The Project Management Institute defines a project as a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Typically, the project management life cycle comprises of initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and control. At the heart of the project management lifecycle, are two aspects – planning or execution. Now let’s learn about execution. Essentially, during execution multiple tasks are completed. Everyone involved in a project performs some sort of task, and when all tasks are completed, a unique product or service is delivered.
If the tasks are managed well, the project will be delivered on time and within the stipulated price. Therefore we say – Task Management = Project Management.
Now let’s see how small and medium-sized businesses manage tasks while executing projects. Most project stakeholders find it difficult to implement a task management system. As a result, tasks are managed verbally. In some cases, Excel sheets are used to track tasks, but that’s a compromise as Excel can’t automatically provide information about a task’s status without programming . Furthermore, the biggest problem with all task management tools or even Excel is that someone from an organisation needs to monitor the system continuously to create and update tasks. Managing tasks itself becomes a task and for small businesses, dedicating a resource for the same is difficult.
Usually a task comprises of multiple subtasks and unless all subtasks are completed, the main task remains incomplete. The problem of creating and updating individual tasks is aggravated when multiple stakeholders from different organisations are involved in a project. For example in a design & construction project, architects, interior designers, multiple engineers, contractors and hundreds of product sellers are involved and their collective efforts lead to the completion of a project. Since everyone works from their respective offices or the project site, assigning and monitoring tasks remains a challenge.
To overcome the problem of day to day project management, Arkchat has invented a unique system that allows everyone involved in a project to convert day to day chat messages into trackable tasks. With this no- -effort-task-management-system, senior members from all teams working on a project always know which tasks are pending, what’s done, and what’s delayed. Since day to day messages can be converted into tasks, everyone can assign the smallest task without any effort. If messages couldn’t be converted to trackable tasks, tasks couldn’t be tracked. With this no effort task management system, small and medium-sized business teams can manage projects without dedicated project managers.
Managed tasks help project stakeholders take proactive corrective action so that the cascading effects of multiple delayed tasks are avoided. Well managed tasks help lower cost, mitigate project risks, and save time.
