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Zoho Projects ranked as Leader in top 20 task management software awards

Zoho Projects awarded Leader in top 20 Kanban software awards

What is task management?

The definition of task management is simple: it's the process of effectively overseeing the entire lifecycle of tasks, from planning to execution. Implementation of task management streamlines workflows, organizes tasks efficiently, and helps the project manager make informed decisions. Task management also involves monitoring every aspect of a task, like its budget, completion time, scope, resources, recurrence, and more.

Project management vs task management

Project management is the process of managing a project with a fixed start and end date through the stages of planning, execution, monitoring, and closing. A project has a specific end goal that it needs to meet through multiple work items, which are otherwise called tasks.

On the other hand, task management is the process of managing an individual task from its conception to closing. A task does not need to have a goal or specific deadlines. Completion of a group of tasks contributes towards the execution of a project. Task management is inherently a branch of project management.

Project managers have multiple projects of varied priorities running all at once. This is where project management comes handy, as it requires evaluation of the big picture. Successfully managing them requires a detailed analysis of the relationships and dependencies that exist between the components. Task management, on the other hand, involves focusing on the task at hand in order to achieve successful task completion. Both project and task management are two wheels in a cart; efficient implementation of both leads to a project's successful delivery.

How to manage tasks?

In PMI's 2017 Global Project Management survey, 37% of executive leaders agreed that projects in their organizations primarily failed due to a lack of clearly defined objectives and milestones, along with poor discipline when following a project management strategy. Keeping this study in mind, here are some key steps involved in task management:

Prioritization: Whatever tool you use to manage your tasks—whether a simple to-do list or a comprehensive project task management tool—the most important aspect of task management is prioritization. This helps the team complete all tasks involved while maintaining the planned constraints.

Milestone tracking: The findings of this PMI study also show that establishing clear goals is essential to the successful completion of a project. Although for task management an end goal isn't necessary, defining milestones helps motivate teams to execute tasks successfully.

Schedule management: Making sure your task is completed on time has an impact on the overall project health. Attributing the right time frame by estimating the effort involved is crucial here.

Resource allocation: Optimum resource management is the next step to ensure effective task management. Depending on the budget and schedule, assign the right talent and amount of resources to get work done.

Collaboration: For all the steps mentioned above, collaboration is key. While working in teams usually means more work gets done, keeping team members in sync can be difficult. A proper task management process helps you keep your team connected.

Another interesting way to manage tasks is by categorizing them on a deadline or priority matrix with "schedule" and "priority" as the axes. With this structure, necessary work that needs to be done immediately should be placed high on both priority and schedule, while necessary work that isn't needed immediately should be placed high on priority but low on schedule.

How to manage tasks

Why do project teams need a task management tool?

Time and task management improve your workflow in many ways.

Make your work more efficient

Inefficiencies often stem from disinterest. Task management principles greatly improve productivity by making sure the right resources are utilized at the right time. This includes giving team members tasks and responsibilities that match their abilities and interests.

Bring focus to your job

Whether you work as an individual or for an organization, all your tasks are done in order to achieve a particular goal. However, we often end up doing things that distract from or don't contribute to this. If there's a systematic way to approach all your work items, your work will be more focused on the end goal.

Organize your efforts

It's not always possible to work on just one task at a time. However, working on many things all at once can become chaotic. Organizing your tasks in a way that helps streamline your workflow will help you reach your target.

How to implement task management?

  • Tool
  • Techniques

Tool

You can manage tasks with a variety of tools, including:

  • Simple to-do lists or check lists

    From grocery shopping to planning a sophisticated wedding, making simple lists to manage tasks never goes out of style. Kanban boards

  • Kanban boards

    Visually appealing and easy to use, these boards are simple yet effective. Dragging a task from "In process" to "Done" is almost as cathartic as striking it off a list.

  • Calendars

    What's a day without at least one reminder about that thing you forgot to do last week? Adding deadline-oriented reminders to your calendar helps organize your time.

  • Software

    Whether you use cloud or on-premise software, taking the time to set up your tasks here will reward you with insightful resources, reminders, and reports.

techniques

Beyond just the tools you use, there are many points to remember while implementing your task management system.

  • The subtle art of saying "no"

    Learn it. Practice it. Say it to anything that won't help with your goal. Beware of killers

  • Beware of killers

    Time or productivity killers will make you lose focus. Business as usual

  • Business as usual

    Always remember to set aside time for your routine tasks while planning. Balance your workload

  • Balance your plate

    Delegate tasks. You may be a perfectionist, but taking on everything yourself is a sure path to disaster.

  • Don't put it off

    Things that can be done today should be done today. Procrastination leads to multitasking, and not in a good way. Take a break.

  • Take a break

    No one can be productive 24/7, so it's a good practice to prioritize even break-taking. Since interruptions are bound to happen throughout the day, taking deliberate, timed breaks will help you come back to work with renewed vigor.

  • Mind over matter

    Stop worrying about things that you have no control over. While planning, make some room for the unexpected to happen, but otherwise, don't let it affect your work.

Who is task management for?

Task management systems benefit anyone who has tasks to do—which is everyone. People who pursue project and task management can fall into the following broad categories:

  • Project Leaders

    Stay up to date on how free or busy your team members are, and delegate work accordingly.

  • Teams

    Task management for teams helps with delegation of tasks, which coordinates team members to work productively towards a common goal.

  • Personal task management

    Get instant updates and notifications on all work completed by your team members.

Why do you need a task management tool?

From task planning to managing, task management software helps you log and track every piece of information related to your project. The ability to keep track of your tasks, deadlines, meetings, and team responsibilities makes task management software a crucial tool for your business needs. If any issues arise, it only takes a click to gain insight into the exact source of the problem, take control immediately, and make changes to improve your work flow successfully. Additional collaboration features like chat, forums, and dashboard help your whole team stay connected and on top of the latest developments.

Benefits of team task management

Task management benefits business owners, freelancers, students, and anyone who wants to bring order to their daily routine. Listed below are some of the advantages of task management:

  • Helps the team stick to the deadline.
  • Singles out bottlenecks early on to prevent unforeseen mishaps
  • Keeps the team on the same page
  • Promotes effective communication
  • Prioritizes tasks efficiently
  • Streamlines workflows
  • Optimizes work allocation
  • Helps monitor progress

Tips to improve task management

  • Focus on one task

    Focusing all your attention on one task at a time boosts productivity, prevents mistakes, and helps you get the job done efficiently, as opposed to context switching, which can waste precious time, deliver tasks of poor quality, and get you overwhelmed. Both time and task management are effectively implemented when a single task is given priority.

  • Start small

    When the smaller tasks like drafting emails and scheduling events are taken care of, you have more time on your hands to tackle mammoth tasks that require more time, resources, and headspace.

  • Deconstruct your tasks

    Breaking up tasks into smaller portions lets you pay more attention to detail in each segment of the task, address inconsistencies at the outset, and increase the quality of the task output as a whole.

  • Set realistic deadlines

    It is advisable to consult with your teams and set an attainable deadline instead of setting ones that are impractical to chase. This ensures that the output meets the set expectations and also buys time for the team to make any improvements or correct discrepancies.

  • Create a schedule

    With a solid schedule, prioritization of tasks becomes efficient, allowing you to take on tasks as they come and inspect every intersection of the schedule to ensure that you're on track.

  • Leverage your team's expertise

    Consult with your team on whether you're on the right path and gather insights on how to complete your task efficiently.

How to choose the right task management software?

Depending on your purpose, price range, existing work environment, and preferred platform, there are several project and task management tools available. From simple checklists, which may not even require an internet connection, to a full-fledged project task management software, the capabilities are varied. There are also software options that fit specific industries like construction, IT, or education, or specific functions like CRM task management.

Zoho Projects is an online task management tool that's not only affordable and easy to use, but also has features that ensure scalability and data security. Strong collaboration features, Kanban boards, Gantt charts, detailed reports, and task-specific time trackers make this one of the best task management software options available on the market. The feature-rich basic version is also a means for performing free task management.

Check out the pricing details of Zoho Projects here.

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Leading work management software for project teams.

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"At our organization, Zoho Projects is the boss. We are able to stay on top of all our deliverables which helps us gain the trust of our customers."

Hansa Sharma, Shared Services Specialist, Cbensol

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