5 Ways in Which Technology Has Changed Project Management

No one can deny the fact that technology is improving and changing day by day. And as the new things arrive – so they change us. Most of the time, we use these technological innovations to simplify our daily activities and make like easier. However, we are often not aware of just how much this reach of technology spans.

For example, taking running and company and client project management. These were once complicated and tough processes that not everyone can do. But with the development of various software, hardware and communication technologies, everyone can create a start up with ease – and lead it to success. This way, technology has changed the way we do our business, and there is not a single industry which was not affected by this change! In you do not believe this, then just compare the companies of the past to those of today. The differences are clear to see – and the ways in which technology has changed project management and running a business are many. Today, we look at 5 major ones.

Collaboration and communication are made easy

If you ask anybody with at least a little experience what the key to good project management is, they will tell you it is good communication. Without it there is no success in managing a project. It includes everyone, from managers over team members to the stakeholders. This is the reason why people worked hard to make technology improve communication.

Consider the way we used to communicate in the business world just a few decades ago. First, you had to tackle printed product reports and examine them thoroughly. Then, we moved on to memos, voice messages and faxes, which were soon replaced by emails. However, even email communication is outdated now, thanks to the faster tools we have.

Today, you can share project updates in a blink of an eye. Together with them, you can also add documents and critical information that your team will need. You can easily make suggestions and review the progress of the project, thus having a better control over it – all thanks to technology. Finally, you get better results due to being able to collaborate with team members with ease.

You have the ability to update and report immediately

In the dark days without too much technology, when a project manager had to get updates from stakeholders or change the project plan according to these, it took days or even weeks! Creating reports and Gantt charts for the whole team sometimes took even longer! Nowadays, with good project management tools like Nifty, it takes seconds!

Whether you need to make a change to different tasks or create a timetable, you can do it all with a couple of mouse clicks. The team members can also know about everything immediately thanks to notification systems in place. But they aren’t the only ones!

If you allow them access, your clients can also follow along the project progress and be informed about everything that is happening. This way, they will be satisfied with your team even more. And you can use these tools to track the performance of each team member. This way, you can locate the weak spots and work on improving them, thus improving your team’s efficiency.

Analyze data with ease

Another important part of project management is the way you analyze and process your data. Having the ability to track your team’s progress with project management tools is good, but you will not only boost the efficiency this way.

Nowadays, we have the technology to go through data from a previous project, compare and contrast it with other projects and try to learn as much as we can from it. And, as a matter of fact, you can learn a lot!

First, you can recognize trends in the way your team deals with project tasks, as well as their weaknesses. Using this knowledge, you can encourage a positive type of behavior, or work on improving what’s lacking. Then, you can also take a look at the resources you spend on each task or project phase. From there, you can control your resources better – and all takes to the modern day technology that makes this easier. With proper tools, you will not need to tackle piles of documents. All you need is the right kind of software.

Cloud storage is an unavoidable topic

Whenever you talk to someone about how technology has changed project management, one of the first things they will mention is cloud storage. It is a great, modern solution to decades-long dilemma of where and how to store your data securely.

With businesses growing each day, and more and more clients appearing from all corners of the world, storing the data they create usually requires huge server rooms. These need a lot of room, and hard drives can be sensitive to the elements. Meanwhile, paper records aren’t really eco-friendly, and you will spend a lot of time going through them when you need something. Cloud storage offers and amazingly safe way to create a backup of your important data, while also giving you the change to go through it and edit it at wish.

Even project management software has made the switch to cloud storage in recent years. It used to be that these tools were very complex and expensive, and so only made for mega corporations. Nowadays, even startups and use and afford them due to the cloud storage and their instant access!

Technology lets you expand your business

Finally, we should also talk about just how much technology has helped develop and grow businesses. One of the best perks is that it has brought people closer and made it easy to communicate and work with someone across the globe.

You do not need to deal with long conference calls anymore when you have tracking and communications apps. Sharing ideas is easy with project management tools – but you can also change things up in your project and get instant backup too. Everything and everyone is only one click away – and this is something truly amazing!

Guest article written by: Content writer at Nifty, leading project management tool and an amazing Wunderlist alternative. Petar Djordjevic is also a Math student working to become a professional novel writer. In the meantime, he is learning about online writing, content optimization and ways to boost client’s website users’ experience.