The use of technology in the corporate world is now greater than it was ever before. Every business is looking to make the most of innovative technology to gain an edge over their competition. However, the rapid change of technology can be a little overwhelming for many people, especially project managers.
Project managers have to handle a number of complex tasks, budget constraints, and time limitations. Therefore, it’s understandable that project managers are hesitant to engage new technologies as they already have a lot on their plate.
However, project managers have a lot to gain than lose, if they are willing to invest time in learning about new technology. In this article, we discuss why you need to adopt technology to succeed as a project.
Improve Communication
As a project manager, you must know that communication is critical for the success of any project. Therefore, it’s no surprise that one of the most critical uses of technology in project management is ensuring proper communication.
Some time ago, project managers were accustomed to inter-office memos, voice messages, faxes, and other forms of communication. However, after the advent of email, they had to adapt to this change and use it as a key tool for communication.
However, times are changing again and relying merely on email is not sufficient anymore. New technologies, such as social collaboration tools and intranet portals have begun to replace email. These innovations offer a uniform communication platform that is more integrated and effective than emails.
As a result, businesses use these platforms to share documents, updates, and other critical information with their project teams. Since the communication structure in modern businesses now relies on these technologies, project managers can’t afford to lag behind.
The Advent of Cloud
Using project management software is not something out of the blue for experienced project managers. However, the unique thing about software and technology, as a whole, is that they never remain the same.
Experts continue to make improvements in existing systems and do their best to come with comprehensive solutions. This allows businesses to utilize advanced technologies and adopt them to optimize their workflow.
The latest example of this is the advent of cloud technologies in the corporate world. Cloud solutions have influenced countless business processes and taken us out of the sticky note age.
Businesses now use cloud-based project management tools like ProjectManager.com to get the best out of their project managers. The use of cloud technology for project management solutions is more cost-effective and easy to manage. It allows people to benefit from mobile access and interoperability, something that on premise PM solutions didn’t do well.
Therefore, if you need stay relevant in a technology-driven environment, you must be willing to adapt to changing technologies in your workplace.
Real-Time Updates and Reporting
In the early days, the process of gathering information and updates from stakeholders was extremely tedious and time-consuming. It would take days or even weeks for project managers to update project plans and distribute the latest Gantt charts and reports to teams.
Today, domains such as data analytics have paved the way for instant reporting and real-time updates for managers. Coupled with cloud-based project management tools, these technologies allow project managers to make critical decisions with insights derived from data.
Even if these systems lack the predictive capabilities of more advanced systems, they can help project managers to handle their tasks efficiently. For instance, they can update project documentation, check on task status, and alert teams members in a matter of seconds.
However, if you are not willing to learn tools that enable this to happen, your company will not be able to reach the same level of efficiency as your competitors.
Mobile, Decentralized Project Teams
Not very long ago, it was difficult for project managers to imagine that a project team could work effectively if they did not meet regularly face to face. However, like the rest of the world, the internet has knitted the organizational structures together and deconstructed previous limitations in project management.
Thanks to astounding advances in project management software and communication, organizations can work in a decentralized manner. This means that companies can now build project teams that have contractors and employees located in various cities, time zones, and countries.
This has enabled businesses to allocate their available resources to their project needs more efficiently. Moreover, teams can work in a more organized way and with greater speed, despite physical barriers. Refusing to engage with new communication tools is a recipe for losing customers on projects.
Summary
If you are not familiar with software and don’t know how to cope with changing technology, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. For most people, the fear of technology is rooted in their fear of the unknown.
Therefore, the best way to understand technology is to invest time in learning more about it. Needless to say; the more you surround yourself with technology, the less mysterious you will about it.
As a project manager, you need to understand that being adept to handling change is the key to survival in the corporate world. If you’re not willing to utilize new developments in technologies, you will lose your projects to your competition.
Therefore, the adoption of technology should be something that your whole team should follow. It’s essential to keep your team updated about the latest developments, so don’t hesitate to send your key performers to courses where they can learn new skills in technology.
In the end, the only way you can become more efficient as a project manager is by accepting technology as the sole driver for growth.
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