Team Management Software: benefits and drawbacks

Once your team starts to grow, the organization can get more chaotic. This is the moment you need to invest in a team management software-tool. This kind of software helps you to manage your team’s projects, tasks and subtasks. You can easily assign tasks, schedule them, and do the necessary reporting. The platform is shared with your team, so everybody can easily work together, both on internal and external projects, as with in-house and external teams.  

1. OVERVIEW/TRANSPARANCY

   The manager is capable of getting an overview of all running projects and tasks. However, also the team members can get an overview of their given tasks and the status of these (sub-)tasks. 

2. EFFECIENCY/COLLABORATION

   By seeing the status of tasks and the connection with other team member’s tasks, it will be more efficient to communicate and collaborate.

3. PRODUCTIVITY

   The team has a better overview on their tasks and also the project as a whole. They can get the bigger picture of projects more easily and make better decisions. It has a positive impact on the (personal) workflow.  

4. REDUCE RISKS

   If everyone is involved and uses the same tool, there is less chance something will be forgotten or lost. Teams can work better together and see the bigger picture.  

5. TIME TRACKING

   Time management is also very important. By having an overview of deadlines, and time spent on each task, you have a better idea of how the project evolves and goes on. It helps you to stay on target, and you get an idea on how long your colleagues need to finish their part of the project. 

6. CUSTOMIZATION

   A lot of team management tools allow you to customize your workflow. Since every company/business/team/project is different, it is important to adapt the features in the tool to your own desire. 

7. THIRD-PARTY INTEGRATION/ALL IN ONE PLACE

   It often occurs that you need to work with an external tool, so it can be useful to integrate these tools within your tasks. For example, link your shared files to tasks, so everyone can have access within the same document. 

1. LIMITED UTILITY

   If the used tool does not have all the features the team/company needs, there is a chance that the team has to use multiple tools. This can have a negative impact on the overall overview and time management.

2. THIRD-PARTY INTEGRATION

   Sometimes tools can not be integrated within other tools or programs, which can resolute in a lack of overview and missing information. 

3. PRICE

   Most tools aren’t free, especially if the team is bigger and you want to customize it. If you need to use multiple tools, it can get very expensive paying for each tool every month.

4. TIME TRACKING 

   Tasks can be time tracked in advance, but not every person works the same amount of time on a specific task. It can give a wrong overview on how long some people work on a specific task.   

5. LEARNING CURVE

   Most tools need an explanation, especially when they are customized. If the team does not get trainings or explaining sessions, it can have a negative impact on the use, time and the efficiency of the tool.  

6. DO NOT EXPERIMENT

   Explaining and trying different tools with the team can be time-consuming and confusing. Make sure the used tool will add value to your team and focusses on the learning curve.

Wrike is one of the award-winning team management software. It has a great implementation of third-party integrations, status updates, time overview, different reports, and a wide range of customized workflows.
Other well-known tools are Monday, ClickUp, Shortcut, Smartsheet, Teamwork, …  

Before choosing a tool/software, try to find one which covers as many aspects as possible, and which best suits the type of company/sector. Try to implement the chosen tool in the best, smoothest way possible, by giving the correct training sessions to the correct people. When everybody is aligned and works with the same mindset, your company will evolve in a very positive way. 

Stefanie is a passionate Marketer with a go-getter attitude and a positive mindset, which makes her a real asset to the team. She is a quick learner, dares to ask questions, and her eye for detail ensures that she never misses a deadline.  

Want to know more about Stefanie? Start a conversation with her on LinkedIn.