Your cloud-based headquarters will be powerful project management software, where you create your plans and keep records in a team-wide Kanban board or Gantt chart . You can get some serious detail in each task tag that a verbal outline can’t handle. Instead of giving simple instructions in a group email thread, you can detail each step of the task with due dates and resources in one place where everyone involved can see it at a glance. This helps eliminate all the confusion of misheard instructions or siloed work.
While this rigid approach may seem rigid and korean girl whatsapp number uncompromising, being methodical about your tasks is a great technique for flexible project management, as it creates a solid, predictable foundation that eliminates wasted time and frees up your team’s headspace. But what makes modern project management tools a secret weapon in your arsenal is the task-based conversation flow that sends a notification to all relevant parties for every update. No more calling a meeting or sending a mass email—you can quickly change direction and get instant confirmation that your team has clearly understood the new instructions.
With project management software as your platform, you can improve the quality of your work with other interconnected tools like shared collaborative documents, a project intranet, and a range of communication channels. While agreeing on a communication policy is great for efficiency, having the option to react and adapt on the fly is a real luxury of flexibility in project management. For example, if you have an urgent update for your client but they’re not answering their phone, send them an instant message that they can quickly read at a glance. And if you can’t make that meeting in person, join in via video call from your smartphone.
Plan for flexibility in your workflows
Arming yourself with the tools is one thing, but it’s only half the battle. Without a strategic approach to project planning, you’re likely to crash the moment you run into problems. Anyone who’s ever met a deadline but found themselves over-promising their schedule will be all too aware of the importance of flexible project management.
Just like you give yourself a little extra time at the airport (unless you like to live dangerously), you should also overestimate the time your projects will take. We don’t mean adding a few extra months and never signing another contract. It’s all about promising what you can actually deliver and saving your clients from endless deadlines.
In practice, this means not filling your team workflows minute by minute. You’ll always need extra time to answer questions, clarify instructions, deal with snafus, and resolve conflicts, so leave some free time each week to absorb any issues that come up without jeopardizing your project. And hey, if everything goes to plan, you can use that free time to work on a little value-add for your clients.