In the 80s and 90s, to-do lists, floppy discs, and hand-written notes littered every harried project manager’s desk in their effort to keep projects moving and on time. In the 21st century, projects are far more complex, deadlines are tighter, and internal and external teams are involved in every stage of the process. Project management software has become an indispensable tool, but businesses are failing to realize its full potential. Srikrishnan Ganesan, co-founder of Rocketlane, advises organizations to recognize the clear correlation between structured and interactive project management systems and successful business outcomes in the modern project lifecycle.
Project Managers (PMs) are the conductors of the orchestra of team members involved in the successful execution of a project. Surprisingly, only 46% of organizations consider project management an imperative for the completion of a project on schedule and within budget constraints. While PMs consider project management software as essential, many businesses continue to rely on Excel and other antiquated and fractured PM tools. For those who have invested in PM software, only 35% of their PMs are satisfied with their PM systems. (1) Srikrishnan Ganesan, co-founder of Rocketlane, urges more widespread adoption of PM systems, saying, “Effective PM tools should provide a 360° view of project performance to streamline collaboration and communication in real time. It’s all about the big picture, keeping budgets on track, and maximizing profitability.”
Remote work has been steadily increasing. In 2023, 12.7% of full-time employees were working from home. Projections suggest that by 2025, 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely. (2) Remote project management poses several challenges, notably communication, collaboration, and productivity monitoring. Without face-to-face interaction, it is more difficult to convey complex ideas, which can lead to miscommunication and frustration. Isolation from traditional interoffice synergy requires a new approach to collaboration to avoid siloed teams. Monitoring progress remotely requires alternative strategies to ensure deadlines are met and standards upheld. (3)
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While the primary focus of most PM software has been on internal teams, Ganesan reminds businesses that many projects are customer-facing, warning, “This lack of alignment makes it challenging to customize views for clients or gather feedback throughout the project timeline.” Traditional PM tools lack mechanisms to gauge customer sentiment in real time, leading to post-project evaluation rather than proactive adjustments.
This discrepancy highlights the need for tools that prioritize customer input and facilitate seamless communication between project managers and clients. Additionally, existing systems often rely on reactive dashboards to flag issues. In contrast, there is a growing emphasis on proactive project governance through alert mechanisms and early warning signals, addressing issues swiftly and ensuring smoother project execution.
Rocketlane brings accountability through a customer-facing experience and early-warning systems. It provides visibility for all stakeholders, which creates better discipline among collaborative teams. It is an all-in-one customer portal—a one-stop shop bringing everything together in one experience. Rocketlane offers dynamic templates based on existing customer information to create the best project plan for clients.
Enterprise projects typically require two to three meetings per week. Rocketlane removes redundancies, allowing project managers to create documents and tasks capturing ad hoc action items directly following a meeting without having to do the double work of email and copying/pasting notes into a PM tool. Rocketlane can also help to staff a project with one click and optimize balancing the workload for the entire team.
Ganesan emphasizes the importance of open collaboration: “An all-access, all-hands-on-deck approach to every element of the project life cycle saves valuable time and resources. Rocketlane has helped its customers reduce their time-to-value by at least 15%, making life easier for businesses and their clients. That’s life in the fast lane.”
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