Author: Kivo Daily Staff

Project management is easy, said no one ever! Ensuring projects are within budget and hitting deadlines, managing stakeholder communication, managing virtual teams, dodging roadblocks, fighting fires every day, complex processes, too many manual tasks — is your head spinning yet? Project managers have to clear several hurdles every day to ensure every piece of the puzzle fits right and everyone is happy.

Let’s go over three common hurdles in project management and how to overcome them.

Hurdle #1: Lack of Data for Accurate Project Planning and Bidding

Planning and bidding for projects profitably is perhaps the first hurdle for every project manager. In fact, a recent SAP study notes that 80 percent of the project profitability is determined at the bid stage, and more than half of all projects do not deliver to plan. Most managers fail to come up with accurate bids because they don’t have complete data of all costs associated with the project. For calculating the true cost of a project, managers need to understand the scope of the project, analyze the project management methodology to be followed, calculate billing rates for resources, account for all possible overhead costs, and evaluate risks.

Inaccurate bidding can backfire in two ways: first, by quoting a very high rate, you might lose the project. Second, by quoting a low rate, you might win the project but lose money due to cost overruns. Both of these outcomes are not ideal. When calculating bids, there is no room for any error.

Solution: Move beyond spreadsheets to accurately calculate and account for all costs that contribute to the project. Utilizing an all-encompassing tool, like professional services automation (PSA) software, can automatically provide you with real-time data, and historical data from previous projects, to help you determine resource time, costs, and overheads so you bid the project accurately. It can even let you estimate the total cost of the project based on your revenue goals, margin and profit goals, resource utilization goal, and average billing rates. The estimated cost even considers other business costs, such as travel, utilities, supplies, maintenance, and more. With this level of a holistic view of your business, you can rest assured that your project bids will drive profits.

Hurdle #2: Inefficient Resource Allocation and Management

Did you know that inefficiently assigning resources is one of the top reasons for failed projects? In fact, in a PMI survey, 23 percent of respondents said “inadequate resource forecasting” and “resource dependency” are the top factors that put their projects at risk. There are several reasons why resource scheduling conflicts arise. Perhaps the manager failed to account in advance for all the workers needed to complete a project in time. Or scope creep may present unforeseen issues. Or, when there are multiple projects, a lack of visibility into schedules and limited communication between project managers may lead to scheduling conflicts. Now, with a remote workforce spread across the globe, identifying the right skilled resource for a specific project is more complex.

Solution: Visibility into resource availability, along with an up-to-date skill set, is critical to reduce scheduling conflicts. An intelligent solution that automates resource matching is a great way to save several hours that are otherwise spent performing the task manually. For instance, a PSA solution does all this heavy lifting by analyzing resources based on availability, location, skills, experience, and other criteria to recommend the best ones for managers to choose from.

Also, since PSA solutions come with built-in workflows and integration with CRM systems, project managers get notified on upcoming projects as deals progress through the sales pipeline. This level of transparency enables project managers to start a conversation with resource managers well in advance to reserve the required resources to ensure there is no last-minute resource crunch or conflict.

PSA tools with a centralized skills-and-certification repository is an added advantage. With up-to-date information that reflects the changes in skills and professional credentials of employees, resource managers can be proactive about hiring or retraining resources to meet future demands.

Hurdle #3: A Lack of Project Insight for Making Smart Decisions

Projects are living and evolving constructs. Project managers are under constant pressure to rapidly get and keep employees and finances on track. As such, they need real-time insights and 360-degree visibility into all project metrics to make the best decisions. However, older, more traditional software makes it incredibly painful to get up-to-date project data in one place. Managing project resources, time data, and finances on rogue spreadsheets, unorganized budget books, scattered emails, and distributed calendars will create many blindspots and hold managers back from reacting faster and making data-driven decisions on the go.

Solution: By using the right tools, project managers can get a pulse of their projects, budgets, team’s workload, and more. They can monitor estimates versus actuals in real time to quickly course correct any deviations and keep projects on track. A well-integrated PSA software can sync project-related data with other systems you use to streamline processes and create a single source of truth for project data.

A PSA tool with custom reports and dashboards provide managers with real-time visibility and an instant snapshot of your key business metrics, helping managers understand project status, how employees are using and tracking their time, and adapt to changing needs. And because these reports can be shared with other decision-makers and stakeholders in a reliable and protected way, you can ensure that the right people are always informed and encourage collaboration across teams and departments.

Get Past These Hurdles with the Right Tools

Modern project management requires modern tools. A cloud-based professional services automation solution that is configurable to your unique business needs and easily scalable allows you to overcome common project management challenges and discover hidden efficiencies and revenue opportunities. While it’s inevitable for project managers to stumble upon hurdles now and then, using the right tool can greatly reduce the impact.

 

Shree Krupa is content marketing manager at Replicon. She likes to write about technology trends that are shaping the future of the workplace. Replicon provides award-winning products that make it easy to manage your workforce. With complete solution sets for client billing, project costing, and time and attendance management, Replicon enables the capture, administration, and optimization of your most underutilized and important asset: time.

Sponsored Post 

Sometimes life takes a drastic turn beyond one’s control, and at that point, one is faced with two choices – either sulk or suck it up and get up. Suzan Nguyen never expected the life-altering event that made her lose her dominant arm, but since it happened, she has chosen to be better than stay bitter about it. Despite having it the worst she’s ever had in her life, and even relearning to live again, Suzan Nguyen has made herself a point of contact for anyone facing difficult situations in their lives.

Suzan almost lost her life in the traumatic car accident, and waking up from that experience set her up for many rude awakenings that she could not grasp all at once when they hit her. The loss of her dominant arm made her start learning how to use her other arm for everything, and as difficult as it was, it gave her clarity for her current life purpose. Suzan Nguyen is a happiness coach, instructor, entrepreneur, and TedX Speaker. Her book, “One Arm But Not Unarmed,” is an inspirational book that teaches how to transform a hopeless, bleak, and vulnerable life into that of purpose and happiness.

While surviving her near-death experience, she fell into a dark place until the day she snapped out of it all by herself. She began to coach herself by creating joy and happiness from within. Seeing the possibility, she began to show others how things were from her perspective while helping them turn adversities into advantages. “Once I got to that point, there was no going back for me, and all I wanted to do was empower others to be better, not bitter,” Suzan says.

To better strengthen her suit in coaching, she completed coaching classes at the Institute of Excellence in Professional Coaching, focusing on Positive Psychology. She also established her coaching practice, Be Better Not Bitter (BBnB) Coaching. With the Happiness Chief Encouragement Officer self-title, Suzan Nguyen is committed to shedding light on the happiness path for as many people as possible. She also created a candle collection called “Be Better Candles,” designed to empower with love. 

At Bebetterlife.academy, she launched a global course called “Overcoming Adversity,” which will help many people get to better points in their lives despite what they have gone through.

Through speaking engagements and volunteer efforts at her non-profit, Be Better Group, Suzan Nguyen keeps up with giving back to the community and delivering her #bebetternotbitter message. Her course, “Overcoming Adversity,” took more than a year to complete and was created for anyone going through dark phases and adversities in their lives. Suzan Nguyen built her brand on her pains and struggles and is advancing the brand by helping more people get through the painful phases of their lives. “I have unraveled two decades of my life to help anyone going through difficulties. While it may seem difficult, I can assure you that having someone like me who has gone through it to walk you down this journey can make a significant difference,” Suzan says.

Learn more about Suzan Nguyen and her work on the official website.

What businesses depend on shipping? Well, the short answer is: almost all of them! From most of the food we eat, to the supplies we use and even the fuel we consume, most businesses are dependent on reliable shipping in one way or another.

As such, it’s important to ensure that shipping routes and supply chains are disaster-proof as much as is possible. When the unthinkable happens, that’s when people are most in need of vital supplies that they may not be able to obtain locally. So we have to ensure that, when society temporarily falls to its knees, our shipping networks don’t fall with them.

The recent big freeze in Texas has shown the amount of suffering that can be caused when the thermometers drop far below the average and people, towns, and infrastructure struggle to keep up with the challenge.

Let’s look at some of the ways and reasons why we should safeguard our shipping in times of crisis. 

Delivering Vital Goods

Harsh winters can create roads that are covered in dense blankets of snow, shut down power supply, and leave millions of people vulnerable to the elements; this when we need our shipping networks the most. 

Shipping, be it by sea, land or air is responsible for large logistical networks that distribute everything from food to power to communications, fuel, and much more. 

Transportation is often considered a critical infrastructure as a disruption somewhere in its chain can have a significant negative impact on the economic and social well-being of people in that region. 

Ensure that your fleet is up to the task with the latest caterpillar parts, so that when the tough times come, you and your business can show up for those who most need you.

Photo by Shawn Ang on Unsplash

Preparedness

Given the potentially catastrophic humanitarian ramifications for failing to prepare for large logistical network disruptions, it’s best to ensure your fleet remains winter-proof. 

Ensuring that relief materials, such as fuel, spare parts, and equipment are effectively warehoused and that labor forces are trained in emergency events can help minimize the effects of a disaster. 

The hope is always to get existing networks up and working as soon as possible to minimize disruption to people’s lives, so it pays to be prepared. Your customers will thank you for it in the long run and trust will be built, resulting in greater turnovers. 

Infrastructure Failure

Infrastructure failure can happen due to many factors, including poor and ineffective management, design flaws, and a failure to plan for worst-case scenarios. Making sure that your business is prepared for all eventualities can instill confidence and trust in the services you offer.

The Takeaway

The recent big freeze in Texas has shown us how quickly and easily unprecedented weather patterns can throw whole throngs of people into disarray and potentially deadly situations. Ensuring that the logistical systems that sustain people’s material well-being are as disaster-proof as possible can safeguard the unseen and often overlooked fabric of networks that sustains much of society’s necessary material needs. 

There’s no denying that almost everything is just within our reach with the creation of the internet. We now live in an era where staying connected is possible despite being physically distant, accessing information is just one click away, and even purchasing items can now be done in the comfort of our homes. Life has never been easier indeed.

Thanks to the online market, shopping for things we want is not that complicated, not to mention pressuring, anymore – and yes, this includes buying even something as big as your bed. In fact, many markets online offer a better bed price, and their quality can still be comparable to those you bought in a brick-and-mortar store.

The latest mattress trend taking the online world by storm is a compressed mattress designed to fit into a box. Want to know more about it? Let us explore what this kind of bed is and why it is better to purchase your next bed online.

Choosing Your New Mattress

As said, a bed in a box is a state-of-the-art method of welcoming your next mattress into your home. In this kind of setup, your mattress is compressed and rolled to fit into a box (literally), making the package’s transportation to your front door more convenient and economical. This style of packaging also allows you to easily install it in your bedroom.

They are usually made of memory foam which reinflates once you remove it from the box and simply unroll the bed. You have to wait for a while, though, until it completely decompresses. It won’t necessarily take that long, and you will be able to sleep on your new mattress in no time.

Online vs. In-stores

Understandably, you may still want to purchase innerspring beds in traditional retail stores, especially that the bed-in-a-box market has only been a recent buzz among consumers. Plus, there is still the risk of online scams. However, purchasing online is the more preferred method during this time since we are still in a global pandemic. 

If you are worried about scams, you have the option to search for companies and read customer reviews online. This could help you assess whether they are a reputable company. Also, you can try to check out News Week to know the right type of bed in a box for you and some trusted brands.

Why should I buy my new mattress online?

Aside from it’s a safer method because it lessens your physical contact with others, buying online also offers these benefits:

More options to cater to specific needs.

Although it seems unlikely, buying your mattress online actually gives you more variety of options to choose from. This includes securing the best mattress according to your preferred sleeping position (ex. Side-sleeping, stomach-sleeping, or back-sleeping) to purchasing one to relieve pain such as neck pain or back sores. 

Higher chance to be better informed.

When you shop online, you can also narrow down your choices by doing mattress research and price comparison with other brands. Usually, online mattress stores include the full breakdown of materials used to make the bed you are interested in, which is quite advantageous for your part because you can personally check out whether the material is of good quality or not.

When checking for good quality, do not miss out on the foam density, moisture absorption properties, and what phase change materials they are made of.

Lesser pressure

Nobody likes to be pressured, especially when making big purchases, such as the bed. This is not always the case, but sometimes, salespersons tend to pressure consumers from buying (though some are purely unintentional). Well, they’re just doing their job anyway. However, if you want to shop smart, you must not easily get swayed by all the sales talk.

So, what do you think is the best way to do that? Completely avoid them, of course. When you shop online, you don’t have to face problems caused by sales pressure. You can just freely scroll your pc until you find the right brand for you.

Ease of Delivery

Ordering your bed online means that you can have it delivered right to your doorstep. If you don’t want to set it up on your own, some companies also offer full service, from the transportation to setting it up and even having your old bed removed. This implies additional fees, of course, but to have these benefits in their service delivery? You can say that putting in the money is worth it.

Other companies also offer free shipping deliveries, but not all. It is best that you check their specifications and policies to be sure of the inclusions during your purchase.

Affordability

Online mattress stores are not trending without any good reason at all. One of these reasons is because the majority of the consumers can afford them. There are also bed-in-a-box mattresses that cost a bit higher, but generally, they are all budget-friendly compared to models found at retail stores.

You might get skeptical about why an online purchase is more cost-efficient than in physical markets. This is because most online shops sell virtually – through their websites – which ultimately reduces overhead costs from having physical locations, paying employees, and the likes. Also, putting the bed in a smaller box can reduce overall shipping costs.

Takeaway

The advantages mentioned above are just some of the reasons why you should purchase your next mattress online. Aside from the overall convenience, it can also help you save a lot of money. Of course, beds in a box have their share of disadvantages, too, but the good ones far outweigh the bad.