How Salesforce and the Right Work and Project Management Solution Can Ensure Business Continuity and Accelerate Delivery Success in a Remote World
Business ideologies develop, progress, change, and sometimes even fail over time. Some of the best ways of working can become obsolete as technologies evolve and cultures shift. Managing projects has been around long before it had a name. Even the Great Pyramids of Giza in 2570 BC and the Great Wall of China in 208 BC used a type of project management system in their construction. As technology has evolved, so has project management. Today, we find ourselves needing to increase efficiency and velocity at the same time, transforming not only how projects move forward, but the ways we need to manage those projects.
The 20th and 21st century have, of course, seen advanced standardization of methodologies, the establishment of project management professionals and an overabundance of data. Another crucial development has been the instruments to help successfully manage all kinds of projects. A prime example of this is that in 1917 Henry Gantt created his own scheduling diagram, which he named the Gantt chart. It helped revolutionize project management and found its recognition when it was first used on the construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931.
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Project Management Software and Cloud Evolution
The Gantt chart is a prime example of how somethings can be built to last. Even with all of the advancements in methods and technology, the Gantt chart is a go-to for many project management professionals. But even being that standard, the Gantt chart needed to go digital to help keep up with modernization. As the computer, internet and technologies began to influence our day-to-day work, it became clear that project management needed to move into that space to keep up and be successful.
Computer programs began to play an essential role in how projects were managed. Oracle and Artemis launched their project managers in 1977, while Scitor Corporation did the same in 1979. In 1985 Microsoft Excel hit the market and has become one of the most popular spreadsheet software of all time. In 2008, Software as a Service (SaaS) began to become a norm. Why download a program and use your own storage when you could utilize a vast amount of digital space offsite? The SaaS improvement to workflow was only possible because of the development of Cloud platforms like Salesforce, which paved the foundation for modern business continuity.
Workplace and Workflow Evolution
Initially, cloud computing had a hard sell, as many executives did not trust storing their valuable data offsite. However, an upsurge of big data, on-site storage and connectivity issues and keeping up with the competition began to transform minds. Many staple desktop programs also began moving to the cloud environment and the rising risks associated with VPNs coupled with the need to accommodate the traveling and remote workforce began to sell corporations on the cloud even more so. Salesforce is often pinpointed as the start of the “no more software” movement. This revolutionary idea lead to removing most servers from a physical space in the office and laid the groundwork for the virtual platform, allowing workers to perform their work anywhere at any time.
Enabling a remote workforce is not a fad. What the recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, is that is mission critical as being able to work remotely is vital for business continuity and successful operation. Salesforce was, and still is, at the forefront of aiding partners, offering solutions on how to be successful in this new remote frontier. They have also launched work.com, to guide business through the reopening process. They have created a partner ecosystem that exists on the basis of teams working cohesively from anywhere in the world.
But remote workforces are not the only reason for needing a solution that preserves business continuity; many enterprises operate out of numerous locations and rely on cross-location workflows for consistent on-time delivery. Even if all your teams are all in the same country or city, a solution that allows for immediate notifications, real-time collaboration and current data can help resolve issues long before they start. This is also where using a cloud-based platform like Salesforce gives organizations a huge advantage. Leveraging a solution built on a steadfast cloud platform is a sure-fire way to ensure continuous productivity, failsafe security and ample space for big data.
As work flows through your organization, it needs to do precisely that—flow. Many project management software options only manage certain aspects of projects. They can keep tasks on track, help with budget info or supply a Gannt chart. This is fine for smaller, high-volume and faster-moving projects, but enterprises need a more robust and interconnected work and project management solution. They need an application that can support different work methodologies, from Waterfall to Agile, offer preferred visuals like Kanban Boards and Gannt charts. It must provide one place for all customer data and project communication to make sure individuals and teams are using the most up-to-date information for decision-making.
Enterprises also need intuitive and highly visual solutions. Many project management choices are made only for experts with advanced training and experience, or conversely, they are made for people who don’t work on complex projects and are too simplified to be effective outside of simple task management. It is a rare gem to find an application, like Leankor, in which the interface is designed with the everyday user in mind, but can still handle the most advanced projects. This more instinctual user experience allows for faster expansion and adoption, thus preventing costly operational inefficiencies. This improved experience allows individuals to effortlessly use their desktop or mobile app, which in turn assists in moving workflows and mitigating risk, since users can use the solution anywhere and at any time.
Utilizing a digital solution that supports the remote workforce could mean the difference between keeping a deadline and missing it, being within budget or going over or having a happy customer or a very dissatisfied one.
Project Delivery Evolution
Of course, there were projects that delivered on-time before digital project management came onto the scene, but digital transformation has far improved overall project performance. No matter where in the evolution of project management solutions, projects have always had risks. However, today, risks are grouped with modern complications and trends. Today, competition is fierce and worldwide, too many disparate systems and more people can disrupt the information flow and disruptions are more common than not.
Over the decades, numerous organizations have launched their project management software in hopes they will become the next staple. The world of project management solutions can become very confusing. Aggressive targeting has made some applications household names, but they are far from the right solution for an enterprise workload. They are more fancy to-do lists than solutions for complex project management. And for the most part, they are not designed to give managers the insight they need to monitor and mitigate risks.
Enterprises need solutions that are built specifically for enterprises. Projects that are complex, large-scale and involve schedules with lengthy timelines need an application that can transform the overall project experience and ensure consistent on-time delivery for the ultimate customer satisfaction. The bottom-line for your bottom-line is your decision-makers need a solution that can accelerate delivery to optimize their order to cash value stream for faster revenue recognition. This not only ensures operation costs are met but it is a type of safeguard to help your projects move faster, smoothly and deliver on time.
Work and project management software solutions like Leankor offer a unique experience amongst a sea of alternatives. Leankor is highly visual and offers one of the most intuitive user interfaces available. It effortlessly links different methodologies, knowing that if one team operates using agile and another using waterfall, they need an application that conforms to their system, not a system that forces them to change what works for them. It offers personalized dashboards with real-time data updates and executives and managers are able to roll-up all their projects into one holistic view. With Leankor, managers have a complete, and easy to view, transparency into all of their projects, people and priorities. They can easily access and assess budgets and costs for a 360-view into project financials. From the floor to board room, all users are linked in real-time for efficiency and effectiveness.
Leankor is also natively built on the Salesforce platform. Through the power of Salesforce, Leankor is able to improve performance, productivity, security and stability. The Salesforce platform creates a distinct customer 360 advantage by extending valuable platforms like Service Cloud, Community Cloud, CPQ, Field Service Lightning, MuleSoft and QUIP. Salesforce has also built an industry leading AI platform, Einstein AI and continues to invest in boosting their capabilities through ongoing acquisitions of some of the best analytics applications on the market, i.e., Tableau.
Most importantly, all these features and the many more that Leankor offers, provide the right support to mitigate risks, gain insight, foster collaboration, properly analyze your data and allow for work outside the office which enables you to deliver your projects on, or ahead of, time for faster revenue recognition.
Leankor’s solution is built specifically for industrial enterprises in Manufacturing, Construction, Solar, Energy and B2B Telecom with additional emphasis on R&D and product launches for Biotech and Pharma.
Start your transformation today. Request a consultation and a demo now by calling 1.888.532.6567 or email us directly. You can also watch our instructional video to learn more.
