4 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Use A Task Management Tool

Operating any small business is usually about putting out one little fire after the next. When one thing pops up, it’s a race to resolve that one, and just when you do, the next thing rears its head.  But, while you are focused on the fires, what happens to the day-to-day activities, longer-term projects, or improvements you want to make to your business? 

I hear from so many entrepreneurs that they have all these big strategic plans for their businesses but they stall when it comes to getting those plans implemented.  There are always lots of excuses as to why those projects can’t be started now - everything from hiring more help to waiting for the “busy season” to be over. But the reality is that those projects can, and should, be started now.

When I hear these excuses from my clients, I immediately recommend ASANA.  ASANA is a task management tool that helps you plan, organize, and manage your team's work, from start to finish. You can coordinate and collaborate on team tasks and get a complete view of all work so teams tackle the right tasks at the right time to get the job done.

With a task management tool, you can get all your projects done regardless of the fires you are simultaneously putting out. Why is that?  Well, there are 4 reasons why a task management tool can be so helpful in strategically moving your business forward and growing it into the enterprise you’ve always wanted it to be.

Delegate/Collaborate

Employees are often assigned individual tasks that are a part of a larger project an entire team is working to complete. Task management software allows you to easily delegate tasks to the appropriate employees and collaborate on projects by sharing documents, timelines, and status updates. By assigning roles in the system, each employee has access to necessary information, knows what they are responsible for and who they should contact if they have questions or concerns, or need information about a particular topic.

Stay On Schedule

Project management software lets you add starting and expected completion dates to projects and tasks that are included in the system. This information alerts employees to upcoming deadlines, allowing them to manage their time appropriately to complete tasks before or on the listed due date.  It also helps you make your expectations clear of when items will be completed - so everyone is on the same page.

Track Projects

You can keep track of the progress of your projects that are entered into the task management software. The software will let you know what's been completed, as well as by whom, and what still needs to be done. Employees can provide updates as to what they're working on and share their updates with you and team members. The software eliminates the need for those painful status update meetings and emails that we all just love to receive.

Organization

No more searching through endless email chains or trying to find the latest version of a document.  With a task management tool, all your communication, project progress, and output are all organized in threads for easy reference. This saves so much time trying to remember where you left off or what the next steps are and will probably even prevent you from recreating some of the work you've already done.

There are plenty of task management tools out there. I excitedly recommend ASANA to all my clients and I even use it in my own business.  It is a great way to keep everyone on the same page and make sure all of the many balls you have hurdled up in the air don’t come falling down. It takes some time to set up, but overall, it’s easy to use and really does get the job done.

Let me know if you want some help or would like more information to set up ASANA with your team.