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Battling the COVID-19 crisis left a monumental impact on the business industry around the world. As a result, some businesses went bankrupt while others went remote. Today, remote working has become the new normal.
Executing business projects calls for multiple resources. Apart from it also demands time, money, and energy. The best way to handle all these tasks is to do them remotely. The advantages of hiring remote assistants are accepted globally. As a result, more than 80 percent of companies want to hire virtual workers permanently.
In this blog, we will understand,
- What is virtual project management?
- Benefits of virtual project managers
- Tools for virtual project managers
- Benefits of virtual project managers
What Is Virtual Project Management?
As the word suggests, Virtual Project Management is a process via which a team of remote workers manages projects and everything related to them. They do this with the help of various software for tasks like calendar management and email management.
Even though these teams are in different time zones, they manage to get the jobs done within the deadline. As the number of businesses having remote workers grows, virtual project management has become more defined.
Working in a virtual team is not that complicated. The fundamental tasks of your project remain the same. However, the results produced by a virtual project managing team and a physical project managing team have huge differences.
As the size of the project increases, the number of members in a virtual team also increases. Hence, managing every aspect of the project becomes a difficult task. Here is a guidebook to successfully building a virtual team for the best project management.
Having a virtual team scattered worldwide is not easy to work with. But here’s the best part about it. Virtual Teams are here to stay. They are a growing concept and have rapidly increasing value. According to a survey, companies save about 78 percent of costs by hiring remote workers.
While moving to virtual project management sounds like a huge leap, it is something that you cannot delay, so let’s try to understand this a little better.
Benefits of Virtual Project Management
Managing projects virtually has loads of benefits compared to the traditional way of project management. Let’s look at a few of them.
- Reduction in costing
Virtual project management reduces many unnecessary business expenditures. That means you won’t have to worry about in-office expenses like real estate (office space ) costs, land taxes, travel reimbursements, equipment costs, electricity, and other bills. This increases your profit margin while also changing the structure of your business.
- Better time management
Virtual teams are the epitome of time optimizations. You don’t have to waste time on non-work-related activities or travel. Instead, you can use this time to rest or fulfill interpersonal obligations. This fosters a positive working relationship between employees and their jobs.
- Work-life balance
The freedom for virtual project management team members to work from wherever allows them to attend to their obligations outside of work. As a result, virtual employees have a better work-life balance, are more content with their careers, and are less inclined to leave their virtual project team.
- Collaborate Globally With Talent
A virtual team removes geographical barriers to employing candidates from a particular area. That means you get access to talent from all over the globe.
Employers in developed nations can also benefit from a cheaper exchange rate than in other countries. Therefore, you can find an employee with the appropriate abilities and aptitude for the position using this recruitment strategy at much lower costs.
Top 7 Virtual Project Manager Services
Now that you understand the growing importance of virtual project managers let’s look at some of the top project management services.
- Asana
Despite its laid-back yoga-inspired name, Asana is a dynamic project management tool enterprises employ. It lets you customize the layout of your project and makes collaboration easy from all around the world.
In addition, it has boards, timelines, and list views that help you stay organized. As a result, Asana was ranked as the 13th software solution in the top 20 software products of 2020.
Key Features :
- Intuitive user interface
- Visual project timeline
- Variety of integrations
Pros :
- It has a drag and drops functionality for managing tasks.
- It can integrate with tools like Google Calendar, Slack, etc.
- It has project timelines so that you can have simple workflow management.
Cons :
- The free version only offers limited features.
- Although it has a project timeline, this app can be inefficient for heavy project management.
- In addition, it might be hard for team members to collaborate on some plans.
Pricing :
You can choose from four different Asana plans. A free version, a premium edition for $13.99 per user per month, and a business version for $30.49 per month are all available.
- Trello
Trello is a simple project management tool known for its iconic cards. You can use these cards as sticky notes. Trello helps virtual teams reach the peaks of productivity by allowing them to manage and collaborate on their projects.
Key Features :
- Simple task management
- Drag and drop feature
- Automated power-up features
Pros :
- It has an easy task management and scheduling system.
- Power-ups in Trello come in handy.
- It has a simple and easy-to-use user interface.
Cons :
- It does not consist of reporting features.
- It relies heavily on external integration for functionality.
- It is unable to manage complicated projects.
Pricing :
Trello has two plans. A free version for small teams and a business version that costs $9.99/month per user.
- Wrike
Wrike is a popular web-based tool for project management services. This tool can completely transform the way your teams work. This tool is used mainly by big companies as it can handle heavy project management. However, when it comes to small firms, though, it can be a bit intimidating.
Key Features:
- Multi-pane interface
- Powerful analytics with global report and performance chart
- Form and request templates
Pros :
- It has a detailed reporting and insights system to calculate the deliverables.
- It has various built-in features for better management.
- Extremely useful for huge and complicated projects.
Cons:
- The android version might be a little lacking in terms of functionality.
- It might be a little overwhelming for small-sized projects.
- Hard to get used to for beginners.
Pricing :
Wrike has three different plans. A free version, a professional version for $9.80/month per user, and a business version for $24.80/month per user.
- ClickUp
ClickUp is one of the most trusted project management services available online. It has various features that can help you plan, collaborate and track all of your projects in one place. In addition, it creates visually appeasing workflows that turn your ideas into action.
Key Features :
- Customized project views
- Project status customization
- Gantt charts and integrations
- Assigning comments
- Quick reminders
- Time tracking
Pros :
- It creates automated workflows for repeated processes.
- It provides loads of integrations with other tools.
- It has a feature-rich free version for first-time users.
Cons:
- It does not have a table view in the android and iOS version
- It might be a little intimidating for beginners.
Pricing :
ClickUp provides a free version before charging $5/month per user for the Unlimited plan and $9/month per user for the business plan.
- Meister Task
Meister Task is a popular Kanban-based project management tool. This project management software makes identifying and delegating tasks look like a piece of cake. It is used by more than 2 million teams globally. It has beautiful dashboards, time tracking features and timelines that make project management more organized.
Key Features :
- User-friendly interface
- Varied customizations
- Variety of collaboration tools
Pros :
- It has a simple interface that your team members can use with ease.
- With tools like Slack and GitHub, it offers a plethora of integration choices.
Cons :
- This tool cannot handle complicated or huge projects.
- The android version lacks functionality.
Pricing:
Meister task offers you a free version before charging you $4.19/month per user for the Pro version and $10.39/ month per user for the business plan.
- Workzone
Workzone is a web-based application that was developed in the year 2000. Its project management services are robust and easy to use. It was rated as the No. 1 Project Management Software by Capptera in 2021. Workzone has data reporting tools to help you analyze data by seeing the big picture. It lets you focus on the most critical aspects of the project.
Key Features :
- Smooth collaborations for teams.
- Simple project management system.
- Powerful reporting capabilities.
Pros:
- It has powerful to-do lists for better organization.
- It has good reporting capabilities that make it easier to analyze data.
- It has a simple project management system that your team members will love.
Cons:
- The user interfaces are simple but lack in some areas.
- The android version lacks functionality.
- It doesn’t include features like multiple views and assigned comments.
Pricing :
Workzone offers you a free version before charging $24/ month per user for the Team variant and $34/ month per user for the Professional version.
- ProofHub
This virtual project management tool is well known in the industry. This tool is used by companies like Netflix, Nike, and Pinterest for project management. It gives you plenty of control over your project with on-time delivery and accountability. Unlike other tools, this virtual software manager does not charge you per user.
Key features :
- Ability to assign responsibilities to team members.
- Tons of customizations options
- Easy to use user interface
Pros :
- It has a powerful android and iOS version for mobile phones.
- It has a load of customizations to choose which suits you best.
- It has high-grade security features and access rights.
Cons :
- It lacks features like budgeting capabilities.
- Users have registered bugging complaints against this tool.
- It cannot handle complex project management.
Pricing :
Proofhub offers a free demo version before charging $45 per month for the Essential plan and $89 per month for the Ultimate control version.
Now that you have understood the pros and cons of the top 7 project management services, you must have one confusion. How to select the tool that suits you best?
Steps To Choose The Right Virtual Project Management Tool For You
Defining Your Needs
It’s crucial to think about the firm as a whole because the finest project management tool should be cross-functional to expand inside the company. You should think about your company’s culture and the project management methodology. You want your project management software to blend in with the rest of the company.
- Create An Evaluation Team
When you move forward, it’s critical to put together a team that can represent a variety of organizational tasks. For example, managers may also be interested in higher-level overviews, whereas specialists want the ability to traverse through detailed project components. This adaptability is necessary for a project management tool. You must also establish evaluation criteria.
It’s now time to put your chosen project management tool or tools to the test. Now is the time to try out a project management solution and check if it meets your needs from step one.
After approving your selected virtual project management tool, commit to a timeline and a plan. You can also maximize the impact of your software by training your team members according to their task descriptions.
No matter how good your tool is, you will face some challenges. It doesn’t matter if you’re utilizing the app or if your team is running smoothly while using it. There are three obstacles you must deal with regarding virtual project management.
3 Challenges Faced By Virtual Project Managers.
Virtual project managers confront various challenges, including time zone differences, a lack of managerial assistance, and a lack of visual clues while interacting.
You must address these communication barriers for successful communication and a healthy work environment. Otherwise, virtual team managers may struggle to get everyone on the same page, maintain an efficient organizational workflow, or create trust among virtual team members.
- Collaboration Inefficiency
When a manager is present in the office, it is simple to determine whether or not the employees are working. However, team members find it tough to acquire visibility on the project, gather the team for meetings, and take accountability for mishaps without a project manager. Hence collaborating without an experienced virtual project manager becomes difficult.
Another big problem for virtual teams is holding employees accountable for their daily efforts. It’s tough for managers to know how engaged, productive, and output their virtual team members are when they can’t see them working in real-time.
After reading this, you must be wondering which tool would be the best for your business. Regardless of the software you choose, you will face obstacles. The challenges mentioned above are some of the challenges you would face. Apart from those, there will be many more setbacks that you will have to overcome.
Is there a way you can avoid it?
Of course, there is. Just hire a Virtual Project Manager who can do it for you.
Hiring A Virtual Project Manager
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A virtual project manager is an assistant who will plan, monitor, and oversee your project development. A virtual project manager will ensure that your team works towards achieving your set goals without you intervening.
You can assign a reasonable share of your obligations to a skilled professional and put your business on auto-pilot by hiring a virtual project manager. Your virtual project manager will ensure that everyone completes duties on time, reports regularly, provides you with regular project updates, and keeps everything operating smoothly.
If you still have doubts, hiring a virtual project manager can improve your business.
- Managing Risk – When it comes to business, there is always a possibility of risk. Hiring a virtual project manager eliminates that risk as your manager will thoroughly perform research before beginning the project.
- Budget Tracking – When it comes to the practical completion of a project, the budget sets the restrictions on time, money, and scope. As a result, it’s critical to plan ahead of time and maintain track of your budget during the procedure. You can hire a virtual project manager to approve your budget.
- Giving Presentations – Creating a presentation that is both exact and capable of maintaining interest is a mammoth endeavor, simply because one minute may make or destroy a presentation. Hire a virtual project manager to generate precise presentations that can help you win over your clients if you’re short on time or staff.
- Meeting Deadlines – The simplest and most successful way to track and manage a project’s activity is to keep a project timetable. Because a timeline divides the project into smaller chunks, you can see where everyone stands, track progress at each stage, and identify weak spots. A virtual project manager may quickly create and manage such schedules, ensuring that deadlines are met.
- Uniting The team – Keeping your team focused and motivated to achieve a common goal is critical. It’s also crucial to keep track of each member’s progress. A virtual project manager will manage the team and provide regular updates on their progress until they complete the project.
How to hire a virtual project manager
Now that you know how beneficial virtual project managers are, you must be wondering how do I hire one? At Wishup, one of the best virtual assistant agencies, we provide virtual project managers who are custom trained for your business.
Here’s how you can hire a virtual project manager in 3 easy steps :
- First, make a list of projects you want to assign to your manager.
- Sort out all the tasks and responsibilities you want to delegate to the project manager.
- Finally, mail us at [email protected] to schedule a meeting.
Virtual assistant agencies are one of the best ways to hire virtual project managers. Using Wishup to hire a virtual project manager has several advantages. First, you can select from a pool of professional, experienced, and trained managers. You will no longer have to be concerned about project management services and tools. Your virtual assistant will ensure that you get the most excellent services for the best price.
Wishup, for example, focuses on providing individualized support by making onboarding simple. However, to achieve the best outcomes, you must specify which responsibilities to delegate to your virtual project manager.
After that, you have to send us an email at [email protected] to hire your perfect project manager.
Closing Phase
Project management is a real hassle if done without planning. Of course, to achieve the best results, you need the best services. But for optimal development, you need a manager who will customize your resources to meet your needs.
Wishup provides you with the most effective answers to various business-related issues. To learn more, visit Wishup or send an email to [email protected]
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