Project management in SMEs. How can technology support it?

In recent years, hybrid work models have dominated the global employment market. This has affected not only employees but also managers. The latter almost overnight faced a series of challenges, which may include issues of remote company management, as well as overseeing talents, finances, or technology.

Small and medium-sized enterprises often compete with larger companies for talented employees. Offering flexible employment conditions, including the option of remote work, can help attract and retain talent. Human resource management tools and remote work platforms can also contribute to maintaining employee engagement and satisfaction.

However, the truth is that for most employees, the most important aspect of work is remuneration. Technology, however, can also help employers in this case. Financial tools and applications, such as cash flow management programs, can support effective budget management and forecasting future financial needs. Moreover, thanks to them, the employee will be able to check from the first days spent with the company what his settlement looks like and what he can expect with the next received transfer.

Implementing technology can be a challenge, but it is necessary to increase efficiency and innovation. Inflation and other economic, economic, and political changes can affect operating costs, and consequently - the demand for services provided. In the context of communication and maintaining employee engagement, technologies such as internal communication applications and task management platforms can help maintain team consistency and work efficiency. Investments in employee professional development and training programs, in turn, contribute to increasing employee satisfaction and reducing turnover.

Applications and tools supporting project management in SMEs

Fortunately, the technology market offers more and more managerial allies - applications, websites, systems, and tools that help in combining all the requirements dictated by changes in the surrounding world. The most popular include Slack, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Drive, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here is an overview of several other key tools:

QuickBase

A platform that allows the creation of custom business applications without the need for advanced programming knowledge. It offers centralization of project data, interactive dashboards and reports, as well as automation of repetitive tasks and workflows. QuickBase integrates with tools such as Dropbox, Tableau, Salesforce, Slack, and Google Drive​​.

Zoho Projects

Part of a broader set of business tools focused on project management. It is characterized by a simple interface and features ideal for small teams. Zoho Projects offers features such as task dependencies, budgeting, task and work time automation, and integration with other tools.

Forecast

An application using AI to provide information about project flow, past performance and risk minimization. Forecast integrates tools for managing finances, tasks, collaboration, and analysis in one place, offering intelligent project planning, budgeting, scheduling, and identification of potential obstacles​.

Monday

A project management platform that allows the creation of custom workflows for projects. It stands out with an intuitive interface, flexible task views, custom fields, and collaboration features. It offers rich integration capabilities, including with apps such as Slack, Google Drive, and Jira​.

ClickUp

The tool offers powerful integration capabilities, allowing connection with over a thousand other applications. ClickUp provides templates that can be customized to any team and offers a wide range of custom features and automations.

Wrike

A web application for project management, particularly useful in large teams and corporations. It offers powerful data analysis tools, detailed reports and views, as well as form and request features for easy task assignment and communication​.

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Digitized - magazine for people in the digital worldJakub Rusak

AI in project management – benefits

When writing about technologies, it's hard to ignore the fact that more and more of them are based on artificial intelligence. The use of AI in the work of managers brings many benefits, but also carries certain risks, especially in the legal and ethical aspect.

• Efficiency and productivity. AI can automate routine tasks such as legal research and document review, allowing managers to focus on more strategic aspects of work. This makes it possible to manage a larger amount of work more effectively.
• Risk management. AI can help in detecting threats and analyzing data related to security. This may include identifying sources of attacks or analyzing behaviors related to the use of cloud accounts.
• Fraud detection. In financial and insurance industries, AI can help in detecting fraud by analyzing large amounts of data and applying predictive models.

AI in project management – threats

• Legal and ethical risk. Both the use of AI and avoiding artificial intelligence can pose a problem, especially in the context of legal and ethical responsibility. On the one hand, AI significantly facilitates work, on the other – there are no legal regulations referring to the transfer of property rights from texts, graphics or other content generated by AI.
• Privacy and compliance issues. There are concerns about data privacy in the context of using AI and machine learning. Inappropriate use of personal data by AI tools can expose the company to risk related to compliance with regulations, or loss of credibility.
• Costs and complexity. The process of processing and analyzing large amounts of data can be costly, and specialized AI services used in risk management can also be associated with high costs. 

Technology plays a key role in project and human resources management. Managers need to be aware of available tools and use them to increase efficiency and effectiveness in their organizations, while adapting to changing working conditions and legal and ethical requirements. The use of these tools allows for better project management, team and company resources, which contributes to the growth and stability of SMEs.