Project management methodologies have evolved since the advent of the Internet. Project management tools have become far more sophisticated in recent years. Many platforms allow teams to interact with each other in real time.
While real time project management platforms improve efficiency and streamline communications, they also introduce a number of other challenges. Here are some of the top concerns with real time project management solutions.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By fizkes
Understand the Impact of Real-Time Project Management in the Financial Services Professions
Experis has written extensively on the evolving challenges that financial services companies face. One of the issues that project managers face is trying to respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner. This is particularly important for wealth management companies, since they have to transfer assets quickly to meet client goals.
A number of new project management tools have helped address these issues. ICOBuffer is helping streamline the process. But team members need to understand how to use these tools to get the most benefit out of them.
Be mindful of nonverbal messages with video communication tools
A number of project management tools have video streaming capabilities. There a couple of reasons these tools are so helpful. The biggest benefit is that they hope project managers maintain a more personal connection with remote workers. They also make it easier to communicate complex processes, since they usually enable screen sharing.
Despite their benefits, video sharing platform also creates complications for some employees. This is especially true for remote employees that are not used to face-to-face communication with their supervisors. It is important to remember that at least 93% of regular communication is nonverbal. Employees in traditional workplaces must be familiar with this and be aware of the nonverbal cues that they are giving away. Remote workers aren’t used to policing their voice, body language or facial expressions the same way. This can create unnecessary and unpleasant misunderstandings during a video chat.
Also Read
Make sure that you understand the importance of nonverbal messages. Pay close attention to how you give them off.
Don’t make unexpected pauses during the middle of a conversation through real time messaging app
Real time messaging apps are surreal. They allow people that could be on the other side of the world to feel as if they are having a conversation with someone right next to them. Since they are still a fairly novel way for people to communicate, many people are still trying to understand the rules of etiquette for using them.
One of the biggest issues with real time messaging apps is that people don’t know how quickly to deliver messages. They often rapidly reply to the person they are communicating with, before certainly giving a long pause before the next response.
This can send a number of wrong messages:
- It may signal that you are not giving your work your full attention. A project manager or colleague may suspect that you are on social media or sending a text while communicating with them.
- It may also suggest that you are deliberately ignoring them for some reason. This can be particularly problematic if you are asked a sensitive question, such as to explain the reason that you are missing an upcoming deadline. They may suspect that you are stalling to find a valid excuse to explain your laziness.
You can get away with these types of slow responses when communicating over email. That is not the case when you are talking to someone over a real time messaging app. Make sure that your replies are timely.
Carefully and quickly proofread your replies before submitting them
When you are talking to someone over a real time messaging app, you are under pressure to provide quick replies. This is another major difference between communicating over email or a real time project management tool.
You need to get in the habit of writing quickly, while also making sure that your responses aren’t filled with grammatical or spelling errors or factual inaccuracies or omissions. This means that you need to proofread your responses quickly.
This can be very challenging if you are used to writing long-winded messages. You will need to spend too much time reviewing them for typos or material misrepresentations before sending them, which can leave the respondent waiting too long.
The best way to create quick and accurate responses that are free of errors is to get used to writing short responses. Before composing a message, find ways to freeze it with as few words as possible. It is also good idea to have some quick responses saved, see you can copy and paste them at your convenience. Many real time project manager messaging apps allow you to save responses for future references.
