Leveraging Project Management Tools for Success in Service-Based Small Businesses

As a service-based small business owner, staying organized, managing tasks efficiently, and ensuring effective collaboration are crucial for success. In today's competitive business landscape, having the right tools to streamline your operations can make all the difference. In this blog post, we'll explore the power of project management tools for service-based small business owners, even if you have a team of one. Discover the benefits of using these tools, the dangers of not utilizing them, and actionable takeaways to optimize your business operations.

Benefits of Using a Project Management Tool:

Using a project management tool, regardless of the size of your team, can significantly enhance your business operations. These tools act as a centralized hub, providing numerous benefits such as:

1. Streamlined Task Management: A project management tool allows you to organize and prioritize tasks efficiently. By having a clear overview of your projects and tasks, you can stay focused, avoid overlooking critical deadlines, and ensure timely completion of deliverables.

2. Improved Organization: Keeping track of project details, client communication, and important files can be challenging without a dedicated system. Project management tools offer features like file sharing, document storage, and task tracking, helping you maintain a well-organized workspace.

3. Enhanced Collaboration: Collaboration with clients and remote contractors is essential for service-based businesses. Project management tools facilitate seamless communication, document sharing, and real-time updates, enabling effective collaboration regardless of geographical constraints.

Dangers of Not Using a Project Management Tool:

While the benefits of using a project management tool are clear, it's essential to understand the dangers and risks associated with not utilizing one:

1. Increased Chances of Miscommunication: Without a centralized tool for communication and task management, miscommunication can arise, leading to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and client dissatisfaction. Important details may fall through the cracks, resulting in costly errors.

2. Difficulty in Tracking Project Progress: Managing multiple projects simultaneously can be overwhelming without a project management tool. Tracking progress, monitoring milestones, and identifying potential bottlenecks becomes a challenge, making it harder to stay on top of project timelines and resource allocation.

3. Inefficient Resource Management: Service-based businesses often work with limited resources, making efficient resource management vital. Without a project management tool, it becomes challenging to allocate resources effectively, resulting in wasted time, effort, and potential financial losses.

Actionable Takeaways:

To harness the full potential of project management tools, consider these actionable takeaways:

1. Research and Select the Right Tool: Take time to explore different project management tools available in the market. Consider your specific business needs, ease of use, and features that align with your workflow. Select a tool that suits your requirements and budget.

2. Implement the Chosen Tool Effectively: Once you've chosen a project management tool, invest time in learning its features and functionalities. Set up your projects, tasks, and communication channels within the tool, ensuring that it becomes an integral part of your daily operations.

3. Utilize Best Practices: Embrace best practices for efficient project management. This includes setting clear project objectives, establishing transparent communication channels, regularly updating task statuses, and leveraging collaboration features within the tool.

By implementing these actionable takeaways, you can optimize your business operations, improve client satisfaction, and achieve greater success as a service-based small business owner.

Conclusion:

In a service-based business, effective organization, task management, and collaboration are key to success. Leveraging project management tools provides numerous benefits, from streamlined task management to enhanced collaboration. On the other hand, not using a project management tool can lead to miscommunication, project delays, and inefficient resource allocation.

Take the time to explore and select the right project management tool for your business. Implement it effectively, utilizing its features and functionalities to streamline your operations and enhance productivity. Research different tools, choose the one that best aligns with your needs, and invest time in learning its capabilities.

By utilizing a project management tool, you can:

• Stay organized and prioritize tasks effectively.

• Improve communication and collaboration with clients and remote contractors.

• Track project progress and ensure timely completion of deliverables.

• Allocate resources efficiently and avoid wastage.

• Enhance client satisfaction by minimizing miscommunication and errors.

Don't overlook the power of project management tools, even if you have a small team or work solo. They can make a significant impact on your business's efficiency, profitability, and overall success.

To dive deeper into this topic and gain more insights, listen to our latest episode of the Collab with Kiva podcast, titled "The Power of Project Management Tools for Service-Based Small Business Owners." Join us as we explore real-life examples, expert advice, and actionable takeaways to optimize your service-based business operations.

Remember, success is not just about providing excellent services; it's also about how effectively you manage your projects. So, take the leap, embrace project management tools, and unlock the full potential of your service-based small business.

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Collab with Kiva.
See you next time!

Are you ready to take massive action in your business and harness the power of data in your decision-making? Let’s chat 👇🏽

Podcast Transcript:

Kiva Slade 0:01

Welcome to Collab with Kiva, where we let our inner nerd geek out on all the non sexy parts of your business. I'm talking data and operations. Neither as flashy or glamorous, but both are foundational to your business growth. I'm your host, Kiva Slade, your strategy and analytics guide here to break down what feels complicated. So it is understandable and executional. Let's dive in. Hello, and welcome to another episode of Collab with Kiva. I'm your host, Kiva Slade, and today, I'm excited to dive into this topic. It's really about the power of project management tools for service space, small business owner. And of course, we talk all things, operations and data here. So not always sexy, but PM tools are necessary. So with that being the case, let's talk about how they can revolutionize your business. But if you're not using it, it could be a problem in your business. And really, project management tools serve the purpose of literally streamlining your tasks, enhancing collaboration and maximizing your productivity. And who doesn't want more of that.

Kiva Slade 1:22

So let's get started. In today's fast paced business world, service based small business owners, we face unique challenges. Without a project management tool, it's easy to get overwhelmed, lose track of important tasks and struggle with communication. That's why it's crucial for every service based entrepreneur, to harness the power of project management tools, I don't care if you are a team of one, that means you yourself and you, then you still could benefit from the use of a project management tool. And it only serves as a good foundation get you in a good habit when you start adding to that team of one. So let's dive into some benefits of having a tool. First, obviously, you're going to be able to streamline your task, and that increases efficiency. So you have a central platform in which to organize your projects, deadlines, your deliverables. And then this allows you to stay on top of your workload, avoiding miss deadlines and overlooked task. Everyone knows those things that aren't. What is it, if it's not written down, it's not really going to be addressed. We have those thoughts. If you're me, you have them in the shower in the morning when there's like quiet and water just running. And you have these amazing ideas. But they don't translate into actual tasks, because sometimes they just washed down the shower drain.

Kiva Slade 2:49

Any whom, if you have a PM tool, and you're in the process of, hey, we just had a client meeting. These are the takeaways, the actionable items, they now go into the project management tool, they are not going down the drain of never to be seen again, because you're utilizing a tool. For example, if you're maybe your graphic designer, you have multiple client projects that are taking place without a tool and I'm not going to go into the details of which tool you should choose because that is very specific for you, your industry, how you have your business setup, in addition to how you function. But there are amazing tools out there. I've done a podcast on tools. So definitely check that out. But basically, with the tool, you can keep track as the graphic designer like your design revisions, the feedback, the due dates, and with the right tool, you can create specific tasks, you can set reminders, you can have a clear overview of all of your projects, ensuring everything is completed on time and it meets your clients and your satisfaction. And I did say with the right tool because you need to do your own research. Some tools have automations and different features that allow it to do things that you set it up to do, whereas others are a bit more limited in that area. So with that being the case, another significant benefit is improved organization.

Kiva Slade 4:18

With project management tools, you can have project templates, you can establish standardized workflows and easily access important project details. This organization reduces the chances of errors and helps you to stay focused on the task at hand. Let's say you're a marketing console and you have a ton of remote contractors. If you're using a project management tool, you can create the template that includes all the necessary steps for that like successful marketing campaign. This ensures that everyone on your team no matter where they're located, because it could be in multiple time zones in the US. It could be in multiple countries. Okay, this ensures that everyone on the team no matter where they're located has access close to the same information and can collaborate seamlessly. It eliminates confusion and enables smooth communication which results obviously in a more cohesive and effective campaign. So when we're talking about that, like collaboration and communication, all the C's, they're essential in any business. But there's definitely essential in a service based business. Your PM tool provides a centralized space, where you can just really have that collaboration, you have some tools that you can actually have your clients in the tool, as well as your contractors, you can share files have more open, transparent communication, you can also have it closed off to clients, you might have parts of it that are open to clients, however, it's designed for you in your business. It does enhance your collaboration and your communication.

Kiva Slade 5:52

With that being the case, it can also help eliminate those endless email chains that just keep stuff all over the place. And it's like, where is that and you're searching like, feverishly for stuff that you cannot find, because it's not in the project management tool. It's in your slack, it's in your email, it's in all of these different various places, but it's not where it needs to be when you're trying to complete the task, which is in and of itself a problem. So with those things being considered, those are definite benefits to having a project management tool, because miscommunication. It happens, you know it miss deadlines, they happen, unmet expectations happen frustrated clients happen. However, we are looking to lessen those things from happening by utilizing a project management tool. So we keep track of project details and monitor progress effectively. So with that being the case, especially if you have multiple projects going on, you're servicing multiple clients, there's a lot that can get lost.

Kiva Slade 6:57

And that's where we start to look at some of those dangers that are affiliated with not having a project management tool, you aren't able to keep track of the projects that you have going on, you don't know what your team is doing. No one on your team knows what other people are doing. And sometimes let's be honest, you have tasks that may be Person A has to do up to a certain point, and then it gets handed off to person B. Well, person B may not know who Person A even is if you have remote teams, and they've never met themselves and you don't have team meetings. So therefore they don't even know who they're waiting on. They can't directly communicate with them. So then they're reaching out to you well as a business owner, is that really the best use of your time to be the go between between your team because it's like, oh, person A needs this from Person B needs this from person A and person A doesn't even know Person B and vice versa. So they don't know who to reach out to. So then they're reaching out to you, you're pulled away from money making tasks in your business money making things that only you can do as the owner. And yet here you are finding yourself putting people in touch on your own team. Does it make sense, does it? No, it doesn't.

Kiva Slade 8:15

So with that being the case, you want to have a tool, you want to be able to have the ability for your team and yourself. Because remember I said this is even for you if you're a person team of one, to see all of the steps in creating that deliverable. And getting that to the finish line, whatever the project might be. And we talked about last week about reassessing scopes of work, when you might have milestones that are in your scope of work, those would go into that project management tool, and everyone who has something to do with that milestone will be able to be informed as to where things are in the process. You can create dependencies and some tools where Person B can't do their thing until Person A completes it and Person A knows, oh my gosh, every single time that I delay this, I am holding up someone else. Because what they have to do is dependent upon what I do. And trust me, that dependency adds a little extra fire to people to get things done. And it's really important. But you know, it's also important when one of the things that I've seen with people who do use tools is they don't use them effectively. And that's a danger, like ineffective use of a project management tool is bad. So when you have tools, and you you don't have people who are assigned a task, task, just go in there. It's like task frenzy, and all these tasks are in there yet they have no one who's responsible for them. In addition to that they don't have a due date.

Kiva Slade 9:57

Okay, so is it a dream? Is it a wish Is it a like to have a must have it's, or is it something that truly needs to be done for this business to move forward. So ineffective use of a project management tool is a huge danger. And that's what I said, I'm not going to get into the specifics of which tool you should use, because that is, I think, highly dependent upon you, your business, your team, that capacity you have for different pieces of tech, because quite honestly, you can do things quite complicated and say, clickup, Asana, or you might just use notion and figure out a way to make that work for you. Whatever it is, it could be a spreadsheet, let's be honest, whatever it is, though, needs to be set up for you and your business. And you need to understand that some of the functionality of some pm tools will be lost if you're using things like a spreadsheet. If you're using things more complicated, like click up in, you could do things that are more complicated. I have heard of someone, a friend of mine, she is a certified click up consultant. And she set up an entire project where it was all automated, where a lady who owned a business was hiring a virtual assistant. And the process for hiring was automated in the sense of this person gets moved to an interview, when that label was selected, it fired off different automated tasks, all of those things depend upon you your business. And again, you're familiar already with tech, and also how you would like to have things set up inside of your project management tool. The point though, still remains, you have to use your tool well, in order for it to serve you and your business well.

Kiva Slade 11:44

So you want to make sure that there are rules of engagement, there are the people on your team or in the tool. That's another thing that I've seen is people want some of the benefits of these tools, but they don't want to pay for them, you're not going to be able to have amazing project management tool efficiency on a free plan, you're gonna have to pay for a plan. And you need to make that understanding that connection in your brain that improved efficiency. Increased productivity is the reason two reasons for honesty pay for plan, stop trying to get by with very few seats, you have 10 people on your team, but you got five seats in your PM tool. That means five people aren't in the tool. Therein lies the problem. So dangers exist. And they are numerous when you do not have your tools set up properly, when you do not have rules of engagement, when you yourself are not even willing to invest in your business in order to have a tool that meets your needs. So those are some of the risks that are involved when you choose not to harness the power of these tools and optimize basically your business operations. It's all super important.

Kiva Slade 13:13

So as I wrap up, I want to really focus on some actionable takeaways as it relates to two tools. Okay, project management tools, first one, research and select the right project management tool. Take your time to research the different ones that are out there, because again, you want it to suit your business. And you because if you have one that doesn't, and you're gonna have to trade up to a new one, or downgrade to one, that's a project, it's a project to move project management tools. And it's not a sometimes a project we want to engage in. So do your research in the beginning, it's okay to do a tool that might have more bells and whistles than you might initially need. Because you can grow into that. It's different when you purposely maybe select something that does not have the capacity to grow with you. Because you are already setting a time when which you're going to have to move to another system. And that means you're going to have to use another system, learn another system, migrate all of your stuff to this new system, or you're going to need to pay someone to do that. So really think about and take the time to research and select the right project management tool for you for your business and what your needs are.

Kiva Slade 14:42

You want to consider factors like ease of use, integration capabilities, like any sort of specific features that align with the workflows that take place within your business. You want to look for tools that have flexibility and scalability. as your business grows. Those are going to be a key important fact. vectors again, think about things like, Do you want clients in your project management tool, like I have one client, we use clickup. And we do have clients in there. However, it was designed with the help of my friend who's a clickup, consultant. And so clients only have access to what's client facing. So through the use of hierarchies, and folders and things of that sort, we have a setup that has clients in there because in this particular business, clients need to do certain things in order for the team to do certain things. But I have another client who's in Asana, and there are no clients in her work and there wouldn't need to be. But we're in the process of moving hers from a workspace to an organization, something else to think about in terms of what that looks like. And if it's beneficial for you, in your organization to have that kind of setup.

Kiva Slade 16:00

So again, really important, I worked with a company who used Monday. And I think due to a lack of understanding how project management tools should be set up, there were boards for everything, there were duplicates, there was things that were repetitive, you really need to take the time to think through what that setup is going to look like so that it helps your business and does not hurt your business. So actionable takeaway number one, research and select the right project management tool. Number two, implement the chosen tool. It's not enough for you to go in and do this research. And then basically, you've gone shopping and you've brought it home and you've put it in the closet. If you do not implement the tool, what was the point? What was the purpose, there wasn't one. So once you selected the tool, you've done your research, commit to implementing it fully in your business, please, please, please take the time, learn its features, learn its functionalities, and customize its fit to you and your business to the workflows that take place in your business. There's a need for project templates of Asana research projects, like what ever they need to be established your task lists integrated into your daily operations. The more you invest in learning and using the tool, the greater the benefits are, that you'll reap, it doesn't make sense to go buy some new shoes and bring them home and just set them in the closet. The closet doesn't wear shoes, so actually implement the tool that you choose.

Kiva Slade 17:48

And number three, utilize some best practices for effective project management. Honestly, people, when you start with a tool, you need to familiarize yourself there are best practices that exist. Asana has forums, Clickup has forums and Facebook groups and all of these platforms Monday, Trello & Notion everyone has support or people who specialize in these things that will help you. Asana has ambassadors, Clickup has certified consultants. All of these things exist, utilize these people who know these platforms in order to help you have good best practices for effective use of it. My one client with Asana, like I literally met with an Asana ambassador, who's also a form administrator to ask him some questions around what we were looking to do with this transition. And I found him on on LinkedIn, like literally Googled Asana and something else. And he came up in free chat with him to work through and he gave me valuable insights. Use these people who have taken the time and have invested in learning these various tools that they can help you set up the tool the way that it needs to be that you can grow into instead of you trying to set it up and not knowing what the heck you're doing. So when you're doing it, obviously, again, you want to have clear project objectives. You want to break down your task into smaller manageable steps, assign responsibilities, set realistic deadlines. Again, earlier talks about tasks go in they may not have a due date, but make sure the due dates realistic like putting something in and saying you need it today when it's like two o'clock in the afternoon.

Kiva Slade 19:36

You're like oh yeah, I need this today. Did you tell your team member beforehand that you were going to need it today? Do they have time set aside for that? Were they expecting this? Come on, don't do that to them. So regularly also communicate with your team, clients too if they're in there with the tools messaging, commenting features ensure everyone is on the same page. We like to utilize Some rules of engagement, only certain people and one clients case, it's myself and the owner are the only ones who can go changing deadlines. Without, you know, like Person A has decided, oh, you know what I'm not gonna get to that I'm gonna move that to next week, that person does not have the 30,000 foot view of the business, they're in their silo and they're like, doesn't matter if I don't get this down until next week, I'm just gonna move the date out. So they don't understand what else is dependent upon the completion of that task. Whereas the owner, you know, the operations person has that 30,000 foot view, they say, oh, no, we're not going to move that out to next week, we're this is the deadline for what do you need to make this happen? Because again, they don't see what they don't know. And they can't even begin to understand sometimes how things are connected. So you want to have some sort of rules of engagement around? Who can change that lines? What kind of information do you want in the comments? And if Is it enough for your team to thumbs up a comment so that it lets you know, they've seen it.

Kiva Slade 21:15

And that serves as an acknowledgment, do you want your team to @ you and say, I've seen this, I acknowledged receipt, whatever it is, these are the things that you want to have in your rules of engagement. Also, like layout for them, what the setup is, so that they understand how the tool is set up and how they can best function internally inside of the tool. And don't have tasks that go in that don't have anyone assigned, because therefore, if there's no one, the tool is not going to magically assume who should get that task, it will just sit there, it's not going to pop up on anybody's to do items, it's not going to be in anybody's inbox, it's not going to be anywhere, it's just going to be in the system and the tool, sitting there with no one assigned. So don't do that. Have someone who is whether it's your virtual assistant and your project manager or your operations person, somebody should own every task, if it's not a task that is specific to a certain team member. Because otherwise, the task just disappears, it goes down the drain. It just there, but no one knows it's there. And that's a bad thing, because that's how things get missed. So lay out what works for you and your business and your team as it relates to best practices. Look at what other people are doing for best practices modify that to help you in your team in your business.

Kiva Slade 22:45

So in conclusion, as service based small business owners, we can greatly benefit from utilizing project management tools regardless of the size of our teams. The advantages of streamlining task management, improving organization enhancing collaboration, far outweigh the risk of not using these tools. And I want to repeat that the advantages of streamlining task management improving organization and enhancing collaboration far outweigh the risk of not using these tools. I've seen the back end of businesses where they don't use a tool or where they are in effectively using tools. It's bad. So don't do this to yourself and your business or your clients. Use a tool. Take the time to research the tool that you want. Make sure you implement the chosen tool so that you can optimize your business operations improve client satisfaction and achieve greater success. So I hope this was helpful. You take these actionable takeaways and actually implement them. Thank you. So I will see you on the next episode of Collab with Kiva. Thank you. Bye. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of collab with Kiva. I'm wildly cheering you on as you go forth and execute data and operational efficiencies in your business. If you need additional support, connect with me via my website, the516collaborative.com your reviews on Apple are appreciated. See you next week.

Meet Kiva Slade - the Founder and CEO of The 516 Collaborative. With a unique background in high-power politics on Capitol Hill and sixteen years as a homeschooling mama, Kiva found her calling in the online business world as a trusted guide for entrepreneurs looking to build the business of their dreams.

Kiva's work began behind the scenes, orchestrating the back end of businesses and managing teams. But her inner data diva couldn't help but notice that small businesses needed help harnessing the power of data for growth. So she and her team set out to uncover and tidy up the data required to enable clients to grow their businesses confidently and easily.