Projects are often characterized by multiple deadlines that must be met, and often several parts of the organization need to work together to achieve these deadlines. To maintain smooth communication between different departments and areas of responsibility, it is essential to have a unified plan outlining what should happen when—and who is responsible for each task—ensuring a clear handover at every stage. This approach helps reduce uncertainty and minimizes the chance of deviations. 

Seamless Information Flow to Avoid Duplication 

It can be challenging to determine how far you’ve progressed in a project when relying on folder structures. Whether your projects are short-term or long-term, visualizations of progress, project health, and process flow empower you—as a project manager—to have complete oversight over all projects at any given time. 

In long-term projects, delays can often occur when waiting for information or participation from third parties—for instance, in a construction project where you are awaiting building permit approvals. In such cases, it is crucial that the information collected throughout the project is not left scattered in various folders, but is centralized in one location, making it easy for the next person who joins the project to quickly catch up on what has been accomplished and what agreements have been made with the customer.   

Small Goals and Milestones for Long-Term Project Progress 

A long-term project may consist of several objectives and create value across multiple facets of your business, while a short-term project typically has one primary goal—such as delivering a custom order. Therefore, it can be more effective to break a long-term project into smaller phases with individual sub-goals, making it easier to manage. Sub-goals allow for better oversight in budgeting and value creation throughout the project. By grouping information under these sub-goals within the larger project, you avoid chaos and can implement detailed, quality-assured processes for the shorter segments. For example, sub-goals in a construction project might include: approved design, obtaining a building permit, signing a material purchase agreement with a third party, and so forth.   

To make this approach work logically, without losing sight of the overall project in the long run, you must have a method for both breaking down the major project into smaller parts and transferring information and documentation seamlessly from one part to another.   

Your Customers Love When You Have Everything in Order 

Having well-defined routines and processes in your projects is not only crucial for internal collaboration but also for the overall customer experience. If you can quickly retrieve the information that your customer is requesting, it builds trust and confidence. Furthermore, when employees maintain comprehensive oversight of a project at all times, following up with the customer becomes much easier.   

Good structure and clear communication contribute significantly to an enhanced customer experience, which can lead to repeat business or increased upselling. Additionally, it frees up time for value-adding activities, such as conducting more customer meetings—helping to attract even more customers to your business.   

Project Management Beyond Business Online 

Projects are often connected to numerous elements—such as your customers and suppliers, various internal departments, fixed checklists, and sometimes even deviation reports. Therefore, it is vital to have a project management system that communicates with multiple parts of the organization and consolidates all project-related information in one central location. This not only reduces the time spent on duplicate entries in various systems and searching for documents, but also provides a realistic, holistic view of the project’s progress. Regardless of whether you join the project at an early or late stage, everyone involved can always have up-to-date visibility on all progress and interactions throughout the entire project lifecycle.