Why Every Business Needs Project Management

Project management ensures the success of strategic organizational initiatives. Despite its importance, many organizations do not have any proper project management processes in place, let alone a tool to support the methodology.

Some teams might think that project management is nice to have, but “we’re doing alright with our current approach.”

Maybe project managers and team members see the additional process or the implementation of a tool simply as more work they have to do rather than a way to help them achieve better results in their jobs.

Project Management as a Business Essential

At BrightWork, we’re here to tell you that project management is not a luxury. It’s not a “nice to have” in your organization.

If you want to drive your business forward and be more successful with strategic projects, then you need to get serious about project management – and fast.

Here are six key benefits of using a project management solution that will help your entire team! You’ll also see how BrightWork 365 for Microsoft 365 supports these requirements.

1. Implement a Standardized Project Management Process

Without a standard approach or project management platform, you’ll end up with lots of PMs using lots of different methods to manage projects.

When that happens, there’s no way to capture all the information centrally. So, project updates are time-consuming, and it’s impossible to know what is going on across projects.

Smaller teams with simple projects may manage without a standardized system. But, when complex projects grow, this approach becomes unsustainable.

Establishing a Consistent Project Framework

What you need is an approach so your project teams know that “this is the way we manage projects” and a tool that guides them through the process.

A centralized project site supports your processes and ties them all together, providing visibility into what is actually happening.

Choose a tool with built-in templates and other guidance to ensure projects are managed the way you want them to.

Simplifying Project Standardization with BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 includes three product templates to support different project types:

• Project standard – This template follows a semi-structured waterfall process and is suitable for any team or department.
• Product update – This template is used to manage maintenance-related projects generated from support request submissions.
• New product introduction – This template provides a structured process for developing a new product.

The best way to roll out standardized project management processes and drive adoption is to embed them right into your chosen collaborative platform. You should use Microsoft project management templates to ensure greater efficiency and consistency in your organization.

2. Manage the Project Pipeline More Efficiently

A critical part of project success is actually choosing the right projects to carry out in the first place!

Most project management tools include features for handling new project requests. An efficient system makes the process straightforward, especially if you are just starting out.

It also ensures that projects follow a structured project hierarchy for better organization and decision-making.

Simple Project Request Tracking

At the start, all you really need is a list so you can compare alternatives. A tool like the Project Requests app in BrightWork 365 captures and reviews requests that will help with your project selection process. The key is having a central place to track incoming requests.

A centralized request system allows teams to assess the new project pipeline and make sure that approved projects will provide the best value for your organization.

Project Pipeline Management With BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 solution includes four levels of Project Request Management. The levels relate to the number of approval stages a project request will go through before project creation.

At every step, the requester, reviewer, and approver receive automated emails. Reviewers and approvers can act on the request directly from the email or Microsoft Teams.

A Power Automate workflow automatically updates the status of the request in BrightWork 365.

3. Optimize Resource Allocation

Do you know what your team is working on? Do you know what else that person has on their plate?  Can you identify work not assigned to anyone?

These kinds of questions frustrate executives who need to ensure optimal resource management and that mission-critical work gets the attention it requires.

Collaborative project management software provides visibility into assignments, helping you ensure that the right resource is working on the right piece of work. When multiple teams work on projects, having a clear project plan helps distribute tasks without confusion.

Strategic Resource Allocation With BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 allows project managers and senior executives to manage resource allocation using Power BI dashboards to track all work across all projects in one place.

Even if you are not using Power BI, there are out-of-the-box My Work reports within BrightWork 365 delivered through Microsoft Power Apps.

This report shows the work, including stages, tasks, deliverables, risks, and issues, assigned to the logged-in user. Users can quickly find and update tasks in one place.

4. Centralize Project Reporting

When everyone is using their own method to manage projects, status reports can be time-consuming and difficult. By the time they are created, the information presented is likely out of date.

A single project management solution within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem gives the entire team a central location for tracking progress.

Better Visibility and Flexible Reporting

Teams can see the big picture while data can roll up to project offices and reporting portfolios. A strong reporting engine should allow you to cut and dice the information in different ways for different audiences.

Storing all project details in one system ensures quick access to updates and allows you to drill down into the project details when necessary easily.

Simplified Project Reporting With BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 centralizes project data in one tool, making it easy to assess the status of project portfolios, programs, and projects. Easily track key indicators for health, time, costs, and dates in one report.

5. Improve Task Management and Visibility

Using a collaborative project management tool helps everyone on the team manage and prioritize their work efficiently. It gives them one place to track their responsibilities and see how they affect the other tasks and the project at large.

Scheduled emails and to-do lists using Microsoft Planner can serve as reminders of work assignments so nothing falls through the cracks. It also makes it easy for team members to update their progress and bring visibility to any issues they are facing.

A project management tool keeps everyone engaged, focused, and accountable so the project can move in the right direction.

Task Visibility and Tracking With BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 simplifies task management with Gantt Charts, Work Reports, Status Reports, and direct integration with Microsoft Teams.

6. Collaborate Effectively With Your Team

Finally, deploying an effective project management tool connects your team to their work and to their colleagues.

Features like shared sites, document management, discussions, and social tools help build a strong culture of teamwork.

Using a unified platform simplifies collaboration and information sharing becomes much easier, so teams can work together to move work forward.

Seamless Team Collaboration With BrightWork 365

BrightWork 365 integrates directly with Microsoft Teams. Every program has an associated Team, and every project within that program has a channel in that team.

This integration makes it easy to collaborate on the project without switching between multiple apps.

Together, BrightWork 365 and Microsoft Teams act as a complete collaboration hub with:

• Real-time chat and messaging.
• Video conferencing and meetings for up to 300 people.
• Video recording and sharing.
• Microsoft 365 Voice for cloud calling.
• Integration with third-party apps and connectors.
• Extensive search capabilities.
• Whiteboards for brainstorming sessions.
• Bots for surveys and feedback.
• Public or private channels for sensitive projects or data.

Achieve More with BrightWork 365

Many organizations that we talk to are just getting by with project management. They track projects with some combination of emails and Excel or manually create status reports in Word or PowerPoint.

All of this is time-consuming and very often out of date by the time it reaches senior leadership. I once heard a senior leader say, “We never like to hear bad news. We especially don’t like hearing bad news late.”

Ditch the manual updates and improve project visibility and decision-making. BrightWork 365 simplifies project tracking, ensures real-time updates, and improves leadership visibility. Watch a demo now.