Many people not only choose email as the most preferred source of effective communication and collaboration, but they often describe it as separate project management software. This becomes even more valuable when the talk is about web-based project management software.
Many innovative web-based project management software packages are increasingly becoming popular as organizations realize the need to have tools to manage the execution of complex assignments. However, some businesses prefer to stay away from using such tools and instead patronize the use of email as effective project management software, especially for communication purposes. Yes, using emails for project management does appear a lot easier. Want to know why is it so? Well, it’s all about flexibility and collaboration. Let’s see why:
- Faster & Trouble-free: With the use of broadband services for Internet connectivity, emailing has become a lot faster.
1) Emails have lesser technological glitches when compared with other marketed project management software packages and need less maintenance.
2) Sending/receiving emails is very easy and negates the need for training the staff to use this application. This helps to save time and decrease expenditure on employee training.
- Offers Privacy: Sometimes, it is vital that a certain level of privacy is maintained between the management and team members. Example: the drawbacks of certain employees/departments need to be highlighted, which can be done better through emails without engaging the attention of the whole organization
- Reduces Costs: Unlike the software packages that are bought from the market, email is a free application that needs minimal maintenance or regular technological tuning.
- Crosses all Barriers: Emails can be sent across nations and varying time zones. Thus, they are a universal mode of communication which further makes it effective as a managing tool.
However, any software being used as a fulcrum for ensuring the effective management of an organization’s resources has to be thoroughly evaluated for existing or perceived problems. The most apparent drawback of using emails as a project management software is that it:
Doesn’t Provide a Common Interface for Communication — Using email as a form of formal communication within a small group may be effective, but in an organization there are numerous team members and various departments involved in the execution of assigned tasks. Team members should be able to inform their counterparts about:
- the level of completion of task achieved (with respect to the listed goals and deadlines) and the expected time for the task to be completed
- the need for more cooperation from a certain team member/department
- any perceived problems/issues that have arisen or might have been overlooked
- any issues that need immediate attention of higher management
- any updates that have been issued by the managers and carry instructions for the whole team
Such information needs to be communicated effortlessly, i.e. in an easy and instantaneous manner, which is beyond the realm of emails. Emails fall short of being an effective medium for regularly updating several team members or departments and undermine the level of collaboration that is needed within an organization.
Other Concerns with Using Emails for Project Management
- Without the provision of automated features that are found in other project management softwares, the task of communicating among the employees becomes more time-consuming and tedious.
- Email-based conversations aren’t always directly related to the cause of a project’s completion, i.e. use of emails creates a scope for increased informal communication among the team members.
- This in turn may invoke stringent measures, like creating email-use ethics and employee monitoring, being imposed at the workplace. However, such rules might impinge upon the personal comfort of certain employees and alienate them from the management.