Software Automation for Managing Multiple Projects at Once
Published: 01/11/2021
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This article is for project managers being challenged with juggling several projects simultaneously. Modern technology opens the door to better project management, but only when utilised correctly. Often, it’s a hurdle for companies. We aim to help you overcome it by guiding you in choosing the right software.
Anyone who’s ever worked on multiple projects knows the drill. A never-ending yet constantly growing to-do list, attention distribution across clients, pains of switching gears as you jump between the projects and many more. Top it up with additional admin work like spreadsheet maintenance, and you will have a perfect nightmare.
The fundamental difficulty of running several projects at once is staying on top of them all. It’s extremely easy to get overwhelmed unless you have a holistic overview of all that’s happening and have the capacity to adapt to changes quickly. From resource shuffling to reporting, living in a multi-project limbo can cause more than just a headache. Burnouts that affect productivity and lead to errors are frequent consequences of heavy-duty multitasking. But not if you embrace the powers of software automation.
The SaaS market is oversaturated. To stay competitive, vendors need to offer a curated array of features. There is no correct answer as to what your priorities should be. Every business should seek solutions that best address their needs. However, two areas should be at the basis of your search.
Unless you’re only planning to start a company, you likely already have some software in use. When shopping for a new system, always keep your existing toolset in mind, as integrability should be one of your key priorities. Linking tools together opens new automation options and access to more actionable data.
For example, by integrating an employee expense management system with a payroll system, you will have expenses added to client invoices automatically. This is but one example. The possibilities are virtually endless as they depend on the capacities of each system individually and where their integration touchpoints are.
Managing one project requires extensive organisational skills, which become crucial when running multiple projects. The easiest way to keep track of all project-related documentation is to rely on cloud-based storage. Most SaaS solutions offer this feature, and a lack of it usually signals that the tool is either low-quality or outdated.
Firstly, the centralisation and storage of data make it easier to collect and browse relevant documents. Secondly, cloud solutions are known for their accessibility. They mostly operate through an internet browser. With smartphones being part of our daily lives, many are available in a mobile app format. Finally, having a centralised document storage system makes it easy to spot any documentation gaps and stay up to date with compliance.
Juggling several projects is not an easy task. However, it can be simplified. The key to it is pawning off repetitive manual tasks to digital solutions. As such, saving your team heaps of time and promoting steady progress.
Software automation is crucial for improving the speed, accuracy and efficiency of your processes. Automated project workflows increase performance and visibility. A centralised management location outlines processes step-by-step, allowing the project manager to identify problem areas and address them quickly.
Workflow automation takes over smaller bits like task handovers and more significant aspects such as workforce allocation. What steps within the process you automate, and to what extent, is entirely up to you. But here’s a tip: the more tasks you pass on to the machines, the easier project management gets. A sought-after benefit when juggling multiple projects at once!
SaaS platforms are notorious for their quick and detailed reports. Depending on the software, they can be customised to meet the specific needs of the user. Integrations enhance this area. When put in a context, data from different solutions can lead to identifying new patterns or potential threats.
By having in-depth visibility on various aspects of the project, you’re put in a position to make better decisions quicker. This is especially handy when it comes to resource allocation. It leaves no room for educated guesses and instead allows you to make very precise, data-driven decisions. Also, analytics data is available within seconds, making it easy to obtain deep insights for multiple projects at the same time.
Project management, in general, heavily relies on internal communication. It may get challenging when running multiple projects. Software automation addresses this issue as well.
Timesheet approvals can be straightforward or very complex, involving the input of multiple people and different stages. Either way, they can take time for various reasons. From comparing submitted timesheets against deliverables to the approver accidentally deleting the email.
Our Project edition offers automation of a timesheet approval process. It allows you to perform approvals against the whole timesheet, break it up per project, or even by task—all with equal ease. The approval process history is also stored on the platform and can be attached to the client invoice. In the event of an approval-related error, it easily tracks who issued the approval and when.
While managing multiple projects simultaneously is a difficult task that poses many challenges, it doesn’t have to be. Software automation, when enhanced with integrations, can streamline many processes and enable a holistic overview of workflows.
Automating tasks within project management speeds things up and minimises human error. It also delivers more profound and detailed insights that become the cornerstone of success-driven decisions.
Does it sound too good to be true, and do you want to see it in action? Book a demo, and we’ll be happy to show you the ropes.