The importance of effective project management can’t be understated. After all, it’s a critical piece of turning great ideas into results. You’re already behind your competition if you aren’t using technology to boost your project management.
Project management tools range from basic to complex. Complex options include tools such as Microsoft Project Server or Microsoft Project Online. They provide many features but can be expensive and require unique skill sets to use effectively and efficiently.
The tool you choose must match your projects. A complex tool isn’t necessary for many organizations, making managing projects more difficult. Microsoft SharePoint for project management is a top-of-the-line tool that can take your project management to new heights.
Keep reading to learn more about how implementing a Microsoft SharePoint solution can benefit your project management team and your business.
Manage Project Information
One of the most valuable features of SharePoint is its document management capabilities. SharePoint allows you to manage and store your documents in just one place. A centralized document library for all your project documents can streamline your project management.
You can eliminate time spent searching through emails or file cabinets to find what you’re looking for. You can easily access and share information.
Creating individual SharePoint project sites helps easily control who has access to documents. Project sites are beneficial when juggling multiple projects. You can ensure sensitive information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Not only can you manage your files, but you can protect them and the data within them.
SharePoint allows you to manage the documents necessary for your projects. These documents include your project plan, project schedule and other supporting information created throughout the project’s lifecycle.
Beyond documents, a SharePoint list is an effective tool. You can use a task list to add tasks assigned to individuals. It provides centralized task tracking for your project.
Foster Collaboration Among Team Members
The collaboration of team members is one of the most critical aspects of collaborative project management. Microsoft SharePoint allows you to collaborate and communicate in more ways than ever before.
You will save time and money on projects and foster relationships between team members that will carry on to future projects. SharePoint allows your team members to work on projects in real time and instantly share their work. More and more companies are increasing flexibility for their employees and allowing them to work remotely.
With SharePoint, remote work is streamlined and efficient. Your employees won’t have to worry about being unable to work because they left something at the office or were too sick to go to work. SharePoint fits the modern worker’s needs.
In addition to the lists and libraries discussed above, SharePoint web parts can also be used to provide updates and announcements to team members and project managers. These may be individual task updates or project changes that need to be shared for the whole team to see.
Control Who Can See Sensitive Data
SharePoint and SharePoint Online, part of Office 365, are designed to allow you to customize your permissions. This ensures your information is accessible to those who need it.
Security starts with your SharePoint project management template. You decide what teams or groups are necessary to secure your projects and they can be built right into the template.
SharePoint can also handle individual permissions if you need to make an exception for one of your projects. To do this, you simply add individual permissions to your documents, files, and folders.
This allows you to select who can and cannot view individual items at a more detailed level.
Some team members need access to certain parts of the project. Without controlling access, companies are often required to rely on paper files for content with sensitive data. Storing your information in a single SharePoint site does not mean everyone can see everything. With SharePoint, you have complete control over access.
You get the benefit of up-to-date information and know that paperwork will not fall into the wrong hands. You also maintain the power to control who can see what at any given moment. It’s common for members of project teams to switch roles or departments within a company.
With permission settings, you can turn off their access to view documents they no longer need. Permissions can go a long way toward protecting information that needs to stay within your team or department, such as the project cost.
Optimize Project Reporting
SharePoint reporting allows you to keep project status reports for your projects up to date and accurate. SharePoint has various reporting features that give your project team members real-time updates.
This allows them to make the most informed decisions possible and makes it easy to identify and adapt to issues. You will also have a project dashboard that keeps you updated on project status. You can report updates from a SharePoint project site, meaning you can share essential project metrics with all members of your team.
Team members no longer have to reach out to the SharePoint project manager or dig through details within site to find the necessary information. Members can also track their progress and project managers have custom options to monitor the data most important to the project’s success.
Project reporting makes it easy to prioritize the tasks that need the most attention. SharePoint has features such as centralized reference areas designed to help project managers. For example, you can create a OneNote notebook to store meeting minutes and communicate important information via project announcements that are visible to the team.
If the out-of-the-box SharePoint reports don’t meet your needs, you can also consider more complex reporting with Power BI, part of the Microsoft Power Platform.
SharePoint Online Project Management
Companies utilizing Office 365 have a unique opportunity. In addition to the SharePoint project management capabilities outlined, they can integrate with other Office 365 apps. SharePoint Online project management improves productivity through features beyond what SharePoint Server alone can provide.
This includes the ability to integrate with other Office 365 apps as well as third-party applications. A few examples include:
- Using Microsoft Teams for chatting with team members and scheduling regular project meetings
- Using Microsoft PowerApps and Flow to build data forms, automate a project intake process, or automate task notifications
- Using Microsoft To-Do to consolidate tasks from multiple projects into an easy-to-use dashboard for users
Project management with SharePoint Online gives the same great benefits as traditional SharePoint while expanding capabilities. When considering a move from on-premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online, it is important to consider features and functionalities beyond just SharePoint.
Can SharePoint be Used for Project Management?
Using SharePoint for project management could be the best decision you ever make.
As a project management solution, SharePoint can take your project management to a new level by using technology to bring your team together.
SharePoint is especially helpful for managing projects that are not complex and do not require specialized project management software. You can streamline your project management and stay on top of your game.
If you are interested in learning more about how SharePoint – or SharePoint Online – can work for you, reach out to our Microsoft team.
