Are you still using Microsoft Excel to manage your projects? Excel is a fine tool. Everyone needs and uses a spreadsheet. And it's a good tool for data analysis. But if you're using Excel to manage your projects, then you need to rethink that strategy.
Here are 3 really good reasons to move off Excel:
- An Excel spreadsheet is a static document. Usually, it lives on someone's computer. Even if you use the Office Online version, someone is the owner or manager of
that document and has to update all the task data after manually getting task updates from the team.
What happens when the manager is out sick or on vacation? Who reminds the team then about their task deadlines? Who helps manage roadblocks? Who has access to the document?
When your project management tool is shared your team has access to it at any time. You - and more importantly the entire team - can access their tasks on their workstations.
You're no longer chained to a desk or blocked by static documents. And since the team is updating their tasks themselves, you no longer need to do all that for them. Imagine what other things you could do with your time? - Excel is a great pivot-table tool. You can create great looking charts and reports, fairly easily. Only problem?
Your data is stale.
With a Project Management tool, your data is always updated instantly and in real time, which gives you instant visibility into potential roadblocks or issues that can derail your project. You can easily spot when a team member is over-loaded, and you always know the latest status of the tasks. - When you manage a project, and open your team with collaborative tools, you're giving them the autonomy to work freely. That creates a more loyal team, which you can easily retain,
and who will work harder because they buy-in to the project.
That means, you're not wasting time micro-managing people.
Hope all of the above convinces you it's time to move off of Excel for managing your projects!
Excel is a great tool, but there are better tools to help you manage your projects. We were tired of doing manual calculations in Excel and copying data from one spreadsheet to another (e.g. risk and issues logs to status reports). In fact, it's why we developed the products below - to help give you tools that help you keep your projects on track.
Castellan Systems' tools have been developed based on practical experience and used by Michael in the real world for many years. In fact we use them when running any of our internal projects, developing custom tools for our clients or when working on our suite of products.
We are always looking to improve them. We listen to our clients and respond positively to their suggestions for improvement or enhancements.
And if you're looking for a practical, yet industrial strength, Project Management framework to go with your new Project Management tools, we can help here as well.
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