Remote Project and Portfolio Management with SharePoint
Simplify collaboration with remote teams and stakeholders.
Manage changes and stay on-track with flexible templates and real-time reports.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has upended every aspect of our personal and professional lives. Uncertainty and constant change are here to stay as individuals and organizations chart a way through the ‘new normal’.
Projects are no different.
Remote working, reduced resources, changing schedules, increased risks.
Project teams are grappling with these challenges, along with increased stress and worry as restrictions take their toll.
The coronavirus pandemic means we must change ways of working and managing projects.
Teams need strong leadership, clear communication, and collaborative tools.
Successful projects will require a clear purpose, flexible processes, stakeholder support, and the right project management software.
In this guide, you’ll find a list of free resources, from BrightWork and elsewhere, to help you bring more certainty to your projects.
The resources are divided into four areas:
Free SharePoint Project Management Template
Connect and collaborate with your team to keep the project moving forward.
Managing Remote Projects and Teams
A round-up of our favorite resources, advice, and case studies for remote project teams.
Learn about switching to remote project management, how COVID-19 is shaping projects, virtual team building, and more.
Remote Project Management
- COVID-19: The New Reality for Project and Program Management [KPMG]
- The Importance of Project Management During Turbulent Times [Project Management Institute]
- How-To: Stay Sane As A Remote Project Manager [The Digital Project Manager]
- How to work remotely [Web Summit]
- This Is How We Manage Projects on a Fully Remote Team [Doist]
- Remote Projects 101: The Remote Guide to Project Management [Twist]
- Project Managers – Stay Active in Isolation [Arras People]
- What’s next for remote work: An analysis of 2,000 tasks, 800 jobs, and nine countries [McKinsey]
- How to Use Microsoft Teams for Project Management
- Collaborate and Manage Projects from Anywhere with SharePoint
- How to Use SharePoint to Collaborate with a Remote Team
Managing Remote Teams
- 40 Lessons from 4 Years of Remote Work [Buffer]
- How remote workers are creatively battling social isolation [Dropbox]
- Working from Home – 7 Steps for a Better Work Day [Happiful]
- COVID-19: It’s OK to Feel Overwhelmed and Be Unproductive [Psychology Today]
- ”Sorry, I have a walk scheduled then” [Dropbox]
- How Distributed Teams are Setting Boundaries between Home and Office [Dropbox]
- Morale, Mental Health, and Burnout in Remote Teams [Holloway]
- Academic Research Proves 8 Skills Critical to Work-from-Home Success [Forbes]
- How to be more productive working from home [Atlassian]
- Five ways to design a better mental-health future for a stressed-out workforce [McKinsey]
- A Guide to Remote Work Etiquette [Dropbox]
- How to Overcome 3 Challenges to Team Collaboration
- Managing a Remote Agile Team
- 3 Ways to Use Microsoft 365 for Remote Projects
Virtual Team Building
- The best virtual team building activities, according to real remote workers [Atlassian]
- 15 Best Team Building Activities & Games for Remote Workers [Miro]
- 10 (Not Lame) Virtual Team Building Activities [Weekdone]
- How to Strengthen Remote Team Bonds [Polly]
- 23 remote team building activities (to boost morale and trust) [Fingerprint for Success]
Plan, Manage, and Track Your Remote Projects with SharePoint
Projects with clear objectives, well-defined schedules, and flexible processes can adapt quickly to change.
Project teams also need a shared, central workspace for remote project management. Easy access to project files, tasks, and upcoming work is critical to delivering on time.
A SharePoint project site can provide this single source of project truth.
With features such as task lists, document libraries, and real-time reports, it’s easy to keep your project on track, no matter when or where you work.
The below resources will help you plan and manage your projects using a SharePoint project site.
1. Plan and Manage the Project Schedule
- How to Create an Effective Project Schedule
- How to Plan a Project with SharePoint
- How to Start Managing Projects on SharePoint in under 5 Minutes
- Using the BrightWork In-Browser Task Scheduler
- Webinar: 4 Easy Ways to Manage Your Project Schedule with SharePoint
2. Find, Do, and Update Work
- 3 Ways BrightWork Makes Task Management Easier
- Manage the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in SharePoint
- How to Increase Project Visibility with a RACI Matrix
- How to Use a SharePoint Document Library for Projects
- A Quick Guide to 9 Essential Project Documents [+ Templates]
3. Report on Project Status and Progress
- Add a Project Status Report to Your SharePoint Site in 3 Minutes
- 4 Ways to Improve Project Reporting with SharePoint
- How to Monitor Your Project with SharePoint
- How to Track Project Metrics on SharePoint
- 3 Power BI Project Dashboards for SharePoint
Free SharePoint Project Management Template
Adapt quickly with project information, tasks, and reports in one place.
Control and Optimize Project Portfolios with SharePoint
With fewer resources, tighter deadlines, and more uncertainty, making informed decisions about project portfolios is critical.
Senior executives need to know what projects to approve, how ongoing projects are performing, and if projects are in trouble.
BrightWork extends SharePoint for project portfolio management with project request management and cross-project reporting.
With just a few clicks, senior executives can assess the current status of the portfolio and make informed business decisions to reach strategic goals.
1. Manage New Project Requests
- 4 Best Practices for Project Request Management using SharePoint
- How to Improve Project Prioritization
- Planning Projects with BrightWork Resource Allocation
2. Get Real-Time Visibility
- Flexible Cross-Project Dashboards in the BrightWork Portfolio Area
- How to Use Project Portfolio Metrics to Deliver Business Value
- 4 Benefits of Managing Your PMO with SharePoint
- Portfolio Templates for SharePoint
3. Find and Resolve Risks
Free SharePoint Project Management Template
Keep remote teams on track with an easy-to-use project site.
Collaboration, Leadership, and Wellbeing
Articles on collaboration, leadership, morale, and more.
Collaborative Project Management
Read a free copy of our handbook, packed with tips on collaboration, leadership, and personal wellbeing.
Personal Energy Audit: 5 Emotional Factors
In the first step in our personal energy audit, learn how to identify and address emotional factors that can drain your energy.
5 Ways to Boost Your Project Team’s Morale
When morale is high, people are more productive and they respond better when things don’t go as planned.
6 Leadership Styles in Project Management
Project leadership is about creating the culture and working environment to drive success and performance.
Personal Energy Audit: 5 Physical Factors
In the second-part of our energy audit, read more about the role of sleep, diet, and other physical factors.
How to Create a Communication Plan
Follow our five-step process for creating a project communication plan and make collaboration easier.
9 Strategies for More Productive Meetings
For more productive meetings that drive team collaboration, try these nine tips.
Is Resilience the Secret to Being Happy at Work?
A resilient mindset helps us to recover and learn from challenging situations.
Build a Stellar Project Team
Learn more about team formation and best practices to help you build a stellar team.
