Communication - Incorporating Project Management Technology for Team Building

Whether we like it or not, communication is critical to your success.   Not only do we need excellent client communication, but internally, what happens with your team is even more important. 

Over the years, I have tested different cloud-based platforms.  I have a hybrid team so a virtual tool works really well for us. 

One of the main features of Asana, and apps similar to Asana, namely Trello, is that they use a Kanban board, which involves moving tasks through their different stages on a virtual board until the tasks are finished.  The boards allow you to set up three main components:  company projects, tasks and workflow.

In the past, I used Asana and my team could never get on board with the flow.   It was a free service at the time, for up to seven users, but fast forward six years and Asana has become extremely popular, so if you really want to fully experience the platform, you will most likely need to use the paid version. 

A few of my coaching clients have used Trello and in a recent book I read and reported on in a past newsletter, the authors use Trello exclusively, and run a completely virtual business.   They communicate through Trello, set up each client with an account and the virtual team member assigned to the account populates and adds tasks and communicates through the portal with management and the client.  

Of course, they work with the paid version, but you can start with a month-long trial on Trello or any of the project management/communications platforms.  

My team has now been using Slack for the past month.   There are different levels of service, depending on the size of your team and your budget.  We can meet via huddle, chat, direct message one another, add tasks in a general channel as well as inside the client project tabs. 

We have a daily recap channel and video chat one on one or with the team.   While I am still an avid fan of Zoom with clients, it is a great feature when we are in Team mode.   We created tabs for each of our clients, so we can track projects easily.  We are also generating a lot less email communication, which for me is great! 

If you use the paid version, you have a lot more features, so I suggest you check out the offerings online using this link.  I foresee Slack being a prominent tool in our communication arsenal. Learn more HERE.