key to ensuring they’re accomplished by your team. You should use these techniques in conjunction with top-tier project management software, like Zenkit Projects: the perfect solution for successful teams that juggle multiple projects all the time.

The post How to Set Project Management Goals and Objectives appeared first on Zenkit.

Online work has become increasingly common in recent years, and businesses and teams are increasingly reliant on online collaboration software. In the digital era, these collaboration tools bind teams and organizations together, helping them streamline communication, visualize and plan projects, work virtually, and keep everyone up-to-date and on the same page.

However, with so many online collaboration tools out there in the market, selecting the best ones for your team can be difficult. While selecting the right tools is only half the battle, the other half of it is to avoid overwhelming your employees with too many tools or difficult technology. In fact, 46% of Americans expressed having annoying and troublesome to juggle too many tools.

So, to help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the 35 best online collaboration tools for every purpose from project management and communication to note-taking and file sharing. And don’t worry, the tools on our list are efficient as well as easy to use while suiting the needs of teams of all sizes and types.

What Are Online Collaboration Tools?

Online collaboration tools are platforms that allow teams to collaborate virtually. Companies and organizations can greatly benefit from using these tools to better organize their work lives by collaborating on projects and daily tasks.

The best online collaboration tools automatically sync across devices, keeping everyone up to date and organized at all times, and are usually some form of cloud service. These tools are often known as web collaboration tools and online project management software as well.

Tools for project management, file sharing, instant messaging, video conferencing, note-taking, and knowledge sharing are a few of the different types of work collaboration tools used today.

Now that we know what online collaboration tools are and how they can help, let’s shift our focus to how you find the right tool that aligns best with your needs.

Criteria for Choosing Online Collaboration Tools

There are tools for almost every use case, and some online collaboration tools excel in one area while others excel in all. Here are some things to consider while picking the online collaboration tool for your organization:

1. Look for Multiple Features

Choose tools that provide excellent service and a variety of features for team collaboration. Selecting multiple features will increase your work efficiency and allow people to use them in a variety of ways. Also, when you get the maximum number of required features in a tool, you do not need to subscribe to multiple tools, saving you from burning a hole in your wallet. 

2. Cloud-Based

Cloud-based technology is far superior because it eliminates the headache of version control. All information is stored online and is easily accessible from any location, any time, making it even more convenient for your remote teams to work with flexibility.

3. Easy to Use

Make sure that the tool you invest in is easy to set up and use. It should be adapting to the needs of your team and organization, not the other way around. So, look for a tool that offers an intuitive interface, simple navigation, customer support, and documentation for onboarding, and does not have a steep learning curve.

4. Easy to Integrate & Compatible

As already mentioned, the tool should suit your teams’ and organizations’ needs. This means picking tools that are compatible with your work processes. It should seamlessly integrate with all other tools, platforms, CRMs, etc. you work on to make your workflow easier and more convenient.

5. Security

When you are using a tool, you are putting your data and your client’s data in some other party’s hands. Hence, it is important to look for tools that have clear data policies and guarantee complete data security.

List of the Best Online Collaboration Tools

Here are our top picks for the best online collaboration tools for 2023:

All-In-One Online Collaboration Tools

1. Zenkit Base

Today, digital transformation is the most important challenge for any organization. However, it does not have to be difficult. Zenkit Base allows you to conveniently structure, organize, and merge all pertinent information and workflows in one location. You can then easily restructure and modify them as needed.

Your projects, processes, chats, tasks, assets, clients, documents, and all other business data will no longer be buried in various tools, platforms, or spreadsheets. You will have a centralized platform to manage and access all of this data efficiently. You can connect all of your important data and take advantage of the synergies that exist between them.

There are also multiple views, which allow you to customize your workspace according to your preferences. Additionally, you can choose from a variety of backgrounds, giving you and your team members the flexibility to create a workspace that suits their individual needs. You can easily integrate other tools with Zenkit Base. This will help you to keep your work going without any hassles, even if you are already using other tools.

2. SmartTask

SmartTask is a project management and collaboration software that allows you to manage tasks, projects, teams, and clients all in one place, no matter how big or small your team is. Individuals, teams, and startups can benefit from the platform’s scalability and flexibility.

SmartTask allows you to assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and communicate with one another, avoiding lengthy and inefficient email threads. The time tracking, workload, and timeline features make it extremely simple to monitor and manage all of your work, both project-wide and individually.

Project portfolio, workload management, time tracking, Gantt chart, custom fields, custom charts, and CRM are among the many useful features included in the tool. It even integrates with almost every tool you’ll need, making switching and collaborating between apps easier.

3. Plutio

Plutio is an all-in-one business operations platform that helps you manage and collaborate on projects, share files, create forms, build proposals, create contracts, communicate, and track time.

It lets you organize projects in the list, table, kanban, calendar, and timeline views. You can design, create, and send professional invoices and get paid easily. You can also create stunning proposals with electronic signatures and rich media.

A unified inbox allows you to communicate with anyone via direct messages, project discussions, and email replies. It offers customizable and ready-to-use templates for proposals, contracts, invoices, and forms. It is suitable for freelancers, small businesses, and remote working teams looking to collaborate and work in sync with each other.

Online Chat Tools

4. Zenchat

A significant portion of daily business communication revolves around current and upcoming tasks. This causes you to switch between your task management and chat apps constantly. But with Zenchat and its in-built task manager, you no longer need to use an external tool for managing your tasks. 

The perfect combination of chat and tasks results in seamless communication. This leads to fewer context changes, fewer distractions, and more in-depth work. You also get the topic-chat feature, where you can delve into particular topics (mini chats). This minimizes chat clutter and provides a complete understanding of each discussion without missing out on important details.

And just like other Zenkit tools, Zenchat seamlessly integrates with other apps in the Zenkit suite, providing you with a wholesome experience and smoother workflow management.

5. Slack

Slack is one of the popular online chat tools that keep your team in touch. It is an excellent messaging app for hybrid and fully remote work environments because it can operate in real-time as well as asynchronously.

With Slack, you can not only privately message and video call collaborators, but you can also create groups to discuss tasks with the appropriate team members. Furthermore, Slack comes with a slew of integrations that can be used to make your life easier at work.

6. Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is an open-source messaging platform that supports seamless and secure team collaboration. Designed for distributed teams, Rocket.Chat’s chat includes functionalities like Teams, Discussions, and Threads for more effective communication.

It’s designed with additional security features in mind, meaning that it’s a good choice for organizations in highly-regulated industries like Government and Healthcare.

Supported by the open source community, Rocket.Chat’s newest version is the most secure and scalable yet, designed for teams that want to own their conversations.

7. Troop Messenger

Troop Messenger is a  full-fledged business communication platform that excels in facilitating interactive team collaboration. It is known for its simplicity in implementation, making it an excellent option for any entrepreneurial environment.

It provides teams with access to a wide range of features, including instant messaging, video calls, video conferences, file sharing, desktop sharing, and scheduling tools. By utilizing scheduling tools, teams can keep project information organized and secure all project performance data. This ensures that projects are completed efficiently and effectively and that all team members are on the same page at all times. 

Overall, Troop Messenger is an ideal choice for any team looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly collaboration platform.

8. Chanty

Chanty is a team collaboration app aimed to boost work productivity for teams of all sizes. It is not just a simple team chat. In addition to that, it offers a built-in task manager with the Kanban board that allows you to create messages, assign a team member, and set a due date and a task priority.

It also has audio and video calling capabilities including screen sharing features. Chanty’s Teambook serves as a central platform for managing all of your shared material, including chats, tasks, links, and pinned messages.

Video Conferencing Tools

9. Pumble

Pumble is a reliable team communication tool with robust video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities that foster productivity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. It caters to small and larger businesses, enabling people to connect with teammates in real-time. 

In addition to one-on-one video calls available in the free plan, pro users can enjoy group calls and make their feedback or brainstorming sessions more effective. As Pumble is a transparent and intuitive tool, users can easily access these features with just a few clicks. And, when trying to explain complex ideas to coworkers, users can also share their screens to ensure everyone’s on the same page. 

10. Zoom

Zoom is one of the market’s leading video conferencing platforms, and it is used by teams for group meetings, virtual activities, and even smaller 1:1 interactions. 

It is incredibly simple to use. To begin a video call, simply create a Zoom meeting in the app and share the link with the people you want to invite. It offers advanced features such as selective screen sharing, where the presenter can select which members can see their screen while others cannot.

It also has breakout rooms, which allow virtual teams to meet inside video calls without losing the main feed. This feature comes in handy when running a training session or group meeting remotely.

11. Fellow

Fellow is an easy-to-use and helpful meeting management platform that every team manager should have! It helps teams conduct productive meetings with collaborative agendas and shared note-taking. 

Teams can use the tool to record meeting notes so that they can easily follow up on key points, and keep track of meeting decisions and assigned tasks from a single space. 

It includes a feedback feature as well as post-meeting action item tracking to help your team become more accountable. It also connects to your favorite work tools to keep you organized.

Project Management Tools

12. Zenkit Projects

Zenkit Projects is a member of the Zenkit family. It is a project management software designed to assist teams in organizing, collaborating, and managing projects.

It allows you to create custom workflows and organize your data however you see fit. Zenkit Projects provides real-time collaboration features, smart views, activity tracking, reporting, and resource planning, allowing your team to progress projects.

The platform lets you invite collaborators, set dependencies, and add milestones, lags, and lead times for better task management across teams. These features can improve collaboration and task management among team members. Click here to learn more about the interview with the developer of the fantastic app.

13. Plaky

Plaky is a robust project management tool that enables you to collaborate with your team smoothly and efficiently. It has a clear and simple user interface that makes it easy to learn even if you aren’t tech-savvy. 

You can keep all your task-related communication in one place. There is no need for long meetings or a bunch of emails anymore. All the information is in one place, and you can always see who is doing what and how your project is progressing.

It allows you to create a board for each project and make it visible to the public or keep it private. It also lets you comment on tasks, mention colleagues in task comments, and share files. 

14. ClientVenue 

ClientVenue is a powerful project management tool that allows teams to collaborate effectively. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, it enables teams to organize tasks, set priorities, and track progress in real-time. 

It also includes messaging and file-sharing capabilities, making it easy for team members to communicate and collaborate anywhere. Whether working on a small project or a large-scale initiative, ClientVenue can help you stay organized, streamline communication, and achieve your goals more efficiently. 

15. ReviewStudio

ReviewStudio is an online proofing software that makes it easy for teams to gather precise and clear feedback on creative project workflows. It is an intuitive proofing platform with effective tools to mark up, share, and get approvals on all file types in one centralized location. 

With ReviewStudio, versions are collated and comments and notes are threaded, making tasks easy to follow and keeping everyone on the same page. Whether you’re working with video, images, web pages, or other document types, ReviewStudio provides a space to keep workflows flowing smoothly.

Content Planning Tools

16. Narrato Workspace

Narrato Workspace is an AI-powered content creation and collaboration platform that helps you manage your entire content workflow in one place. The platform has several AI content planning, ideation, and creation tools that can cut down content production time by almost half. 

The powerful AI writing assistant with multiple use cases and the AI content assistant with grammar, readability, and plagiarism checks make content creation and optimization effortless. 

Content ideation and planning features here, include an AI topic generator, SEO content brief generator, content calendars, custom workflows, workflow automation, and more. Collaborating with your content team is also a breeze with custom user roles and strong team communication features. Narrato can replace a scattered and disjointed content marketing tool stack to boost productivity and efficiency in content creation.

17. Planable Universal Content

Planable’s Universal Content feature is the ultimate platform for content marketers for successful content creation and marketing project management. 

With its easy-to-use content calendar, collaborative tools, and flexible approval workflows, Planable helps marketing teams of all sizes create top-notch content of any form. Whether it’s social media posts, blog articles, newsletters, or any other written content, it streamlines the process and makes management and collaboration efficient.

Online Note-Taking & Document Collaboration Tools

18. Hypernotes

Hypernotes is an online knowledge management platform for teams that is ideal for wikis, documentation, and storing content. You can easily create a semantic network of your knowledge with Hypernotes.

The tool is mobile-ready and has native apps for your devices. It also has complete offline support, ensuring that you never miss anything even on the run. Hypernotes help you organize your text in the proper hierarchy, from concepts to details. You can open every text (“block”) in full-page view. This will give you a bird’s-eye view of every level of detail you want to work on.

Hypernotes seamlessly integrates with all Zenkit apps, from chat to project management. You get all your project details in one place when you collaborate effectively. This saves a lot of time from having to switch from tool to tool.

19. Document360

Document360 is a unified workspace where teams can quickly capture, store, and share information for internal use or customers. Everything you might want in a document collaboration tool is available in this one, including workflow, version history, easy sharing, commenting, tagging, review reminders, and more.

The powerful search bar feature ensures users can easily locate the necessary information. It provides robust security features, including role-based access control, two-factor authentication, and SSL encryption, ensuring your team’s data is safe and secure. 

Integrations with popular apps such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Chrome make Document360 the most effective collaboration tool for teams to work together more efficiently and effectively.

20. ONLYOFFICE

ONLYOFFICE is a complete secure open-source office suite that can be used in the cloud, on servers or on devices. It’s a package of three document editors for professional collaboration on Text files, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Fillable forms with reader and converter of PDF files and eBooks. 

Powerful office solution supports all popular file formats, fully compatible with Microsoft Office and OpenDocument file formats. Create fillable forms, collaborate on them, and export them for filling. Having a collection of custom formal documents ready to fill and sign can automate workflow and reduce time. These documents may include agreements, licenses, invoices, declarations, and others.

21. Contractbook

Contractbook is a contract management software that turns static contracts into a dynamic database which helps keep everyone on the same page about agreements. You can manage the entire contract lifecycle in one location, from document creation and negotiation to signature gathering to post-signature task automation. 

This makes it easy to avoid costly compliance errors and missed deadlines while speeding up the time to a signature. Additionally, it helps prevent your team from wasting time on tedious data entry.

Online Whiteboards

22. Miro

Miro is a whiteboard app ideal for brainstorming and strategic planning online with your remote teams. It has a huge template library to help you create mind maps, charts, user flows, and idea funnels.  

Once you are done working on the document, you can easily share it and collaborate on it with your team to generate better ideas and strategies. Anyone can write, draw, and edit files on the same whiteboard, making it easier to collaborate in real-time.

Miro allows you to have multiple editable boards and an unlimited number of users. This means you can work on multiple projects, with multiple clients at the same time. The tool also integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Dropbox, which ensures smooth workflow, communication, and file sharing.

23. Visme 

Visme is an online whiteboard collaboration and design tool. Its whiteboard tool has everything you need for effective real-time collaboration, design, and planning. It has ready-made customizable templates or you can design your own whiteboard from scratch adding icons, pictures, and any media you need for your project. 

Once the whiteboard is ready you can share the link with your colleagues or download it in JPEG, PNG, PDF, or HTML5 file formats.

Visme also offers multiple integration options such as Slack, Google Drive, Loom, HubSpot, and others.

Employee Engagement Tools

24. Xoxoday Empuls

Empuls is an employee engagement platform that aims to enhance collaboration and communication within the organization. The platform offers features for peer-to-peer recognition. Employees can give each other points and rewards for outstanding performance and achievements. This helps to create a culture of appreciation and recognition that fosters positive relationships and team spirit.

Empuls provides managers with real-time feedback and insights into employee engagement. This allows them to make informed decisions and take action to improve employee morale and productivity. With customizable dashboards and analytics, HR leaders and managers can track key metrics such as employee satisfaction, performance, and retention.

Empuls integrates seamlessly with popular HR and communication tools. This feature makes it easy to integrate into existing workflows and processes. With its cloud-based platform, employees can access Empuls from anywhere, at any time, using any device.

25. Engagedly

Engagedly is an employee performance management platform that helps organizations align their employee’s performance to strategic execution to achieve organizational goals, creates a supportive environment for employees to grow, and provides tools to engage people in the organization.

It helps employers conduct performance reviews, align goals, take employee surveys, provide talent analytics, recognize employees, and share feedback with them. It lets employees communicate in real-time, share knowledge, and help them progress with gamification.

26. Zavvy

Zavvy offers a range of solutions that cover the entire employee lifecycle, from preboarding to engagement. For example, if you’re hiring new employees, Zavvy can help you create a seamless onboarding process that sets them up for success from day one. 

If you want to engage and develop your existing employees’ skills, Zavvy offers tools for performance management, feedback, and training. Zavvy sets itself apart by offering all of its solutions on a single platform, which simplifies the management of all aspects of employee engagement in one place.

27. Zonka Feedback

With the help of Zonka Feedback, an easy-to-use employee feedback tool, businesses of all sizes can quickly set up various employee surveys and collect real-time feedback to enhance employee engagement and experience.

Its user-friendly interface makes it simple for teams without technical expertise to conduct surveys, engage employees on various channels and touchpoints (including tablets, kiosks, emails, SMS, web widgets, QR Codes, and more), and track employee satisfaction in real-time.

28. 360Learning

360Learning is an online learning platform that helps organizations create, deliver, and track training programs for employees. The platform uses a collaborative approach to learning. Users can create and share content, as well as participate in social learning activities like discussion forums and peer reviews.

360Learning enables organizations to create customized training programs that are engaging, interactive, and effective. These training programs help employees develop new skills and stay up-to-date with industry trends. The platform also includes tools for tracking learner progress and measuring the impact of training programs on business outcomes.

Social Media Collaboration Tools

29. SocialBee

SocialBee is a social media management and collaboration platform that helps organizations streamline team workflows and increased efficiency in social media content creation. The platform enables users to build social media approval workflows to ensure error-free posts, with roles assigned and feedback provided via mentions. 

Team members can collaborate effectively on social media goals, reviewing and approving posts for publishing. SocialBee’s collaboration tools enhance the quality of social media content while simplifying the collaboration process. 

By utilizing these features, businesses can achieve their social media objectives more effectively, while ensuring the highest quality of content.

30. Statusbrew

Statusbrew is a social media marketing and management platform built for teams of all sizes. Your team can seamlessly communicate on different campaigns in real-time from a centralized dashboard to resolve tangled interactions to stay on top of the social game. 

Statusbrew enables teams to collaborate on a large scale without missing any messages. This is made possible through notification alerts on Slack and Microsoft Teams, as well as separate team inboxes that keep work organized and clutter-free.

Statusbrew’s approval workflow feature is specifically developed for social media teams. It helps to avoid internal errors by solidifying the review process, making it the main differentiator of the platform.

31. Pallyy

Pallyy is a social media management tool. It allows you to work together with your team members. This includes creating and publishing social media posts, checking your analytics and creating reports, and responding to comments/DM’s.

It allows you to plan, create, and schedule your social media posts across all social platforms for multiple profiles. You can also track and analyze your social media performance and generate custom reports. A unified inbox helps you organize, reply to, and manage all your social conversations in one place.

32. Onlypult

Onlypult is an all-in-one social media management platform that helps you schedule, publish, monitor, and stream social media content. The publishing feature allows you to post content on up to 14 social platforms simultaneously including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google My Business, TikTok, Tumblr, YouTube, WordPress, Telegram, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Pinterest, and Medium.

With Onlypult, you can invite team members to run accounts and assign them roles. You can also build an approval process, comment on scheduled posts, and create shareable content calendar links.

Analytics for business accounts on Instagram provides advanced statistics. Plus, it allows you to customize the parameters for analysis the way you need. With the monitoring feature, you can track brand mentions on social networks.

Other Online Collaboration Tools

33. Canva

Any marketer or business development representative should have collaborative work tools in their workflow, such as Canva. It is a simple graphic design tool with rich features. However, it is not as complex as Photoshop or other design software.

You can create unique designs in minutes and share them with your team. It’s excellent for quickly brainstorming social media images, blog headers, or charts. Their template selection is excellent, with a plethora of stock photos and illustrations. You can also upload your own photos/templates and edit them. 

Once the design is complete, you can share it with your team, complete with customizable access settings. You can leave feedback in the form of comments while working on the same design with your teammates. This feature enables collaboration and easy communication within the team.

34. Trivia

Taking some time off and relaxing with your colleagues is necessary. Working without any recreational activities can lead to burnout. That’s where Trivia helps. This tool allows your team to take brief 5-minute breaks within remote workspaces, such as Slack or MS Teams.

Employees can engage in enjoyable social games such as Instant Quizzes, Pictionary, Emoji Rebus, Hangman, and others. They’ll foster camaraderie by discussing the game afterwards, discovering common interests, and deepening their connections with one another.

Zoom videos are just going to lengthen your efforts. Simply go for Trivia and find the true fun within remote work.

35. Google Drive

Google Drive, a part of the Google Workspace family, is a cloud-based storage and syncing service with a generous free storage plan. It can be used to back up files on your computer as well as store documents you create online.

Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive work seamlessly together. This allows users to edit and save Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents uploaded to Google Drive, as well as collaborate on them in real-time.

Google Drive is an amazing tool that can help you store, back up, create, and edit files. It’s designed to work well for both individuals and teams. In addition to sharing files and folders via email or links, the tool automatically syncs offline folders.

Final Thoughts

We have come to the end of our list of the best online collaboration tools. We can assure you that each of these tools is worth trying and will not leave you disappointed.

Now it’s your turn to check which of the tools align with your requirements and fit your budget. Most of these tools offer trials and free plans. You can try out the one you find suitable and understand how it works for you before investing your resources in it. This means you can make an informed decision and reduce the risk of wasting your resources.

Happy Collaborating!

About the author: Pratik Shinde is a Content Creator at Make SaaS Better and an SEO enthusiast. He helps fast-paced B2B SaaS startups acquire customers through organic marketing efforts. He likes reading philosophy, writing non-fiction, thoughtful walking, running, and travelling.

The post 35 Best Online Collaboration Tools for Teams in 2023 appeared first on Zenkit.

Thanks to remote work, open office plans, and shared coworking spaces — cubicles are out, and hot desking is officially “in.”

And it’s more than just a trend, unlike the matcha latte you grab on your way to work. 

Embraced by startups and well-established companies, this flexible seating solution allows people to work where and when they want within the office.

But what exactly is hot desking, and why is it taking over office environments in 2023? 

In this article, we’ll explore what hot desking is and the benefits it can bring to your workplace.

Let’s dive in.

What Is Hot Desking?

Do you remember the days in elementary school when you had an assigned seat in the classroom? You’d waltz into class every morning and head to the same seat — likely the farthest away from your best friend. 

And every day, you’d beg your teacher to switch it up (crossing your fingers that you could finally sit near your friends to chit-chat about all the playground gossip). 

You likely didn’t know it then, but you secretly wished for the hot desking seating strategy. And now that you’re all grown up, your wish is coming true in the office environment. 

Hot desking is a flexible office arrangement that allows employees to use any available workspace rather than having a dedicated desk or workstation.

In other words, it’s a workspace management approach that eliminates the idea of fixed workstations in the office. Instead, employees can work at any available desk, table, or even a couch.

Hot desking gained popularity post-pandemic as businesses turned to a hybrid workplace to cater to changing work dynamics and employee preferences.

And with people rotating in and out of the office on different days of the week, companies decided to downsize their office space to save on costs. 

The result? Less large, bulky, expensive desks to buy and hold on your balance sheet. And smaller (read: cheaper) workspaces with flexible seating options.

6 Benefits of Switching to Hot Desking in Your Office

Goldman Sachs, one of the top investment banks in the world, uses hot desking across some of their major United States offices instead of cubicles.

But why?

Let’s dive into some of the main benefits of adding hot desking to your office environment.

1. Increase Collaboration

Although they were originally intended to make offices more open and efficient in the 1960s, the creator of cubicles, Robert Propst, came to regret the invention. 

Despite the initial promise of increased mobility and collaboration, cubicles have become synonymous with isolation and a lack of creativity in the modern workplace.

And it’s easy to see why. The high walls separate individuals from their colleagues.

While design can help limit distractions, it also creates a sense of isolation and hinders collaboration. The physical barriers make it difficult for employees to interact and collaborate with one another, which can lead to a lack of communication and a siloed working culture. 

Not to mention that employees may feel less inclined to interact with their colleagues due to the perceived sense of privacy and the need to focus on their work.

By contrast, hot desking and open-plan office designs encourage employee collaboration and interaction. 

Removing physical barriers and allowing employees to work close to one another creates a sense of community and encourages a more collaborative work culture. Think of it like an open-door policy. 

Hot desking also allows employees to work alongside different team members, promoting cross-team collaboration and idea-sharing. 

Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective to help spark creative thinking among colleagues. That’s why many tech leaders have leaned toward hot desking in their office environments. 

Steve Jobs once said, “If a building doesn’t encourage collaboration, you’ll lose a lot of innovation and the magic that’s sparked by serendipity.” 

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2. Foster Creativity

Have you ever noticed how workplaces often ask their employees to “think outside the box,” yet they’re stuck working in a literal box all day? 

It’s kind of ironic, don’t you think? If you’re trying to foster innovation and disrupt old patterns, you need an environment where new ideas can take root and flourish.

It doesn’t matter if your employees are designing business cards or brainstorming for your next big idea. The right office environment inspires creativity and encourages collaboration.

Employees can avoid falling into routines, think more creatively, and leave their comfort zones by changing their work environment. And that’s where hot desking shines.

It allows employees to move around the office to find the most conducive environment to work in. Sometimes all it takes is a scenery change to boost creativity and bring a fresh perspective to the table. 

3. Cost Savings

Inflation is at an all-time high. Companies are laying off workers left and right. And the United States economy is on the brink of an economic recession.

That means saving costs and sticking to a strict budget is crucial to surviving these challenging times.

With hot desking, you can optimize your office layout and reduce the cost of expensive cubicles and desks for every headcount. 

For example, a team of ten employees may only need eight desks on any given day because some might be working from home or on vacation. 

That means your HR team only needs to purchase eight instead of ten desks, saving money by omitting two that are likely to remain empty regardless.

Not only does this create a more flexible and efficient workspace, but it can also lead to significant cost savings for your company. Rather than prematurely expanding or moving to a larger office space, you can maximize your current space or downsize to avoid unnecessary expenses.

4. Health Benefits

It’s common for many of us to spend a significant amount of time sitting down every day, with some studies suggesting that over 50% of people sit for more than six hours each day. 

However, the effects of prolonged sitting can be far from benign and can have both short- and long-term impacts on our health and well-being. 

In fact, sitting for extended periods can increase the risk of certain health problems, making it important to be mindful and encourage your employees to move throughout the day.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, improving your health has become a top priority for people. So adapting a seating arrangement that promotes healthy initiatives is a wise choice to keep your employees’ mental and physical health at the forefront.

Hot desking allows employees to move around the office and avoid sitting in the same chair for extended periods. It can also encourage employees to be more active and social, as they move around the office to find an available desk.

Movement is medicine. Cubicles encourage stagnation, while hot desking encourages movement in the office.

5. Flexibility

Think of hot desking like a choose-your-own-adventure workspace. So whether you need peace and quiet or want to work collaboratively with others, hot desking lets you find the perfect spot for the work day.

So if your C-suite is in the middle of deciding on the perfect HRIS system to streamline hiring and onboarding, they might choose a conference room for the day. 

If your marketing team is working on content planning, they could go for a cluster of desks near each other for optimal collaboration. The opportunities are endless.

And get this — hot desking doesn’t just appeal to in-office employees. Even if you have a team of remote workers, they can come into the office when they’re in town and enjoy time at a hot desk for the day.

It’s a great way for them to mix things up and have a change of scenery. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues and make new connections.

6. Improve Company Culture

As demographics change, you need to adopt new strategies to attract and retain top talent. 

And your workspace plays a critical role in this effort, as it reflects your company culture and impacts the effectiveness of your collaborative processes. 

For prospective employees, your workspace can reveal whether your business values innovation, creativity and collaborative work culture. 

And for current employees, the office environment directly affects job satisfaction and their ability to interact with colleagues and innovate.

Investing in a flexible workspace that promotes collaboration and cross-functional teamwork can attract and retain employees from diverse demographics and foster a more dynamic and inclusive work environment.

Final Thoughts

Hot desking is becoming increasingly popular as businesses look for ways to optimize office space and foster employee collaboration. 

With hot desking, your employees can choose where they work, increasing creativity and reducing stress levels — resulting in higher collaboration, cost savings, and overall health benefits. It’s a win-win for your bottom line and employee morale. 

But if you’re considering switching to hot desking, it’s important to communicate with your employees about the change. You don’t want to leave anyone out of the loop.

Once you make the switch, you’ll never look back. 

About the author: Kelly Moser is the co-founder and editor at Home & Jet, a digital magazine for the modern era. She’s also an expert in freelance writing and content marketing for SaaS, Fintech, and e-commerce startups. 

The post How Hot Desking Elevates the Office Environment in 2023 appeared first on Zenkit.

Flexibility in the workplace can be a great asset, allowing teams to adapt to changing conditions and make progress quickly. However, too much flexibility can lead to negative effects on the team, making it difficult for teams to stay on track and reach their goals. So how do you know when your team has reached the point of having too much flexibility?

In this article, we will explore some signs indicating when it might be time to rein in your team’s flexibility. Early recognition of these warning signs ensures that any necessary adjustments are made. This can help prevent things from spiralling out of control.

Lack of Accountability

It is important to remember that having a certain level of flexibility in the workplace is essential, but so is holding people accountable. If people are not held responsible for their actions, it can be a sign that this flexibility needs to be reined in. To ensure accountability and productivity, managers should set expectations for employees.

Without accountability, everything could quickly unravel as people begin disregarding work duties or deadlines without repercussions.

Establishing straightforward tasks and expectations can help ensure that everyone knows what their job is and that they will face the consequences should they fail to meet them. Adding more processes or even stricter guidelines to easily track performance may be necessary. Implementing those measures will make it more likely for teams to stay on track.

Accountability is essential for the success of any team. When it’s missing, people tend to become complacent, and their performance can suffer.

Poor Decision-Making Processes

Poor decision-making processes can be a significant warning sign that your team or workplace needs to have their flexibility tightened up. It’s important to review and improve the decision-making processes in order to improve the overall performance of the team or workplace. If someone isn’t taking the time to think through decisions or ensure they are sound, it could lead to more significant issues. Therefore, it is important to take the time to consider the potential consequences of decisions before taking action. To combat this, companies and teams should use critical thinking skills when making decisions.

These will help them weigh their options carefully and consider how these decisions will affect their goals in the future. By relying on robust decision-making processes, teams can ensure that their actions are productive and not wasteful.

Miscommunication Between Team Members

Miscommunication between team members can disrupt work, causing project management delays and potential financial loss. When miscommunication occurs more frequently, it’s a sign that a workplace or team needs to establish more structure and greater clarity between roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes. This can help to prevent misunderstandings and improve overall communication within the team or workplace.

In addition, it might mean limiting certain team members from deviating too dramatically from their remit. It may also involve implementing more rigidity to reinforce the corporate culture.

Miscommunication is one of the biggest problems for any team. A lack of clarity can lead to misunderstandings and hamper progress. It’s thus important to make sure that everyone understands their roles, responsibilities, and shared goals.

Having clear guidelines in place helps build trust between members, encourages accountability, and ultimately supports increased efficiency to achieve the best results.

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Unclear Goals and Objectives

Setting clear and achievable goals and objectives is essential when it comes to achieving workplace success. Unfortunately, many teams fail to set (or stick to) these guidelines, leading to chaos and decreased productivity.

This lack of clarity regarding how the team will achieve their targets is a warning sign that their flexibility has become too great. The team may need to implement regulations to keep themselves focused on their desired outcomes. Effective management can help bring back structure, harness the team’s collective power, and see them make real progress toward their goals.

Low-Quality Work Outputs

Without discipline and focus, companies may find that the quality of their work plummets, leading them to make costly mistakes or produce lacklustre results that fall far short of customer expectations. This can have a dire effect on morale and profitability. Therefore, it’s important to recognize when low-quality work is becoming an issue and make the necessary changes quickly.

You can help ensure everyone stays focused on delivering high-performance outcomes by resetting the flexibility balance in your workplace or team.

It’s important to be flexible, but there has to be a balance. For example, if your team is producing low-quality work or experiencing miscommunication issues, it’s time to put more structure in place.

Increased Stress Levels Among Team Members

Increased stress levels among team members can be a sign that their current flexibility is too much. Overworking employees or expecting them to take on more than their fair share of work can lead to burnout, and teams should be aware of this.

They need to take a step back and consider their goals and how they can be achieved without causing undue strain on team members. This could mean that more structure must be put in place to ensure everyone is on the same page. Furthermore, it may be necessary to balance each person’s workload evenly.

It could also mean setting more realistic expectations and allowing employees to take breaks to stay motivated and productive. By accepting these simple steps, teams can help ensure their flexibility is balanced. This will ensure that their members have the space to work on their best projects.

It’s important to have flexibility in the workplace, but not at the expense of team morale. When stress levels rise and quality begins to suffer, it’s time to look at creating more structure and balance in the workplace.

Lower Productivity Levels

Too much flexibility allowed to creep into a workplace or team can also cause low productivity levels. This can lead to confusion, lack of focus, and poor decision-making. Team members need to take a long hard look at how they are delegating responsibilities to regain control over the situation. They should also assess how roles and decision-making processes can be more rigid.

This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that tasks are completed in an orderly, efficient manner. It might also be necessary to institute regular performance reviews or feedback sessions. This way, any issues can be identified and addressed quickly.

Decreased Morale and Motivation

Decreased morale and motivation can be a sign that teams are over-flexible. This could mean not having enough structure or discipline to keep everyone focused and motivated. To ensure that team members remain engaged and productive, management should take the time to provide clear direction and set achievable goals. Additionally, it is important to reward good performance.

It might also be necessary to provide team-building activities or introduce more socializing among members. Doing so can help create a sense of community and a renewed commitment to meeting goals set by the team.

Teams can take steps to ensure that they balance flexibility with structure and discipline by understanding when there is too much flexibility in the workplace. This will help them progress and achieve better outcomes while ensuring that team members remain motivated and productive. Keeping the flexibility balance in check is essential for any successful workplace or team.

Reduced Efficiency in Current Operations

Reduced efficiency in current operations can be another sign that teams are too flexible. This could mean not having the right processes in place or a lack of communication between team members. Take a step back and evaluate how tasks are being delegated and managed. Implement better planning structures to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Having flexibility in the workplace is important, but it’s equally important to have structure and organization. Team members should be given enough freedom to achieve their goals without compromising the efficiency of current operations.

Everyone should receive regular feedback and support. Collaboration should be encouraged to ensure efficient task completion and maintain team members’ motivation and productivity. These steps might be necessary to achieve this goal.

Overwhelming Sense of Chaos and Confusion

Finally, an overwhelming sense of chaos and confusion can signal that the team is too flexible. This could mean not having the proper structure or that processes are not followed correctly. To address this issue, team members must evaluate their current systems and ensure everyone is on the same page.

It might also be necessary to introduce more structure or discipline and regular performance reviews and feedback. Taking these steps can help teams ensure that they are working in an organized and efficient manner. This also gives team members the space to work on their best projects.

Final Thoughts

Overall, teams need to understand when flexibility in the workplace has become too much. Low productivity levels, decreased morale and motivation, reduced efficiency in current operations, and an overwhelming sense of chaos and confusion can all show that teams are too flexible. In such cases, it may be necessary to reevaluate the level of flexibility within the team.

However, by taking time to evaluate their systems, implement better planning structures, provide clear direction, set achievable goals, and reward good performance, teams can ensure that they remain productive and motivated while maintaining the right balance between flexibility and structure.

About the Author: Catherine is a Finance Editor at Crediful where she covers a wide range of business and investment topics with the aim to help people achieve financial freedom. Passionate about financial literacy and considers it one of the most important life skills.

The post Flexibility in the Workplace: When Is It Too Much? appeared first on Zenkit.

It’s safe to say that project management is one of the most important things when it comes to successfully completing a project. However, according to the Project Management Institute (PMI), only 46% of companies consider project management a corporate culture priority.

Project management is particularly important in content marketing, as content marketers typically find themselves juggling a million different things, ranging from brainstorming to keyword analysis. Therefore, choosing productivity tools can make a difference not only in the life of the content marketer. It can also improve the quality of the final product.

Here are 8 tools that every content marketer should check out. 

Zenkit Projects

The Zenkit project management tool is a lifesaver for content marketers and content marketing companies that want to stay organized.

Through its powerful project management feature, teams can set up global Kanban boards where team members can aggregate all project tasks, create Gantt charts that visualize the team’s capabilities, collaborate in real-time, share documents and images, work offline and so much more. Undoubtedly, using a tool like Zenkit can help content marketers focus on the tasks ahead. It can also help them work with other members of their team to produce the best product possible.

Ahrefs

If you’re a content marketer, you probably know the pain of spending precious time looking for an effective and easy-to-use SEO tool that’s value for money. You can avoid all of this by immediately choosing Ahrefs. 

Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO tool that helps content marketers improve their productivity by providing game-changing insights into how their clients’ websites are performing. These insights can be used to optimize content and improve website rankings. Additionally, Ahrefs enables content marketers to find high-volume keywords and analyze their competitors’ keyword strategies. 

Not only that, content marketers can use Ahrefs to identify technical SEO problems and get a comprehensive view of a website’s backlink profile. They can also identify web pages whose content needs to be improved. Such a comprehensive tool speeds up a project increases its quality and optimizes the budget, as content marketing teams can use Ahrefs to inform the content strategy from the outset. 

Slack

LinkedIn reported that the number of remote marketing jobs increased by 177 percent by the end of 2021, and this number continues to increase. Therefore, it’s more important than ever for distributed content marketing teams to communicate effectively.

Slack is one of the most popular instant messaging tools for professional teams. It enables team members to send messages to anyone inside or outside their team and communicate with them as if they were in the same office. In addition, its ‘channels’ feature allows each individual to work effectively independently. It also helps them keep up to date with what’s happening on different projects without losing track of the conversation. Best of all, Slack has a free tier that is a lifesaver for smaller companies.

Grammarly

As the name suggests, Grammarly is all about correct grammar. Although it’s not an obvious project management tool, it’s revolutionary in that it saves project managers and content marketing teams time. It automatically checks for grammatical errors and ensures consistency of tone, punctuation and messaging across the board.

It’s therefore an indispensable tool for any content writer who wants to improve the quality of their writing and save time. 

With features such as spelling and grammar checks, punctuation suggestions, sentence structure analysis and tone detection, Grammarly acts as an AI-powered editor that allows content writers to write error-free content confidently and efficiently.

Google Drive

Having a shared Google Drive may seem like a no-brainer. However, there are still many teams that end up wasting a lot of resources. This is simply because they don’t have a shared cloud storage system.

Google Drive is one of the most popular cloud-based storage systems out there, especially as it’s integrated with the rest of the G Suite products and third-party tools such as Slack. 

Its popularity stems from the fact that it provides a central location for files that can be easily accessed by all team members. This ensures that everyone’s on the same page, reducing the risk of errors and misunderstandings. 

In addition, team members can collaborate on documents in real-time without the need for much back and forth. Undoubtedly, this makes editing a more seamless process. And if the changes are not to the client’s liking, Google Drive offers the ability to 

access previous versions of the document. This greatly speeds up workflows and avoids unnecessary work.

Toggl

Toggl can make a world of a difference when it comes to getting down to the nitty-gritty of project management. Specifically, time. It provides valuable insights into how time is spent on tasks. This helps both content marketers and project managers optimize productivity.

Its simple interface makes it a straightforward but very effective tool. Content marketers can use it to identify the tasks they spend too much time on and optimize their workflows. In addition, Toggl makes it easier for teams to assign tasks to each member and track their progress. This ensures that deadlines are met and projects are delivered on time.

Finally, Toggl’s reporting function breaks down the time spent on various tasks. This can help teams identify areas that need to be improved or to review deadlines. 

Buffer

Buffer is a time saver for all social media content marketers out there. It’s a multipurpose social marketing tool that makes social media management much easier. Its core feature is the ability to plan and schedule content across nine social media platforms. These platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and TikTok. Therefore, instead of having to rely on less-than-ideal native

 schedulers or set your alarm clock every time you have to post, you can kick back and relax. Buffer does the posting for you.

In addition to planning and scheduling content, Buffer also has an analytics function that allows you to monitor social engagement, measure campaign performance, and create marketing reports. It also makes recommendations on how to boost your accounts. By having a dashboard to access all social media platforms, you spend less time navigating between different platforms. This allows you to spend more time on what matters: quality content and engagement.

Canva

Canva is another platform perfect for busy content marketers who want to amplify their messaging through high-quality graphics. The free-to-use online design tool has ready-made templates that are easy to edit. This is true even if you’re a rookie when it comes to graphic design tools.

With its drag-and-drop interface, you can finish a monthly calendar of social media visuals in just a few clicks. This saves you time and money. What’s more, the platform recently launched its video editing feature. This empowers you to edit your social media videos in mere minutes. Talk about saving time!

Final Thoughts

It’s no secret that successful project management can make a world of a difference when it comes to the overall quality and outcome of a project. Therefore, investing in these tools early on saves you a lot of time and resources later. This ensures that every project you engage in as a content marketer reaches its full potential. It also helps you build a solid reputation that cements a long-term career.

The post 8 Productivity Tools for Successful Content Marketing appeared first on Zenkit.

Despite symbolizing the first wave of digital communications, email continues to be extremely relevant even today. Possessing a thumping user base of over 4 billion users and an eye-popping ROI of 4000%, email is, to nobody’s surprise, the channel of choice for businesses to communicate with their audience.

Year after year, the medium witnesses a host of gradual reforms that reflect upon its functioning and more importantly, elevate its efficacy as a communication channel. Keeping with this tradition, as the pages of the calendar flipped from 2022 to 2023, they carry with them a host of trends which stand to update the definition of email marketing as we know it.

Curious to find out the email marketing trends for 2023? Read on!

1. Increased Focus on Personalization

With approximately 333 billion emails being exchanged every day, brands must take into account that most of their subscribers experience inbox fatigue to some degree. In this scenario, thus, marketers need to regard their personalization strategies more closely than ever to have a shot at capturing their audience’s attention. Only when you deliver relevant content to your subscribers can you expect them to engage with your campaigns.

Now, there are many ways to implement personalization, but the first, and most foundational thing, you need to do is to segment your email list. Divide your contacts into different sections based on a slew of different parameters like age, gender, occupation, browsing patterns, past purchases, interests and preferences, and the like. What this does is allow you to identify the diverse range of buyer personas interacting with your brand and formulate unique content for each. In 2023, one can expect to see machine learning being increasingly summoned to shoulder segmentation. Why? Because with it you can use interest-based tags to automatically gather data on recipient’s interests based on the links they interact with in your emails. 

2. Acceleration in the Adoption of Customer Data Platforms

The last couple of years has seen several measures being introduced to ensure greater data privacy for users. Most notable among them are Apple’s MPP announcement and Google’s insistence on third-party cookies. Subsequently, this has made it critical for businesses to rely on customer data platforms. CDPs are important because they help companies collate all their customer data in one central repository. This enables them to make use of their cross-channel customer data to inform crucial decisions in their email and digital marketing programs.

Additionally, CDPs facilitate improved access to the data, make data cleaning more convenient, and allow you to mobilize data for usage across channels. In a nutshell, by embracing CDPs, businesses stand to take their personalization and automation games a notch higher, which will ultimately usher in higher engagement and greater conversions for them.

3. Rise in Popularity of Modular Email Templates

Most businesses fail to capitalize on high-traffic periods due to increased email production demands. This problem can be combated by using modular templates. Using these templates can improve email efficiency during high-traffic periods. This is because they have different blocks for specific purposes. So first, you create a modular template, one that contains blocks that will be common to all your emails. Then, depending on the type of email you wish to send out, you simply have to slice and dice the remaining blocks and obtain the template of your choice in minimal time.

The immense scope for creativity and flexibility that modular templates accord have made them tremendously popular among businesses of late. After all, who wouldn’t like to put together a large volume of branded emails in a short span?

4. Greater Acknowledgment of AI-Based Email Copy

The growing ubiquitousness of ChatGPT in the collective consciousness over the last few months has pushed email marketers to take a closer look at something they have already been using for a while now- AI copy. With AI taking massive strides with every passing day, ChatGPT is not at the end of the line. More sophisticated models are bound to show up, with each iteration packing more possibilities than its predecessor. 

There are many pros to using AI copy:

• It lets you amp up quality control. You get the liberty of feeding the parameters of your choice into the model. This includes the length of the copy, its tone, style, and the like. Then you receive an output that is in complete alignment with them.
• With AI, churning out a large volume of quality variants (be it for header, preview text, or body copy) in a short interval becomes easier.
• Personalization, while critical, is an incredibly demanding task as well. An AI copywriting tool promises to make your job much more convenient. 

All that said, there’s one significant con that AI models are yet to overcome. They have a distinct lack of emotion in the copy. AI copies are often criticized for lacking essential attributes, such as compassion, empathy, and a general sentimental pull. These traits are crucial for establishing a connection with the reader. To maximize the benefits of AI copywriting, human intervention is necessary. In other words, a combination of the power of AI technology and the creativity of human beings can help achieve the best possible results in copywriting.

5. More Emphasis on Saying Goodbye with Grace

Customers these days do not shy away from pressing the unsubscribe button. And it may not always necessarily be a reflection of your strategies. It might simply be a byproduct of their inboxes getting drowned with emails from all directions. Whatever the case, brands these days are starting to realise the importance of putting in a good last word. After all, if you do have to part ways with a subscriber, why do so on hostile terms?

So, instead of writing a clinical, to-the-point unsubscribe message, try to craft something warm and witty. This will have the power to make them reconsider their action at least once.

Final Thoughts

The contour of email marketing is ever-evolving. As such, marketers and businesses need to keep up with the times to drive the results they desire. We hope the trends shared above come in handy while you are designing your campaigns!

About the Author: Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest growing custom email design and coding companies, and specializes in crafting professional email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and free responsive HTML email templates in addition to providing email automation, campaign management, and data integration & migration services. He loves gadgets, bikes, and jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.

The post 5 Email Marketing Trends to Watch Out for in 2023 appeared first on Zenkit.

You don’t want to miss anything when you plan something – whether that’s a big trip, event, or launch. One little mishap can affect everything else, so you want every tiny little detail to go according to plan. Unfortunately, not all plans are winners. 

As research from the Project Management Institute indicates, the two biggest reasons why projects fail are poor requirements gathering and a lack of upfront planning. How can you ensure you got a winning project on your hands? 

Before executing any project, have your team create a business requirements document (BRD) to carefully align with all stakeholders on what needs to be achieved.

What Is a Business Requirements Document?

The business requirements document breaks down the project needs, objectives, and the various requirements for the project implementation. It acts as a checklist and a guide for everyone involved in the project. As a result, there will be a clear understanding of the overall goal and each person’s deliverables. 

A BRD is especially important when working with clients directly to implement a campaign or develop a curated product or service. An example of this is creating e-commerce websites for growing businesses without a tech or digital team that can create one.

In such cases, the BRD becomes a written agreement between you and your client on the final output. It will help all parties understand the project and what it hopes to achieve by the end. 

Key Features of a Business Requirements Document

Before sitting down and writing a Business Requirements Document, you must grasp the critical qualities of one. That will help condition how you write your BRD as you go through the steps provided in the next section. 

Structured Documentation

For starters, a BRD must be an organised document you can easily browse through when needed. Maintaining a structure with arranged sections highlighted parts, and enumerated processes can make your BRD more digestible. After all, it will be everyone’s reference once implementation begins. 

Comprehensive Plan

A BRD allows you to lay out the expectations of the project and the people involved. Then, it details everything you need to execute it with little to no issues. To do this, you must look at the project holistically and consider all factors, such as objectives, timeline, and assigned personnel. 

Easy to Understand

Your BDR is not meant just for you. Remember, your operations, product development, and many other teams will go through it eventually. Sometimes, even the clients will have to see BRD to check the project implementation progress. That’s why you must make the document simple, jargon-free, and easy to comprehend.

How to Write Your Business Requirements Document

A company should have a set template for its BRD to cover all the important parts, such as goals and objectives, timeline, and budget. However, keep in mind that some projects are different, so your template should have some flexibility.

Your BRD should cover all crucial facets of the project to ensure you get all the benefits. But you may need to specify certain parts or add sections necessary to the project. To help you and your team create well-written BRDs each time, follow this 5-step guide below:

Step 1: Align with Your Team

Before writing anything down, you and your team should know what the document is for and what it should accomplish by the end of it all. 

Go back to your business’s strategic direction and see how this project supports the trajectory of the business. That will help you recall and discuss your project’s goals and objectives. It will also make the project easier to interpret since everyone can understand how it contributes to your overall business goal.

Once the project overview is clear, the team should create a mind map. That will give more body to the ideas presented, making it easier to list the important requirements for each. Mind maps not only categorise all the information at hand, but they also allow everyone involved to contribute to the contents of the BRD. 

Step 2: Outline Document Sections

After pooling all ideas and setting a clear definition of the project, you’ll need to outline your document sections and identify the necessary attachments. If your company already has a template, you can follow it, but ensure it compiles everything needed for your BRD. 

To give you an idea of what a BRD should contain, below, you can find some of the sections your BRD document should 

• Executive summary: This is a quick summary of the whole document, written after completing the BRD, so readers can get a quick overview of the project and its requirements from the beginning. 
• The business needs: This answers why the project is needed in the first place. That gives the project a purpose and urgency. 
• Goals and objectives: Setting goals and objectives will give everyone a proper direction and defined targets throughout implementation.
• Scope of the project – This part should discuss the project’s scope and limitations so that all parties’ expectations are managed. 
• Key stakeholders: Who are the people involved in this project? Discussing who your key stakeholders are early on will help you identify the involvement of each one. That also pushes you to think about how each part or change in the project affects them. 
• Business requirements: This section should detail the various project milestones, persons in charge, and performance monitoring standards. It will serve as the main guide for all the people involved in the project to ensure a successful execution. 
• Timeline: As your objective and project are time-bound, it’s important to schedule target deadlines for everything. A timeline will keep the project moving and help monitor progress over time. 
• Costs & benefits: While a project may have its benefits, it will also entail costs. Understanding the costs and benefits before executing a project will allow you to prepare and gauge the budget needed beforehand. 

Step 3: Research and Collect Important Information

Now that you’ve defined the sections of your BRD, it’s time to collect the info for each one. You can already gather many details from the initial discussions and brainstorming with your team. 

However, it would be good to research some more and interview every stakeholder in the company to get a full grasp of the business scope requirements. Understanding the project from others’ perspectives will also ensure that you include accurate and feasible information.

To give more context, let’s use the example of creating an e-commerce website for a client again. When you create the BRD, you need to coordinate with the web development team about the project. 

That can include discussing the important assets needed for them to develop the website, the turnaround time it takes for each web page needed, and the practicality of the design requests from the client. 

Step 4: Write for Your Target Audience

When you already have all the necessary information, you can focus on completing your BRD. The key to writing it is to keep your target audience in mind. 

Usually, it’s best to keep your document simple and language relatively casual. If the people reading the document can grasp such technical terms, which would make the document much more understandable, you may opt to use that language. 

It would help if you remembered that a BRD holds much information, making everything as easy to understand as possible. If visual representations, tables, and graphs help get the idea across, then it’s better to utilise them. 

Step 5: Use Business Tools and Resources

Remember, your BDR must be easy to digest. Keep in mind that the average person needs to understand the information contained in it. 

You can make your BRD much more comprehensive with strategy analysis tools. These can help you identify the gaps in your project’s strategies so that you can plan on how to resolve them and fit such activities into your timeline. 

At the same time, making use of project management software can help you make your BRD more efficient and convenient. So feel free to explore tools that can help you craft a better BRD and power you through your project implementation.

Discover the ultimate project management tool.
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If you need support from people with years of experience in the business, consider getting a board of advisors to check your BRD and business plans. They can provide strategic advice on improving your business processes and help you scale up to success. 

Final Thoughts

When working on a project, things can get really complicated really fast if you don’t have an organised plan. A BRD can serve as your central document, guiding all stakeholders on what to expect from the project and how to move forward.

By aligning everyone’s goals and expectations, you can ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the project’s success. And by following the five steps we outlined above, writing a Business Requirements Plan should be a breeze.

Author the Author: John Courtney is the Founder and Chief Executive of BoardroomAdvisors.co which provides part-time Executive Directors (Commercial/Operations/Managing Directors), Non-Executive Directors and paid Mentors to SMEs without either a recruitment fee or a long-term contract.

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