You've finally found it: the tool that will make your project manager's heart do somersaults! It's user-friendly, looks nice and has all the functions you need. But you know who your team members are (💜): Instead of enthusiasm, skeptical looks and the typical “But email and Excel work too...” are waiting.
To avoid exactly THAT and get your team to use the PM tool right from the start, we've put together this blog post.
This post is for you if you:
- want to understand why team members often struggle with new tools.
- need good reasons against the “good old” solution.
- are looking for strong arguments in favor of the new PM tool to convince your team.
- want to make sure that your team uses the PM tool right from the start.
- need a plan that takes into account both the technical side and the team chemistry.
Why are team members reluctant to adopt project management software?
[.toc-name]Why do people hesitate?[.toc-name]
Fear of the new, love of the old and a heavy dose of skepticism about additional work. THESE are the usual suspects when your team puts the brakes on a software introduction.
We humans are creatures of habit. Your team members have created their own little islands over the years using tools like email and Excel. These systems feel secure, are convenient and have somehow worked. A new software tool also brings uncertainty and skepticism.
Questions like “What if I don't understand this?” or “Won't this make more work than it helps?” or “What if it takes me longer?” are sure to pop up as soon as team members discover a new tool in the software sky. These are things you should keep in mind and empathize with.
And because you're prepared (because you've read this article), you can take away your team's uncertainty, show them the benefits and chalk up the “PM tool” mission as a successful project. 💜
Common problems with email and Excel that a PM tool solves
[.toc-name]Problems a tool solves[.toc-name]
If your team has been working with email and Excel instead of project management software, you can make your team aware of typical problems. EVERY one of these problems can be solved with a modern software solution like awork.
👉 Time wasted searching for information: Team members spend hours filtering relevant info from email histories and Excel files. When information is spread across numerous channels, misunderstandings between team members are almost certain to occur. Important details are lost, there is miscommunication and duplication of work.
👉 No overview of project progress: Excel and email make it difficult to keep track of the current status of projects and tasks and to keep all details up to date. This leads to missed deadlines and forgotten tasks.
👉 Prioritizing tasks is difficult: In Excel and email, it is difficult to sort and track tasks by priority. In the worst case scenario, tasks are processed too late or get lost completely.
👉 Problems with substitutes: Everyone has their own filing system for emails etc. This makes it difficult for substitutes to find their way around during vacations or other absences, leaving them frustrated and stressed.
👉 More effort required for team coordination: Coordination between team members becomes more time-consuming because every change or update has to be entered and communicated manually.
👉 Version chaos with documents: Everyone clicks and saves and suddenly there are 50 versions. We've all been there, we never wanna do it again.
👉 Risk of data loss: A crash or a wrong click means that important files disappear into digital nirvana and are either lost or have to be restored under stress.
[.b-related-article]Excel: no solution for agile projects[.b-related-article]
8 things your team will love about awork 💜
[.toc-name]Things awork is loved for[.toc-name]
Next, let's take a look at what your team members love about a project management tool (even if they don't know it yet).
1) Personalized dashboard and intuitive UX: With awork, everyone can design their own dashboard and customize it for their needs and way of working. The intuitive UX of awork makes it easy for you to use functions such as task management, resource planning and time tracking easily and effectively.
2) Fair capacity planning: With capacity planning, you have an exact overview of your workload. This allows you to distribute tasks wisely and prevents individuals from being overloaded.
3) Quick and easy time tracking: If there's one thing no one misses, it's the tedious booking of working hours. In awork, you can record times easily and quickly with the integrated stopwatch and the option to convert calendar entries directly into working hours.
4) Stress-free (vacation) substitutions: The transparent display of tasks and projects makes it easier for everyone in the team to quickly step in and keep track of when someone is on vacation or sick.
5) Time-saving automation: awork relieves you of routine tasks by automatically updating dependencies in the tasks and scheduling recurring tasks for you.
6) A clean, up-to-date filing system: Forget scattered emails and endless Excel spreadsheets. With awork, you can find and share all information in one place. Feedback is embedded directly in the tasks and everyone in the team sees changes immediately. This keeps everyone on the same page and eliminates the need to constantly ask and share status updates.
7) Clean project planning: With awork, every project and every task is perfectly organized. You can see at a glance what needs to be done and what deadlines are coming up. No important task is lost, project plans are organized.
8) Secure access from anywhere: Thanks to the awork app, you always have your projects with you. Every project is just a tap away and always up to date. Your data is securely stored in the cloud at all times. Regular backups ensure that you never have to worry about lost data again.
[.b-related-article]Discover the advantages of a capacity planning tool[.b-related-article]
Introducing a new PM tool: Big bang vs. iterative method - which suits you?
[.toc-name]Methods for software implementation[.toc-name]
There are two common ways to introduce software: the big bang rollout or the iterative method.
Big bang rollout
With the big bang strategy, the entire company switches directly to the new project management software. Careful preparation is crucial: this includes a technical check plus training and everyone must be up to date before the big day arrives. Once the new software is live, the project team must be ready. All project managers create their projects, assign teams and members, create initial tasks - and the aworkies are on hand to answer any questions.
Iterative method
If you opt for the iterative approach when introducing the software, you start with a pilot group of test drivers who try out the tool. You collect feedback, make adjustments and only THEN roll out the tool step by step throughout the entire company. You remain flexible and find the project flow that suits your team perfectly.
[.b-important-block]The big bang method enables a quick and comprehensive implementation. This approach to software implementation is useful and effective if, for example, you want a quick changeover or are starting out with a new project management tool. The iterative method introduces the software step by step, allowing you to respond more individually to the needs of the team members. This enables smooth and targeted customization.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡Which strategy is better?[$tag]
How to plan the 'software launch' project
[.toc-name]How to plan the launch?[.toc-name]
The software implementation can be the very first awork project that you create 🎉. We have created a small overview with tips on which phases are important and how awork can support you.
Phase 1: Preparation
Regardless of which implementation strategy you choose, everything starts with solid preparation. First plan the project and, if necessary, workshops in which everyone gets to know the tool.
👉 How to use awork for this:
- Project planning: Create a project for the software launch and define clear goals. Use the task function to create training sessions, feedback sessions and technical checks.
- Training planning: Create a detailed training plan in which you define the training dates, the respective content and the teams.
- Resource management: Use the calendar function to plan the software implementation and training dates and ensure that there are no overlaps with other dates
Phase 2: Data migration
Data migration is easy when introducing awork software (find out more here). This step is elementary so that everything runs perfectly at the official launch and everyone can start working smoothly.
👉 How to use awork for this:
- Carry out the migration: Use awork's user-friendly import functions to transfer your data securely and easily.
Phase 3: Software rollout
The new PM software officially goes live! From now on, everyone in the team uses the tool. Everyone can see how the new functions make their day-to-day work easier 🫶.
👉 How to use awork for this:
- Collect feedback: Create feedback tasks in awork to easily manage feedback.
- Proactive support: Schedule tasks and reminders to proactively offer support to team members.
Phase 4: Obtaining feedback
After the software launch, it is important to regularly collect feedback in order to continuously improve the user experience and adapt the tool optimally to your needs.
👉 How to use awork for this:
- Feedback management: organize regular feedback sessions in which team members share their experiences, suggestions and wishes.
- Project adaptation and documentation: Use the collected feedback to adapt your awork setup to your team. Prioritize adjustments according to their importance and document all changes.
How we support you with the introduction of software
[.toc-name]Support from awork[.toc-name]
We have set up a support system to help you with the introduction of new software. Here is a brief overview:
- “awork in 5 minutes” video: Start with our quick-start video, which shows you the basics in just 5 minutes. Ideal for getting an overview of the most important functions.
- awork onboarding project: The onboarding project guides you through the most important steps and helps you to use the tool effectively - from the first task to advanced functions.
- Live support: In addition, we at awork are always available for you live and support your company with the software implementation. Whether via our chat support, by email or by phone.
- Help center: Our help center offers comprehensive support for questions that arise frequently. You can find the help center here.
- Community: The awork community allows you and other users to support each other, exchange tips and share workflows.
[.no-toc]Ready for a successful software launch? 🙌[.no-toc]
Are you planning the next software step - the introduction of a new project management tool? awork not only makes work easier in all project phases, but also makes the introduction of new software in your company simple, fast and successful. Are you ready to modernize project management in your agency, start-up or IT consultancy? Then get awork for your company now.
[.b-button-primary]awork key-fact overview[.b-button-primary]
