Maria Waida
Maria is a freelance content writer who specializes in blogging and other marketing materials for enterprise software businesses.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs can be used to plan any type of project. In fact, the Maslow Theory of Motivation can be the key to unlocking successful project results. Although all of these requirements appear to be unrelated to project management, they can be adapted to suit many areas. Self-actualization, esteem, belonging, safety, and psychological well-being are among the needs that project managers must strive to achieve if they want to unlock that next level of project success. In this article, we’ll explain the hierarchy of needs, how to apply it to a project, why it is important, and how Wrike can help. Keep reading to discover some examples and benefits of the Maslow Theory of Motivation that will give you an edge in your project planning you never knew you needed. What is Maslow's theory? Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs is a concept commonly used in psychology and various professions to help people reach their goals and live happier, more productive lives. This concept was created by psychologist Abraham Maslow after he observed how certain animals prioritized their needs based on their unique behavior patterns. Nowadays, this tool is used to study how humans respond to different kinds of behavioral motivation. The goal is to work your way up the Maslow hierarchy pyramid from psychological needs all the way up to transcendence. According to Maslow, each level must be achieved in order to reach the next level and will eventually lead to fulfilling your highest potential in life. These are the steps: Psychological needs Psychological needs include the essentials humans need for survival. Food, clothing, and adequate shelter are among our basic psychological needs. Safety needs Safety is also sometimes thought of as security. This includes feeling secure physically, emotionally, financially, and socially. Job security is a good example of this type of need. Belonging and love needs Human beings are social creatures and require many types of love in order to fulfill this portion of Maslow’s pyramid. Examples include romantic love, family connections, friendships, a sense of community, and even a healthy work culture. Esteem needs This category of needs has to do with how we view ourselves or how we believe others view us. Respect, self-esteem, and status are a large part of this category. Cognitive needs Cognitive needs are related to our mental stimulation and continued growth. Additional education, job or skills training, and a general sense of curiosity about the world are all great examples. Aesthetic needs Aesthetic needs have to do with how we perceive our surroundings and the world we interact with. To be fulfilled in this area we must see beauty, art, order, form, and balance in the majority of our spaces. Self-actualization This is the state we hope to achieve after fulfilling all of the lower levels. In this category, we are satisfied with our lives and our work. We are certain that we are living our best lives and realizing our true potential. Transcendence We have unlocked holistic consciousness and are now one with humanity, nature, and the world around us. In essence, it means to transcend so far beyond our own needs in order to be in tune with needs outside of ourselves at a high level. Some illustrations of the Maslow theory of motivation show only five major categories: psychological, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. These broader strokes include all of the above eight steps we mentioned but both are useful to know when studying this concept. Hierarchy of needs example To use our project management example, in order for a project team member to secure their psychological needs, they must first have the basics for survival, including clean water and shelter. After that, they’ll need to have a strong sense of security in their life, which in this context may mean job security. Next, their work relationships should be enjoyable and fulfilling. Then, they’ll need to feel confident in their performance in order to reach a level of self-actualization in their project work. Once that’s achieved, they’ll have the freedom to be more spontaneous, creative, and motivated to produce great results. The benefits of understanding employee motivation theories Having the confidence to know that your needs (and the needs of your team) are being met can help you achieve success. It can also influence the attitudes of those around you. Self-actualized employees are a project manager’s dream come true. Their personalities are often warm, grounded, and positive. They’re able to see issues from multiple perspectives and understand human nature well enough to make fair yet balanced decisions. They also tend to be great at working both independently and in groups. Even having just one self-actualized team member on board can influence the rest of the group and improve project outcomes or, at the very least, everyone’s experience of the project. How is Maslow's hierarchy of needs used in project management? In project management, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often used to determine how to motivate and make sure that the needs of employees are met. This concept has been especially important in recent years. During the past 18 months, many people experienced burnout due to the pandemic. Aside from COVID-19, we also witnessed extreme environmental disasters and social and political upheaval. It’s no secret that this has impacted many in the workplace. And, as you can imagine, mental health and employee wellness issues can have a significant impact on a company's culture and project goals. Establishing a mental health program and providing resources for employees is an important step in addressing this issue. Applying the Maslow theory of motivation in project management isn’t the only way, but it is a significant one. This is especially true as we reenter the workplace after the pandemic. Despite all of the changes in the world, our basic human needs are still the same. By honing in on the direct application of this theory, project managers can provide a foundation for employees to feel great and do great work, which is a cornerstone of authentic leadership. Using Wrike to ensure needs are met Wrike is a project management tool used to help employees achieve their highest potential. Wrike makes it easy to communicate goals and objectives through features such as visual Gantt charts. Giving employees insight into how their work fits into the big picture makes them feel important and needed. Their work is more fulfilling when it ties back into a shared vision. Wrike also allows project team members to be both autonomous and interconnected with the rest of the group. This is done through individual task assignments that include details such as owner, approver, and dependencies. This level of structured freedom makes it easier to build trust among employees while allowing room for their own creativity and independence. It also allows them to take calculated risks while leaders provide oversight without micromanagement. Wrike also gives users the ability to provide feedback at any stage, which is essential for growing employee confidence. Team members can loop others into ongoing conversations with @mentions so that they can get questions answered and receive notes as needed. They can also apply the feedback and request approval from specific department members directly within each individual task, making teamwork easier while increasing their sense of belonging. Ready to foster a community of employees whose work and lives are a reflection of their very best selves? Get started today with Wrike’s two-week free trial.
The more companies grow, the more projects they have in progress at the same time. Managing workloads, keeping track of deadlines, and knowing what to prioritize can become complicated, which is why multi-project management is so vital. In this guide, we’ll outline how leaders use multi-project management to coordinate multiple projects, tasks, workers, and time. We’ll explore why having a multi-project management tool is important for organizing and managing work. What is multi-project management? Multi-project management refers to the process of overseeing multiple active projects all at one time. It is often guided by a multi-project management framework which refers to the various stages of the project life cycle, from selection to planning, control, monitoring, and evaluation. A multi-project program will summarize the various essential elements of a project. Having this information allows a company to create and consolidate repetitive tasks across multiple projects within a portfolio. This approach can help improve the efficiency of all projects in the department. Difference between project management and portfolio management There are key differences between projects and portfolios but the biggest one lies in the very nature of what they are. A project is temporary, while a portfolio is ongoing. A project manager focuses on the requirements of an individual project, while a portfolio manager looks at all aspects of the organization’s operations. Project managers will also be able to appreciate the results of their work if they can relate to a single objective. Tips for managing multiple projects Start planning early. Having a project plan in place is very important when it comes to coordinating multiple projects. Use templates and task lists to outline key components before project kickoff. Manage time wisely. Pay attention to individual workloads when assigning tasks. Also, it's important to set some breaks so that the team can recharge and focus on the most important tasks. Prioritize individual tasks. Project managers need to know how and when to focus on the most critical tasks in a project. Doing so will help the organization achieve better results and minimize the time spent on non-important tasks. Templatize repetitive actions. By batching tasks that are similar to or repetitive in different projects, you can work on them in the least amount of time possible. Keep plans flexible. It is very important that leaders are flexible and can alter their plans and goals as they see fit. Doing so helps avoid making common mistakes over and over again. Find managerial balance. A great leader knows when to take command and when to trust their team. Create detailed tasks. Assign a specific time allotment or effort for each task along with individual due dates, approval assignments, and task descriptions. Encourage open communication. This is important because it allows teams to easily identify potential issues before they occur, which can be addressed before any major delays happen. Multi-project management challenges Like with any given project, there are infinite challenges you may experience. However, there are three common themes among the top multi-project management challenges. Here’s what they are and how to overcome them. Challenge: Lack of prioritization Team members may have multiple tasks to do across a variety of projects and only so many hours to do them in. Cut down on analysis paralysis by deciding which tasks are a priority for them so they can make decisions on the flow and continue moving forward. Solution: Clear priority indicators Set individual priorities on tasks and update them as needed. Challenge: Miscommunication Cross-functional teams, third-party vendors, and external stakeholders can easily lose sight of communications if they aren’t easy to access. Solution: Centralize discussions Bring everyone together and give them controlled access to in-platform conversations, files, and tasks as needed. Challenge: Inefficient use of resources Scheduling conflicts, budget constraints, and the occasional sick day can all throw a wrench in even the best-laid project plans. Solution: Improve visibility Use a project management solution that will allow you to see a macro view of all your projects in one multi-project management dashboard. What is a multi-project management dashboard? A multi-project management dashboard is a project management tool that covers the various features of all your active projects in one easy-to-digest space. Through this dashboard, you can view all of your most important schedule, budget, and reporting metrics. Each project schedule and project plan are displayed as a percentage complete and status indicator for reference. The project budget displays planned costs vs. the actual costs in real time, while visual charts display the various resources, risks, and issues affecting the projects in play. They can also be used to create reports and chart-based data sets. You may already be familiar with using multi-project dashboards if you have experience with Agile project management. Features to look for in a multi-management project tool Although some project apps offer these features, a true multi-management project tool will have each of the following: Dashboards that give users a bird’s-eye view of all active projects Detailed task descriptions that include individual effort indicators, deadlines, and in-task communication Integrated planning and scheduling tools that make it easy to pinpoint potential roadblocks Prioritization settings so that managers can indicate which areas should get the most resources and attention at the right time In-platform communication with controlled access to project plans, files, and assets Centralized document storage made accessible to all project team members Real-time budget and scheduling updates for accurate resource allocation How to implement multi-project management software Like any other project, implementing a multi-project management software requires planning and preparation. This should include a variety of key steps and roles for everyone involved, as well as a plan for communicating with the team. Before you dive into tool comparisons, the first step is to thoroughly assess your company’s needs. This will help you answer the most important questions, which will also inform the project’s overall budget. Once you have decided on the type of software that will work best for your company, you can start to narrow down the providers by interviewing them and gathering feedback from other users. This step will give you a better understanding of how to use them and what your options are. During the execution phase, you will start converting data and preparing for the transition to the new platform. This is a critical step in the process, and it involves preparing for various scenarios. One of the most challenging parts of a successful software roll-out is dealing with resistance from your staff members, especially if they’re already overwhelmed with a number of ongoing projects. Having people with varying levels of expertise can help manage this issue and keep the system running smoothly. Some software tools may even be ready within a day if you are able to dedicate time to quickly adding in project details and tasks. Get a jumpstart on this before you even purchase your next tool by taking stock of all current project workflows. Mapping out your organization's processes is an important step in the transition from an old to a new project management software. This will help you visualize how those processes operate and identify opportunities for improvement which can help you prevent or overcome them in the future. Implementing a multi-project management tool also works best if you can get the senior and middle managers to buy in first. They may be more likely to adopt the software if they see its effectiveness first-hand. List the activities that your team deals with and identify the key processes that have the most impact on achieving goals and targets. How to manage multiple projects with Wrike Wrike is an effective tool for project coordination no matter how many active projects you have on at the same time. With Wrike’s multi-project dashboards, you can quickly go over your work schedule, review progress, and approve changes where needed. It’s also a useful space for reflecting on projects and tasks throughout their entire lifecycle. But above all else, Wrike is the best tool for keeping track of the tasks that require the most effort. It does so by allowing you to rate the amount of work that each task requires. At the same time, you can keep up with all the details, such as deadlines and stakeholder approvals through detailed task descriptions. Creating a step-by-step breakdown structure for your tasks is the easiest way to make them more efficient. That’s why Wrike offers an automated workflow system to help you create a copy of all your past tasks and trigger the next steps in real time. With Wrike, you can easily evaluate your progress and assign tasks to specific projects. This eliminates the need to wait for the projects to finish before getting a more detailed view into what else is going on. This level of transparency holds employees accountable and provides greater visibility into vital project aspects that will cut down on miscommunications and unnecessary questions. Plus, Wrike allows managers to plan each project's goals and assign people to oversee the work so that everyone knows what's expected of them. This will make it easier to get done and reduce stress. And with Wrike's Report Builder, users can customize the data so that it only reviews the most important metrics with updates made in real time so you never miss a beat. In conclusion Multi-project management is a process that can be easily used to jump-start various projects while keeping everything organized in one place. Having a solid foundation like the kind Wrike can provide will allow you to focus on what matters most instead of starting from scratch each time you begin, work on, or finish another project. Start Wrike’s free trial today to begin mastering the art of multi-project management.
Quality assurance (QA) is one of the final and most important steps of any product roadmap. Used in a variety of industries, including software development and construction, quality assurance verifies that a product or service is of the highest quality, which is an integral process for any company. In this article, we’ll explain the basic premise behind what quality assurance is and why it is important. Keep reading to discover how Wrike can be used as a tool for quality assurance. What does QA stand for? QA stands for quality assurance. It refers to the process or actions taken to ensure a product meets all of its requirements. Quality assurance is often used to track compliance and maintain consistent product management output over time. This is accomplished by ensuring that each step of the production process is thoroughly inspected and refined. The main benefits of QA include gaining a customer's satisfaction and confidence. This leads to higher sales and better customer loyalty over time. Quality assurance processes have become so critical that many companies have created their own dedicated department. You may also hear of a quality assurance system referred to as a quality management system. How is quality assurance used in project management? Quality assurance is used in project management to help companies avoid making mistakes and to minimize potential risks. With quality assurance in mind, project managers can start planning for the quality of their deliverables from the very beginning of their project plans. Doing so will highlight areas where they can improve their work, increase efficiency, and hold their team accountable. Not only does this strengthen a brand’s reputation, but it also cuts down on the potential exponential costs associated with fixing QA issues down the line. Quality assurance can be completed at any stage of the project process. It can begin with establishing a quality framework for the hiring process so that only the best, most compatible talent is brought on. After that, teams can perform self-checks to ensure that your work is conducted according to predefined standards. Regular QA monitoring can be built into project plans with other departments, or third-party entities can easily be looped in to give approvals. After a product has gone to market, teams can further track its quality by receiving customer feedback and implementing changes as needed. All of these quality assurance tasks can be organized and executed through proper product management. In fact, without a proper project management tool and strategy in place, companies are even more vulnerable to QA issues. For quality assurance issue prevention and resolution, having a clear understanding of what’s going on at all times is essential. What are the three types of quality assurance methods? There are three types of quality assurance methods that project teams commonly use. These methods can vary depending on the requirements of the company; however, you can count on using at least one of the following during the process: Statistical process control Failure testing Total quality management Statistical Process Control Statistical process control (SPC) is most often used for developing products with technology and/or chemistry involved. This can include everything from consumables to cleaning supplies to software. The SPC method monitors ongoing progress through charts and strives for continuous improvement. The steps involved in this quality assurance method include discovery, investigation, prioritization, further analysis, and charting. This can be done internally using project data, team input, and studies conducted by QA and operations teams. Decisions are based on facts and figures and will likely follow the scientific method approach. Failure Testing Failure testing is commonly used to test physical or virtual products. For physical products, that means whether the product will break down under pressure or in various usability scenarios. For example, crash testing a vehicle’s safety airbags would be considered failure testing. For virtual products, failure testing focuses on a program’s resiliency against a number of possible high-stress scenarios. Issues such as cybersecurity and transaction capacity are all evaluated. Overall, failure testing aims to assess a prototype or finished product and decide if it’s ready to go to market. Total Quality Management The total quality management (TQM) method aims to continuously improve products by using quantitative methods. Practically speaking, it helps build a process that is consistent and predictable. It does so using a variety of modules that help manage the various phases of a project. TQM also supports teams by relying on data and analysis to plan and implement future updates. It’s most popular for improving assembly-line efficiency. Regardless of which quality assurance method you use, having an execution plan is very important. It will help you keep track of all of the steps involved in the QA process as they happen. Teams can also track improvements over time and study trends as they progress. What is quality control in project management? Quality control is a process that involves inspecting, testing, and reporting outputs to ensure that they meet the requirements of the project. In order to achieve the highest possible level of conformance, decisions need to be made in all phases of quality control. Projects involve a wide variety of tasks and processes that are often subject to various forms of quality control. The project manager will typically always agree to follow quality control measures but having input from internal or external QA experts is a great idea too. Quality assurance and quality control are sometimes used interchangeably. However, they are distinctly different. Quality assurance vs. quality control Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are part of a quality system, along with other elements such as goals and procedures. Quality assurance typically covers all elements of a quality system, while quality control is a smaller subset. In other words, while QA sees the big picture (process), QC focuses on the details (finished products). Quality assurance examples Quality assurance examples can be found in many different forms across all industries. They can happen in businesses both large and small, and the issues they aim to solve or prevent may be identified by internal teams, external partners, or even their very own customer base. Here are some general examples to help illustrate what quality assurance looks like: Running cybersecurity tests on a user portal after a breach was exposed Revamping a car manufacturing process to better suit new safety standards Changing fabric suppliers after discovering that dresses aren’t reacting to dye as well as they did weeks before Designing a new bumper after data suggests its current design to be the cause of higher flat tire rates Weeding out possible vat issues after receiving complaints from customers that their granola bars made buyers sick As you can see, quality assurance plays an important role in a company’s overall success. From protecting customer health and private information to assuring that your brand image is consistent, these examples prove that QA is a non-negotiable asset for any company. How to use Wrike during the quality assurance process Wrike’s product management tools help you manage all your quality assurance activities in one place. Using our tool, managers can accelerate product launches through automation and go-to-market faster without sacrificing quality. Wrike does all of this using features such as templates and cross-functional team communication tools. Wrike offers pre-made templates designed by and for experts in your industry to ensure that you capture all the essential steps in every project. This lays a strong foundation for high-quality and consistent output. Wrike also allows users to create their own process templates. Once an issue is discovered, teams can easily implement a custom QA solution template into their existing project plans and take action that much faster. Whether you’re responding to an issue or monitoring to ensure one doesn’t come up, a project management solution that offers cross-functional team communication tools is a must-have for quality assurance. Wrike does this through several features. First, Wrike offers improved visibility into real-time reports through dashboards, charts, and detailed task views. Second, Wrike allows teams to involve everyone in the conversation. This happens through integration with third-party communication apps so that all discussion is organized no matter where it takes place. It also is made possible through secure project plan access to outside partners who need to view and approve of plans. Even within the program itself, teams can easily view succinct dashboards that outline where they are, what they have to do, and where the project is going. Team members can easily get one another up to speed on QA issues by pinpointing which tasks went wrong and reviewing in-task discussions to get a better understanding of the event. Get quality assurance discussions started across multiple departments and countries with our easy-to-use project management software. Start Wrike’s free trial to get better insight into your own processes now.
In project management, identifying and handling a variety of dependencies is one of the most important tasks team leaders will manage. The challenge is that dependencies in project management are often complex. There are different types of dependencies that need to be considered in different project phases. In this article, we’ll dive deep into project dependencies by going over types, examples, and how Wrike can be used to seamlessly manage them all. What are project dependencies? Project dependencies, also known as task dependencies, are the order in which tasks should be performed. They allow you to work out the optimal order for the project, giving the fastest route through the work. For example, if Task B is dependent on Task A, Task A will need to be completed first in order for Task B to begin. Types of project dependencies There are ten different types of dependencies in project management. You’ll need to be familiar with each of them to optimize your project planning. Some are intuitively named, but others may require additional explanation. Keep reading to learn these essential terms. Casual dependencies This type of project dependency is any task that follows the logical sequence of events. These are typically easy to assume. Resource-based dependencies This dependency is created when more than one project requires the same resource for completion. The project will be dependent on the completion of each task and whether or not there is enough of that resource available for all project needs. Preferential-based dependencies Preferential-based dependencies are unique to each team and have to do with best practices, established procedures, and the intuition of the project manager. Cross-team dependencies Cross-team dependencies are when teams from multiple projects or departments need to work together to deliver an end-to-end solution. External dependencies An external dependency is a requirement that a task needs from a third party before it can proceed. This dependency often takes the form of an approval. FS dependencies FS stands for finish-to-start. The finish date of the preceding task gives the date of when the next task will begin. SF dependencies SF stands for start-to-finish. The start date of the preceding task gives the date of when the next task will be completed. SS dependencies SS stands for start-to-start. A start-to-start dependency means that a successor project cannot start before its predecessor has done so too. FF dependencies FF stands for finish-to-finish. This dependency tells the successor task to finish the predecessor's work. They don’t need to be completed at the same time, but one can’t finish unless the other is ending or has already ended. Outside-inside dependencies An internal task has external dependencies in order to complete or vice versa. Project dependencies examples Now that you know all of the different dependencies, here are some examples of each one to help you better understand what they look like in real life: Casual dependencies For example, to send an email, you must first write it. And before that, you’ll need the email address of the person you’re sending it to. These tasks would depend on each other and flow in order. Resource-based dependencies You may need eggs to prepare both your omelet and your pancakes for breakfast. The extent of both cooking projects will depend on how they utilize the shared resource. Preferential-based dependencies Some freelance writers may prefer to work without a blog post outline. However, the marketing team already has a custom workflow that involves giving them one. Cross-team dependencies The sales team may be working side by side with marketing on a new product launch. External dependencies A construction project may rely on a concrete supplier to deliver their product to the jobsite before they can begin pouring. FS dependencies In marketing, you may need to get approval on your quarterly budget proposal in order to launch your next paid advertising campaign on Facebook. SF dependencies If your company is redoing its logo, it will need to keep the old one while starting the new design before it can be replaced. SS dependencies A team of professional home cleaners must start the laundry and begin scrubbing the bathtub at the same time in order to provide their two-hour express service. FF dependencies If you’re redoing your website, you can simultaneously work on the backend code while also designing the user interface. The code will need to finish in order for the user interface to also go live. Outside-inside dependencies A wedding planner is waiting for a reception venue to confirm their availability on a set of potential dates before returning with a quote to their engaged clients. How to manage project dependencies with Wrike Wrike is a project management tool that allows you to find, plan for, and manage a variety of complex project phases with task dependencies through features such as the Timeline and automated task dependencies. The Timeline feature allows users to plan and schedule tasks with drag-and-click support. It eliminates the need to create separate task lists for each project. Task dependencies are easy to view and piece together within a given timeframe. Wrike also offers individual task dependencies, a feature that automatically links tasks to each other and shows the downstream effects of each link. This feature makes it much easier to maintain an accurate project plan. And if any changes need to be made while the project is underway, managers can quickly rearrange employee schedules and to-do lists without losing sight of which tasks are already connected. Plus, Wrike offers robust communication features for stakeholders inside and outside of your immediate team. Loop in other departments through @mentions within tasks so they can quickly get up to speed with ongoing conversations and relay their informed input. Or, grant restricted access to third-party vendors and clients so they can seamlessly contribute to tasks as needed. Ready to master task dependencies and improve your project management strategy? Start Wrike’s free two-week trial today to better organize and execute complex project steps with ease.
There is so much involved in starting a business, it’s understandable when things fall through the cracks. Unfortunately, marketing is one area that many new business owners neglect or treat as more of an afterthought. Developing a marketing strategy is just as important as developing a budget. It is a key element in growing a customer base and generating revenue. This is not a simple process; mistakes are often made.
Got a never-ending list of project tasks to complete? A punch list can help. This project management tool is frequently used by construction managers, but it can help teams in any industry manage both old and new tasks that need to be revisited or monitored. In this article, we’ll explain what a punch list is in construction, why it’s so helpful, and how you can benefit from using one. Keep reading to discover how to create an effective punch list that works for your unique projects, all while adhering to best practices. What is a punch list? The term punch list comes from the construction world, where managers would have their team punch a hole in a paper task list next to an item they had finished. A punch list is a list of tasks that must be completed before a project can be completed. Tasks include active work, work that has been completed, and notes on delays in the project. Task deadlines and big-picture project deadlines are also saved here. A punch list does not always include the major work but rather smaller tasks that must be completed. Punch lists are used to keep track of work that needs to be completed to meet the terms of a contract. Project and construction management software can help you create and maintain a punch list that works seamlessly with the rest of your workflow. Project details are updated in real time and can be accessed anytime from anywhere. Each punch list item should have its own name, location, and deadline. Not all items on the list will be urgent, so it’s important to mark priority items. Punch lists are created by managers but used by all members of the team. They’re also useful for communicating with stakeholders. Project owners should regularly check in with them and confirm they are satisfied with the process. A punch list is only made once the project is considered almost finished. It consists of minor tweaks and usually only addresses major issues. When drafting the punch list, all team members involved should address issues they encounter before the project closes. This step typically involves reviewing the original project specifications and addressing any changes or updates. Afterwards, everyone comes up with a plan to address the remaining tasks. The contractor or manager then provides a schedule for when the project will likely wrap up. Why are there punch lists in construction? Have you ever used the phrase “punch out”? The term originally refers to the process of completing a construction project's punch list. A construction punch list is a step-by-step plan that outlines the work left to be done before the project's final inspection. It's typically created before the project's final inspection. Before the contract can be finalized, the general contractor and the owner will do a site walkthrough to make sure all the necessary work is done. A punch list structure is a great way to align your team's quality control efforts throughout the construction process. It's also a great way to keep track of all the details of a project. Site walkthroughs are usually carried out by a crew member who may also contribute to the punch list. During this walkthrough, they will note down all the items that are missing or that require attention. Even though this walkthrough is visual, tasks are not just identified by what you can see but what someone says must be done in order to fulfill the agreed-upon project needs. These notes are all used to create the punch list. Doing it this way will eliminate the confusion and misinformation that can cause delays and unnecessary expenses as the project progresses. It also gives teams a way to communicate clearly and schedule the remaining work, making it easier for everyone involved to efficiently collaborate. Many construction companies will create punch list templates. A punch list template helps to organize all of the information that's needed to manage a construction project, including details such as who, what, and where. This template can be created once and then used repeatedly, saving managers the time it would take to make each new punch list from scratch. The goal of every construction management project is to have zero items on its punch list. Once this has been achieved, the contractor and the owner enter the substantial completion phase. When the punch list is zero, the project owner and the contractor can reach a mutual agreement, which states that the work is finished and ready for payment. Having one person responsible for the punch list's maintenance is very helpful. This person is typically in a management position. They’ll be responsible for answering questions, following up on task progress or delays, and keeping the list up to date. As you can probably guess, having an open line of communication between the punch list manager and the rest of the team is critical for this tool to be effective. Many people play key roles in the construction punch list, including the project owner, the architect, the general contractor, and the designers. Project owners create and manage the list while the general contractor reviews and carries out the details. While that’s happening, the architects, designers, and subcontractors complete the tasks. Punch list examples Looking for ideas for your own punch list? Here are some punch list examples you can use to build your template, along with our insight on what makes each unique and how to use them: Example 1: Life of an Architect In this example, architect Bob Borson shows us his punch list for the inside of a 12,000 square foot construction project. What’s unique about Borson’s punch list is that he includes a ledge at the top with numbers that correspond to tasks. He then uses the numbers as a shorthand for each of his tasks, adding details if needed. Example 2: Levelset’s Template Levelset has created a general template for construction punch lists. It takes the form of a chart with headers that say: item number, location, item description, the subcontractor responsible, status, and date completed. The simplistic nature may be appealing to managers who prefer to use paper and pencil. However, projects with tasks that require more details, frequent status updates, or approvals may want to add more to it. Going digital also makes it easier to view, share, and revise as you go along. The benefits of punch list management Build better relationships This type of communication tool creates a better working relationship between a project owner and a general contractor because it allows them to be on the same page about task statuses. A punch list also ensures that everyone’s voice is heard. You may feel like the project is finally finished, but keep in mind that everyone involved has their own thoughts. Improve communication The entire team plays a part in creating the punch list. They're also responsible for maintaining it. Although there is a point person, everyone becomes a stakeholder for the remaining tasks in the project. It's also easy to reference and share if you use electronic tools such as project management software. Stay on track Failing to deliver all of your tasks on time and under budget can create major problems, especially when there are contracts involved. A punch list not only keeps a record of what you and stakeholders agree to but also paves a clear path for what still needs to be completed before the project deadline. Set expectations When you use a punch list, everyone on your team knows exactly what they are responsible for and when it is due. Employees don't have to worry about going above and beyond the punch list since that may involve time and expenses that are unaccounted for. Instead, they can focus on providing high-quality results for the most important tasks. Keep teams accountable Punch lists are visible to everyone on the team. Because there are names assigned to each item, it's easy to see who is completing their tasks on time and who isn't. Team members can support one another when someone falls behind and feel motivated by the progress that is being made in other areas of the punch list. What should be included in a punch list checklist? No matter what industry you are in, your punch list checklist should include each of the following: Punch number: The total number of tasks on the punch list or what number the specific task in question is on the list. Location: If there is a construction site involved, this is where the task will need to happen. If your work is all digital, you can use this space to designate which software tool this item will live in so that it’s easier to look up later on. Trade or department: Choose which specialty this task falls under. For example, signing off on the final design for a Times Square billboard campaign may fall under the marketing department’s responsibility. In construction, this may look like carpentry, plumbing, etc. Task name: A shorthand for what most team members will remember and understand. Task description: A paragraph describing what the task is, any general guidelines needed to complete it, and important details the assignee absolutely has to know. Files: Ideally, your punch list will be digital and have the ability to link out to or store supporting files. Things like photos, images, videos, and documents are all useful here as long as they directly relate to the task. Task type: What general task category does this punch list item fall under? Your team can come up with a list of specific categories that fit your unique project needs. Priority: Note this using a word or color designation. At a minimum, your priority scale should include low, medium, and high, but feel free to include more variety. Due date: As the name implies, this reflects when the task is due and absolutely must be completed. Owner: The person responsible for making the task happen. Approver: The quality control person who must sign off on the task completion, if needed. Task status: Commonly used tags include completed, awaiting approval, and in progress. Notes: Use this section to discuss the project, loop in other participants for opinions and updates, and elaborate on anything in the task that needs to be explained. Pro tip: As you can tell by now, each individual task will include a lot of details, which is why it is also important that your punch list is short and concise so that you maximize the effectiveness of your to-dos. It’s not a list of what you could do but what you have to do. Doing so will make sure you’re using the remaining resources wisely while maintaining compliance with the original project agreement. How to create an effective punch list template Start by using data from reports on similar projects you’ve done in the past. Look for things they have in common and add some of your initial task ideas to the punch list draft. Your team will help you decide whether or not to keep them later, but for now, they will form the foundation of your standard punch list template. Then, use a premade punch list task form or a project management task template to define each individual item. If you don’t have a premade one available, use the list outlined above to draft your own. Make sure that your template is simple and clear so that everyone on the team can understand how to use it. The key is to keep it streamlined, especially if your tasks are complex. Finally, add drop-down menus for categories such as task type or location if there are a limited number of options available. If the section requires a little more personalization, leave space for users to enter the text below the header. Using Wrike as an alternative to punch lists Wrike is a project and construction management tool that makes it easy to create, manage, and assign tasks. As you can imagine, it’s extremely hard to track punch list items on paper. Doing so leads to many errors and inefficiencies, and it can also hinder collaboration among various parties. Even a digital punch list tool has its limitations. Features such as asset storage and accessibility controls that Wrike offers aren’t typical of traditional punch list software. And yet, these details can make all the difference as you strive for efficiency in the final stages of your project. While a project management software may not have its own designated punch list outline, it does offer productive alternatives such as Kanban boards. A Kanban board is a visual representation of your workflow. Instead of a punch list, it uses columns and cards to represent the stages of your work. You can also set specific priorities and attach customized tags. Wrike also offers secure cloud storage. A project collaboration system powered by the cloud will allow you to keep track of all your team members and issues in real time. Wrike even works seamlessly with mobile platforms, which maximizes visibility. Blended teams across the globe can easily make and view changes in real time. Added all together, the features of a digital project management system combine to create a powerful alternative to traditional punch lists. In conclusion Using punch list and project management technology, team members can now communicate even when they're not in the same physical location. Wrike helps streamline this process by allowing you to assign, track, and monitor people for specific tasks. Start your two-week free trial of Wrike and see for yourself how you can get projects done on time and within budget through advanced task organization.
The MoSCoW method is a prioritization technique used by project and campaign managers to work smarter not harder. In this quick guide, we’ll explain exactly what the MoSCoW method is, how it works, and provide some examples you can use to inform your own analysis. Keep reading to better understand the various categories within the MoSCoW method, as well as an alternative prioritization tool for project managers. What is the MoSCow method? The MoSCoW method is a technique used by organizations to communicate the importance and priority of the various requirements being met in various projects. This method is also referred to as MoSCoW prioritization and MoSCoW analysis. The term MoSCoW is an acronym that refers to the first letter of each of the four priority categories. It uses four categories, which are must-have, should-want, could-have, and will not have. While it’s meant to be used at the start of a project when time is on your side, it can also be adapted to work seamlessly for time constraints. Software developer Dai Clegg originally created the MoScoW method. Since then, many other leading companies have used it to get their team on the same page, properly distribute resources, and achieve project goals. How does the MoSCow technique work? The MoSCoW technique works by allowing teams to include multiple representatives from the organization in their project management discussions. This gives everyone a wider perspective on the organization's operations and where their collective priorities lie. Before you begin your MoSCoW method, think about which people can provide valuable context for your team. They can help you identify opportunities and threats, and they can help you make better decisions. Once finalized, the MoSCoW method will also force stakeholders to show evidence before they can submit additional work requests mid-project. Critics of MoSCoW often say that it does not include a comprehensive objective scoring system for all initiatives. This is a common mistake that many teams make. A weighted scoring method will more accurately measure the backlog against a set of predefined benefits and costs. One of the most challenging aspects of the MoSCoW technique is learning which categories their initiatives should go in. As the manager, you will need to know which of your team's initiatives are “must haves” for their product or which are merely “should haves”. You may even need to solicit feedback from a different department in order to get greater perspective on your current project prioritization. For example, a marketing department head may have greater insight into which selling points for your upcoming product launch are resonating more with buyers so that you can work on perfecting those components first. Another key idea about how the MoSCoW technique works is that it’s only effective if you follow it. This means that, once an initiative is placed into a category, the entire team needs to stick to that decision. Many beginner MoSCoW teams end up agreeing that an initiative should have been initiated, but they move on to the next step instead because it feels better or more familiar to them. Finally, when it comes to making decisions about prioritization, your team will need to have a consistent framework in place before you engage with this technique. A consistent framework for assessing and ranking all initiatives is critical if you want to avoid biases and falling into old patterns. Your team’s prioritization strategy helps set expectations across the organization. It lets them know that they have made the right decisions and weigh all the factors that go into making those decisions. Don’t be afraid to make your MoSCoW method results available to the rest of your organization if applicable. Understanding MoSCow prioritization categories Before the MoSCoW analysis can begin, all participants need to agree on which initiatives will be prioritized. It's important to discuss how to resolve disagreements in order to prevent them from holding up progress during this preparation stage. This can help prevent issues from happening in the first place. Once the framework has been established, it is time to start identifying the appropriate categories for each project. Here are the definitions and explanations of each of the MoSCoW prioritization categories: Must have Musts are defined as initiatives that are critical to the success of a project or product. These are usually non-negotiable and can be used to describe specific functionalities or solutions that need to be implemented. The “must have” category is challenging to define. Before you start, ask yourself if something is truly necessary in this category. Should have Although “should have” initiatives are not essential to a product or project, they may add significant value. A “should have” initiative is different from a “must have” initiative, which means it can be scheduled for a future release. Could have “Could haves” are initiatives that are not necessary to the core of a product. Projects that are placed in the “could have” category are often the first ones to be deprioritized when another project takes longer than expected. Will not have The MoSCoW method places several initiatives in a “will not have” category. This method allows you to manage expectations about what will not be included in a release or another timeframe. Putting initiatives in the “will not have" category can help prevent scope creep. This category shows the team that the project is not a priority at this specific time frame. Some initiatives are prioritized in the “will not have” group, while others are likely to happen in the future. Some teams then decide to create a subcategory for these initiatives. How is the MoSCoW method used in project management? The concept of MoSCoW allows project managers to prioritize tasks that can be done efficiently even when they have limited time. For example, if the team has a tight budget, it can use MoSCoW to determine which initiatives can be completed within those limitations. This is especially useful for managers juggling more than project or leading cross-functional teams. This is because cross-functional teams are sometimes obligated to another company or department’s priorities. While your team is working on a new product release, another project manager may have them on a tight timeline for another client’s goal. And, as we all know, things come up throughout the lifespan of a project. Although efficient planning helps teams remain agile, the MoSCoW method can make even the biggest and most unexpected roadblocks more manageable. MoSCoW examples This method can be used for nearly any industry or project type because it has to do more with project decision-making than the subject matter itself. Here are a couple of MoSCoW method examples you can use to get started with your first draft: 1. National College of Ireland’s website project In this example from a lecture on the MoSCoW analysis, Professor Eugene O’Loughlin demonstrates how to use this technique when building a website. The project goal in this example is to create a platform where users can securely log in and access files. Because of this, the tasks listed under their MoSCoW categories will look different from other standard website creation projects. For example, while another project may add “have an eye-catching design” to their should-have section, this particular website has added “password retrieval” because it directly applies to their security-oriented goal. Even if this website project could benefit from a great design, the MoSCoW method helps managers and teams laser focus on completing the highest priority activities first. If they have more time later on, they can potentially add a design improvement task to their “could haves” if they determine the ROI is high enough. Takeaway: Consider your project holistically when assigning priority. Your goals should be your north star for determining what is or is not truly important, regardless of what conventional wisdom says to do. 2. Slideteam’s Assessing HR Requirements Template This is one of the MoSCoW examples that shows how many different types of tasks this technique covers. Here, we see storing employee leave history as a must, leave letter printing a should, notifications for pending leave dates a could, and remote access a won’t. In HR, many of their decisions around prioritization will be made by compliance and legal counsel that they must adhere to. Still, it’s important to define these tasks and their MoSCoW label so that employees understand at a glance that it’s less important to set up leave notifications and more important that they update employment histories in their software. Takeaway: The MoSCoW method can be used to cover many different aspects of projects including compliance and procedure. How to undertake a MoSCoW analysis using Wrike Wrike is a project management software that allows users to strategize how they prioritize their portfolio of projects as well as the tasks within each individual initiative. Using visual tools such as road maps that show what progress will look like from kickoff to completion, managers can easily see which of their chosen MoSCoW analysis configurations work best for achieving their goals. Wrike also allows you to centralize all of your project planning in one central location. You can view potential resource conflicts across projects, individual task progress statuses, and automate tasks from your should or could have categories that you otherwise wouldn’t have time for. Ready to get started with the MoSCoW method and Wrike? Sign up for a two-week free trial today.
An effective sales pitch email is a gamechanger for teams wanting to reach the next level. It sounds difficult, but our guide on how to write a sales pitch that wins clients will provide all the tips you need to convert leads. Keep reading to learn more about why sales pitches are important plus tips for how to write a good sales pitch no matter what you’re selling. After, discover good sales pitch examples you can use to inspire your own. Why are sales pitches important? If your customer or revenue goals are being fulfilled on autopilot every month then you can probably skip sales pitches. But if you’re like most businesses, you’ll greatly benefit from sales pitches that provide the company-wide benefits of better relationships and completed goals. Chances are, the people you’re reaching out to have not yet heard about your company — otherwise, they may have already become customers by now. Sales pitches give you the opportunity to introduce your brand and show how you can help the customer with their pain points. They’re also a great way for you and your entire sales team to improve together. But in order to win more clients, you’ll first need to learn how to write a sales pitch that gets results. Otherwise, you may not see these benefits right away. Even if you already know how to write a sales pitch, the following tips will help you improve your ROI rates. Tips for writing a good sales pitch The best advice for writing a good sales pitch is to follow the three-step structure we’ve outlined below. Whether you’re leaving a voicemail or meeting in person, the following tips will help you make a strategic and strong first impression. Tip 1: Grab attention When you first learn how to write a sales pitch, you have to start from the very beginning. Make the opening line of your sales pitch engaging so that the customer doesn’t close your email before they finish reading it. In general, you should always aim at the emotional side of the client’s mind – not the rational one. Here are three ways to grab attention in your sales pitch: Find a creative phrase to start your proposal. This can be a joke, a piece of news, or an interesting fact. For example, you can start with the sentence, “If it saves you $50,000 per year, wouldn’t you consider spending $1,000 now?” Or show that there’s proof of the value you bring by using quantitative indicators. Engage your prospect with figures and relevant statistics right from the start. Include a relevant fact such as “more than 75% of your potential clients spend at least five hours a day on their smartphones. You can benefit from this — ! let me show you how.” Alternatively, consider personalizing your message so that your prospect knows you’re reaching out to them specifically with a tailored offer. Emphasize that your proposal is unique and available only for certain clients. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What are you more likely to choose: a product available for everyone or something tailored exclusively for you? Feel this difference and create customer-focused messages. Tip 2: Offer solutions As you continue learning how to write a sales pitch, it’s important to have a clear ‘why’ when starting out. Why are you writing to this person? Why do they need your services or products? Why are your solutions the best? But before you tell your potential client what you can do to help, you must first acknowledge their real pain points. For example, if you’re a budget-conscious wedding planner, you may open with: “You probably think that to arrange a dream wedding, you’ll need Jeff Bezos’ fortune. We’ll show you the other way to do it.” Next, explain how you can help. That means providing real solutions to customers’ problems. Make it clear that all the client needs to do is purchase your product and put the pain out of their mind. For example, you could write, ”We specialize in transforming outdated web design into user-friendly interfaces that are a pleasure to work with. Our best solutions are attached.” Then, include an example specifically chosen for this pain point. Lastly, make the client admire the benefits you provide. Supplement your product with unexpected options or advantages. For example, if your service is catering, emphasize the unique benefits you provide, such as free wait staff or a cake created especially for the client’s event. Your customer will be impressed by the bargain. Tip 3: Clarify next steps If you really want to learn how to write a sales pitch that people actually respond to, you have to practice giving instructions in the form of next steps. At the end of the email, briefly emphasize the best statements of your proposal. Choose the ones most relevant to the customer’s needs and those that are most persuasive. Then, make a clear and concise offer, so you don’t mislead your customer on what they should do next. Write this in the form of a one to two-sentence call-to-action. You can also set a time limit. Explain that a decision should be made quickly and within the given time frame. Point out the unique benefit within your proposal that is valid for “only five days.” That stimulates the client to decide faster and to get to the next step in the sales process. For example, you can say “If you decide within 14 days, we promise you the best price with a 15% discount.” Tips for writing an email sales pitch Email, like any form of digital communication, has its own unique set of best practices and uses. As a sales tool, it’s great for either resurfacing old threads or starting fresh with a cold message. It’s so great, in fact, Inc. reported that a recent McKinsey & Co. study found email is 40 times more effective at major social media websites at winning new business. In that same article, Inc. went as far as to dub email as “the best way to reach customers.” Here are some tips for how to get the most out of this powerful sales pitch channel: Keep it short and sweet. In our personal experience, a three-sentence email is more likely to be read and responded to than a long-form message. Link out to key points. If you mention your portfolio, make sure to link out to it. You can also link to screenshots of results you’ve achieved or your personal LinkedIn if you think it will help you make the sale. Mention your famous clients. Name dropping is a great way to prove your expertise in an email sales pitch. Mention your best clients or, at the very least, the solutions and projects you’ve done for clients like them. Don’t forget about real figures to emphasize the results. Align with marketing. Collaborating with marketing ensures that your message is on brand and relevant for your email list. Your marketing team may even create or provide original content to help strengthen your pitch. Whether it’s a well-designed client testimonial or a pitch video edit, they’re a great resource for making a fantastic and cohesive customer journey from Day 1. Good sales pitch examples Learning from the best will help you overcome common beginner mistakes and get that much closer to closing. Below are some of our favorite examples of good sales pitches that can teach you how to write a sales pitch that actually works. Alphalake Ai’s artificial intelligence pitch video There are two things that stand out about this sales pitch. The first is the fact that it uses artificial intelligence to generate a speaking avatar, something that few can say they’ve seen in their inboxes lately. The second is that it’s quite personal. Not only does the avatar look like the sender, but it’s also a great representation of the brand itself since they offer AI products. Shopify’s whitepaper for client sales pitches In 2019, Shopify created a sales guide for merchants who want to pitch Shopify as their platform of choice. The whitepaper itself doesn’t give a specific pitch email. However, it does outline the following key talking points: The benefits of using a fully hosted eCommerce solution Shopify’s key solutions for merchants Simple payment plans You can easily use any combination of these points to persuade a new user to join your site. Or have your customers do the selling for you with a guide like Shopify’s. Lavender’s foolproof LinkedIn message pitch Co-founder Will Allred recently shared this great sales pitch template that leaders at the company have had success with: “Hey ____, Saw you're growing the sales team by 20% this quarter. Would knowing which reps are at risk of missing email quota (and why) be helpful?” With social media, it’s best to keep your sales pitches even shorter and sweeter than email, just like Allred did here. Now that you know how to write a sales pitch that works, it’s time to continue breaking down the wall between sales and marketing with Wrike’s project management platform. Start your two-week free trial today and begin organizing lead conversion projects more efficiently and effectively.
A metric is a unit of measurement. In project management, for example, metrics are used to track progress based on goals or critical success factors. In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about IT metrics and why they are so important. Keep reading to discover what standard IT metrics are, how to choose your IT metrics, best practices for choosing, and potential challenges when working with them. Stay tuned until the end to discover a project management tool you can use to define, monitor, and analyze your IT metrics. What are the standard IT metrics? Standard IT metrics are the quantifiable values used by IT industry leaders to measure the value of technology, productivity, and output to the business. They help them manage the business of IT PMO and demonstrate how technology can improve the bottom line. Here are the must-know terms: Time to resolve Time to resolve is the shorthand for MTTR (mean time to resolve) and refers to the average time it takes to resolve a failure. SLA breach rate SLA stands for Service Level Agreement and a breach refers to a break in that agreement. The SLA breach rate defines the total monetary fee for violating the contract terms. User satisfaction The user satisfaction score is a widely-employed metric that measures how much respondents do or do not enjoy a product or service. The survey asks respondents to rate the level and typically uses a small scale such as 1-10, with higher numbers meaning more satisfaction and lower numbers meaning less satisfaction. Cost per contact The cost per contact is the sum of all costs involved in running a contact center. It is often divided by the number of contacts that were handled. Service availability Service availability is the percent measurement of how accessible a service is during the time when you promised to keep it. It typically refers to digital products and software. Incident counts Incident counts are the number of reports made to the service desk regarding issues with the product. Downtime Downtime refers to the total amount of time a product is not available to users for events such as scheduled maintenance or security threats. How to choose IT metrics As you can see, there are a lot of IT metrics to choose between. Like with any professional services management project, the key is to make sure that the metrics you choose are aligned with your goals. There are two main categories of metrics: service and operations. IT service metrics: IT service metrics are the process of applying knowledge and expertise to enable organizations to improve their operations. They often provide resolutions for issues that users experience when using the product. IT operations metrics: The mission of the IT operations department is to provide the necessary tools and services to enable organizations to manage their hardware and software. This includes the development and deployment of software and hardware solutions. Best practices for choosing your IT metrics If our goal is to achieve a specific outcome, then choosing IT metrics that help us evaluate how well we're executing our strategy makes sense. However, many metrics are neglected simply because they don't match the goals of the product or the organization. In order to choose your IT metrics, you’ll need to start by learning more about which ones correspond with your next big project management goal. From there, you’ll want to narrow down your top choices to only the IT metrics that directly tie back into your benchmarks. It’s also good to think about how the IT metrics you’ve chosen may affect how your team works. In general, choosing IT metrics may motivate employees to work faster. Known as the observer effect, simply seeing how they are being measured in real time will increase the speed of their output. But when it comes to influencing behavior, you may find that a particular set of IT metrics will push your team in a direction you don’t want them to go in. So make sure to consider the real-world impact these goalposts will have on your unique team. The challenges of choosing IT metrics Hyperfocus on metrics When choosing IT metrics, we should be aware that we are not adding more goals on top of those we already have. Instead, IT metrics serve as a tool to quantify progress made toward the PMO’s goal. They are not goals in and of themselves, even if we plan to improve their numbers. Focusing too much on the IT metric progress may actually waste resources in the long run. Lack of balance As Bill Graff, SVP & CIO, Cerner Corporation, told The Enterprisers Project, managers will have to strike a balance between internal and external IT metrics. “To show IT’s real value to the organization, you need two sets of metrics,” shared Graff. “One internal-facing set focused on how you run your business on a day-to-day basis. This should include metrics such as turnaround time on support tickets, vulnerability remediation, budget adherence, and uptime/availability. The other set of metrics is external-facing. These metrics describe how the consumers are using your services, their satisfaction, and how they add to the company’s bottom line.” Overly complex management Another one of the challenges of choosing IT metrics is complexity. The complexity of an organization’s adaptive systems makes it hard to determine which metrics are right for you. Most of the time, they cannot measure cause-and-effect behavior. Yes, it’s easy to create dashboards with metrics. But applying too many at one time will increase the complexity of our system and make our dashboards less useful. Using Wrike as an ITSM solution A good IT service management tool such as Wrike provides high quality and timely planning, reporting, and monitoring. All of this combined enables other teams and individuals to perform their jobs more effectively. Wrike’s tailormade ITSM template is the most commonly used framework to provide a base configuration and a sample data set. But it also provides support for Agile teamwork, project management performance monitoring, and complex projects with phases. You can use Wrike's predefined folder structure to create a hierarchy that takes into account what your team does and what type of work they deal with each day. Wrike also lets you keep track of all your tickets and IT project management issues and review all of your progress reports. These reports combine with visual dashboards that detail all of your team’s work alongside your chosen IT metrics so you can compare progress against these data points. Not to mention that you can seamlessly manage multiple open projects and requests in one centralized location. Ready to start using IT metrics to achieve your goals? Get started with organizing team workload and tracking these important KPIs using Wrike’s two-week free trial.
Lead time and cycle time are often confused with one another. Both cycle and lead time are important time metrics in manufacturing, but they’re also important strategic tools for project management. Project managers and team leaders need to fully understand their differences and similarities to harness their power. In this article, we’ll go over cycle time vs. lead time and what they do. We’ll also share some tips on managing both cycle time and lead time in your project management solution to achieve better results. An introduction to cycle time vs. lead time In a nutshell, cycle time measures the time it takes for a team to make a product, while lead time measures the time between the customer order and order fulfillment. Lead time is always longer than cycle time because cycle time fits into the timeline of lead time. In Scrum methodologies, cycle times are equivalent to a sprint. Here, we’ll discuss the differences and similarities between the two metrics. Keep reading to discover the answers to your most common questions about cycle time vs. lead time. What are the differences between lead time and cycle time? The cycle time is the time it takes for a developer or a team to finish a project. It is typically the time between when the work item is in progress and when it has been completed. The cycle time officially starts when an item is moved to “In Progress” and ends when it is marked “Done” in whatever project management solution you’re using. For example, when a marketing manager builds a social media campaign for Twitter, the cycle time begins when the team starts preparing the content. The lead time is the time it takes for a single unit of product to be created and added to the backlog when it is shipped. This is typically the time it takes for one project to be completed and sent to the customer. If you’re using a Kanban board, the lead time will begin once the item is added to the “To Do” list column. In the marketing example scenario above, the lead time will end once all the content is published on the platform. By measuring cycle time, you can identify areas of concern that need to be addressed to improve the efficiency of your team. But by measuring lead time, you can determine how many items are flowing into your queue and how long it takes for your team to check them off. And when it comes to testing the system's efficiency, focus on the lead time, not on the overall development process. In simpler terms, lead time refers to the time that has already passed, while cycle time refers to the time it would take. They are not easily compared side by side for this reason. What are the similarities between lead time and cycle time? First and foremost, lead time and cycle time both measure the minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months it takes a product to get from a starting point to an ending point. Those points are different for each, but they do represent a quantifiable period of time. If those measurements are consistent, then teams can achieve business continuity. If they aren’t, they may need to adjust in order to better plan and execute projects. Because of this, both lead time and cycle time offer insight into the efficiency of teams and their processes. These values examined simultaneously create an accurate picture of how a company uses its time when properly monitored and measured. From there, project managers and team leads can create realistic benchmarks. They can easily make the necessary adjustments, calculate these values again, and weigh the results side by side to see if any progress has been made. Lead time and cycle time are also values that represent effort versus output. After all, not all effort resolves in progress and not all output leads to outcomes you’re looking for. What does it really take to create this product? And what does it take to create this product once our team makes it? What about our customer orders — do those match up with our fulfillment plans? All of these questions and more can be answered with the help of these two tools. What do both lead time and cycle time metrics miss? Lead time and cycle time metrics miss the human element of project management. Although there are ideal turnaround times for a product or service, there may be interferences that you simply can’t account for in a mathematical model. For example, unexpected supply chain hiccups or sudden team shakeups from the Great Resignation may create longer than average cycle or lead times. Also, they may be great for predicting issues, but they’re not useful for diagnosing them. Only a holistic project management software can give you the full picture of what’s going on. Even if you know you need to make a change, simply relying on lead time and cycle time to determine your course of action may negatively impact other areas of your business if not used wisely. Cycle time vs. lead time vs. takt time The cycle time, lead time, and takt time are the three key factors that determine the average time it takes to produce a product. To better understand what they are and how they compare, let’s take a look at how to calculate each one: Cycle time: When the team begins to fill one customer order/ number of units in one customer order Lead time: When the incoming work request is received — the time it takes to deliver the end product Takt time: Total number of work hours available/ total number of products needed to meet total customer demand As you look at these equations, it’s easy to spot the differences. Cycle time and lead time refer to a singular order, whereas takt time refers to overall customer demand. This means that cycle time and lead time are smaller values within takt time. Lead time is useful for setting customer expectations of delivery times. The lag time between when the order is placed and the cycle time begins can sometimes take longer than the time it takes to create the product itself. This means that it’s important to incorporate the entire lead time in with delivery estimates. If you only use the cycle time to set expectations, customers may feel disappointed when their product takes longer to get to them than they were originally told. To summarize: Cycle time measures the time it takes your team to complete an order. Lead time measures the time it takes between order input and fulfillment. Lead time measures how long it takes to fulfill one order. Takt time measures the total number of hours you have available and how many average orders you can fulfill within that time frame. How to manage time metrics with Wrike Understanding both cycle time and lead time metrics will help you keep track of your team’s progress. It will also provide insight into how to pick up the pace and ensure that your customers are satisfied. There are plenty of tools available to help you determine cycle and lead time, but understanding how they're calculated can be helpful in planning releases. Project management solutions like Wrike add context to your metrics and make it possible to plan, monitor, and measure different strategies to improve them. One of the biggest obstacles to accurately measuring both cycle time and lead time is updating progress statuses. From order input to order fulfillment, there are quite a few different phases a request can go through. If even one status update is missed, the entire team can lose track of where they are in the fulfillment cycle. Wrike offers a few different features to help keep track of the statuses of all your projects, orders, and tasks. First, there are detailed task views which allow users to choose from a customizable menu of status updates. Then, once the task is marked as ready for review or ready for the next phase, Wrike will automatically trigger a notification to the next responsible party, saving time on individual updates and eliminating the opportunity for team members to miss the change on their own. Wrike also has time tracking, a must-have data feature for measuring cycle time and lead time. Time tracking is automatically recorded and measured so that project leaders can measure progress. This information helps laser focus on which phases or team members are responsible for higher than expected numbers. And with Wrike’s reporting capabilities, it’s easy to turn those insights into actionable adjustments. Now that you understand the nuances of cycle time vs. lead time, you’re ready to apply what you’ve learned with Wrike. Improve productivity, manage resources more efficiently, and better understand which processes are or not working with Wrike’s two-week free trial.
