There are very clear and powerful advantages to dropping the photocopier (not literally, we hope) for a smart, streamlined system for online teamwork and project management. These include:
- Going paperless, which brings with it potentially huge economic benefits
- Improved teamwork, with all team members able to view and review the key interactions of a project
- Remote teams
- A centralised hub for version-controlled document sharing
- A suite of tools for effective project management
But the early phase of transition from traditional methods – paper-based practices requiring filing, old-school email, spreadsheets and hours of face-to-face meetings – to the offerings of app-smart companies such as Glasscubes and Huddle, may be a challenging prospect. But it needn’t be so.
Here are 3 things your company can do to ensure that the move over to a cloud-based solution is quick, painless and effective:
- Choose the right platform for your needs. Here there are 3 key considerations:
- Tools and features – do these match up to the service that you envisage?
- Costs and commitment – does the platform offer an affordable, flexible pay setup that is suitable to the size and limits of your organisation?
- Getting started – is the software user-friendly and intuitive, or does it require installations, specialist knowledge and training?
- Select a team of software champions. Be sure not to populate the first team to experience a cloud-based platform with cynics. You need that team to be flexible, receptive to new ideas, and willing to communicate their experiences in a constructive, positive manner. The success of this group’s first foray into such software will be not only highly instructive, but also highly influential on the entire organisation.
- Start with a small project. Use a relatively short, simple project as a case study for further, wider use of the software. This is a logical first step into the world of cloud-based software, and offers the opportunity for a structured review of the experience – both for amendment of the customisable setup, and for an internal presentation of the software to others as the system is steadily taken up throughout the organisation.
When a dynamic, progressive company chooses to go from desktop to cloud-based collaboration platforms, it chooses to be progressive, and to take advantage of the indisputable benefits that contemporary technology offers businesses and teamwork.
All that remains, then, is to ensure that this important step is taken with some careful thought and consideration. That way, the move forward will be met with the least possible resistance, laying down the foundations for a future of sleek, efficient practices and tangible gains.
