Project managers are required to keep tabs on many things at once. Everything needs to be done simultaneously, from costs and sources of raw materials to team members’ schedules and communication with the clients. Fortunately, there are many tools and applications available these days that can make juggling all tasks at once much easier.
Let’s take a detailed look at how utilizing digital media, including social media applications and other digital media platforms, can make project management easier:
Enhances Communication
The biggest benefit of digital media is how it has eased communication. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp can effectively communicate between various teams and individuals.
The advancement level at which these social media apps allow communication between various parties makes them even more beneficial. For example, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger allow parties to exchange text messages, audio messages, pictures, and videos.
Besides sharing images and videos from the gallery, these apps allow one to take pictures or record videos in the chat window. Moreover, these applications can also be used to stay connected through calls and video calls with ease.
The social media apps mentioned above also allow the creation of group chats of various participants. WhatsApp allows groups with up to 256 users. Hence, no matter the industry or the size of the project, team members can effectively communicate with each other.
Digital media platforms such as skype, zoom, and google meet also allow scheduling and organizing meetings with clients, stakeholders, team members, and vendors easier. These platforms also virtual meetings with screen-sharing and file-sharing options, making it easier to share data and information.
However, it is essential to monitor the communication when using social media applications to communicate within the team or with stakeholders and clients. Ease of communication can easily lead to overcommunication or miscommunication, making things worse.
Placing certain chats and chat groups in archives or muting them can also help. Furthermore, defining official work timings clearly and limiting communication within these timings can also help keep personal and professional lives separate.
Increases Collaboration
Certain projects can have contract-based or part-time remote team members. On the other hand, project managers can sometimes spend more time on the project site with the rest of the team working from the office.
In such circumstances and with remote work gaining popularity, it can be difficult to have the whole team in one place for brainstorming sessions or other team collaborations. But digital media for project management casts a significant impact on collaboration between the team members.
Social media applications keep all team members connected no matter where they work. Besides social media applications, other digital media tools such as screen sharing and editing can also help team members solve each other’s problems without commuting. It saves time and effort for everyone and makes collaboration with team members easy, practical, and efficient.
Strengthens Team Bonding
Connected and collaborating teams can work smartly and efficiently, increasing the trust team members have in each other and strengthening their bond. Team members can also inform each other of any issue they may face during their work. Even if other team members aren’t able to solve that issue, they can stay up-to-date on the status of each task. Staying and keeping team members updated with work can greatly help build trust among the team members.
Since one of the main responsibilities of project managers is ensuring smooth communication with their team members, easing communication within the team members also helps them. Any issue or hold-up in the project can be effectively communicated to all the relevant parties instead of making the delay come off as unprofessional.
Promotes Networking
Platforms such as LinkedIn and GlassDoor make digital media for project management even more efficient. They allow project managers to reach a wider audience and show their work to the community and beyond. These digital media platforms also allow project managers to stay in touch with their clients, stakeholders, and team members even after the project is finished. They also allow anyone who worked together on a project to endorse each other’s skills and review their services, helping them make a mark for themselves in their industry.
Networking also opens many new career doors for project managers. Many websites and digital platforms allow project managers to build an online portfolio. A detailed and thought-out portfolio helps project managers gain new clients, projects, and project management opportunities.
Allows Effective Talent Recruitment
Digital media platforms such as freelancer, Upwork, and others allow project managers to stick to the client’s budget without compromising on the quality of the project. While the extent to which these digital media platforms can be helpful for a particular project depends on the industry of the project, they allow project managers to find talent in a wider pool.
Depending on the budget and the project's urgency, project managers can either take a chance with new or rising talent or hire experienced talent with good reviews from project managers just like them. The digital media platforms that allow project managers to outsource the work or recruit talent from all over the world also take special care to enhance the recruiter’s experience.
These platforms allow project managers to hire talent for varied sizes of projects and varying durations. Project managers can even hire full-time contract-based employees from these platforms for no additional cost.
Last but not least, digital media for project management allow creating documents, excel sheets, and presentations anywhere and anytime. Project managers can create new files or update existing files on the go through their smartphones or tablets.
However, as a project manager utilizing digital media to make their job easier, make sure that you are not prioritizing communication over solutions. Before communicating the issues to relevant parties or finding solutions through the tips mentioned above, take a moment to reflect on your skills and abilities and sort out the problem at hand. Excessive use of digital media can also become overwhelming. Hence, always ensure that you take breaks from it to rest your eyes and mind.