Coming up with good ideas is easy, but executing on them is hard.
That is why good project management strategies are so important for the success of any company. This is especially true at bigger organizations where keeping track of hundreds of people and projects is challenging. When companies are still using outdated tools and methods, it becomes even more difficult to control the chaos. When execution is slow and inefficient, it isn’t long before a competitor comes in to overtake you.
So how does your company get more done?
In this post, we’ll explore three strategies that innovative companies are using to streamline project management and stay ahead of the competition. Do you feel your company is missing opportunities due to poor implementation?
Maybe one of these methods is exactly what your team needs.
1. All things Agile
Agile methodologies have longed dominated software development teams. The sprint structure of agile allows software development teams to be more adaptable and responsive to customer needs.
Adaptability is critical in this rapidly changing market.
Of the 2000 list of Fortune 500 companies, 52 percent no longer exist, and the average company lifespan is getting shorter every day. In this volatility, agile methodologies, which emphasize flexibility and responsiveness, are more effective than traditional software development methods.
As company leaders see the benefits, agile has been steadily moving into departments other than software development. That is exactly what happened at Navigating Cancer.
The marketing team at Navigating Cancer was struggling to manage priorities in their current system. Then they saw the how Agile was helping their development team. They starting implementing two week sprints and saw a complete 180 in their ability to execute on strategic priorities.
2. Modern communication tools
In 2016 survey of executives by Bridges Business Consultancy, leaders felt the number one reason why implementation fails is “poor communication.” It’s no wonder. With increasingly global and remote workforce, it takes work to get everyone on the same page.
That’s where the newest collaboration tools come in.
With a friendly interface and flexible structure, employees are rapidly adopting these social collaboration tools. The provide an easy way to have direct communication with colleagues or teams. Even better, they can reduce the need for complicated email chains and endless conference calls.
Because of these benefits, Gartner expects that 2017 will represent tipping point in adoption of these tools. However, the right tools are only on element to good communication strategy. You have to agree on basic standards for how you communicate like uses of certain #hashtags and @mentions to flag important items. Otherwise, it will quickly become hard to manage.
3. Intraprenuership
Now more than ever, companies have been empowering employees to take ownership of their part of the business. Although not a formal project management strategy, it actually has a huge impact on how things get done in your organization.
If an employee see an opportunity, at many companies, they can start their own team and pursue it with a great deal of autonomy. This allows companies to innovate quickly, increases employee satisfaction, and allows employees an opportunity to have a real impact. It also makes the company more flexible and innovative by expanding the pool of people that can provide new ideas.
When they aren’t subject to so much bureaucracy, employees can more efficiently execute their plans. This is what happened to Healey Cypher, chief of staff for global product management at Ebay.
While eBay was only offering e-commerce services, Healey noticed that consumers were still buying 75 percent of their consumer purchases in store. He saw an opportunity for eBay to get involved in the retail market. He put together a team and created new interactive storefront where customers can see on sale items and purchase them right on their phones. This was so successful it eventually grew into a whole new division of the company.
Because Healey was given the autonomy to pursue this idea, he was able to execute it quickly and successfully.
Deloitte, Accenture, and Barclays all have programs to encourage employees to take on new roles and initiatives. These programs are key to making sure things get done.
In this fast-paced market, it is more important than ever that you employ strategies that allow you to adapt and innovate quickly. Your company can’t succeed unless you effectively get things done.
There are many different methods and strategies for streamlining project management. These are just a few strategies that may work for your company.
Toland Lawrence is marketing lead at Hive.com, a team collaboration platform. She’s obsessed with productivity and passionate about helping teams work better together.
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