Adding good project coordination software to your PM toolkit can help you avoid the most common mistakes in managing multiple projects. Ideally, your project coordination tools will help you in defining projects, balancing competing priorities, safe portfolio management, and conquering multiple open projects.
In this article, you will find our best advice for project managers at any level who want to make their systems more efficient, take on more work, and deliver high-quality results across the board. Each tip includes a description, a suggestion for how to use Wrike, and one main takeaway you can immediately apply for better project management. Let’s dive right in.
1. Improve your project coordination skills with the best software for your business.
A key part of improving your project coordination skills involves choosing the right tool for your team and management style. This may involve trying out a couple of different options to figure out what is best for your team.
How to use Wrike: We’re biased, but we do recommend you try out our free trial to see what Wrike can do for you.
Main takeaway: The best project coordination tools offer the right mix of features and functionality that suit your unique style.
2. Regularly review capacity and resources
Dedicate some time every week to go over your team schedules, active projects, and client requests. Look for possible conflicts, review progress updates, and approve delays or modifications where needed.
How to use Wrike: In addition to monitoring workload, Wrike allows you to rate the effort required for each task, which helps further avoid burnout and inefficiencies.
Main takeaway: Managing multiple projects at the same time requires you to balance the big picture (hard deadlines, availability, client priorities) and the details (workload effort, employee scheduling changes, new project inquiries). With so many moving parts, it makes sense why regular review should be a habit.
3. Streamline your processes using automation
The best way to make tasks more efficient is to find simple, step-by-step work breakdown structures for your team to follow. Go one step further with project coordination software that actively monitors and manages progress for you.
How to use Wrike: Wrike offers an automated workflow system, which means you can easily create a copy of successful past workflows. You can also trigger the next steps in real-time once each task is marked complete.
Main takeaway: Project management coordination requires a strong foundation that you can use as a jumping-off point for a variety of orders. With these core systems already in place, you’ll have more time to tweak the details of each unique project and focus on what matters, rather than starting from scratch each time.
4. Review live reports
You don’t need to wait until each project is finished to evaluate your progress. Plus, if you have more than one project with similar deadlines, you can quickly find out which one needs a little extra TLC based on real-time data and KPIs generated for you.
How to use Wrike: Wrike’s Report Builder allows you to customize the data you see, so you only review the most important metrics as needed.
Main takeaway: Make sure you incorporate report reviews into your weekly schedule as well. Seeing beneath the hood gives you greater insight into task and project prioritization as well as overall team performance.
5. Use project coordination to establish teamwide accountability
Expert project coordinators know that it’s important to build accountability into projects. The best (and easiest) way to do this is to provide transparency into all stages of your team’s workload. It’s incredibly motivating for an employee to see how their work directly impacts the outcome of the project.
They can also watch what other team members do within their workflow, making them feel like true collaborators, even if everyone involved works remotely.
How to use Wrike: With Wrike, it’s easy for everyone to view their task assignments, due dates, and overall workload in one visual dashboard. They can also see what their team members are responsible for, so everyone is always on the same page.
Main takeaway: Display your project plans for your whole team to see. It’s easier to get things done when they know exactly who is in charge of what and can follow along with each project’s success.
Coordinate, monitor, and deliver multiple winning projects all at once
Your project management skills can only be improved with the right project coordination software. Each of the tips listed are only made easier and more efficient when you adopt the right tools. Explore Wrike’s free trial and see how simple managing multiple projects really can be.
