For most small business, money matters.
A minute mistake can have big consequence and prioritizing where the money is most useful is always on the agenda.
In many small business owner’s minds, it’s tempting to do jobs yourself and get for free what you can’t do. Sometimes this free option is totally adequate. But sometimes it’s an excellent strategy to invest in a better quality service that takes your business to the next level.
The question is: When should you make that call?
So what are the items you want to invest in as a small business owner? A reliable accountant, a good website, a well-performing marketing strategy, and accurate legal advice when needed are obvious examples of money well invested. But also the appropriate technology to run your business professionally should be a part of this list. It never serves a business to come across as ‘making it up as we go’.
What exactly this technology entails depends on the business you run. It could be a payment system vs. a wallet full of cash, it could be a super-duper coffee machine vs. a cheap coffee machines with pods, or it could be a design program that allows you to show your designs in 3D.
For many business, an outstanding communication system needs a place in this list and for many more small businesses a tool to get the most out of time and resources is an equally smart consideration. We’re talking about a project management tool for small businesses.
What are the project management needs of a small business ?
In essence, a project management tool for a small business should help achieve the project as outlined in the scope, on budget and on time. Easy as it sounds, projects are always unpredictable and something is bound to go wrong at some stage. It’s the nature of a project.
There is a running joke about the reality of project management: on target project scope, on target project budget, on target project timeline; pick two. Tell this to a customer and dissatisfaction is guaranteed. The need to do the ‘impossible’ and finish a project as per the specification, on budget and on time doesn’t need further explanation. A good project management tool is the magic wand and as much as spreadsheets are invaluable tools, for good project management, you need more and better.
There is no single project management system that is ‘the best’ for any business. But at the same time there is some common ground when the needs of a small business are considered in project management software.
- The project management tool needs to be budget conscious. Cost needs to be transparent. Being able to scale up as your business grows is definitely something to keep in the back of your mind.
- You need to be able to enter projects, tasks and deadlines at the very least. But the list of features you need from your project management tool may be much longer than that. We’re thinking about features such as workflow or time management.
- Effective communication is vital for successful project management, so a good integrated communication is non-negotiable. The software needs to be flexible enough to mold it to your specific needs. A one size fits all will set you up for disappointment.
- The system needs to be bug-free, secure, and be updated on a regular basis. (Interesting fact: Did you know that the ProWorkflow uptime was 99.986% in 2019?!)
- The interface needs to be user friendly, intuitive and well-designed.
And then it is up to you. Do you have a preference in methodology? Are the projects you handle complex or very simple? How many projects do you handle at one time? How many users are there? Do you need to store additional data with your projects? Do you prefer annual or monthly payments? Do you want the option to create quotes and invoices from the software? Do you want financial integration? What is the support you are receiving like?
How does ProWorkflow work for small business?
One of ProWorkflow’s biggest draws for small business owners is that it offers a good balance between a comprehensive feature set and ease of use.
On top of that cost is extremely transparent. We price on a ‘per staff user’ basis so you can scale as large or small as needed. Projects, tasks, clients and contractors are free and unlimited.
Our clients love the solid and individualized support ProWorkflow offers.
At ProWorkflow, we like to help you succeed. It’s a joy to enable small companies from many different industries to take their business to the next level, reduce waste and become more efficient in their day to day operations.
