How to streamline collaboration with project management tools.

In our company, we successfully manage an impressive network of over 300 employees working remotely from all corners of the globe.

This feat, while challenging, is made seamless through the strategic use of project management tools.

These tools have become essential cogs in our everyday operations, providing us with the ability to assign tasks, create visual clarity, utilize calendars, and so much more. But how exactly do we do it?

In this post, we'll look at what makes our remote work management so effective. Through these insights, you should be able to streamline collaboration in your own organization no matter how big or small you are or if you're spread out or in the same location.

1. Start with the right project management tools

It is critical to use the right project management platforms and collaboration platforms to make your business run efficiently.

And while we use Asana in our business, I can recommend that you check out any of the other multiple platforms available that will suit your business.

There are so many tools out there that cater to different kinds of organizations and project management styles.

Whether you prioritize user-friendly features or want something that is technically oriented, there is a tool out there for you.

Also, don't forget to check in with your employees and team managers who will ultimately need to use such tools. Since they are the ones who need to work on them, you should give them the option to make suggestions and test out different platforms.

Some tools to look into are Slack, Google Workspace, Asana, Basecamp, and others.

2. Use Shared Calendars

Using a shared calendar is essential for any team. A shared calendar allows everyone to know when and where their tasks are due or upcoming meetings with other teams.

Plus, it helps everyone stay aligned on the different activities that need to be done for each project.

We recommend using Google Calendar or the built-in calendar in your project management tool as it gives you real-time updates when someone edits the calendar and can be synced across devices.

By using a shared calendar, everyone will know what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and who is assigned specific tasks or projects. This helps keep the team on track by giving them visibility into each other's progress.

In our business, we rely heavily on calendars to know on which days which pieces of content are going live. We also use calendars to mark the days that our leaders are off, as well as key company events that matter to the whole company.

3. Use To-Do Lists

Create to-do lists for each team member or project. This way, everyone can see what is being worked on and when tasks are assigned, enabling the team to collaborate efficiently.

Plus, it’s also a great way to track progress, as you can easily check off completed items and move on to the next one.

We use something called ‘Task Lists’ in Asana, where we can quickly see what tasks are assigned to each team member, the due date, and progress on that task.

This has been invaluable for us when managing remote teams since it provides an oversight of who is working on what and keeps everyone motivated.

4. Create Visual Clarity with a Kanban Board

One of my favorite features in our project management tool is the Kanban Board. It allows us to create simple visuals showing different stages of a project, from planning to execution.

The board also has color-coded cards that represent tasks or items needing attention, which can be clicked on for more information. This makes it much easier to identify what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.

Plus, it helps everyone stay organized and on track since the board constantly updates to reflect what has been completed and what still needs to be done. It also makes it easier for team members to check in with each other to see where they are in their tasks.

We use a Kanban board for our guest posting and backlink-building activities. A kanban board allows us to visualize at which stage of the process we are in when it comes to creating and distributing guest posts.

You can create multiple boards under the kanban feature. For example, one board might say 'Draft' and another 'Ready to Submit' and another 'Published'.

And we create cards that go under the respective boards. And whenever we need to, we move a card from one board to another. This simple approach allows us to streamline content creation, guest posting, and backlink building.

5. Integrate with Other Platforms

There's another crucial component to successful project management: integrations within these platforms. The true power lies in the harmony of tools and processes, and integrations play a key role in achieving that.

Integrations allow your project management tool to seamlessly communicate with other software your business uses, like email clients, file storage services, and team communication tools.

By connecting these platforms, you can manage tasks, share files, and communicate with your team all from a single platform. This eliminates the need to switch between different applications, saving time and boosting productivity.

Let's say you use Slack for team communication. Integrating it with your project management tool means you can easily convert a Slack message into a task, keeping everything organized in one place.

Similarly, if you rely on Google Drive for file storage, integration enables you to attach files directly from Google Drive to your tasks. This makes it convenient for your remote team to access and collaborate on these files without any hassle.

Leveraging integrations in your project management software is more than just a nice-to-have feature—it's a game-changer. It brings all your processes and tools together under one roof, streamlining your project management efforts and fostering seamless collaboration.

6. Leverage Automation

Automation can take project management to the next level, especially for remote teams. Automation tools save time and eliminate manual work while ensuring accuracy.

For example, if you're using Asana as your project management tool, you can set up automation rules that trigger when specific conditions are met. This could be something like sending an email or Slack message to a team member when they're assigned to a task.

Automation makes life easier for you and your team. It eliminates the need to manually perform certain tasks, freeing up your time so you can focus on more important work.

It also helps teams stay organized by automating tasks like data entry and generating reports, ensuring everything is in order without any manual intervention.

Real Life Use Cases of Project Management Tools for Collaboration

Here are just a few ways how we use such tools to collaborate in our team. Remember, that we have hundreds of people in different timezones around the world.

And we manage work like content creation, updates, software development, customer success, and much more this way.

You should get some good ideas to use PM tools in your own business:

• Create content calendars for different teams and functions like social media, blog post creation, digital assets, and so on.
• Make tasks depend on other tasks so that one is triggered when an action is complete.
• Assign and track blog post updates with simple to-do structures.
• Track success rates
• Get visual reports using project management tools
• Add and list ideas for new blog posts, social media content, product features
• Develop email marketing strategies and plan them.
• Lay out your sales funnel tasks and track them.

And so on. There's virtually no limit to how you can use project management tools to collaborate.

The key is to tailor these tools to your team's needs so everyone can get the most out of them. With some time, you'll be able to streamline workflows and improve collaboration like never before!

Conclusion

Project management tools are a great way for remote teams to collaborate efficiently.There are so many features to leverage.

The main reason why PM tools enable us to succeed is because our work is laid out clearly in a visual format. And we have the ability to track our work and everyone else’s.

Also, leveraging features such as tasks, assignees, calendars, Kanban boards, and integrations makes it possible to maintain a workflow. Automation tools also help to save time by eliminating manual work while ensuring accuracy.

If you're managing remote teams, these are must-have tools for optimal collaboration! So, take the time to explore what's available and find the best solution for your team. With the right approach, you'll be able to reap the rewards of streamlined workflows and improved collaboration in no time.