Why cloud-based project management tools are a must for remote teams

Why cloud-based project management tools are a must for remote teams

There are several challenges that Canadian businesses need to address if they want to reap the full benefits of a remote team. One of these has to do with collaboration. When team members are spread out across different locations, traditional and strictly on-premises project management tools and activities, such as face-to-face meetings, become impractical and ineffective.

Cloud-based project management tools, such as Basecamp, Asana, and Monday.com, as well as the traditional Microsoft Project and the more recent Microsoft Planner, can resolve this issue. These online solutions provide a central platform for team members to communicate and collaborate regardless of their location. Here are some of the benefits that remote teams can enjoy by using such tools:

Simple access and onboarding

Cloud-based project management tools do not require users to procure specific hardware or install additional software. Instead, they are fully accessible through a variety of internet-connected devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and even smartwatches. This makes it easy for remote team members to stay on track of their own and their colleagues' tasks.

Furthermore, it doesn't take much to get new team members started on these tools — in most cases, they can use the apps upon creating an account. These tools are also so intuitively designed that users don’t need lengthy training.

Better collaboration

Cloud-based project management applications are studded with features that dramatically improve collaboration among team members. The specifics can vary across apps, but here are some common functionalities and their benefits:

  • File sharing enables users to upload different types of content for their coworkers to see or download. This makes it easy to share output and helpful resources.
  • Comments allow other users to communicate with one another within the platform. This feature can be used for leaving feedback or requesting information.
  • Real-time updates mean that users can make changes to a project and other users will immediately see these changes. This mitigates delays and ensures that remote team members can collaborate as well as if they were doing so face to face.

When team members are spread out across different locations, traditional and strictly on-premises project management tools and activities, such as face-to-face meetings, become impractical and ineffective.

Easy integration with other web tools

Businesses need more than just one app to operate efficiently, but having to constantly switch from one software to another can be disruptive and inefficient. Fortunately, most cloud-based project management tools can seamlessly integrate with other web tools and services, enabling staff to use multiple applications' features in a single platform. For instance, Microsoft 365 can integrate with the spreadsheet app Google Sheets and project management tool Trello, among many others.

This capability increases the value teams derive from their task management, project management, and collaboration tools.

Less wasted time

In a traditional office setup, it's easy to gather the members of a team and ask them directly about their progress in a project. But with a remote team, the same approach is extremely time-consuming, disruptive, and impractical.

Cloud-based project management tools allow project managers to get both a general and close look at their team's activities and deliverables with just a few clicks. At the same time, this prevents remote employees from getting distracted from their work, allowing them to finish their tasks faster.

Increased reliability

So many things can go wrong with traditional project management activities. Employees can forget or misunderstand meetings, and even when they do take notes, they could easily misplace those notes. These issues become even worse the bigger and longer-term projects tend to be.

With cloud-based project management tools, remote team members only need to log into the platform to verify their tasks. These tasks can remain on the platform until the project's completion and then archived for future reference. Project managers and leaders can also incorporate resources into the project details to make them easier to understand for the other members of the team.

Cloud-based project management tools are an important asset to businesses, especially those with remote teams. If you want recommendations on the best project management tools for your business, just contact Quicktech. Our IT experts are more than glad to be of service.

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