10 ways a project management approach is helpful

 A project management approach can have a large impact on the success of any project. However, many managers are reluctant to re-position their team, approach or budget to focus on project management. They may argue that it is expensive and that they can manage their own team on a certain project just as they do on a day-to-day basis.  This approach, however, overlooks the vital differences between routine management and project management and how a project management approach is actually helpful to achieving successful delivery. 




1. Avoid the admin time drain

Running a project without having a project management approach in place is usually a false economy. Projects involve a lot of moving parts. They require constant communication and collaboration, and they can bring with them specific issues involving many team members working, sometimes remotely, to update data and documents. This means that issues such as version control can quickly get out of hand. 


Working on a project without collaboration and project management software in place can unnecessarily complicate circumstances.  If you are relying on email, spreadsheets, documents and calendars to try and stay on top of the initiation, progress and performance of your projects then you are having juggle a lot of complex admin.  That’s just managing the information, never mind reporting on it.  All of this saps time, time that could be spent more usefully doing more interesting and productive things. 


2. Keep track

Having an easy to use collaboration, reporting and management tool to hand can solve problems that you did not even know that you had. Project management software will simplify your project, especially if you are: 

  • Communicating remotely  
  • Sharing large files 
  • Regularly updating centralised information and data 
  • Emailing attachments  
  • Amending and annotating documents  
  • Trying to manage version control   
  • Manually creating reports  
  • Waiting for the completion of certain tasks so that other tasks can start 
  • Constantly pursued by people chasing you for approvals so that they can move on with their work  


A lack of project management techniques and software leads to a lack of clarity on who is doing what as well as what is important and what is urgent or not. Without proper project management in place, it is almost impossible to work out how different tasks involved in the project fit together, who is waiting for whom and what needs to be a priority for the project to move forward. 


Good project management greatly increases the chances of delivering a project on time, within budget and with all its objectives met. However, there is more to the process. With an effective project management approach in place, the benefits go beyond simply delivering what you promised when you promised it. There are other advantages that help the project run smoothly and reduce stress for everyone involved. 


3. Make Quick and effective decisions

Waiting for decisions and experiencing confusion over who handles specific decisions are major causes of delay with many projects. Good project management clearly lays out whose approval is necessary for which decisions and only puts relevant decisions in front of the team members that need to see them. This means that decisionmaking is quick and effective throughout the project’s life cycle, allowing it to move quickly from one stage to the next. 


4. Stakeholders know what to expect 

A project management approach ensures that stakeholders stay informed of progress, delays and key changes as the project progresses. This keeps everyone satisfied and enables stakeholders and team members to agree on what they will deliver, even if this changes slightly (or even drastically) from the objectives laid out in the original business case. 


5. Problems resolve quickly 

A good project management approach incorporates risk management processes. This means that risks undergo regular assessment, anticipation and preparationEasy, real-time communication is another feature of good project management software, and it allows both current and potential risks to stay on everyone’s radar. This lets all team members be proactive about problem-solving and facilitates engaging talk about the problems encountered and the solutions implemented. 


6. Team members are more satisfied and motivated 

Controlled projects with few surprises are more enjoyable and satisfying to work on. When team members are all working collaboratively and proactively, it leads to a happy, motivated and efficient environment that saves time, money and stress for both managers and clients. Of course,  the other major benefit that flows from this is increased productivity.  Given we are all working in a climate of doing more for the same or less, a project management approach coupled with the right delivery tool means less time doing time consuming admin and more precious time doing more productive and worthwhile activities  –  undoubtedly helpful for the individual, team and organisation.


7. Controlled scope and costs  

Badly managed scope is a major cause of projects over-running their budget and timescale. Costs can quickly escalate when a project has no clear definition or constant monitoring. Project management software allows for the tracking of costs in real time and a solid overview of the allocation of resources. This facilitates proactive budget management as the project progresses. 


8. Dealing with variables 

Projects rarely run smoothly from inception to delivery. One of the criticisms of project management in today’s dynamic and fast-changing work environment is that it is too rigid and inflexible. This certainly does not need to be the case, however.. Even old-style project management included techniques to monitor, re-assess and adapt circumstances according to variables that were likely to crop up but unpredictable. Modern project management software makes this process easier than ever, allowing projects to stay on track overall despite situations that impact certain tasks and processes. 


9. Built-in quality control  

Good project management techniques and software can ensure that the quality of deliverables is consistent and sufficient as measured against pre-defined objectives. Gated phases are part of the process and involve the assessment of quality, applicability and return on investment. These phases provide teams with the time and processes to examine and test outputs regularly as the project moves from one stage to the next. 


10. Deliver real value  

A good project management approach allows for strategic alignment. The project manager, team members and stakeholders can track not only what they deliver but also how that aligns with the strategic framework for the entire project. They can put processes in place to monitor pre-defined deliverables and assess and evaluate whether the project is actually delivering real value for the organisation. Properly applied project management techniques ensure that the goals of an individual project remain closely aligned with the strategic goals of the company. 


Great project management software for all team members helps deliver successful and stress-free projects. To find out how Verto project management software can help with your next project, you can experience the software in action via our demo or  free trial. Contact us at info@vertocloud.com to find out more.