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vabroai · 3 days ago

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How Technology Is Transforming Team Management Today

Technology is redefining the way teams operate, communicate, and achieve goals. From AI-driven analytics to cloud collaboration tools, organizations are experiencing a paradigm shift in how they manage, support, and grow their teams. The impact of digital innovation is not marginal—it is profound and transformative.

Enhanced Communication Through Real-Time Collaboration Tools

Effective communication is the backbone of successful team management. Technology has eliminated geographical barriers, enabling seamless interactions regardless of time zones.

🛠 Tools Driving Communication Transformation:

Slack and Microsoft Teams facilitate instant messaging, file sharing, and real-time collaboration.

Zoom and Google Meet have replaced traditional meeting rooms with digital spaces, supporting video conferencing and screen sharing.

Asynchronous communication tools like Loom allow leaders to record instructions or updates for flexible viewing.

These platforms ensure that messages are clear, trackable, and accessible, fostering a culture of transparency and responsiveness.

Cloud-Based Project Management Systems

Managing complex projects requires structure and visibility. Cloud-based platforms have revolutionized how teams plan, track, and deliver work.

📊 Key Project Management Platforms:

Trello and Asana offer intuitive visual boards to track tasks, deadlines, and progress.

Jira supports agile workflows, sprints, and issue tracking for tech-centric teams.

Monday.com enables custom dashboards for project visibility across departments.

By centralizing data and workflows, these tools empower leaders to monitor team performance, identify bottlenecks, and ensure timely delivery.

AI-Powered Analytics for Performance Tracking

Technology has introduced data-driven decision-making into team management. AI tools now provide insights that were once unavailable or required tedious manual effort.

🔍 Use Cases of AI in Team Management:

Predictive analytics helps forecast workloads and prevent burnout by analyzing past performance trends.

Employee sentiment analysis tools like CultureAmp use AI to detect morale changes through surveys and feedback.

Performance dashboards from tools like Lattice and 15Five offer real-time insights into individual and team contributions.

These solutions allow managers to intervene early, personalize support, and drive productivity through actionable insights.

Remote Work Infrastructure and Flexibility

The rise of remote work has forced organizations to rethink team management strategies. Technology provides the infrastructure needed for remote and hybrid teams to operate efficiently.

💻 Key Components:

Virtual private networks (VPNs) and secure cloud environments protect sensitive information.

Time tracking software like Toggl and Harvest ensures accountability and transparency.

Digital workspaces like Notion combine documents, wikis, and collaboration in one hub.

This technological support ensures continuity, enhances employee satisfaction, and widens the talent pool by eliminating geographic limitations.

Automated HR and Onboarding Processes

Human Resources has also seen a major shift. Automation is now streamlining everything from hiring to onboarding and beyond.

🤖 Platforms That Automate HR Functions:

BambooHR and Gusto automate employee records, payroll, and benefits management.

Greenhouse and Workable simplify recruitment with AI-based resume screening and candidate communication.

Onboarding systems create structured, self-paced training experiences for new hires.

With these tools, managers can focus on culture-building and development, not paperwork.

Enhanced Learning and Development Through E-Learning

Continuous learning is critical to keeping teams skilled and competitive. Technology enables on-demand, personalized training through digital platforms.

🎓 Top E-Learning Platforms:

LinkedIn Learning and Coursera provide curated courses on leadership, technology, and communication.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) like TalentLMS and Docebo deliver company-specific training content and track progress.

Gamified learning through platforms like Kahoot! and Quizizz boosts engagement and knowledge retention.

These tools support a learning culture, helping teams stay relevant in a rapidly changing environment.

Cybersecurity and Data Governance for Team Safety

In the digital era, protecting your team’s data is non-negotiable. Cybersecurity technologies ensure that remote operations remain secure and compliant.

🔐 Essential Measures:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds layers of protection against unauthorized access.

Data loss prevention (DLP) software safeguards intellectual property and sensitive information.

Role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that only the right people have access to certain data or systems.

These precautions build trust and security, allowing teams to focus on outcomes without worrying about breaches.

Real-Time Feedback and Engagement Platforms

Real-time feedback mechanisms have reshaped how leaders engage with their teams. These platforms encourage a culture of continuous improvement and recognition.

🌟 Examples:

TINYpulse gathers anonymous employee feedback and suggestions in real time.

Kudos and Bonusly allow peer-to-peer recognition, reinforcing a positive culture.

Pulse surveys give managers rapid insights into engagement and satisfaction levels.

Timely feedback enables quicker course corrections and boosts employee morale through recognition and responsiveness.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in Team Training

Cutting-edge technologies like VR and AR are making their way into team training and collaboration, especially in high-risk or technical industries.

🧠 Practical Applications:

VR simulations offer immersive onboarding experiences, from equipment handling to customer service training.

AR tools assist in real-time problem-solving by overlaying instructions or visuals during tasks.

Team-building exercises in virtual environments build camaraderie across distributed teams.

These innovations drive engagement and retention, creating more effective learning outcomes.

Integration and Workflow Automation

Integration platforms connect various tools into a cohesive ecosystem, while automation reduces repetitive manual tasks.

⚙️ Leading Integrators:

Zapier and Make (Integromat) automate workflows between apps like Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, and CRM systems.

IFTTT (If This Then That) creates automated sequences for daily operational tasks.

Custom APIs enable enterprises to integrate internal tools seamlessly.

These technologies free up time for managers to focus on strategic planning, not mundane admin work.

The Future of Team Management Is Digital

Technology is not just transforming team management—it is completely redefining leadership paradigms, organizational structures, and employee experiences. From real-time collaboration and AI-driven insights to immersive training and workflow automation, the tools available today empower leaders to build agile, informed, and inspired teams.

The organizations that adopt and evolve with these innovations will lead not just in output—but in culture, retention, and resilience.

#projectmanagement

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aiworktestflow · 5 days ago

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Workflow Apps That Will Boost Your Team’s Productivity in 2025

Efficient workflow management isn’t just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re a startup, a growing mid-sized business, or an enterprise-level organization, the right workflow apps can streamline your processes, reduce manual tasks, and boost team productivity. Here’s a look at the best workflow apps to consider this year.

Why Your Business Needs Workflow Apps

Workflow apps help automate routine tasks, reduce human error, and provide real-time visibility into project progress. They can also integrate with your existing tools, creating a seamless digital workspace for your team. Here’s why investing in workflow apps is a smart move:

Improved Collaboration: Keep everyone on the same page, even in remote or hybrid teams.

Faster Approvals: Automate repetitive tasks like expense approvals and purchase orders.

Data-Driven Decisions: Use real-time analytics to make informed business choices.

Reduced Manual Errors: Minimize human error with automated processes and smart alerts.

Top Workflow Apps for 2025

1. Monday.com Ideal for teams of all sizes, Monday.com offers a flexible, visual platform for managing projects and workflows. With powerful automation, real-time collaboration tools, and over 200 integrations, it’s a popular choice for businesses looking to streamline their processes.

Key Features:

Customizable dashboards

Time tracking and task automation

Real-time collaboration and file sharing

Integration with popular tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams

2. Asana Asana is a versatile workflow app known for its intuitive design and robust task management features. It’s perfect for teams that need to keep track of complex projects with multiple stages.

Key Features:

Project timelines and Gantt charts

Customizable workflows and task dependencies

Real-time project status updates

Integration with over 100 tools, including Slack and Salesforce

3. Trello For teams that prefer a visual, Kanban-style approach to task management, Trello is an excellent choice. It’s simple to use and highly customizable, making it ideal for creative teams and startups.

Key Features:

Drag-and-drop task management

Powerful automation with Butler

Collaborative boards and checklists

Seamless integration with tools like Google Drive, Jira, and Slack

4. ClickUp ClickUp markets itself as the “one app to replace them all,” offering a comprehensive suite of tools for task management, document sharing, time tracking, and collaboration. It’s perfect for teams looking for an all-in-one solution.

Key Features:

Highly customizable workflows

Built-in document editor and real-time chat

Advanced reporting and time tracking

Over 1,000 integrations

5. Zapier If you want to connect different apps without writing a single line of code, Zapier is the way to go. It automates repetitive tasks by linking your favorite apps, saving you hours every week.

Key Features:

Connects over 5,000 apps

Multi-step workflows (Zaps)

Real-time data sync and automation

No-code setup for easy customization

Choosing the Right Workflow App for Your Team

When choosing a workflow app, consider factors like team size, project complexity, and integration needs. Here are a few tips:

Scalability: Choose a platform that can grow with your team.

Ease of Use: Look for apps with intuitive interfaces to ensure quick adoption.

Integration Capabilities: Make sure it integrates seamlessly with your existing tools.

Customization Options: Opt for apps that allow you to tailor workflows to your specific needs.

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Final Thoughts

Investing in the right workflow apps can significantly improve your team’s productivity and efficiency in 2025. Whether you’re managing a remote team or coordinating complex projects, these tools can help you stay organized, reduce manual work, and achieve better outcomes.

Ready to transform your team’s productivity? Choose the right workflow app and start automating today!

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seoboosters · 8 months ago

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Import Substitution: Transitioning to Domestic Software to Replace Foreign Solutions

In recent years, the issue of software import substitution has become increasingly relevant for Russian companies. Western sanctions and restrictions on foreign technology solutions such as Atlassian, Microsoft, JetBrains, Tenable, and GitLab have driven businesses to explore reliable domestic alternatives. These homegrown solutions not only offer a replacement but also ensure high quality, security, and compliance with Russian legislation, making the transition critical for both business continuity and regulatory adherence. For more details please visit this resource: https://softlist.biz/services/importozameshchenie/

Why Make the Switch to Domestic Software?

The geopolitical landscape and ensuing sanctions have led to foreign vendors halting services and updates in Russia. Companies reliant on tools like Atlassian's Jira and Confluence, Microsoft’s Office 365 and Azure, and development software from JetBrains now face disrupted operations. For example:

Atlassian has suspended licenses for Jira and Confluence, essential tools for many enterprises.

Microsoft has ceased the sale and support of its products, including Office 365, Azure, and Windows.

JetBrains stopped servicing Russian clients, leaving many without key development tools.

Other leading IT providers like Tenable and GitLab have also pulled back their offerings in Russia.

This mass exodus has created substantial operational challenges, forcing companies to adopt domestic alternatives. Import substitution addresses these issues by reducing reliance on foreign vendors and offering long-term stability, security, and continuity.

Russian Software: Full Alternatives to Foreign Solutions

Today, Russian developers have risen to the challenge, creating robust software alternatives that can replace popular foreign products. Here’s a look at some of these domestic alternatives:

1. Atlassian (Jira, Confluence)

Russian Alternatives:

Yandex Tracker: A project and task management system, Yandex Tracker offers robust process control capabilities similar to Jira, helping businesses manage workflows and teams.

Worksection and Prostoy Biznes: These platforms are similar to Confluence, enabling efficient task and project management with collaboration features.

2. Microsoft (Office 365, Azure, Windows Server)

Russian Alternatives:

MyOffice: A comprehensive office suite that supports text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. MyOffice is compatible with major operating systems and serves as a full replacement for Microsoft Office.

VK Cloud Solutions: This service offers a range of cloud resources, including virtual machines, data storage, and development solutions, making it a viable alternative to Microsoft Azure.

Astra Linux: A highly secure operating system that meets the requirements of Russian state security agencies (FSB and FSTEC), Astra Linux can effectively replace Windows Server in business environments.

3. Tenable (Cybersecurity and Vulnerability Management)

Russian Alternatives:

Positive Technologies: This Russian company leads the market in cybersecurity and vulnerability management solutions, offering tools similar to Tenable’s products.

SearchInform: Specializes in IT infrastructure monitoring and information security management, providing solutions for safeguarding business data and systems.

4. JetBrains (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm)

Russian Alternatives:

R7-Office: This platform offers development tools and process automation solutions, providing viable alternatives for businesses that used JetBrains’ suite of programming tools.

1C: Known for its business automation tools, 1C also provides various development frameworks that can serve as replacements for JetBrains products.

5. GitLab (Version Control and CI/CD)

Russian Alternative:

GitJet: A domestic equivalent to GitLab, GitJet offers solutions for managing code repositories, version control, and CI/CD processes, ensuring seamless software development workflows.

Benefits of Switching to Russian Software

There are numerous advantages to adopting domestic software solutions, particularly for businesses aiming to mitigate the risks posed by foreign sanctions:

Enhanced Security and Legal Compliance: Russian software is certified according to local security standards, ensuring full compliance with regulations, especially for companies working with government data or sensitive information.

Reliability and Support: Unlike foreign providers, Russian vendors guarantee continued support and updates, ensuring businesses don’t face sudden service disruptions.

Cost-Effectiveness: Domestic software solutions are generally more affordable than their international counterparts while maintaining competitive quality and functionality.

Conclusion

The move toward software import substitution is not only a strategic necessity but also a vital step toward ensuring business resilience and independence. As Russian developers continue to enhance their offerings, businesses can confidently switch to domestic alternatives without compromising on quality, security, or functionality. The shift promises long-term stability in an increasingly complex global environment, empowering companies to operate without the looming risks associated with foreign software dependencies.

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orcanos · 6 years ago

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How to Evaluate Requirement Management Tool

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to prepare the focus group doing evaluation for solution of Requirement Management System (RMS) and to provide the organization with the necessary information to effectively compare Requirements Management Systems solution among vendors to select the best RMS for their individual needs and cost parameters. Requirement management in software engineering is integral part of the daily work and needs to meet very specific needs by the stakeholders using it. We in Orcanos are proud to present the world our years of experience in RMS POCs and to share this with any prospect who seek to find the best solution for them. We believe in fair competition and not afraid to hear No Thank You from our prospects. There is no perfect solution but there is one that is perfect for you.

Confidentiality

All information presented in this RFS, including any information that is subsequently disclosed by the Orcanos during the evaluation process, should be considered public and can be used by the public domain.

Background

Orcanos (https://www.orcanos.com/) is a software vendor since 2005, We hold blue chip customers as well small/medium companies which use our software for both ALM or/and QMS process.

Orcanos solution cover in a complete manner the requirements from RMS system and due to our presence in the regulatory industry our RMS system include some unique capabilities to address such special needs. Orcanos system is 21 CFR Part 11 compliance system and for that it can turn any organization to a paperless organization which can completely archive its data electronically. Some of the main important RMS capabilities may include Generation of document from the electronic system, prioritization of requirements, the replacement of Word and Excel documents or other systems. The objective of such SAAS system is to be able to bring all stakeholders into the same system, requirements are not easily analysed or traced from customer need through to technical specification and test plan. Changes to requirements are not well controlled or communicated. As the organization’s projects continue to grow with more complexity, the requirements documents grow correspondingly to larger scale, the number of project participants and stakeholders grows, and the need for rigorous handling of the development and maintenance of requirements becomes more critical.

Most organizations use a Stage-Gate project management process and makes use of techniques such as Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA), Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) and Design Validation Planning & Reporting (DVP&R) in its product development procedure. Orcanos RMS system is capable to capture all that in one single repository and by that create a transparent flow of information between R&D, Quality and Manufacturing. Other uses of legacy system such Microsoft Office Project Server for Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Atlassian JIRA for bug tracking and Agile development, and Applications for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or any thing else, for that Orcanos system is using the Zapier 1000+ apps integration tool which give the freedom to collect information from satellite systems and bring them all back into the same repository.

For more information about Requirements Management Software. Please visit our website https://www.orcanos.com/compliance/

#Requirement Management System #Requirements Management Software

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endenogatai · 5 years ago

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Layer gets $5.6M to make joint working on spreadsheets less hassle

Layer is not trying to replace Excel or Google Sheets. Instead the Berlin-based productivity startup wants to make life easier for those whose job entails wrangling massive spreadsheets and managing data inputs from across an organization — such as for budgeting, financial reporting or HR functions — by adding a granular control access layer on top.

The idea for a ‘SaaS to supercharge spreadsheets’ came to the co-founders as a result of their own experience of workflow process pain-points at the place they used to work, as is often the case with productivity startups.

“Constantin [Schünemann] and I met at Helpling, the marketplace for cleaning services, where I was the company’s CFO and I had to deal with spreadsheets on a daily level,” explains co-founder Moritz ten Eikelder. “There was one particular reference case for what we’re building here — the update of the company’s financial model and business case which was a 20MB Excel file with 30 different tabs, hundreds of roles of assumptions. It was a key steering tool for management and founders. It was also the basis for the financial reporting.

“On average it needed to be updated twice per month. And that required input by around about 20-25 people across the organization. So right then about 40 different country managers and various department heads. The problem was we could not share the entire file with [all the] people involved because it contained a lot of very sensitive information like salary data, cash burn, cash management etc.”

While sharing a Dropbox link to the file with the necessary individuals so they could update the sheet with their respective contributions would have risked breaking the master file. So instead he says they created individual templates and “carve outs” for different contributors. But this was still far from optimal from a productivity point of view. Hence feeling the workflow burn — and their own entrepreneurial itch.

“Once all the input was collected from the stakeholders you would start a very extensive and tedious copy paste exercise — where you would copy from these 25 difference sources and insert them data into your master file in order to create an up to date version,” says ten Eikelder, adding: “The pain points are pretty clear. It’s an extremely time consuming and tedious process… And it’s extremely prone to error.”

Enter Layer: A web app that’s billed as a productivity platform for spreadsheets which augments rather than replaces them — sitting atop Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets files and bringing in a range of granular controls.

The idea is to offer a one-stop shop for managing access and data flows around multi-stakeholder spreadsheets, enabling access down to individual cell level and aiding collaboration and overall productivity around these key documents by streamlining the process of making and receiving data input requests.

“You start off by uploading an Excel file to our web application. In that web app you can start to build workflows across a feature spectrum,” says Schünemann — noting, for example, that the web viewer allows users to drag the curser to highlight a range of cells they wish to share.

“You can do granular user provisioning on top of that where in the offline world you’d have to create manual carve outs or manual copies of that file to be able to shield away data for example,” he goes on. “On top of that you can then request input [via an email asking for a data submission].

“Your colleagues keep on working in their known environments and then once he has submitted input we’ve built something that is very similar to a track changes functionality in Word. So you as a master user could review all changes in the Layer app — regardless of whether they’re coming through Excel or Google Sheets… And then we’ve built a consolidation feature so that you don’t need to manually copy-paste from different spreadsheets into one. So with just a couple of clicks you can accept changes and they will be taken over into your master file.”

Layer’s initial sales focus is on the financial reporting function but the co-founders say they see this as a way of getting a toe in the door of their target mid-sized companies.

The team believes there are wider use-cases for the tool, given the ubiquity of spreadsheets as a business tool. Although, for now, their target users are organizations with between 150-250 employees so they’re not (yet) going after the enterprise market.

“We believe this is a pretty big [opportunity],” Schünemann tells TechCrunch. “Why because back in 2018 when we did our first research we initially started out with this one spreadsheet at Helpling but after talking to 50 executives, most of them from the finance world or from the financial function of different sized companies, it’s pretty clear that the spreadsheet dependency is still to this day extremely high. And that holds true for financial use cases — 87% of all budgeting globally is still done via spreadsheets and not big ERP systems… but it also goes beyond that. If you think about it spreadsheets are really the number one workflow platform still used to this day. It’s probably the most used user interface in any given company of a certain size.”

“Our current users we have, for example, a real estate company whereby the finance function is using Layer but also the project controller and also some parts of the HR team,” he adds. “And this is a similar pattern. You have similarly structured workflows on top of spreadsheets in almost all functions of a company. And the bigger you get, the more of them you have.

“We use the finance function as our wedge into a company — just because it’s where our domain experience lies. You also usually have a couple of selective use cases which tend to have these problems more because of the intersections between other departments… However sharing or collecting data in spreadsheets is used not only in finance functions.”

The 2019 founded startup’s productivity platform remains in private beta for now — and likely the rest of this year — but they’ve just nabbed €5 million (~$5.6M) in seed funding to get the product to market, with a launch pegged for Q1 2021.

The seed round is led by Index Ventures (Max Rimpel is lead there), and with participation from earlier backers btov Partners. Angel investors also joining the seed include Ajay Vashee (CFO at Dropbox); Carlos Gonzales-Cadenaz (COO of GoCardless), Felix Jahn (founder and CEO of McMakler), Matt Robinson (founder of GoCardless and Nested) and Max Tayenthal (co-founder and CFO of N26).

Commenting in a statement, Index’s Rimpel emphasized the utility the tool offers for “large distributed organizations”, saying: “Spreadsheets are one of the most successful UI’s ever created, but they’ve been built primarily for a single user, not for large distributed organisations with many teams and departments inputting data to a single document. Just as GitHub has helped developers contribute seamlessly to a single code base, Layer is now bringing sophisticated collaboration tools to the one billion spreadsheet users across the globe.”

On the competition front, Layer said it sees its product as complementary to tech giants Google and Microsoft, given the platform plugs directly into those spreadsheet standards. Whereas other productivity startups, such as the likes of Airtable (a database tool for non-coders) and Smartsheets (which bills itself as a “collaboration platform”) are taking a more direct swing at the giants by gunning to assimilate the spreadsheet function itself, at least for certain use cases.

“We never want to be a new Excel and we’re also not aiming to be a new Google Sheets,” says Schünemann, discussing the differences between Layer and Airtable et al. “What Github is to code we want to be to spreadsheets.”

Given it’s working with the prevailing spreadsheet standard it’s a productivity play which, should it prove successful, could see tech giants copying or cloning some of its features. Given enough scale, the startup could even end up as an acquisition target for a larger productivity focused giant wanting to enhance its own product offering. Though the team claims not to have entertained anything but the most passing thoughts of such an exit at this early stage of their business building journey.

“Right now we are really complementary to both big platforms [Google and Microsoft],” says Schünemann. “However it would be naive for us to think that one or the other feature that we build won’t make it onto the product roadmap of either Microsoft or Google. However our value proposition goes beyond just a single feature. So we really view ourselves as being complementary now and also in the future. Because we don’t push out Excel or Google Sheets from an organization. We augment both.”

“Our biggest competitor right now is probably the ‘we’ve always done it like that’ attitude in companies,” he adds, rolling out the standard early stage startup response when asked to name major obstacles. “Because any company has hacked their processes and tools to make it work for them. Some have built little macros. Some are using Jira or Atlassian tools for their project management. Some have hired people to manage their spreadsheet ensembles for them.”

On the acquisition point, Schünemann also has this to say: “A pre-requisite for any successful exit is building a successful company beforehand and I think we believe we are in a space where there are a couple of interesting exit routes to be taken. And Microsoft and Google are obviously candidates where there would be a very obvious fit but the list goes beyond that — all the file hosting tools like Dropbox or the big CRM tools, Salesforce, could also be interesting for them because it very much integrates into the heart of any organization… But we haven’t gone beyond that simple high level thought of who could acquire us at some point.”

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anthonykrierion · 5 years ago

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Tips for Effective SEO Project Management

Project management and SEO, what do they have to do with each other? Isn’t SEO just about some geeky technical magic that will get your site more traffic?

SEO is a relatively young field, which has grown significantly in the last 5-6 years. Most of the people I know who are not very familiar with the industry, just refer to it as “that SEO thing” and how can I blame them? Therefore, project management might not be seen as a main element when thinking about SEO. In reality, whoever works in SEO will know that project management is actually a large and crucial part of our daily job.

This post comprises a series of tips and suggestions for effective SEO project management, with a stronger perspective on the agency side of things, based on our long experience in the digital marketing space.

Don’t miss the downloadable project kick-off checklist to help you get started on an SEO project with one of your clients! A comprehensive guide that covers a spectrum of SEO (and non-SEO) questions, which we find extremely useful when starting on a project.

Let’s get to it with some simple FAQs.

What is SEO Project Management?

It is simply, project management that involves any SEO work. We refer to it as any day-to-day practice that involves planning, executing, monitoring, and finalising the work of our SEO team to accomplish a specific goal within a specific timeframe.

Why does Project Management matter in SEO?

Without project management, it would be impossible to develop a functional relationship with clients. Effective project management provides a series of invaluable benefits for your SEO team, from a stress and health perspective, to a communication and expectation management point of view. Furthermore, it creates a deeper relationship with your clients.

What is the difference between SEO Account Management and Project Management?

Differently from project management, SEO Account Management focuses on the overall success of a certain SEO account, rather than just a specific project. While the outcome of project management is determined by a defined target, successful account management relates to a successful relationship with the client.

In reality, there is a very fine line between the two and this post covers some elements of account management as well. At the end of the day, we like to think that project management is about getting things done.

What skills are needed for Project Management?

It boils down to three core skills:

Communication skills: Having the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with team members and clients is key to successful project management.

Organizational skills: Organization is at the centre of every project management activity: planning and monitoring tasks, while coordinating people.

Time Management skills: Every project has a timeframe: working within that time frame is crucial for a project to be successful.

#1 Project management is an SEO skill

The success of an SEO strategy is not limited to your ability to execute tactics. It's also dictated by your ability to manage projects, people, clients, and external factors. As your strategies become more complex, learning how to manage a project is invaluable. A successful project manager handles expectations (internal and external), puts out fires and work to get buy-in on ideas.

#2 Have a plan

SEO strategies can be very complicated and involve a lot of stakeholders, between team members, clients and other third parties. Here at Distilled, we do our best to evaluate what a project looks like, before getting to it: it all boils down to having a clear plan of action.

This process can normally be broken down into the following components.

Project Kickoff

This is the initial face-to-face or call with the client. This is the meeting that “kick-starts” the project (or relationship as a whole) and aims to cover an exhaustive list of topics in order to have a much better understanding of what should be delivered and how value can be provided.

Goals and expectations are discussed and often defined here, followed up by a series of emails to confirm what agreed upon.

It is helpful to have a clear list of points and questions you want to cover in a kickoff meeting: I always prefer to come prepared, so I put together a list of questions that we tend to cover for all our projects.

Keen to see what that looks like?

Our project management template contains an extremely comprehensive list of SEO and Digital Marketing questions we normally ask during a kick-off meeting, which help us get an exhaustive picture on a project / client.

Pro tip: use a collaborative document to keep track of meeting/call notes, from the very first kick-off; it will come handy when you need it to trace back what was discussed in the past. This could be internal (shared among your team only) or external (shared with the client) depending on the relationship and objectives.

Regular catch-ups: internal and external

Depending on what works for you, regular catch-ups can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

The formula that works for me, as an SEO consultant, is to have a mix of monthly and weekly catch ups - this would look something like this:

During the first week of the month, I would have an internal catch up with the team to discuss briefs, potential challenges and define internal deadlines;

The above is followed by a weekly catch up, either a team meeting or individual meetings to discuss recent work, obstacles and share a general update on everyone’s schedules and progress;

Once a week, I would arrange a client call / face-to-face meeting to share a general update, discuss the status of our work and discuss any questions they might have come up in between calls;

Once every quarter, I would arrange a face-to-face meeting to recap what was done in that quarter, discuss strategy and future of the account.

At the end of the project, I would organise a slide deck to present to the client (and any involved third-parties) which looks back at work delivered and breaks down the main findings and actions.

This is an iterative process that allows a project to be adapted to changing demands. It would be nice to walk into a project with a complete and accurate set of requirements for a project, but that rarely ever happens.

Regular catch-ups allow you to have a good understanding of the overall picture, no matter what changes or delays affect your project, so to react accordingly.

#3 Use the Right Tools for the Job

Having the right tools to manage your project is key, but there is no need for a complicated system. Before providing a list of tools and suggestions, it is important to clarify something: proposing change and effective ways of working is part of our job, but ultimately it is worth considering the tools that your client is comfortable with/already uses.

They will see you as an extension of their business, and it will be easier to impact change.

These are some of the tools we use at Distilled to manage projects.

Tracking time

We use a custom-built internal software; however, other great tools to track time are the following: Toggl, Hour, Harvest- they all have a free version with their own limitations.

Sharing documents & files

Google Drive is extremely effective (and free!) to do the job - most of our work is now just on the drive: from Google Docs to Sheets, its offering makes it very easy to share any piece of work with others.

What are the main alternatives to Google Drive we recommend? Dropbox is an excellent tool, and extremely easy to use with its desktop application; OneDrive by Microsoft is not bad either, in case you prefer to work with the Office package.

Pro tip: Due to some client limitations to access any of the major tools above, I recently came across Airtable which can work like a spreadsheet but gives you the power of a database to organise any projects you might be working on.

Communication

For internal communications, Slack has really revolutionized the market: its highly organised structure makes internal communications so efficient that you will never want to use anything else. Forget your messy inbox, conversations in Slack happen in dedicated spaces called channels.

For external communications, Google’s offering is still very powerful: Gmail & Google Hangouts constitute a great option. As for video conference tools, Zoom seems to have separated itself from the competition, even if a lot of our clients still use Skype.

Should you go back to your client and propose a new communication tool? Maybe - what works for me is to normally prioritize whatever ways of working / platforms the client is more comfortable with, and then potentially suggest alternatives if there is a need / opportunity.

Pro tip: We also use Slack as an external communications tool with some clients, as it has replaced emails in many ways.

Project management platform

I am a bit biased: Trello’s clean and simple interface is a no brainer (my colleague Chris talks about Trello in his post here). Its system of boards, lists and cards allow individuals and teams to monitor a project and collaborate in an effective manner.

I like to use boards for different work areas - this could look like the below, where I separate my technical SEO projects from content, analytics or CRO tasks.

There are hundreds of alternatives to Trello, I personally recommend checking out the following: Monday.com, TeamWork, ProofHub.

What about when working with developers?

It is part of our job to effectively communicate with devs and help them “get things done”. Jira is a major project management tool, used by a lot of our clients. Basecamp, Asana & Youtrack are some other popular software I came across over the last few years.

#4 Teamwork is key

The outcome of a project highly depends on teamwork: learning how to work successfully in a team is no joke. Every project is different, so is every team.

From briefing to quality assurance, even tasks that seem simple can vary broadly depending on the people you work with. Learning how to work with your colleague determines how likely your project is to be successful.

It may take a while, but leveraging individuals’ strengths and weaknesses will make the difference. Balancing talent is something every project manager should work towards.

How to assess team members' strengths & weaknesses

Let’s be clear: there is no magical way to get this right straight away, it takes time to develop team chemistry and assess an individual's skillsets.

Some useful ways I came across over the years are the following:

Ask for feedback from others: you can get an idea by checking in from people who they have worked with before;

Frameworks can help: models such as the t-shaped model can be very valuable when evaluating people’s know-how;

Listen, observe and simply ask: getting people to work on something that they are genuinely interested in / good at is likely to impact the quality of the final output.

Appreciate your team members’ work

We try our best to create a culture of feedback: this allows our team members to work and progress in a much peaceful environment and in a faster manner.

Part of this philosophy includes being very vocal about work appreciation: taking the time to appreciate someone’s job, either privately or publicly, is something that goes a long way. A tool that comes really handy for this purpose is 15Five: it is a “continuous performance management suite that allows you to coach your employees as fast as you sprint.”

Managees spend about 15 minutes a week answering a series of questions which focus on personal productivity and team-wide morale. On the other hand managers spend circa 5 minutes to go through all responses, which trigger real conversations that translate into improved comms and overall ways of working. It is a great way to evaluate weekly performance reviews and get a sense of the company’s morale. Furthermore, the tool can be integrated with Slack, using a dedicated channel for public praises:

#5 Knowledge sharing within the team

I am a big advocate of knowledge sharing: both internal and external. For all my projects, I encourage my team to share findings, deliverables and news regularly in order to maximise the team potential and optimise our work.

Creating a culture of knowledge sharing is something that goes beyond project management per se, but it can really help daily work and different challenges, whatever they might be. One of the most beneficial tactics we use is a centralised location for our deliverables - we take advantage of Google Drive to create folders where to store documents, broken down by topic.

What about knowledge sharing with the client?

That is important too! I like to update my clients with digital marketing news which I think could be relevant for the project we are working on, even if they are not strictly-SEO related.

#6 Offer value to the client

There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart

As SEOs, we set high standards and KPIs for our clients - these can sometimes be quite ambitious when starting to manage a project.

As a project manager, my job is to make sure the client is satisfied with our work, while doing my best to achieve the predefined SEO goals. This means sometimes I have to do things that aren’t optimal.

Transparency on your projects goes a long way. Trying really hard to sell clients on things they do not need, or simply saying yes to everything they ask for might not be the right strategy when looking to deliver the optimal value on a project.

#7 Know Your Tactics & Resources

Before you can come up with your tasks, you need to know the tactics required to meet project objectives and the resources you have available. SEO resources may include time, money, bandwidth, and talent.

Having a clear plan of the resources and tactics needed will make the difference. There is often a degree of estimation, as it is hard to exactly predict what obstacles your team will come across the way. The more experience in the field, the better your skills will be when finalising your plan.

Here at Distilled, we use a flexible approach for resource and tactics allocation, which can slightly vary from consultant to consultant.

Personally, I like to lean on the following:

Personal experience, based on similar projects - pretty self-explanatory. For instance: if I am planning a backlink audit for a site, I check how much time and the level of experience it was required to perform such an audit for a site of similar size and complexity.

Ask internally - if you need help, chances are someone in your team might have worked on a similar task at some point in their career. Ask for feedback, and gather as much info as you need to help you make a decision.

Check your knowledge-sharing database - having a centralized location where SEO deliverables are saved is very helpful, especially when you need to plan a task that was at some point done for another client / by another team. I like to use Google Drive for this purpose! Learn from your team members and apply the feedback.

Always allow a few hours extra - briefing and QAing are two very crucial parts of every task. Make sure to plan enough time to brief a task properly, and to review any last minute changes before you ship a piece of work. It's better for you to spend a couple extra hours reviewing something than your client having to spend time spotting errors, which is a waste of their time.

This is a screenshot of how our Google Drive folder looks like:

Conclusion

Project management is a vital skill for today's SEOs, despite how technical our industry might look from the outside. Hopefully, our tips can inspire a few tweaks in your daily work or at least start a conversation on some of the above subjects.

Here at Distilled, we are always curious to hear other people’s opinions on the topic, so please get in touch with us on Twitter to share your views!

If you interested in downloading our project kick-off Checklist, do it here

Tips for Effective SEO Project Management was originally posted by Video And Blog Marketing

#Video And Blog Marketing

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dillenwaeraa · 5 years ago