As the combination of in person and remote working becomes the norm, it is more important than ever for business leaders and project managers to improve communication skills. With effective and efficient communication, you enhance employee engagement and productivity and increase the chances of project success. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available that help project managers plan, execute, monitor, and collaborate with their team and organizations. These tools not only improve communication strategies, but they allow for easy collaboration, regardless of whether the team is working in person or remotely. Furthermore, these tools make it easy to manage the flow of information between team members. Good communication is essential for success, so here are a few must-have project management tools that will improve communication and performance.
Instant Messaging Tools
It is extremely helpful to be able to communicate with your team in real time. Whether you are looking to chat with a single team member or share updates to a group, instant messaging tools allow for live communication no matter where your team is located. Slack and Microsoft Teams are among the most popular instant messaging tools, and they make it easy to stay connected with your team, especially if some of your team members are working remotely.
Video Conferencing Tools
Sometimes there is a need to communicate with your team members face to face. Even if your team works mostly in person, it is still worth your while to invest in video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype. These tools make it easy to conduct meetings, even if everyone is not available to meet in person. This can be especially useful for team members, clients, or stakeholders who might be in a different city. Not only is this a useful tool for brainstorming, sharing information, and connecting with each other, but it can also be used to host team building events. This can be a great way to save time, as opposed to gathering everyone in person for a meeting.
Project Board Tools
It is important for teams to be able to set daily tasks, track their progress, and share information all in the same place. Project board tools such as Basecamp, Asana, or Trello have special features which include a real-time dashboard, detailed reports on progress, shared team calendar, and project tasks with deadlines. These project management tools make it easy for your team to communicate about what work is being done, and they include notifications to allow team members to stay informed about what is going on in real time. A shared workspace is a great tool for improving communication about projects without disrupting the flow of productivity.
External Communication Tools
In addition to internal communication tools, there is also a need for external communication as well. Email is the quickest and easiest way to communicate outside of the organization. Gmail and Outlook are among the most popular tools for email communication, and these are great for communicating with vendors, contractors, customers, and agencies who don’t have access to your internal communication tools.