Project management tools today are plentiful -no matter the specifications and the requirements a team has, there is a lot to choose from. Hence, the problem in getting a perfect tool is not in the supply, but more so in choosing the right one and often not getting overwhelmed by the process itself.
When it comes to defining what project management tool is right for your team, we realize, that each team’s requirements are different – some want it to be blue and some want it green. And even if you know that only blue will do, you will still have a lot of decisions to make before choosing the one. To help you in this process, we decided give you a few simple rules to follow when choosing your next tool.
Adaptability. No matter, how perfect a tool may seem in fitting all of your requirements, one thing is a must – the tool needs to be adaptable to your process. When getting a new tool you will want it to fit your business like a glove. Keep in mind, that sooner or later your process will change (whether by your own will or because of outside influences) and if the tool is not capable of changing as well, you will be stuck.
Being visual – is a must. Any project management tool needs to provide important information in the quickest way possible. The more visual the tool is, the less time you will spend in understanding and using it. Strive for a tool that takes the most important project information and visualizes it in a way that is easily understandable and reachable by the whole team.
Ease of use is another big thing for any software. When managing a project, you do not what to spend a lot of time on learning how and arranging the information in a tool. Instead you want it to be intuitive and easy to use, so that every member of the team could update the information and contribute to the project completion.
Integration. When getting a project management tool, it is important, that it not only fits your project, but that it also fits the tools that you already love. Whether you are a programmer and looking for an integration with TFS, or you cannot live without your MS Outlook and want to get all the project updates in your e-mail, your tool should be able to complete that wish. The new tool should not disturb your current process, but only enhance it and make it easier by integrating into it.
The value for each stakeholder in your team is another important thing to look for. Make sure that the tool is beneficial to the whole team from the product owner to each team member. Only a tool that brings value to every single person on the team will make a difference in the team’s performance and will bring the desired change.
Lastly, when getting a new tool, we are always looking for that extra value – make sure that the new tool brings that to you. Instead of getting something that will be exactly the same as before, look for an improvement to your process. It could be a possibility to comment on tasks that you always wanted, time tracking that used to be a hassle or simply having an electronic task board to share with your team, just make sure that the extra value is there and it is the one that you actually need.
We believe that a perfect tool fits these rules and strive to ensure that Eylean Board does exactly that.
