As we move through 2024, the role of a project manager has expanded well beyond managing timelines and budgets. The profession has evolved into requiring strategic leaders who drive organizational change, coordinate cross-functional teams, and leverage cutting-edge technology. With the demand for skilled project managers on the rise across industries, now is the perfect time to explore this dynamic and rewarding career path.

With global job growth projected to surge and average salaries ranging from $75,000 to over $100,000, becoming a project manager in today’s fast-paced business environment offers both exciting opportunities and meaningful challenges.

If you’re ready to lead teams, solve complex problems, and deliver impactful results, this guide will set you on the path to success.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

How the role of a project manager is evolving into a strategic leadership position

The essential skills, responsibilities, and methodologies that define successful project management in 2025

Insights into certification, career pathways, and overcoming common challenges

What we consider a ‘Project Manager’ in 2025

In 2025, the Project Manager has transformed into a strategic leader, seamlessly integrating business goals with execution while driving measurable outcomes. No longer confined to managing timelines and budgets, they are pivotal in aligning projects with organizational objectives, leveraging emerging technologies like AI, data analytics, and automation to enhance efficiency and decision-making.

Flexibility is key as agile and hybrid methodologies dominate, requiring tailored approaches for diverse, cross-functional teams in global and remote work environments. Beyond technical expertise, emotional intelligence and stakeholder management are critical, enabling effective collaboration and communication across varied teams and priorities.

Sustainability and ESG considerations are central, with Project Managers ensuring projects contribute to long-term value and societal impact. Continuous learning and adaptability to rapid technological advancements remain essential for staying competitive in this evolving field.

The Project Manager of 2025 is a digital innovator, strategic thinker, and change agent – uniquely positioned to navigate complexity, foster collaboration, and deliver value in an increasingly dynamic business landscape.

Project Manager Responsibilities

The responsibilities of a Project Manager in 2025 can vary significantly depending on the industry, company size, and project complexity. In larger organizations, they may focus on high-level planning and stakeholder management, while in smaller companies, their role may include hands-on involvement in execution and resource allocation. Despite these variations, there are several core responsibilities that most Project Managers share, which are outlined in the following list:

Strategic Planning and Goal Setting

• Developing project objectives, scope, and deliverables aligned with organizational and business goals
• Defining success criteria in collaboration with stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment

Project Planning and Scheduling

• Creating detailed project plans, timelines, and milestones using appropriate methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall)
• Defining tasks, set realistic deadlines, and allocate resources effectively

Budgeting and Cost Management

• Developing and manage project budgets, track expenses, and control costs
• Identifying cost-saving opportunities and adjust for potential overruns with contingency plans

Risk Management

• Identifying, assess, and mitigate project risks with comprehensive strategies
• Maintaining a risk register and update stakeholders on risk status and management

Scope Management

• Defining and control project scope, ensuring objectives are met without unnecessary expansion
• Processing change requests through formal procedures, assessing their impact on scope, schedule, and budget

Stakeholder Communication and Management

• Maintaining regular, clear communication with stakeholders, providing updates and addressing concerns
• Building and manage relationships through meetings, reports, and active engagement

Team Leadership and Coordination

• Leading and coordinate cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration and resolving conflicts
• Ensuring optimal resource allocation, balance workloads, and inspire team motivation and morale

Quality Assurance and Control

• Establishing and monitor quality standards for deliverables
• Implementing review processes and ensure adherence to stakeholder expectations and industry standards

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintaining comprehensive project documentation, including plans, status reports, and lessons learned
• Providing regular updates through progress reports and keep accurate project records

Performance Tracking and Metrics

• Monitoring project performance using key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Making data-driven adjustments to ensure the project stays on track

6 Essential Skills for Project Managers

1. Communication

In 2o25, a project manager spends a significant portion of their time communicating with teams, stakeholders, and clients. This includes providing clear instructions, presenting updates, managing expectations, and facilitating productive meetings.

Key elements of effective communication include:

• Clarity and Conciseness: Avoid ambiguity and tailor messages to the audience’s level of understanding
• Active Listening: Understanding concerns and feedback is as important as delivering information
• Adaptability: Shifting communication styles depending on context, whether it’s casual team updates or formal stakeholder presentations

2. Negotiation

Negotiation is inevitable when dealing with budgets, timelines, resource allocation, and scope adjustments. Strong negotiation skills enable project managers to find mutually beneficial solutions without compromising on project objectives.

Tips for effective negotiation:

• Be prepared with data and evidence to back your proposals
• Understand the priorities and concerns of all parties involved
• Aim for win-win outcomes to build trust and maintain relationships

3. Team Management

Managing people is at the core of project management. A project manager must unite individuals with diverse skills and personalities into a cohesive, motivated team.

Effective team management includes:

• Establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations
• Encouraging collaboration and open communication
• Recognizing and resolving conflicts quickly to maintain a harmonious work environment
• Providing consistent feedback and celebrating team achievements to boost morale

4. Organization

Organization is the foundation of any successful project. Project managers juggle multiple tasks, deadlines, resources, and stakeholders, often simultaneously.

Key organizational practices include:

• Using task management tools to track deliverables and timelines
• Maintaining up-to-date project documentation for easy access
• Prioritizing tasks effectively to ensure critical deadlines are met
• Managing stakeholder communication to ensure alignment with project objectives

5. Problem-Solving

Every project comes with unexpected challenges, whether technical, logistical, or interpersonal. The ability to identify, analyze, and resolve issues is a critical skill.

Effective problem-solving involves:

• Proactive identification of issues: Spotting red flags before they escalate
• Structured decision-making: Evaluating options and their implications before choosing a solution
• Collaboration: Involving the team to brainstorm solutions and foster ownership of outcomes

6. Risk Management

Risk management ensures project success by mitigating potential disruptions. A skilled project manager anticipates risks and develops contingency plans.

Steps in risk management include:

• Risk Identification: Recognize potential risks early in the project lifecycle
• Assessment: Determine the likelihood and impact of each risk
• Mitigation Planning: Develop strategies to minimize the impact of risks
• Monitoring: Continuously assess and update risk management plans throughout the project

Biggest Challenges faced by Project Managers

Project managers in 2025 face a rapidly evolving environment shaped by technological advancements, hybrid work dynamics, and intense competition. These shifts bring the follwing challenges that test their ability to balance stakeholder expectations, team dynamics, and project objectives:

Unrealistic deadlines

In a hyper-competitive landscape, aggressive deadlines are common. Projects are often scheduled within tight time frames to outpace competitors, leaving project managers juggling resources to meet seemingly impossible timelines.

Solution: Open a dialogue with stakeholders to understand the rationale behind the deadline. Is it tied to a market launch, investor pressure, or customer expectation? If extending the deadline is not an option, explore alternatives such as reducing scope, reallocating resources, or increasing the budget to accommodate the timeline.

Miscommunication

In an era of hybrid work, communication gaps are amplified. Misaligned expectations between team members, stakeholders, and clients can derail projects, especially when cultural and time zone differences are factored in.

Solution: Leverage cutting-edge project management tools like Zenkit to maintain a centralized source of truth. Use inclusive and jargon-free language in communications, tailoring the messaging for diverse audiences. Regular video check-ins and asynchronous updates can bridge gaps across remote teams.

Undefined goals

Starting a project without clear project assumptions leads to wasted resources and missed opportunities. In today’s fast-paced environment, undefined goals can make or break a project.

Solution: Conduct a project charter session at the onset, where stakeholders collaboratively define the project’s goals, success criteria, and deliverables. Document these details in a shared, living document that is accessible to the entire team. Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) criteria to frame the goals.

Scope Creep

Scope creep continues to plague projects, particularly in industries where stakeholders demand rapid iterations or add last-minute features. In 2025, with evolving technologies, the risk of unplanned changes is even higher.

Solution: Define a Scope Management Plan at the project’s inception. Conduct regular stakeholder reviews to ensure alignment and to mitigate late-stage surprises. Adopt agile methodologies to accommodate iterative feedback without derailing the project, while maintaining clear boundaries for unplanned additions.

Authority and leadership challenges

Establishing authority can be challenging, especially in cross-functional teams or when managing seasoned professionals with more experience than the project manager. In today’s workplace, leadership must be based on trust, not hierarchy.

Solution: Focus on servant leadership—prioritize your team’s needs and create an environment where they can succeed. From day one, clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes. Lead by example, showing confidence and empathy, and address authority issues diplomatically to prevent them from escalating.

Team dynamics and morale

Managing diverse personalities and expectations, particularly in global teams, can be a monumental task. Friction among team members or poor morale can derail progress and creativity.

Solution: Invest in team-building strategies that foster trust and collaboration. Create an open feedback culture where team members feel heard and valued. Use personality and behavioral assessments, like the DISC Profile or MBTI, to better understand team dynamics and tailor your leadership approach accordingly. Balance meetings with asynchronous communication to respect team members’ time and energy.

What does it take to become a Project Manager in 2025?

In addition to mastering core skills, project managers in 2025 must navigate unique challenges posed by the modern workplace.

Managing hybrid and remote teams requires proficiency with AI-driven project management tools, automation, and data analyticss and the ability to maintain team cohesion across time zones and cultures. Furthermore, the increasing emphasis on sustainability and ethical practices demands that project managers align projects with environmental and societal values.

Thriving as a project manager in 2025 requires more than technical skills—it demands leadership, a proactive mindset, and the ability to create order out of complexity. For those ready to embrace these challenges, project management offers a dynamic, rewarding career path in a world that increasingly values skilled organizers and problem-solvers.

To be certified, or not to be certified? That is the question

Project management in 2025 is a profession where you don’t necessarily need formal qualifications to rise to the top. It is not uncommon to find yourself in a project leadership role without having completed a degree, diploma or another type of training course, however, being formally qualified does have its advantages:

Arguments for Certification

• Increased competitiveness
  • Certifications like PMP, PRINCE2, or IPMA are widely recognized and can enhance your marketability in various industries
  • Many employers prioritize candidates with certified project management skills
• Enhanced knowledge and akills
  • Certifications provide a structured understanding of standardized methods, tools, and processes to increase project success rates
  • They help solidify best practices and develop a systematic approach to project management
• Networking opportunities
  • Certification programs often connect you with other professionals, opening doors to valuable career opportunities
• Career and salary advancement
  • Certified project managers tend to earn higher salaries compared to their non-certified peers
  • Certification increases your chances of securing leadership roles
• Alignment with market demand
  • The demand for qualified project managers is growing, particularly in industries like IT, construction, and consulting

Arguments against Certification

1. Cost and time commitment
   • Certifications like PMP can be expensive and require significant time for preparation, which might not be feasible for everyone
   • Preparing for the exam is time-consuming and often requires professional experience
2. Experience over theory
   • Many industries value practical experience over formal certifications
   • Some employers prefer project managers with proven success rather than certified credentials
3. Rapidly changing requirements
   • Project management methods evolve quickly. A certification relevant today might become outdated in the near future
   • Agile methodologies have challenged traditional approaches, making some certifications less applicable
4. Alternative learning options
   • Flexible and cost-effective options like online courses, workshops, or coaching can provide comparable benefits
   • Specialized training in Agile, Scrum, or Kanban might be more relevant in modern project environments
5. Risk of career shift
   • If you change career paths, the certification may lose its value, especially if it’s industry-specific

The decision to pursue a project management certification in 2025 depends on your career goals, current market trends, and personal resources.

If you work in an industry where standardized project management is essential and you aim to grow in this field, a certification can provide substantial benefits.

However, if you prioritize practical experience, prefer more flexible learning options, or are hesitant about the cost and time involved, alternative development pathways might suit you better. A thorough evaluation of your career plans and industry needs is key to making the right choice.

Final Thoughts

The role of a project manager in 2025 is more dynamic, strategic, and impactful than ever before. Beyond timelines and budgets, it requires a balance of technical expertise, emotional intelligence, and adaptability to thrive in a fast-evolving landscape.

Whether you’re drawn to this career for its problem-solving challenges, leadership opportunities, or the potential to drive meaningful change, becoming a project manager promises a fulfilling journey

By mastering essential skills, staying attuned to emerging technologies, and aligning with sustainability and organizational goals, you can navigate the complexities of modern business with confidence. As industries continue to value structured yet flexible leadership, this profession offers a bright and rewarding future for those willing to embrace its challenges and opportunities.

As for the project managers reading this, we’d love for you to share your tips — there’s no better knowledge than insider knowledge.

All the best,

The Zenkit Team

The post How to be a Project Manager in 2025 appeared first on Zenkit.

Imagine you’re managing a website redesign project. Initially, the client only requests a new homepage design, but soon they start asking for additional pages, new features, and multiple revisions. Before you know it, the project has expanded far beyond the original agreement, without any changes to the budget or timeline. This is a classic case of scope creep—a silent killer of many projects if left unchecked.

Scope creep can overwhelm teams, stretch resources, and lead to missed deadlines. However, by understanding the root causes and using the right tools, you can prevent and manage it effectively!

What to learn in this article:

A general understanding of Scope Creep in detail

The Best Practices to avoid Scope changes from derailing your projects

How plattforms like Zenkit help changing project scopes

What is Scope Creep?

Scope creep, also known as feature creep or focus creep, refers to “the changes or uncontrolled growth in a project’s scope, at any point after the project begins.”

It is essentially any last minute, sometimes unavoidable changes that occur usually when a project’s scope isn’t properly defined or when the project manager hasn’t diligently implemented a change control process.

Scope creep can have detrimental effects on your project. Not only can it demand additional time, budget, and resources, but it is can also result in a different project outcome than what was originally envisioned. And it can also be a total buzzkill on team morale.

Common causes of scope creep include:

• Underestimating the complexity of the project
• Lack of stakeholder/sponsor involvement
• Conflicting parties within a company
• Poor change control

Every project manager wants to avoid scope creep, but unfortunately, sometimes it’s something that naturally happens. With that being said, it doesn’t mean that it’s completely unmanageable. Good news is that there are ways to overcome it.

How to prevent Scope Creep in 5 comprehensive steps

1. Have a clear and comprehensible project schedule

Having a well-structured project schedule is crucial to preventing scope creep. Use a robust project management tool that allows you to visualize timelines, tasks, and milestones. Those tools enable real-time collaboration, ensuring that all team members are aligned on the project’s current state.

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Additionally, these tools can automatically notify team members of any changes, minimizing the risk of unintentional scope deviations.

Be sure to share the project schedule with all stakeholders, providing transparency and ensuring that expectations are aligned.

Pro Tip: Schedule regular progress reviews to evaluate if the project is adhering to its original timeline, and use Gantt charts or Kanban boards  (see below) to provide visual clarity.

2. Understand the client’s vision & stakeholders’ requirements

Before the project begins, ensure that you have a crystal-clear understanding of the client’s vision and stakeholders’ needs. This involves conducting detailed requirements gathering sessions where you ask probing questions to clarify the project’s objectives, deliverables, and limitations.

Document these requirements in a formal Scope Statement and review it with the client and stakeholders regularly. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and any discrepancies are caught early on. Consistent communication throughout the project’s lifecycle is essential to avoid misunderstandings.

Actionable Tip: Create a project charter that clearly outlines objectives, roles, and responsibilities to avoid potential misalignments during the execution phase.

3. Make sure everyone is aware of its impact

One small change can derail the entire project timeline, so it’s essential to make sure every team member and stakeholder understands the domino effect that scope changes can create. As a project manager, it’s your duty to explain how changes, even minor ones, can affect the budget, schedule, and resources.

Host impact assessment meetings when any change is proposed, and clearly outline how it will influence the broader project. This prevents team members or stakeholders from implementing changes unilaterally.

Best Practice: Maintain a risk register to log potential changes and their risks. Use this document to discuss the impacts during regular team meetings.

4. Establish a formal change control process

To keep scope creep in check, establish a formal change control process from the outset. This process should outline how any requested changes will be handled, who will review them, and the criteria for approval. All stakeholders should be aware that no changes will be made without going through this formal process.

Make use of change request forms that detail the reason for the change, its potential impact, and whether it’s truly necessary for the project’s success. This ensures that changes are evaluated systematically and not based on ad-hoc requests.

Checklist for Change Control Process:

• Formal change request submission
• Impact assessment (budget, time, resources)
• Approval or rejection by key decision-makers
• Documentation and communication of the final decision

5. Document and communicate project boundaries

To prevent misunderstandings that lead to scope creep, it’s essential to clearly document and communicate the project boundaries. This includes defining what’s in scope and what’s out of scope, leaving no room for interpretation. By clearly stating the project limitations, stakeholders are less likely to request additional features or tasks outside of the agreed-upon parameters.

Regularly revisit these boundaries during status meetings and project checkpoints to remind everyone of the project’s original scope. This reinforcement can prevent the team from unintentionally drifting beyond the agreed scope.

Tip: Include a scope management plan as part of your project documentation, which is easily accessible to all stakeholders. Regularly update it to reflect any changes or clarifications made during the project’s course.

Change is inevitable

When it comes to project management, change is inevitable, and the best way to confront it is to be prepared for it. Any good project manager will have some sort of process in place that will manage any unsuspecting adjustments that may come their way smoothly.

“Project managers are the most creative pros in the world; we have to figure out everything that could go wrong before it does.” — Fredrik Haren

Your change control process doesn’t have to be complicated, all it needs is to include the steps that will be taken when a proposed change is introduced during the project’s delivery.

The process needs to include the person/people responsible for reviewing and approving the changes as well as how approved changes will be incorporated into the project. Additional costs and resources required to implement any changes need to be accounted for as well.

A great way to create and monitor such a process (and any kind of process) is by using a Kanban board. Kanban is a scheduling system that is part of Lean and Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing. It is a highly visual method that depicts the workflow process and the work passing through it. Its visualization of the workflow makes it the perfect tool to use for your change control process.

How to create a Change Control Process in Zenkit

Step 1: Create a project

Using the Kanban view to create your change control process is your best bet. Create a new project by navigating to the sidebar and clicking on the “+ Create” button.

Enter the name of the project, select a folder and hit “Create”. Kanban is the default view after creating a new project!

Step 2: Set the stages & enter the changes

Each column of the Kanban Board represents a stage in your change control process. How many stages and what to call them is entirely up to you, just make sure you include details such as what the proposed change is, its current status, and when it was integrated into the project. We’ve gone with the following:

1. Proposed change
2. In review
3. Rejected
4. Accepted
5. Integrated into project

Once the stages have been set, it’s time to add the proposed changes as new items (this can be updated as each new proposed change comes in of course!)

Step 3: Add Custom Fields

Every field in Zenkit is one of a wide range of custom field types. What this means is that you are able to include all kinds of additional information, from extra dates to priority level to each proposed change.

You also have the ability to sort and filter your data, as well as use special functions such as formulas and references if needs be.

This feature allows you to incorporate additional information into each proposed idea. Things like who proposed the change, when it was proposed, and the reason for its rejection can be included.

Don’t want to built it yourself? Download our handy change control process template.

Step 4: Live your best Kanban life

The Kanban method works by visualizing each stage of development with each column representing a different stage. While there are no set rules of Kanban as such, there are six general practices to remember when applying it. They are:

1. Visualization
2. Limiting work in progress
3. Flow management
4. Making policies explicit
5. Using feedback loops
6. Collaborative or experimental evolution

Move each proposed change along by dragging and dropping it into the correct stage of the process. Remember that whoever you share this collection with will see all the activities being made to the process.

The post How to tackle Scope Creep appeared first on Zenkit.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by an endless list of tasks, unsure of where to start or how to prioritize? You’re not alone. Many of us struggle to focus in today’s fast-paced, information-saturated world, where distractions constantly compete for our attention.

In an era of information overload, mastering prioritization is more crucial than ever. It’s not just about doing more—it’s about doing what truly matters. This is where time management tools come in, offering strategies to boost productivity. Among the many methods available, one simple yet highly effective tool stands out: the Eisenhower Matrix.

Whether you’ve heard of it or not, the Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful prioritization framework that can help you cut through the clutter and focus on tasks that will drive you toward your goals. By breaking tasks down based on urgency and importance, this matrix allows you to organize your time more efficiently, improving both your productivity and peace of mind.

Successful people in any field know the importance of managing their time and tasks effectively. These are essential skills for achieving goals and meeting deadlines. But staying organized and maintaining focus can be challenging. The Eisenhower Matrix offers a clear, actionable solution to help you prioritize and regain control of your workload.

Keep reading to discover how this tool can transform the way you manage your time!

What to expect in this article:

A Deep Dive into the Eisenhower Matrix

Practical Examples and Tips

Actionable Steps for better Time Management

What Is the Eisenhower Matrix?

The Eisenhower Matrix (also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix, Eisenhower Box, Eisenhower Method, and Time Management Matrix) is a decision-making method that helps you sort out tasks based on the criteria of urgency and importance. 

Although simple in its makeup, this prioritization matrix is powerful. Use it to eliminate the noise and time-wasting activities in your life, help you combat the “mere-urgency” effect (more on this later), and increase your mental legroom to make progress on your long-term goals.

This method is particularly useful for people who:

• Find themselves merely running around handling daily crises 
• Are busy but feel inefficient and ineffective
• Have long-term goals but no time or energy to make progress on them
• Have trouble delegating tasks or saying ‘no’

With oodles of time management strategies and tools to choose from, what makes the Eisenhower Matrix so noteworthy? It is remarkable because, despite its simplicity, it has outlived the trends (having often been repackaged and sold as new!) and continues to produce results.

The History of the Eisenhower Matrix

For many, the name Eisenhower might sound familiar from U.S. history. The Eisenhower Matrix is indeed named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. Before his presidency, Eisenhower served as a five-star general and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, where he faced constant tough decisions due to the weight of his responsibilities.

Eisenhower famously said, “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”

Interestingly, the method gained widespread recognition through Stephen Covey’s best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, where Covey adapted Eisenhower’s decision-making approach into the now well-known Eisenhower Matrix for prioritizing tasks.

How Does It Work? The Eisenhower Matrix Explained

The Eisenhower Matrix is an extremely effective way to prioritize and manage both your time and your tasks. Arranged into four categories, the decision-making method is based on two simple criteria: urgency and importance. 

The matrix is systematized with four quadrants, structured according to urgency on the x-axis and by importance on the y-axis. According to priority and urgency levels, the user organizes their tasks and activities into the following categories:

• Quadrant 1: Do first – get it done now
• Quadrant 2: Decide when – make a schedule, set a deadline 
• Quadrant 3: Delegate to – divide the workload 
• Quadrant 4: Delete it – eliminate unnecessary elements 

How to Decipher the Urgent from the Important

To effectively manage your time, mastering the skill of categorizing tasks into four quadrants is essential, though challenging. The key is focusing on tasks that offer the most significant results with the least effort, aligning with the Pareto Principle.

The Pareto Principle states that 80% of results come from 20% of effort. However, many people waste time on less impactful activities, falling into the trap of “present shock“, where immediate demands overshadow long-term priorities. This tendency is linked to the “Mere-Urgency Effect“, where we prioritize tasks with deadlines, regardless of their importance.

It’s crucial to differentiate between urgent and important tasks. Urgent tasks demand immediate attention—like tax deadlines or health issues—while important tasks contribute to long-term goals and values. Brett McKay, founder of the Art of Manliness, emphasizes that clarity on what’s important simplifies decision-making.

Rory Vaden, author of Procrastinate on Purpose, argues that successful people act as “time multipliers,” focusing on actions that create more time in the future. Instead of reacting to emergencies, they prioritize tasks that free up time.

As Youtuber John Green notes, productivity isn’t about becoming a problem-solving machine, but about recognizing the value of time and managing it wisely. By making conscious, purpose-driven choices, you can stop the endless cycle of reactive decision-making and focus on what truly matters.

Start Doing What Matters Using the Eisenhower Matrix

1. Do first – Get it done now: Tasks that are urgent and important

Quadrant 1 tasks are inevitable, and characterized as urgent and important; they require direct and immediate attention. These tasks have a tendency to be more tedious and challenging consequently requiring more time and attention to complete.

Tasks that land in the first quadrant are often the direct result of procrastination. They should, however, be tackled first and completed as soon as possible.

Use Mark Twain’s Eat the Frog principle to master possible task paralysis. The term ‘eat that frog’ refers to getting your worst task out of the way first. Eating the frog implies you finish a task you don’t want to do, but know you have to do. These tasks ultimately give you a strong feeling of accomplishment once completed.

For those of us who work best under pressure or with clear deadlines, you can use the Pomodoro technique to help you focus on the task.

Types of Quadrant 1 Tasks include:

• Review a document for your manager
• Finalize the employee payslips
• Pick up the dry cleaning on Friday afternoon for the weekend event

2. Decide when – Make a schedule, and set a deadline: Tasks that are important, but not urgent

Not every important task has to be finished in one day. Tasks that are important, but not urgent are generally long-term projects or assignments that require sufficient planning and a certain amount of time to be executed properly.

Termed the sweet spot of personal time management, the second quadrant is the spot focused on personal improvement in terms of opportunities and growth. Quadrant 2 is the perfect location to write down a list of your meaningful goals. It’s essential to focus on setting clear goals and objectives for tasks in this quadrant.

Types of Quadrant 2 Tasks:

• Set up a marketing budget for the following year
• A restart of your fitness regimen
• Update your will

3. Delegate to – Divide the workload: Tasks that are urgent, but not important

Quadrant 3 is where the mere-urgency effect affects lives. Even if you and I were the best multi-taskers and extremely efficient in our jobs, we have to face the fact that we aren’t Superman.

The common phrase, “teamwork makes the dream work” isn’t famous just because it is catchy, but because it is true.

Good leaders and managers know when to do a task themselves and when to delegate the work to someone else. Sometimes it’s best to delegate a task you could do yourself to a co-worker knowing they might be the better person to complete the job. Delegation requires clear workplace communication to ensure tasks are understood and completed efficiently.

Types of Quadrant 3 Tasks:

• Schedule a job interview
• Go food shopping
• Book flights for vacation

4. Delete it – Eliminate unnecessary elements: Tasks that are neither urgent nor important

Quadrant 4 is the quadrant of excess and immediate gratification. Tasks that are neither urgent nor important are to be placed in the trash, out of sight and out of mind. Depending on the situation, such tasks could reappear on your to-do list in a week’s time but do not need to be done yet and may even be considered a waste of time.

Types of Quadrant 4 Tasks:

• Buy a new coffee machine
• Renew magazine subscription
• Sort through junk mail

Best Practice Tips for Using the Eisenhower Matrix

Although the Eisenhower Matrix is a simple and straightforward tool, there are several ways to optimize its use for maximum effectiveness. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of it:

• Add a splash of color! Use color-coding to visually differentiate categories and quadrants, allowing for a quick overview of your priorities.
• Separate business from leisure. Maintain distinct lists for professional and personal tasks. This makes it easier to stay organized without the confusion of mixing tasks like scheduling a doctor’s appointment with booking a business trip.
• Make it visual. If the traditional square layout doesn’t suit you, try organizing your matrix Kanban-style. Many tools offer this format, which may feel more intuitive. Here’s a Zenkit template to help you implement the prioritization matrix:

• Label everything. Labels provide an easy way to keep things organized, especially for tasks that might shift between categories over time. In a Kanban layout, labels can help you categorize tasks into the four quadrants.
• Go digital and save paper. Instead of using paper, explore online task management tools to track your progress. These tools, such as Zenkit, are especially helpful when working with teams or managing both personal and professional tasks efficiently.

Convinced That the Eisenhower Matrix Is for You? Here Are Some Things to Consider

Advantages of the time management matrix:

• Cost-effective and accessible: One of the most significant advantages of the Eisenhower Matrix is its simplicity and low cost—it’s completely free! You don’t need expensive software or complicated tools to get started. All you need is paper or a digital tool, making it one of the easiest and most budget-friendly time management methods.
• User-friendly and adaptable: No special training is required to use the Eisenhower Matrix. It’s intuitive, allowing anyone to categorize tasks based on urgency and importance. The absence of rigid rules means you have full control over how to classify your tasks, offering flexibility to personalize the system to suit your unique work style and priorities.
• Improves decision-making skills: Regular use of the matrix sharpens your decision-making abilities. By frequently assessing what’s urgent versus important, you naturally develop the habit of prioritizing tasks more effectively. This can lead to quicker, more confident decisions in all areas of life, from personal tasks to professional responsibilities.
• Encourages regular review and self-awareness: The Eisenhower Matrix promotes regular reflection and self-analysis. As you track your tasks and progress, you gain insights into how well you manage your time. This increased self-awareness can lead to better work habits, help you identify patterns of inefficiency, and foster personal growth over time.

Disadvantages of the Eisenhower Matrix:

• Limited criteria: While the matrix excels at organizing tasks by urgency and importance, it doesn’t account for other crucial factors such as available resources, task complexity, or the level of effort required. If a task requires collaboration or specific tools, the matrix alone (without a project management tool to back it up) may not be sufficient for thorough planning.
• Requires time and discipline: Like any effective tool, the matrix requires consistent effort to be useful. Categorizing tasks daily or weekly can be time-consuming, and without discipline, it’s easy to let this habit slip. However, the value lies in making the Eisenhower Matrix a routine part of your planning, ensuring that task management doesn’t become a chore but a helpful guide to start each day with clear intentions.
• Risk of overwhelm and task paralysis: If not managed carefully, the matrix can lead to overwhelm, especially when too many tasks accumulate. With an overloaded quadrant, you may experience “task paralysis,” making it difficult to move forward. To avoid this, limit the number of tasks per quadrant and focus on high-impact activities. This keeps the matrix manageable and prevents you from feeling buried in your to-do list.

Key Takeaways on the Eisenhower Matrix, Time Management, and the Universe

Staying organized in this time-pressured world can prove challenging due to overlapping commitments and spontaneous ‘urgent’ meetings. A recurring false pretence of urgency can also cloud one’s understanding or definition of an ‘urgent matter’. 

A common cause of stress and job burnout is improper time management. Utilizing this method helps you learn key principles of planning, prioritizing, delegating, and scheduling. The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple aid to help you increase productivity and complete tasks that matter. 

This prioritization matrix may not work for all, but it’s a great starting point. You can use it as a stepping stone to finding a more personalized, better-suited technique. So, what are you waiting for? 

1. Set yourself up for success.
2. Stop hustling without purpose.
3. Switch to prioritizing long-term goals over shallow task wins.
4. Start working on what matters.

All the best,
Jessica and the Zenkit Team

The post The Eisenhower Matrix: A Task Prioritization Method appeared first on Zenkit.

Choosing the right project management framework is the foundation of every successful project. Project managers have a broad portfolio of proven and modern project management methodologies at their disposal. In particular, agile project management methods like Scrum and Kanban have now become absolute trend strategies.

But be careful: One-for-All does not apply in project management! Each project has individual characteristics, requirements, and risks that you should definitely consider when choosing the appropriate project management method.

In this article, we present the 10 most renowned project management solutions and show you exactly what is suitable for you and your company.

The following points will be covered in this article:

Important principles for selecting your project management framework

The 10 most effective project management methodologies and their key characteristics

Examples for choosing the most suitable approach for your team

Project Management Methodologies: More structure and less risk

Projects aim to achieve a specific, unique goal, such as the development of new software. This must be accomplished within a certain timeframe without exceeding the predefined limits of personnel, monetary, and time resources. If project managers approach this task unprepared and disorganized, it is very likely that the project will fail.

The more complex the project, the higher the external risk factors, and the more employees involved, the more important it is to approach the project in a structured and systematic manner.

Finding “The One”

A project management methodology that represents an universal solution for all project types seems desirable. However, we must quickly abandon this thought. Projects are defined by their unique nature. They differ significantly in the following factors:

• Strategic goal alignment and company values
• Key business factors (e.g., pricing strategies)
• Stakeholder requirements
• Project risks
• Project size
• Resource availability
• Project complexity
• Time frame

What works for one project can be completely unsuitable for another. These individual differences require tailored approaches in project management. A one-size-fits-all solution is not capable of meeting the specific requirements and challenges of each project.

Project Management Methodologies in comparison

Agile? Lean? Waterfall? Project managers are spoilt for choice. The following project management methodologies have already established themselves in practice. Now it’s time to decide which method fits your principles and processes.

1. Waterfall Methodology

The Waterfall methodology is a traditional project management method. It proceeds step by step – like a waterfall – in these phases:

1. Initiation
2. Planning and Analysis
3. Setting up the Resource Plan
4. Execution
5. Monitoring
6. Control
7. Completion of the Project

All tasks of the project are processed according to the fixed sequence of the Waterfall project management methodology. New tasks are only started when the previous ones are completed.

In the framework of the Waterfall method, the project manager plans in advance exactly the required resource deployment and aligns the entire planning of the project management process accordingly. Unlike agile project management methodologies, no feedback processes are provided within the individual project steps. The Waterfall methodology allows only minimal deviation from the pre-established resource planning.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

The Waterfall methodology is particularly suitable for projects whose tasks are dependent on each other. Projects that follow this method shouldn’t be very extensive and of short duration. Or they should include tasks that are repetitive and already known to the participants. The Waterfall methodology is well suited, for example, for projects in production that primarily involve sequential processes. These sequential phases and processes are often visualized in Waterfall project management using Gantt charts.

In the implementation of step-by-step project management frameworks, errors often become apparent only at the end of a project. Therefore, the Waterfall methodology is not well suited for projects with many unpredictable factors.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: Although the Waterfall methodology is often seen as traditional and sequential, it did not originate in computer science or engineering. In fact, the Waterfall methodology was first introduced in an article by Dr. Winston W. Royce in 1970, where he described the project management method as problematic and prone to errors. Ironically, the Waterfall methodology still became popular. Today it’s one of the most well-known project management methodologies, even though its original creator viewed its application with reservations.

2. Agile Methodology

Originally, the Agile project management methodology was designed in 2001 by 13 industry leaders as part of the Agile Manifesto for software development. Since then, agile methodology has also proven itself as a project management framework. Agile project management questions the processes, tasks, and role distributions of traditional approaches and replaces them with a more flexible, future-oriented principle. The optimization of customer benefit is foregrounded.

The core principle of  the agile methodology is based on 12 guidelines and includes the following pillars:

• Direct and Open Communication

Agile project management methodologies are based on short, direct communication channels. When all team members are on the same level of knowledge, requests for changes can be responded to immediately and comprehensively.

• Implementation Cycles that Allow for Short-Term Changes

To optimize customer benefit, it must be possible to respond to short-term requests for changes. Instead of delivering a complete final package to the customer, which they may not be satisfied with, agile project management allows for regular feedback processes and constant improvement of the product – even during the project process!

• Implementation of Flat Hierarchies

Agile work can only be carried out in a familiar team atmosphere. Strict hierarchy prevents quick and flexible responses to requests for changes. In agile teams, each member acts on their own responsibility. Agile leaders must therefore be able to delegate tasks and responsibility and have trust in their employees.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Agile project management methodologies are flexible in their application. Therefore, they are excellently suited for large, complex projects whose requirements are unpredictable and which can entail high risks. Aligned with the principles of the Agile Manifesto, various agile implementation methods, such as Scrum and Kanban, have been developed. However, since these have also developed their own structures, roles, and terminologies, they are treated as distinct project management methods in the following. Another project management tool that is especially popular in agile project management are Mind Maps. They help organize complex information and promote creativity and collaboration within the team.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: According to a survey by the PMI (Project Management Institute), agile projects have a higher success rate compared to traditional projects. The study found that 71% of agile projects were rated as successful compared to 55% of non-agile projects.

3. Scrum Methodology

Scrum is also considered an Agile method but distinguishes itself through its own set of firm rules, roles, and processes. This project management methodology is based on the notion that extensive projects are too complex to plan precisely in advance. Thus, most of the potential risks and requirements are unclear at the start of the project. To counter this fact, Scrum involves setting up and discussing interim results.

At the beginning of the project, Scrum establishes a long-term plan (Product Backlog). Unlike the traditional Waterfall methodology, this plan is regularly adjusted and optimized during the execution of the project. Tasks and actions associated with the project are implemented in repeating cycles (Sprints). Each Sprint aims to present a functioning interim product.

To enable Scrum teams to achieve this, all project participants gather at the start of each day in Daily Scrums to discuss tasks, problems, and progress. The Scrum project management methodology defines the following roles within a team:

• Product Owner: A product expert who represents the project’s stakeholders and advocates the views and wishes of the customer
• Development Team: A project team (e.g., developers and designers) that is involved in the execution of the project and takes on tasks
• Scrum Master: Facilitates and supports the development team and is responsible for ensuring that Scrum is correctly implemented. He also mediates between the development team and the Product Owner. However, it’s important to note that the Scrum Master does not play a traditional boss role. He does not dictate who should complete which task

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Scrum supports extensive, complex projects whose character is difficult to define in advance and therefore require a flexible project management methodology. Especially teams consisting of fewer than seven people benefit from Scrum.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: Although Scrum originally emerged as a framework for software development, it was later successfully expanded to other industries, including marketing, HR, and even in the field of education.

4. Kanban Methodology

Kanban is based on regular feedback loops and teams that work independently. This Agile project management methodology was originally developed in the 1950s by Toyota in Japan. Kanban aims to optimally control each stage of a project to achieve faster throughput times.

The core principle of Kanban is effective teamwork. Short, daily stand-up meetings are practical, where all team members can discuss progress, successes, problems, and the next steps in the project.

The Kanban method visualizes project workflows using Kanban boards. Kanban boards can be created both physically and digitally.

In the classic model, tasks that are not yet being processed are listed as To-Dos in the left column of the board.

When you start working on a task, move it to the middle column of the board and mark it as Doing. The Kanban method allows all team members to decide in which order to process tasks.

Once a task is considered complete, it is moved to the right column of the Kanban board and marked as Done.

It’s important to work on only a limited number of tasks simultaneously. A key aspect of implementing Kanban in project management is that tasks are consistently prioritized to keep processes clear and organized.

If a so-called bottleneck, or task backlog, forms, your Kanban board will show a large number of Kanban cards in the To-Do or Doing column. Here you must intervene and analyze the problem.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Originally, Kanban was developed by Toyota for production and later adapted for software development by David Anderson in 2007. Nowadays, due to its transparent structures and high flexibility, Kanban can be used for any project that benefits from continuous improvements and feedback processes during its execution.

By the way: The Kanban project management methodology is perfect for personal and creative endeavours.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: According to an internal analysis of companies that have implemented Kanban, the average cycle time for tasks has been reduced by up to 50%.

5. Lean Methodology

Lean aims to create value without waste. Customer benefit and process efficiency are optimized without wasting resources. The Lean project management methodology distinguishes between three different types of resource waste:

Muda

Muda refers to activities or processes that do not create value. Lean identifies potential resource wastage in seven original processes:

• Transport
• Inventory
• Movement (of employees)
• Waiting times
• Overproduction
• Incorrect use of technology or poor manufacturing processes
• Waste and possibly rework

Mura

Mura refers to losses that occur due to unbalanced processes. If the individual process steps are not aligned, deviations, irregularities, and disruptions arise.

Muri

Muri refers to an unbalanced workload on employees and machines. According to Lean principles, processes should neither be too fast nor too slow. Ideally, Lean reduces monotonous activities without overburdening employees and overloading machines.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Since Lean (Project) Management is much more a project management philosophy than just a tool, this project management methodology is suitable for any company interested in transforming the values of their project management to save costs and other resources in the long term.

Key prerequisites for a comprehensive implementation of Lean project management are:

• Breaking up traditional thought structures and work processes
• The ability to design projects and processes flexibly
• A strong team culture
• Support from the entire leadership level
• A firm commitment to the company value of “customer proximity”

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: Lean project management is based on the principles of Kaizen, which means “continuous improvement” in Japanese. The constant pursuit of improvement at all levels of the company, from processes to work culture, contributes to strengthening the agility and adaptability of the organization.

10 popular project management methodologies, but only one home needed for all of them. Get the most out of your project

6. Six Sigma Methodology

The Six Sigma methodology was developed in 1987 in the USA by Motorola. Six Sigma is based on the assumption that every business process can be represented as a mathematical function. The description, measurement, analysis, control, and optimization of these processes are carried out using statistical means.

The main tool of this project management methodology is the DMAIC cycle. DMAIC aims to make business processes measurable and optimize them. The following actions determine the DMAIC cycle:

• Define: Identification and documentation of the problem in the process to be improved. What should the target state look like?
• Measure: To what extent does the process meet the requirements?
• Analyze: Identification of the causes of the problem
• Improve: Resolution of the problem
• Control: Ensuring the sustainability of the solution by monitoring the new process with statistical methods

The leadership of Six Sigma projects is undertaken by specially trained employees. The role designations in Six Sigma teams are based on the belt colors in Japanese martial arts, which serve as a ranking system. For example, there is the Master Black Belt (coach and trainer) or the Black Belt (project manager). A comprehensive explanation of all team roles in this project management methodology can be found here.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Six Sigma is especially popular in large companies. This project management methodology is favored in the manufacturing industry and the service sector. Variants of the Six Sigma method have also become established in software development and the financial industry. Six Sigma is ideally suited for projects with clearly measurable results and a duration of between three and six months.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: The term “Six Sigma” refers to the statistical expression for a process’s ability to produce only 3.4 defects per million opportunities.

7. Critical Chain Project Management Methodology

Critical Chain project management (CCPM) is an effective project management methodology for managing projects based on the principles of the Theory of Constraints.

Unlike traditional project management approaches, CCPM focuses on the identification and management of bottlenecks in the project. The method concentrates on utilizing critical resources as effectively as possible to shorten throughput times.

The central idea behind CCPM is the creation of a critical chain of tasks, where buffer times are strategically used to account for uncertainties and fluctuations in the project’s progression.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

CCPM is particularly suitable for projects with uncertain resource capacities and dynamic requirements. This includes companies from various sectors such as manufacturing, IT, construction, research, and development. The method emphasizes the prioritization of tasks and maximizing efficiency, leading to accelerated project execution. Companies that value lean and targeted project management will find CCPM a valuable method for optimal project results.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: Critical Chain project management (CCPM) aims not only to identify bottlenecks but also to overcome psychological barriers. CCPM acknowledges that human uncertainty and behavior patterns can impact project performance. Therefore, the project management methodology integrates strategies to cope with uncertainty and promote a positive team environment.

8. PRINCE2 Methodology

Prince2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments) is a proven project management methodology for structured project management that is recognized worldwide.

The method is characterized by clear processes, roles, and responsibilities. Prince2 defines detailed phases in the project cycle, starting with initiation, followed by planning, execution, control, and completion. It places great importance on the involvement of stakeholders and emphasizes the regular review and adjustment of the project status.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Prince2 is particularly suitable for projects with clear definitions, fixed structures, and comprehensive documentation requirements. The method offers flexibility to adapt to various project sizes and types. Large companies with complex projects that seek a methodical approach with clear governance structures will find Prince2 to be a robust method for ensuring project success.

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: Prince2, with its roots in IT projects, was originally developed in the United Kingdom and introduced by the British government.

9. Extreme Programming Methodology

Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile methodology that focuses on software development and is based on principles such as flexibility and continuous improvement.

Originally developed in 1996, XP has evolved into a versatile project management methodology. XP emphasizes direct communication, collaboration, and customer orientation. With a focus on short development cycles (iterations), Extreme Programming enables rapid adaptation to changing requirements. Pair programming, Test Driven Development (TDD), and continuous integration are key elements of XP. These methods promote high code quality and early detection of errors.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

XP is particularly suitable for projects where the requirements are not clearly defined from the beginning and high flexibility is required. Companies looking for an Agile method to quickly respond to customer feedback and deliver high-quality software will find an effective solution in Extreme Programming (XP).

Opportunities & Risks

Unknown Fact: Extreme Programming popularized the practice of “User Stories”. User Stories are short, understandable descriptions of features or requirements from the perspective of the end-user. This method helps to improve usability and ensures that the developed features provide clear added value for the users.

10. PMI/PMBOK

PMI stands for the project management Institute which is a not-for-profit membership association, project management certification, and standards organization. Through the PMI, comes the PMBOK which is not quite a methodology but a guide detailing a set of standards that characterize project management.

PMBOK stands for the project management Body of Knowledge and is a set of standard terminology and guidelines for project management. It states that there are five process groups that are prevalent in almost every project. They are:

1. Initiating: Defining the start of a new project or new phase of an existing project.
2. Planning: Where the scope of the project, objectives, and how the objectives will be achieved.
3. Executing: Actually doing the work defined in the project management plan.
4. Monitoring and Controlling: When you need to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance.
5. Closing: Concluding all activities across all Process Groups to formally close the project or phrase.

Along with this, it includes best practices, conventions, and techniques that are considered the industry standard. Regularly updating their guide to ensure that they echo the most up-to-date project management practices, the PMBOK is currently up to its seventh edition which was published in print and online in 2021.

What is this Project Management Methodology suitable for?

Because it’s more of a reference guide than an actual project management methodology, you can’t implement PMI/PMBOK to a project. However, it can be used when you want to weigh in on the best practices for your project.

Unknown Fact: The PMBOK originated from an effort to standardize the information and practices in the field of project management and was first published as a white paper in 1987.

Have you found your Favorite?

Whether it’s a start-up, a corporation, a family business, or even for private projects – the presented selection of various project management methodologies includes solutions for (almost) every team size and project character.

If you have set your sights on one of the project management frameworks, you should familiarize yourself with it thoroughly once again. Especially complex project management methodologies like Scrum or Six Sigma fill entire books and must therefore be understood in the smallest detail.

Are you missing a specific methodology in our overview or would you like to learn more about one of the methods presented? Then leave us a comment. Have you successfully implemented one of the methods? Tell us and other readers about your experiences.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you.

See you soon!

The post 10 Most Popular Project Management Methodologies: An Overview appeared first on Zenkit.

During the first months of studying at University, I often asked myself whether I should find a part-time job in Karlsruhe, the city where I am studying. I constantly drove back to Ulm, where I’m from, to work at my old mini-job, which made adjusting in Karlsruhe complex. However, this was to change with my new working student job.

I began my search by writing down a few criteria, points, and questions that were the most important to me. Is the workplace easily accessible via public transport? Is the working atmosphere hierarchical or more familiar? Would I learn skills at this job needed for my future? Does the employer allow me to work from home, since I travel home often? Am I able to improve my English language skills at this job? 

I applied for various jobs that fit my criteria. Then came the first invitation from Zenkit.

Due to the circumstances of the pandemic, I had a telephone interview. This was challenging to me since my previous interviews were always conducted face-to-face, and I couldn’t gauge how to leave a lasting impression via telephone interview. 

Despite the circumstances, I was soon notified that I had received the job. Following that, I received very good onboarding in my area of responsibility, my tasks, and to the team in general. I have now been working at Zenkit in the Customer Service department for almost two years.

In my job I help and advise interested parties and customers with all product inquiries. I try to process and solve customer problems independently as best I can. In this way, our users are always informed and can carry out their work with our products in the best possible way.

By working in customer service, I was able to expand my knowledge and skills in the area of customer service and customer contact. Since I have many inquiries in English, I was also able to expand my vocabulary in the area of technical and business English.

In addition to my regular tasks and duties, I maintain the Reddit page for Zenkit. There I advise, help, and discuss with customers and other Reddit users who are interested in Zenkit.

Since I work at home and remotely most of the time, I can’t tell you much about working in the office. However, sometimes there is cake, for which, of course, I make an exception to my usual routine and come to work at the office. Even though I’m not in the office that much, I enjoy the camaraderie-feel when working in the small community at Zenkit. Everyone is friendly, always courteous, and helpful.

Does the work help me with my studies? Yes, it does. The insight into IT and, to some extent, business activities, are very relevant both in my degree program and outside my studies.

Personally, I am happy with my choice. The fact that Zenkit has more of a startup atmosphere makes it more pleasant and direct in my opinion. This makes it easier for me as a working student to take a step into the working world.

If you’re interested in working at Zenkit, we’ve got spots open! Send an email to jobs@zenkit.com for more info

The post Internship Insight: Customer Service appeared first on Zenkit.

Your product is the most significant part of your brand. When people try your product, they form an opinion about it and associate it with your company. So be it your first or ninth product, you need to ensure that your customers are completely satisfied with what it does.

For startups, in particular, it is even more challenging because of the uncertainty of how long you are going to stay in the market. The potential customers, in this case, are afraid that their time and money will be wasted if you just disappear from the market. 

Putting the fear aside, there is no shortage of startups that built a product and made millions out of it very soon. What these startups did is something you should note before you start developing a product.

There are a lot of sources that you can use as inspiration, but it is not only the idea of the product that matters. It’s about how you move forward and take care of the execution part. The execution part does not end once you’ve finished developing the product either. In fact, it continues even after that. 

Launching the product correctly is also as important as developing a product. Why? It’s because if your launch fails and you’re not able to generate the required sales to keep your business running,  then it doesn’t matter how good your product is.

So here, we have identified two of the major factors that determine if your business is going to be successful. These are the proper development of the product and the effective launch, which takes place after the development. This article consists of some tips on both these factors to bring the best out of your potential. Let’s begin.

Tips to Build a Product Successfully

If you are in a technical industry, you must have experienced the constant urge to perfect the project before handing it over to the customer. This is a great thought for your customers, but the problem with this is that you can run out of money without catering to the actual needs of the customers. This is where tons of companies go wrong.

Your customers can’t wait a lifetime for you to give them what you’re building. Here are some of the crucial ways to keep things on track for making a triumphant product.

Discover the Unmet Need Of Customers

Irrespective of how much growth we see in the industry, customers always want something better – something that they have not got yet. If you are starting out in the industry, these unmet needs can give you a product idea or feature that can almost ensure that your product will be a success.

In order to know what the unmet needs are, you can create some questions to interview your customers, whether existing or potential. You have to ensure that your questions tell you what the problem of your customers is. 

More importantly, you need to carefully listen to what they say. By listening to their answers, you’ll get to know more about the nature of their pain, which will allow you to come up with a product that a customer cannot deny purchasing.

Develop Hypothesis

Now you have made some observations about what your customer’s actual needs are and you know how to align yourself with them. The next step is to make intelligent guesses about the features that you could add to the product to make it accepted on a worldwide level. Moreover, you should work on figuring out what’s the estimated number of users that would use the prototype with those features. When you know what the average customer adoption number is going to be, you get to decide how much you should actually invest in the product.

Define Your Product

Since you have already interviewed people to find out their unmet needs, you have a clear picture of who your target audience is and what it is that they want. Now you just have to give them a reason to choose your product over the others available on the market.

Here you should take tips from successful brands about how they define their product and values, and integrate them into the entire company. Sales, marketing, finance, public relations, and offers – everything works around how you’ve defined your product. You have to dig deeper to find out what your company offers that no one else does. At the same time, you have to emphasize the qualities that make your product effective.

When defining your product, associate it with a story so that the customer can emotionally connect with it.

Prototype the Solution

Now you know what the features that your product can have are, it’s time to move to the next step, and start building a quick prototype with those features. The first version is not meant to completely satisfy the customer; it is more for you than for them. It helps you identify the track on which you should move to minimize the gap between what a prototype does and what the actual product should do to convince the customers to buy it.

Proper Project Management

To make the actual product, you have to go through the prototype. But deciding what the prototype should entail is also not a piece of cake. You have to keep many factors in mind while prioritizing the features of your product. In this case, when you are finding it difficult to decide what should be included, a prioritization framework can be of great help to you.

A prioritization framework consists of certain criteria that product teams of the company can use to rank features according to the business value in the order of priority. The framework allows you to minimize biases, avoid analysis paralysis, and more importantly, support decisions that are made strategically. Because it eliminates these biases, product management also becomes easier. 

With the help of frameworks, communicating the priorities to the leaders and stakeholders also becomes relatively easy.

The prioritization framework that you should choose depends on the nature of your product, the customers served, individual choices and the culture of the organization. Your product team has to pick the one that suits them best, and then apply it uniformly across the product. This takes us to the next part of the article. Here, we are going to share some tips that you can incorporate to successfully launch your product.

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Tips that Guarantee a Successful Product Launch

There are many companies that have made the mistake of presenting their final product to their audience without having any strategic product launch plan in place. As a result, most of them face financial issues and the promotion of products also becomes ineffective. To make a product launch successful, you’ll need proper research from reliable and experienced marketers. Here are some successful product launch tips:

Know The Details Of Your Product

What is the most important aspect of the product launch? Well, obviously, it’s the product itself! Therefore, it is essential that before launching the product everyone has a clear picture of what it offers. You should know how your product will fill the gap and benefit the people using it.

During the launch, you need to connect with an ample amount of people to make the product financially viable. This will only happen if your product satisfies the users in every aspect, like quality, functionality, and price. If all of this is in place, you’ll have a product that sells itself.

Putting forward the features that will most benefit the user is the first step that you need to follow for a successful product launch. You should even highlight these features in the launch.

Identify Your Competition

There is a product for almost everything in the market. Therefore, it is only natural that with time you’ll be up against massive competition. So how would you survive in the market then? It is only possible by knowing what the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors are.

Their strengths tell you about the advantage they have over you. You can use this information to bring improvements to your product and get a step ahead of them. Their weaknesses, on the other hand, can help you make a better pitch in the market.

It is also essential to know how your competitors launched their products and how they do their marketing. It will surely guide you on the path to promoting your products in a way that beats them.

Build a USP and UVP

Now you know who your audience is, what they want, and how you can help them. All that is left for you to do is convince those people that you are the best in the business and so is your product. 

You must show them the benefit that they are going to get if they purchase your product. For this, you’ll need to establish Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and Unique Value Proposition (UVP). These propositions tell everything important about your product to convince the customers that it is the best one available in the market.

Promote Your Launch and Product

Before you get into the launching part, it is essential to ensure that the product is completely ready to be launched on the market. Once everything is sorted about the product, only then should you know how to launch a product campaign.

At some point, you’ll have to create a buzz about the product in the market. You can use ads, press releases, and social media campaigns to reach out to as many people interested as you can. The team must come up with unique strategies to market the product. The promotion of the product should start well before the launch date so that there’s enough buzz in the market for you to gain instant acquisition.

Final Thoughts

For any company to succeed in making effective products, it is essential to follow a certain framework. Once you have everything in place, from idea to execution, develop in parts, and get instant feedback from the customer about the performance of each part. 

Once the product is completely developed, jump right into the promotion to create the necessary buzz. The buzz, in addition to various marketing strategies, will help you get customer acquisition. All of these factors, when placed together, enable you to create a successful product and launch.

About the author: Vibhu Dhariwal is a Co-Founder & Director of Marketing at Digital Gratified, a Digital Marketing & Web Development company. He likes sharing his experience in product marketing, SaaS marketing, content marketing, and SEO with readers. To know more about him, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

The post 9 Tips to Build and Launch a Product Successfully appeared first on Zenkit.

As a growing company, we’re always on the lookout for talent. With plenty of room to gain hands-on work experience, our door is open to students and graduates alike. To give you a glimpse of the variety of jobs needed to make your favorite project management tool sparkle, we had a chat with our product management intern on his experience working at Zenkit.

Name: Alex

Role: Product Management (Hypernotes)

Explain what a product manager is. What kind of tasks do product managers typically handle?
As a product manager you are the contact person between the product and the different departments in the company. I mainly focused on online marketing and PR tasks during my internship, but the beauty of product management in combination with a small company is that you will get a look into a lot of different areas.

Tell us one thing you found challenging during your internship.
I was working on various tasks from day one. Within the first month, I was responsible for various projects. For example, creating and handling the social media accounts for Hypernotes.

Tell us at least two things you have learned while working at Zenkit.

1. 1. How to effectively handle online marketing strategies without spending a ton of money on ads.
   2. How the release of a new product is handled internally.

What brought you to this role?
I was searching for internship opportunities and uploaded my resume to the website Cyberforum. Zenkit reached out and scouted me for the position.  

When you’re not working, what are you doing?
Different things: Playing online games with friends, following Esports leagues, and enjoying time with the family.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation, because walking is boring.

What is your next step?
Finishing my bachelor’s degree. I start writing my thesis next semester.

Cheers, Alex. We wish you all the best!

If you’re interested in working on Zenkit, we’ve got spots open! Send an email to jobs@zenkit.com for more info

The post Internship Insight: Q&A with Alex appeared first on Zenkit.

For decades, remote work has been a concept reserved for freelancers, creatives, and tech professionals. Although companies allowing home offices for their employees was not a novel phenomenon, it wasn’t mainstream. A paradigm shift came with the pandemic, making working from home a necessity rather than just a benefit of the workplace. 

This rapid shift showed the benefits and challenges of remote working, affecting team communication and project collaboration. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the home office is here to stay and many companies are adopting hybrid models. Upwork predicts that 73% of teams will have remote workers by 2028.

Digital collaboration tools (like the Zenkit Suite!) that promise better teamwork despite the distance compete for the limelight. With much software to choose from, it’s important for teams and companies to adopt tools that will complement team productivity, supporting their workflow within these new standard work models.

What’s the deal with New Work & Industry 4.0?

We live in the age of New Work and Industry 4.0. New Work defines today’s working society in the global and digital age. The integration of intelligent technologies under the term Industry 4.0 promotes a whole new concept of productivity and efficient systems. But what does all this have to do with remote work?

Well, depending on how you look at it, a little or a lot. The publication of the New York Times bestseller “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss is a good place to start making the connection. By demonstrating in his book how individuals can be just as productive in less time through process optimization, a stark contrast was created to the entrenched norm of the 40-hour workweek, initially created for production lines.

The appeal of flexible work hours and the nomadic freedom to prioritize work-life balance has only grown. Remote work and home office are the results of technological development enabling and demonstrating that work can be executed successfully without co-location. Flexjobs estimates that 4.7 million people were already working remotely before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Collaboration tools support this type of lifestyle, where professionals work outside of a traditional office environment, yet going fully digital isn’t as simple as it seems. Besides the fact that having a stable internet connection is an imperative requirement, remote work complicates the integration of corporate culture, as well as team communication, and engagement within tasks and projects.

Whether working in an office or remotely, the art of effective team management and the importance of good workplace communication are key elements and indicators for successful team collaboration. 

Types of work models

With an increasing number of modern variations of working models, we’ve described a few of the most common types:

1. 40-Hour-Workweek, or, the classic 9-to-5

Initially instigated in the 19th century, from workers protesting against gruelling long hours and requesting a reduction, the 40-hour-workweek was created to regulate the working hours of the working class. Ford Motor Company advanced the idea in 1914, which led to increased productivity in the production line. Many companies soon followed suit and the popularized phrase of “8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, and 8 hours for what we will” was born.  

Today, most companies and organizations run on the 40-hour-workweek. Albeit, more out of tradition and habit rather than a deliberate decision based on employee productivity. With this knowledge and recent technological developments, individuals and organizations are reexamining the classic 9-to-5 working model. 

2. Hybrid Model, where Home Office is part of the deal

Hybrid models are usually known to be the best of both worlds. Organizations that have adopted hybrid working models allow employees the freedom to work remote or from home, and at times even to manage flexible working hours. This working model has become more popular in recent years as company infrastructure has developed. Owl Labs estimate that 52% of global employees work remotely once a week, and 68% do so at least once per month. Though hybrid models seem to be the answer for the future of work, only a selected range of job sectors can take advantage of these benefits, particularly due to job requirements and tasks.

3. Remote Work, work without co-location

Working with a view of the Swiss Alps in February, at a seaside hotel in Los Angeles in July, and from a coffee shop in downtown Sydney in October, is a dream come true for some. As much as this idealized version of remote work appeals to many, this type of work model is not exempt from challenges, particularly for the self-employed.

Working remotely gives employees the freedom to answer emails and write up project proposals from any given location, yet being able to support this lifestyle can often be quite challenging when working as a freelancer rather than being directly employed by a private company. Creative freelancers often work on a project-basis, which means that their professional and financial security is deadline-reliant. 

Employees working for fully-remote companies like Zapier and Buffer however, receive the benefits of working remotely while being fully integrated in a company. Although working with peace of mind of receiving monthly paychecks, working for fully-remote companies include challenges too. 

That being said, there’s always a list of advantages and disadvantages. What’s important is finding a style and process that fits and suits your needs best. 

4. 4-Day-Workweek, popular work-life-balance model

In short, the 4-day-workweek model is about reducing working hours from a standard 40 hours to just 32 hours for the same pay and benefits. This work model, adopted by various companies worldwide, focuses on achieving the same output as a 40h week, but in a shorter amount of time. Proven by employees and employers to be successful in optimizing use of time in correlation to productivity, the 4-day-workweek offers flexibility and enables individuals to concentrate on what’s important in their lives.

5. Coworking Spaces, the office alternative for professionals

Considering the progression of work models, there’s a good chance that there’s at least one coworking space in every major city. As hubs of productivity, community, and technology, coworking spaces offer an out-of-home office atmosphere and networking opportunities with others who work in a multitude of industries. 

Fun fact: The first official coworking space appeared in 2005 in San Francisco, USA.

6. Work & Travel, the best of both worlds

Desk jobs aren’t your thing and travelling the world has always been but a mere daydream for you? The work and travel model operates on short-term contract work often based on seasonal work such as during harvest time. Adventurers who enjoy taking each day at a time move location to where the work is. In this case, location is the objective and the type of work is the dynamic subjective.

7. Workation, let’s combine work and leisure

The terms ‘workation’ and ‘bleisure’ gained significant traction as a new market trend in light of the pandemic. A concept for travelling workers or working travellers, where work and vacation were combined in a single location. According to Dr Hayley Stainton, “A workation can be defined as a holiday, during which a substantial amount of time is dedicated to work.”

In Japan, the model was originally a way to realize a variety of work styles and promote creativity and networking opportunities in locations outside of the home and office. Today, various travel and tourism organizations offer workation packages for individuals as well as families. 

Currently, travel restrictions and guidelines are subject to constant change. This in-depth guide on how to practice responsible tourism during COVID-19, prepares any traveller for the journey, whether for travelling to holiday destinations or for business trips.

How have things changed?

Before the pandemic, the office was where millions of us spent about a third of our time. With the range of working models already being implemented by organizations worldwide, why would the pandemic be considered a compelling driver to advance the standardization of home office or remote work? 

Simply put, the conditions of Covid-19 affirmed the urgency of digital transformation in business, and brought an unprecedented shift, designating hybrid working conditions a necessity rather than a benefit. 

The mentality of remote working previously highlighted the benefits for individual employees. Today, home office and remote work is considered an asset for individuals as well as an advantage for company productivity and collaboration. 

From one day to the next, the world was required to adjust. Arguably, the potential of remote work has been realized. At the same time, the challenges and conditions in terms of the privilege interlaced with the arrangement were revealed.

Benefits and challenges at a glance 

+ Remote work is reshaping a future new world of work, popularizing modern working habits while disproving old ideas that working from home leads to low productivity with limited opportunity for collaboration. 

+ The office-to-home transition caused a breakdown of emotional and professional barriers, allowing colleagues and clients a more intimate view into each others’ personal lives.

+ Importance of soft skills have increased as working remotely solicits more intentional interpersonal interactions.

– The potential for remote work is determined by tasks and activities, not occupations. 

– Working from home draws a fine line in an individual’s work-life balance. A heightened level of responsibility and trust is required from managers and employees.

– Affecting more than just personal factors, remote work affects engagement, performance management, means less office space, and more.

Benefits of remote working

Workplace values have been redefined: the future of work is remote. Instead of planning activities in life around working hours, remote working enables individuals to incorporate the necessities of their life and work. 

The popular concept of leading a work-life balance lifestyle advocates for similar objectives, but with different intentions. Work-life balance is a concept referring to the level of prioritization between personal and professional activities in an individual’s life. What many early adopters have come to realize is that the work-life balance lifestyle is a cycle rather than a destination or an achievement. 

1. Flexibility: Remote work grants individuals the opportunity to develop a work-life balance due to the flexibility offered through the working model. 

Remote working or working from home grants employees flexibility where it matters, whether that is picking up the children from school on time or allowing the laundry to dry in the sunlight rather than using the dryer. At best, working from home should reinforce an individual’s work-life balance. 

2. A Healthy Balance: Employees are able to manage their health, tasks, and responsibilities better. Eliminating the commute and rigid routines can alleviate stress to allow individuals to do deep work and grow their creativity. 

The flexible lifestyle isn’t the only thing proving beneficial to remote workers’ mental health and likelihood of company loyalty. Working from home simultaneously requires and fosters individual time and task management, and responsibility. 

Cutting travel time and other forms of mundanity from life, employees are able to focus on work. With less time spent commuting for example, employees are able to manage their health, tasks, and responsibilities better. As a result, a silent expectation for employees to rise to the occasion by living up to their potential is present. 

Despite the expectation, swapping out the busyness of crowded train stations for a 30-minute walk in the neighbourhood park with the dog can cause significant changes to an individual’s health. Now, instead of attending company-run in-person team-building activities, some companies set aside time in the week to encourage employees to engage in activities that inspire and empower them for work and life. 

3. Time Management: Remote work possibly requires more management, however simultaneously allows an increase in creative flow and productive output.

What remote work advocates promote, such as Laurel Farrer in her working remote article, is that “work is something you do, not somewhere you go… For knowledge workers whose roles rely on mobile tools, location should be a daily choice, not a lifestyle commitment.” With the right tools and circumstances, work doesn’t need to be chained to an office desk. 

Granted, working remotely makes employee and task supervision more complex. But with less time lost moving from one office room to another for meetings, and no more lines for afternoon coffee, more time can be invested in getting work done.

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4. Cost-saving (for businesses): Reducing the need for office space enables companies to invest in other things, preferably to the benefit of employees.

With fewer employees in the office, businesses need less office space, decreasing rent cost exponentially. Instead, companies can opt to invest in supplying employees with the necessary work equipment or offering other benefits as an alternative to the cost of the canteen upkeep.

Challenges of remote working

While eliminating location from the equation brings flexibility, certain concerns are also key variables when considering if and how to implement remote work at a company. Working remotely requires high self-management, time management, and team management. 

Engagement is usually what suffers first due to the distance. Managers and colleagues working from home can’t simply walk over to ask a question about the financial proposal or spend time catching up with their morning brew in the office kitchen on Mondays. Instead, an increase of chat notifications, forwarded emails and dedicated meetings to discuss workflow best describe the workday. 

1. Team Culture: The objective to encourage teamwork and cultivate a team and company spirit remains, although the method to achieve this may have changed.

Team meetings over Zoom or Skype are certainly different from those held in the office meeting room. When working with distributed teams, distance should merely be considered a factor rather than an obstacle for team integration. 

The method for scheduling and conducting meetings may have changed, but the objective to encourage teamwork and team spirit remains. Managers as well as coworkers require and should actively seek interpersonal relationships within the workplace. Just like work isn’t tied to a location, company culture isn’t contained in a building. Rather, corporate culture is cultivated by the individuals that make up the company.

The responsibility and journey for cultivating a strong and effective team and company culture is an individual process. That being said, there are ways and certain remote team management mistakes to avoid to make the process easier.

2. Management: Using productivity tools to manage and regulate team, task, and time management is the answer.

Every company uses software for everyday business operations. With oodles to choose from, it’s the team and company’s responsibility to evaluate which tools best support both internal and external business operations. Some companies use Suites, while others mix & match; some even create their own apps for internal processes.

Either way, when it comes down to the wire, productivity tools and team management software is a growing billion dollar business with a mixture of advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, team management software can build stronger teams. At the same time, it’s vital to analyze whether a productivity tool is actually enabling team productivity or not at all.   

3. Party for the privileged? Remote work is only available for those working in sectors or jobs that are primarily made up of online tasks and activities.

Praised for all of the benefits, working remotely isn’t available as a viable option for everyone. Hospitals, supermarkets, hairdressers, and other services will necessarily continue to be in-person. Although technology has certainly enabled medical consultations and other services to be handled online, not everything can be solved digitally. Even with advancements in machine learning and robotics, it’s hard to envision massage parlours or operating rooms to switch to robot-only employees. 

Research into the future of remote work from McKinsey Global Institute indicates that the potential for work is determined by tasks and activities, not occupations. Professionals able to avail of remote work fall into categories of highly skilled, highly educated workers in various industries, occupations, and geographies. For those already working with digital and mobile tools, like those working in the IT, communications, and marketing sector, the option of home office is often already included in the contract.

Collaboration tools for the workplace: the tools that keep employees productive despite distance

One of the most impactful changes the pandemic brought was to the way humans work. Businesses switched to digital collaboration tools for team communication, project management, and more. The best collaboration tools facilitate effective teamwork for tasks and projects, primarily in a streamlined manner.

In this case, there is no ‘one software fits all’, since the tools companies require should strengthen and support individual business operations and the organizational structures.  A countless list of applications and their alternatives are available for any type of work and team size. We’ve listed a few categories essential for remote teams: 

Chat Apps

The most widely used mobile apps are chat apps, because communication is necessary to get any work done. Originally created to replace email conversations, enterprise chat apps are essential internal communication platforms for teams today. Every company uses enterprise messaging applications to facilitate and boost teamwork, communication, and collaboration. 

The most popular enterprise chat apps allow teams to not only communicate with one another but also on specific topics, projects, and tasks. Depending on the interface, chat apps for business include features allowing teams to create channels, categorize topics, use quick edits, manage tasks, share files, conduct export functions, and more.

Top 4 Chat Apps for Business:

1. 1. Zenchat
   2. Slack
   3. Chanty
   4. Yammer

Video Conferencing Tools

Remote teams don’t have the option of organizing a team meeting in the boardroom on a Wednesday morning. Instead, video conferencing tools are used for coaching sessions, the quarterly report, team-building activities like Friday mocktail hour, and the company Christmas party.

The pandemic certainly accelerated the future of video communication. Microsoft Teams received an increase of 55 million users within a 5-month period and the latest report of the conference call company, Zoom, shows an 88% year-over-year jump in revenue.  

But it’s not just the conferencing tool companies who have realized the advantages and profits video communication brings to teams. Switching to video conferencing tools allows individuals to participate in meetings from the convenience of their own home, supports the flexible schedules of working parents and ultimately influences company culture. Significant features of such tools include screen sharing, presentation mode, meeting annotation, and creating subgroups within a meeting.

Top 4 Video Conferencing Tools for Business:

1. 1. Zoom
   2. Skype
   3. Microsoft Teams
   4. GoTo Meeting 

Project Management Software

Managing projects is no simple job. Tracking deadlines, updating task iterations, and communicating the project status to stakeholders are tasks project managers need to handle on a daily basis. 

Project management software enables teams to manage individual tasks and resources within projects.  Built for agile teams, project management tools include features such as tracking project progress, task management, project view switching, and plenty of other collaboration features.      

Top 5 Project Management Tools for Business:

1. 1. Projects
   2. Asana
   3. Wrike
   4. Basecamp
   5. Zoho Projects

Knowledge Management Software

Knowledge management software are excellent tools for teams to manage everything from internal company processes such as onboarding information to managing a customer database. Primarily focused on the collection, storage, and organization of data and information, these tools help teams with all sorts of administrative tasks.

Top 4 Knowledge Management Tools for Business:

1. 1. Hypernotes
   2. Base
   3. Salesforce
   4. Pipedrive

Learn about the different types of knowledge management processes and find more alternatives in Knowledge Management Tools 2021.

Tools for Centralized Storage 

Shoot for the stars, but keep your files secure in the Cloud. Cloud file storage is a necessity for remote teams, permitting file access to team members, whether they live a 30-minute drive from the office or working remotely in another country. The best tools for centralized storage support all file types, sync across multiple devices, track document changes, and integrate well with other applications. 

Top 4 Business Tools for Centralized Storage:

1. 1. Microsoft Sharepoint
   2. Google Drive
   3. Dropbox
   4. Box

We’ve only listed a few tools useful for teams working remotely. Find more alternatives in 50 Must-Have Remote Working Tools And Apps.

Practical tips for a balanced home office routine

The right tools certainly help get the job done, but even with advanced tech running on artificial intelligence, humans still have to put in the work. These are our tips for a balanced home office routine: 

Get dressed

Overcoming the notion to stay in your pajamas all day is a good tangible step that helps you mentally prepare for the workday. Select a few outfits that are both presentable and comfortable, so you are prepared for the odd-chance when your boss unexpectedly calls for a meeting.

Establish boundaries

Distractions are bound to happen. To best navigate such situations, establish boundaries, whether that may be to set specific times to go on breaks, schedule packages to arrive only at certain times, or communicate your availability to your children and spouse. 

Tip: Turn off desktop notifications when doing deep work and set all applications settings on silent, especially when in meetings.

Stick to routines

The urgency of staying online and always being available increases when working from home. Just do as you would in the office: take time to get your coffee, spend a few minutes catching up with a colleague via chat, and respond to emails when you normally do. 

Home office allows more flexibility, however routines help in more than just sticking to a daily schedule. Some things to remember: Make sure to stick to your standard work hours, don’t skip the lunch break, and try not to work overtime.

Tip: Even with boundaries and routines, remember to stay flexible when things don’t go as planned. Humans aren’t robots and that’s a good thing. 

Get out and about (unless self-isolating)

Without the commute, we might spend most of our days enclosed in our houses. Make time for walks around the block, trips to nature parks, or even a quick drive to a local bakery for the morning coffee and breakfast fix. 

Additionally, fresh air and sunshine are great for both the mind and soul. Taking care of one’s health with enough physical activity and time for relaxation is perhaps even more necessary now when most of our daily interactions happen online.

Take regular breaks

Downtime is necessary for technology devices; the same goes for humans. Research states that brief diversions from a task can improve an individual’s ability to focus. When we take a short break from hours of deep work, we essentially reward our brain with a downtime. 

There are various techniques and systems on how to train yourself to focus. And though daily to-do lists are great, the essence of time blocking is to produce high-quality output within a specific amount of time. 

Check in with colleagues regularly

Because it’s not just always about work. Cultivating relationships help any employee to feel at ease and accepted within a company. Most of the time, we may not know what challenges our neighbor may be going through, even more so when we don’t work in back-to-back cubicles or a shared office space.

Even more reason to make it a habit to type your colleagues some greetings every now and then, or send them encouraging messages to make their day. That said, I hope you have a great day!

All remote work statistics are sourced from Review24’s Remote Work Statistics for 2021.

Image credits from Andrew Neel, Daria Shevtsova, Sarah Chai from Pexels;  AltumCode, Sigmund, and ThisisEngineering RAEng from Unsplash; and Giphy.

That’s a wrap! It’s exciting to see how much has changed in a short amount of time. What are your thoughts on the variety of modern working models? Our team has run on a hybrid model within the last year and have experienced the impact that digital collaboration tools have on team productivity and collaboration. We hope, as probably most other companies do too, to navigate back to more in-person meetings and workshops soon. How has your team navigated teamwork this past year? 

Cheers,

Jessica and the Zenkit Team

The post Home Office and Remote Work: How to Improve Team Collaboration appeared first on Zenkit.

The term ‘project management’ is increasingly trending however it isn’t a new phenomenon. Truth be told, the study of the history of project management is a relatively new development. The present version we have come to know and love was officially defined in the 1990s. However, the 1950s marked the beginning of the modern project management era and the craft is still evolving.

But What Is Project Management? 

“Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve goals and meet success criteria at a specified time.” – Joseph Philipps, project management expert and author of Project Management Professional (PMP) Study Guide 

Without a doubt, you clicked to read this article because you are interested in project management (just like us!), along with the methods and approaches in the industry. You understand that finding and utilising a specific method can help make or break your projects and your company. 

Alternatively, you may have posed the question of whether to use an online project management tool (like Zenkit) or continue creating charts and diagrams with standard pen and paper or even use a whiteboard and markers in your workshop!

No matter how big or small your company is, how simple or complicated your project may be, or the amount of resources you may have, finding out which project management method suits your needs best will truly help you stand out above the rest.

Project management can prove to be challenging for large corporations as well as medium-sized enterprises, startups, freelancers, and private citizens alike.

With the right project management method, your project process can be made much easier and problems can be avoided at an early stage. “But which project management method fits me, my company and my project best?” you ask. 

Does an Agile Method like Scrum, Lean, or Kanban offer the most flexibility? Or would a classical method like the Waterfall Method make more sense in my situation? Maybe a variation of the classics like the Critical Path Method might fit best? 

We have often asked ourselves these questions as well. That is why we have created an interactive quiz to help you figure out which project management method best suits your needs.

Take this quiz to find out which project management method is a perfect fit for your company or your individual projects. 

The post Project Management Quiz: Best Method for Your Project? appeared first on Zenkit.

Today, we’re proud to finally release our most requested feature ever. Since Zenkit was launched way back in 2016, our users have been requesting that we develop a Gantt chart or timeline view. We’ve been putting it off, not because we thought it was a bad idea, but because we thought it was so important that we had to do it right. We had to wait until the moment we were able to do it justice.

Now is that moment.

Over the years, we’ve learned a lot. Not just about building software, but also about project management and everything it entails. We feel that Zenkit the product, and Zenkit the team, is mature and experienced enough to manage the complexity involved in delivering the best Gantt view we could.

With the new Gantt view, we didn’t want to create just a simple timeline view of your tasks. We wanted to make sure we could deliver every feature you’d expect from a fully-fledged Gantt tool. This means that not only are your tasks displayed on a timeline, but that you can create 4 different types of dependencies between tasks, add lag and lead, create milestones, view the critical path, and even display one chart superimposed over another.

Let’s get into it!

Benefits of Using Gantt

Zenkit started life as a Kanban tool – the increasingly popular project management methodology used by teams of all sorts around the world. Like Kanban, Gantt is a way to track and manage projects. The main difference between Gantt and Kanban is that Gantt gives you a more structured, granular overview of the project schedule, while Kanban focuses primarily on the progress of tasks. This means that you can precisely track the start and end dates of activities, whether or not an activity is dependent on another, the resources needed to complete them and much more. Unlike Kanban, Gantt charts give a clear and easy to understand visual representation of the project timeline, enabling you to understand your project schedule and resources at a glance.

Gantt charts were commonly used in long term, complex waterfall projects that involve physical resources and multiple teams of people, particularly in industries like construction, manufacturing, engineering, infrastructure, IT, and more. Now, with the help of software (like Zenkit!), you don’t need years of special training as a project manager to manage complex schedules and task lists. Almost anyone can create a Gantt chart if they think it would help their project!

Introducing Gantt View for Zenkit

Gantt View is rolling out to Plus and Business users today! Here, I’ll cover the main functions of the view, but of course, as always, you can learn more about it in our Gantt View documentation.

Dependencies

You can create dependencies between scheduled items by dragging and dropping an arrow between the tasks on the chart. Click on the arrow to change the dependency type, add a description of the dependency, or add lag and lead.

Critical Path

The critical path shows the items in your chart that determine the minimum time needed to complete the project. If any item on the path is delayed or takes longer than expected, the project will be completed late. When the critical path is activated, the items on the path appear in orange.

Lag and Lead

Lag and lead allow you to add delays between tasks, or allow a task to start earlier than scheduled if there’s no clash of resources. This function is available only to Zenkit Business users. Lag is indicated in red, lead in green.

Milestones

Milestones are used to indicate important points in a project. Usually the start and end of a project are marked, as well as the completion of important phases, and appointments such as external review or auditing, or budget checks. Zenkit displays milestones clearly with a blue horizontal line.

Secondary Date

In some instances, it may be helpful to show one Gantt chart superimposed on top of another, for example, a chart that tracks the actual dates of your project on top of the originally planned dates. In Zenkit, this can be done by creating a second date field and opting to display it on the chart via the Gantt view options. This is available only to Business Plan customers.

Breakdown by Time Period

If your project is very long, it wouldn’t make any sense to view it on the scale of days or weeks. In fact, it may make more sense to view it in months or even years! Zenkit lets you change the scale of the chart, as well as zoom in and out along that scale.

Drag & Drop

Drag items onto the chart, move to re-schedule or drag the edges to change the duration of tasks. You can even drag and drop to change the hierarchy of tasks and subtasks! It may seem pretty basic, but it makes working in Gantt just that little bit more delightful!

We’re extremely proud of Zenkit’s Gantt view, and hope we’ve been able to do it justice! Do you use Gantt charts in your projects? What do you think of our latest view? As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to leave a comment here or contact our team to let us know!

Cheers,

Siobhan and the Zenkit Team

The post Introducing Gantt View for Zenkit appeared first on Zenkit.