The ROI for Project Management Tools
It’s easy to see the financial benefits of using certain tools: for some freelance niches, not having the most recent copy of the Adobe Creative Suite is the same thing as walking away from every client who is more up to date. But project management tools don’t have such a clear cut value.
There are plenty of freelancers who manage big projects with what amounts to a stack of sticky notes and a calendar — a minimal cost when you look at tools that might charge a monthly subscription or have a one-time cost with a couple of zeros on the end.
Putting a number on saving a few minutes here and there can seem barely worth the effort. But the reality is that project management tools, used correctly, can save you a lot more time than just a few minutes at a go.
The Time Sink that is Project Management
I’ve been known to wake up in the middle of the night, stressing out about whether I’ve taken care of every step of a particular client’s project. Every client I work with has different requirements for exactly how a final draft should be submitted and I’m responsible for a ton of different details.
It’s stressful, but it used to be a lot worse. I used to rely on just a simple checklist to help me juggle all these moving parts. I was constantly worried that something was about to go horribly, horribly wrong.
Not needing to go over the plans for each project a dozen times to be able to check that I’m hitting each due date definitely helps.
I started trying out a bunch of different project management tools. Currently, I use Basecamp, but I’ve tested dozens over the years. I wasted my fair share of time on transitioning information between systems or trying to troubleshoot a piece of software that I had overloaded, but now that I’ve found a good fit for what I do, I save a lot of time.
The biggest time saver is just knowing that I have a system that works. Not needing to go over the plans for each project a dozen times to check that I’m hitting each due date definitely helps. Having a tool set that actually notifies me of what’s due soon, so I don’t have to try to remember to even check it is great. Being able to organize information all in one place adds to that benefit: I can look at one page and not only does it have each step of a project, but it also has all of the details I need, like word counts or submission guidelines).
I do still have to spend time on managing projects and in checking to make sure that everything is correct within the software I rely on. But the benefit of a good project management tool is, first and foremost, to get everything out of your head and into a format that can make it more manageable.
Manageable Projects are Repeatable Projects
Freelancers are notorious among some business owners as a group of people who start from scratch on every single project. There are varying degrees of truth in that claim for each of us. Most freelancers have some templates that make starting a new project a faster process at the least. But overall, many of us don’t have a set process that we follow for every client that comes in the door.
I noticed this glaring lack in my own business when I started looking at project management tools meant for businesses bigger than just one or two people. Most had a space for templating out entire projects that I just couldn’t fill. I had a routine, but it wasn’t actually written down anywhere. But putting it into a system meant that I noticed more often when I missed a step or where I could improve on what I was doing.
Creating a set process made even more of a difference in how I freelance than having one project management system where I put all of my information. The right tools make it a lot easier: I can set up a brand new project, complete with each step I need to take, with one click. I can make sure that I ask every client the same questions and can give them a chance to look at just what I’m up to on projects for them.
Where’s Your ROI?
The return on investment that you’ll get from using a project management tool probably won’t be exactly the same as what I’ve seen. At the very least, I do expect that the right software or tool set will make your freelance business run better. A little peace of mind can be worth quite a bit, even if you don’t save hours every day or look more professional to your clients. Graduating from a sticky-note system is worth a little investment.
Photo credit: Some rights reserved by Ohmega1982.
Leave a Comment
I must say, I’ve been looking for an upgrade to my pen and paper checklists!
I had this too until I signed up for a project management/CRM web service. It allowed me to create pipelines and activity sets, which automatically generated tasks associated with it etc. It works really well, and includes smaller tasks for after a project, such as getting feedback, particular things signed off, etc. Really has helped to reduce my stress like the author has on whether I’ve done everything that I need to.
@james what’s the name of the tool?
Insight.ly – it integrates with Google Apps too quite nicely.
Thank you
I’ll check it out soon!
Thursday,
When I first started out, I literally got anxiety when planning web projects…. What if I forget something? Did I remember to XYZ? Who was in charge of task ABC again? The anxiety (and whirlwind of thoughts) did not end until the project was complete and worsened when handling multiple projects.
Here are 3 things I’ve learned to kill the anxiety:
1. You will not make a mistake or omission that can’t be corrected.
This is what I love about web projects. If I forget something or overlook something- or just completely mess up- I can always go back and fix it. It might take me a few extra hours, but as long as I have saved multiple iterations of my project…I can go back in time.
2. Task completion does not (and will not) follow chronological order.
In theory and planning my tasks get completed in succession, but in reality, they get completed when they are good and ready- not a second sooner. I’ve learned to turn the Type A personality down enough to live with that!
3. Checklists rock.
Let me say that again. CHECKLISTS ROCK!
As you have pointed out in the article, when you are freelancing, projects vary like night and day. I agree, however, once you have tackled a few, you will find that many tasks of a project are consistent- no matter what the goal of the project is.
What I have done, is take all of these common tasks and put them on one gigantic checklist. When I start a new project, I use this checklist to plan my tasks (and my costs). I know that if I use it as a guide I won’t leave anything out. This, of course, helps with my efficiency throughout the project, it makes me look really smart, and I don’t underestimate project costs because I failed to include an important task.
I use Basecamp as well and LOVE IT. It’s super simple (one less thing to make my clients learn to use) and reasonably priced. Basecamp used to have the ability to create repeatable checklists/ project templates that you could apply to multiple projects. Unfortunately they got rid of this feature with their streamlined version. I asked where they bringing them back, here was the response:
“It wasn’t a particularly popular feature in Classic (only around 15% of customers ever used them in Classic), but we think a big part of that was because we didn’t design the feature quite right. We’re determined to make everything about the all new Basecamp the best in the business, so we’re going to take the proper time to rethink the feature before considering introducing them to the all new Basecamp.”
There’s so many systems out there for managing the product flow – as soon as you find one it can be tempting to jump ship to another, it’s rare any one methodology or software system will suit you down to the ground.
Recently I’ve been following the ZTD methology which positions itself as a more goal orientated iteration of GTD – it’s a way of thinking about tasks rather than the equipment to actually work on the them– I’d recommend checking it out! (and no, i don’t work for them!)
I’ve worked as a freelancer for about a year and everything went picture perfect. I had great project management, time tracking, and most of all “FUN”.
I work at an agency/company and I am miserable. They’ve overpiled 30 SEO contracts on me where I can not keep up.
I will be leaving to go and start my own company soon where I will actually do everything correctly and ethically. This is where most bosses fail. They think they know, but they actually know less then our grand parents.
There are tons of tools around today that can help you export the plans from your head and import them into some sort of computer-readable format that, as you say, saves on me having to re-create them over and over again for each new project (and we all know, that in every ‘new’ project, there’s at least 50% old project in there)
By the way, as one of those who prefers pen and paper before software, I go with tons of sticky notes. Once I get them up on my board, I can translate them into my project management tool. Makes it much easier to organise my tasks from the word ‘go’.
The meaning of “ROI” shouldn’t have been left for the left paragraph. Not everyone speaks English as their first language, let alone biz jargon!