Without the structure of teams typical to high techs or agencies, freelancers are not only tasked with producing great content but self-managing all the processes and tools they use to get it done right—and efficiently.
This blog will discuss how project management software can be a freelancer’s powerful assistant to run and complete large and small projects smoothly. Apart from that, you’ll pick up a few tricks on choosing the right one.
What is project management software?
Project management software consists of tools designed to make the workflow of a group of people working on the same project easier.
It provides comprehensive solutions and functions used by small startup teams, large experienced teams, and even cross-departmental teams that collaborate on a project.
This is especially important for managing essential functions like delegation of assignments, task management, tracking of deadlines, and, of course, creating a central source of truth with data and more.
Why do freelancers need project management software?
Freelancers make money by offering their services to various businesses. The motivation isn’t such a big stretch of the imagination. In addition to more flexible work environments and the control they have over their work terms, 60% of freelancers claim they earn more money than they did in previous employment.
Building a brand as a freelancer is challenging because you have to balance all of the typical tasks of a business and content creation, in addition to earning a name for yourself and your work. The right project management software can help freelancers organize all aspects of their workflows and increase productivity.
An efficient tool enables them to increase profitability by maximizing resources and completing projects on time. Next we will explore just some of the ways a project management tool can optimize your work as a freelancer.
Task management becomes easier
Project management is a time-consuming process that begins with preparing a task and concludes with the task’s successful completion. In between, there are several procedures, such as setting deadlines and prioritizing assignments.
Task management tools help you delegate assignments and monitor your progress throughout the entire project life cycle in a way that is visual and easy to understand. In addition to documenting your KPIs, such a tool allows you to measure project progress against them in real-time.
Such tracking can then be easily exported or shared with clients to demonstrate transparency and the value of working with your services. If clients don’t understand this, the success of your project and future relationship with them can be at risk.
monday.com, makes project management easier so that everyone is aware of how the project is going. You can also use one dashboard to control the progress of your project by integrating all of the apps, views, and details you need.
Time tracking increases efficiency
A freelancer must schedule their day ahead of time and take on new tasks accordingly to maintain a healthy work-life balance. However, to ensure that the approved work is completed on time and they invoice clients accurately, they must keep track of the time spent on any project.
Time monitoring tools and features are a part of online project management software that help you understand how long a job will take, so you can make smart estimates and allocate time appropriately. This enables you to stay focused and organize your work to get the most out of your day.
Instant reports improve stakeholder transparency
Clients will vary in their desire for routine updates on the project’s status and success. Writing and submitting these reports can be a significant drain on your productive hours—especially if you are working on a set amount of hours for a project.
As a freelancer, you’ll need a tool that will allow you to produce and submit reports quickly. Fortunately, you can outsource this task to project management tools, which pull from your existing project data to generate detailed reports.
Some of the most popular project management tools, including monday.com can also create Gantt charts, which are detailed diagrams that show all of the tasks and deadlines.
Collaboration with other freelancers
As a freelancer, you likely will connect with other freelancers for your work, such as accountants, designers, or developers. Some projects are more complex than others and require collaboration with other freelancers.
Having a user-friendly project management tool like monday.com supports this form of collaboration. You can all work together and finish the tasks on time without needing scattered and difficult to follow email threads.
Whether it is a music track you are working on or a visual for a client, you can share with the other part and communicate in-context directly on the item at hand.
Why freelancers choose monday.com
There are thousands of project management software options available online today. However, not all of them are built with every need in mind or features that support the unique needs of a freelancer.
The three most important factors determining which project management software freelancers use are ease of use, collaboration, and automation. monday.com is built to meet and exceed all of these needs.
Ease of use
With monday.com, you can set up your projects in minutes without being a pro. There are several templates to choose from, ensuring that your projects will be efficient from the beginning.
If starting from scratch is more your thing, monday.com’s user interface makes it easy to customize your own board. You have complete control over how you add, edit, and monitor activities. You can also choose different project board views and various column styles.
Should you need extra support, monday.com offers immediate assistance via chat to all of their customers, regardless of their plan.
Seamless collaboration
Collaboration is crucial to the project’s success. According to a survey, freelancers send 15 emails per day that could be replaced with a face to face conversation or simply via a project management platform. Most of them said that constantly reviewing their inbox hindered their efficiency and concentration, and almost two-thirds said it significantly decreased their productivity.
On monday.com, users can add feedback, useful documents or ask questions from a single location. Monday.com also offers integrations with hundreds of third-party applications, including social media tools, messaging apps, marketing, software creation, and design platforms, to create a seamless experience.
Automation
monday.com makes workflows more effective and seamless with smart automation recipes. To experiment with automation across project boards, monday.com makes use of the “if” logic.
You can adjust the trigger and the resulting response to whatever you want. You may use automation to build a weekly task or alert another team member when a project reaches a certain phase.
The takeaway
Freelancers have a lot of pressure to deal with, and project management doesn’t have to be one of them. Project management software can drastically improve the efficiency of your tasks.
A tool like monday.com can help you organize your days and get the most out of them while taking care of your clients through real-time feedback and collaboration.
Related: Project management industries, Project management for software development, Project management for interior designers, Project management software for contractors, Project management software for non-project managers, Project management for accountants
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