Project management techniques for the optimisation of workflows
Project management techniques are strategies created to help project teams successfully complete the project or projects at hand and span various phases of a project – initiation, planning, execution and conclusion. These techniques can and are used to optimise workflows and boost team productivity and, as such, within this blog we’re exploring project management techniques to optimise workflows.
Project management techniques to optimise workflows
Track time: one of the most valuable techniques and practices you can employ to optimise workflows is to track time – not only to ensure individual team members are spending appropriate amounts of time on specific tasks, but also to track where time is most spent, where time might be being wasted and where time may in the future be better spent.
Regular communication: communication is key to the successful delivery of a project and not only helps to ensure team members feel motivated and remain productive, but also to minimising risks and – in particular – the risk of human error or duplication of work. Speak to your team regularly and allow a platform through which your project team can effectively communicate!
Reporting: regular weekly, monthly or bi-monthly reporting forms the foundation of a well-operated PMO; allowing team members and key stakeholders the opportunity to understand, analyse and evaluate the success of each project, as well as enabling those invoiced to plan and forecast for future projects. This feeds into workflow optimisation as PMO Leads and project managers can gain a good understanding of things like resource availability, capacity and productivity, and react accordingly.
Automate where possible: automating notifications, emails or other, otherwise manual tasks can save huge amounts of time for small or time-poor project teams; taking individuals away from low value tasks such as data entry and providing them with more time to dedicate to higher value tasks such as risk mitigation.
PMO tools to optimise workflows
PMO solutions and PMO tools such as that offered by the team here at Sycamore Gap serve to optimise workflows and increase productivity by streamlining communications, the production of reports. They provide an effective overview of the project or projects currently in progress, as well as improving processes and seamlessly integrating with your current systems and processes – taking the stress out of manual cut ‘n’ paste Excel-based PMOs prone to human error and user-generated mistakes.
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