Moore’s Law and the Productivity Problem

September 21, 2021 - 7 min read

Erin Lindsay

As the year draws to a close, developing strategies for how to be more productive and finish the year off strong is on every team’s mind — regardless of department or industry.

According to a study by California-based management platform Redbooth, the month of the year that we are at our most productive is October, followed by November, then September. The fall provides a feeling of a new start for many businesses, with the desire for shiny new productivity tools and aids bringing us back to our school days. But, while a new pencil case or a multi-colored pen can work wonders, today’s organizations are looking to much more sophisticated tools to boost their productivity.

Note-taking apps, instant messaging platforms, virtual to-do lists, calendar tools — our desktops are overflowing with software designed to make us our most productive selves. But, with so many conflicting apps clouding our vision, it can often be difficult to get anything done at all.

So, why are we so inclined to constantly invest in new technology, believing it will exponentially increase our productivity levels? This concept is commonly referred to as Moore’s Law, and it’s important to understand it if you’re concerned about your team’s or your own productivity levels.

What is Moore’s Law?

Let’s start off with a simple enough question: what is Moore’s Law? The origins of Moore’s Law lie in IT and computer hardware. It is the principle that the speed and efficiency of a computer can be expected to double every two years, while the cost decreases by half. Moore’s Law is named after Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel, who made this observation of exponential growth in 1965.

You will have no doubt experienced Moore’s Law for yourself over the last decade, as the need to purchase a new phone or laptop normally begins to creep up every two years or so. While the technical capabilities of your gadget will have grown hugely, the price largely remains standard.

We then begin to fall into a cycle of purchasing new technology as a habit, stretching our view to include phones, computers, exercise aids, entertainment systems, and, yes, productivity tools.

Moore’s Law and endless productivity tools

Of course, Moore’s Law has huge benefits for the technologically-driven society that we live in. The standards of the technology that we rely on can even be linked to Moore’s Law.

The overarching idea of Moore’s Law — that speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of technology is constantly evolving at a rapid pace — could apply to productivity tools and solutions. The need to update and reinvest in the ever-growing ecosystem of productivity tools and software every few years sees many teams losing themselves to too many apps.

In 2015, the average number of cloud applications per company was 73. In 2020, that number had increased to 163. So much so, that 56% of IT executives are now reporting having to use manual spreadsheets to keep track of all their SaaS apps — defeating their productivity goals before they’ve even started.

This concept is commonly known as ‘SaaS sprawl,’ a term that refers to the dilemma of an organization’s tech stack being so expansive that it becomes unmanageable and causes visibility problems across departments. $40 billion is estimated to be spent on unused software each year, and the number of apps we are downloading continues to rise.

Many teams believe themselves to be more productive than ever, when really, spending so much time flicking between apps, tools, and software stifles creativity and raises burnout to an all-time high.

How your team can effectively invest in productivity

If your organization has fallen foul to overindulgence in productivity tools and gadgets, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to empower your teams and teach them how to be more productive without overwhelming themselves with dozens of productivity platforms.

Consider toxic productivity

The concept of toxic productivity relates to an unattainable desire for increased productivity, at the expense of other priorities, such as family or health. Toxic productivity is a real issue for many teams, especially if both our personal and work devices are overrun with technology that is constantly drawing us back to working mode. Consider whether your team could benefit from a digital detox of work-related technology, and set boundaries for after-hours work communication.

Turn your attention to other methods of increasing productivity

There are plenty of ways to increase productivity and wellbeing at work that have nothing to do with technology. For example, has your organization invested in a flexible work structure, allowing employees to choose where they work best? Could your business go the extra mile and trial a four-day workweek? Could your employee recognition programs use some extra love? These are all areas to consider when brainstorming how to be more productive across the board.

Making the most of all-in-one technology like Wrike

Of course, technology will always be a cornerstone of a successful business, and continuing to use productivity tools in some way at work is non-negotiable. But which tools should you invest in? What are the most important features of work management software that can actually increase productivity by up to 40%?

Workflow automation: With Wrike’s custom request forms and automated task assignment, your team will never miss important tasks and details because of a cluttered workspace.
App integration: Using so many apps can be tiresome and inefficient, with details and updates often being missed by team members. Wrike’s work management includes over 400 app integrations, so the constant context switching can stop.
Single source of truth: Trawling through emails and messaging apps to find important documents and updates is time-consuming and frustrating for teams. Keeping everything organized in one centralized hub, where users can comment, edit, and give feedback, is a life-saver for teams who wish to be more productive.
Collaborative features: Whether your team works in-office, remotely, or under a hybrid model, breakdowns in communication are one of the most common challenges to successful projects. Wrike’s collaborative features, including @mentions, real-time editing, and email and chat app integrations means that your team all have the same view, no matter where they are.

Want to know more about how Wrike can boost your team’s productivity? Try out a free two-week trial today.

Erin Lindsay

Erin is a former Senior Editor of Wrike.

#Thought Leadership #Productivity Advice #Tools & Software Advice

Productivity 7 min read

What Is an Information Silo?

According to CMS Wire, workers, on average, spend 36% of their day looking for and consolidating information. But 44% of the time, they can't find the information. This wasted time and effort are caused by information silos. Information silos are costly, but they are also fixable. Although they’re often thought of as unavoidable, the truth is solving them can lead to more productivity, improved work culture, and better use of resources. Keep reading to learn more about information silos and why people such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk chose to ban them from their companies. What is an information silo? Silo is a management term that has been around for many years. It is often used to describe a lack of organizational cohesion. This issue has become a recurring theme in most organizations. Many executives may dismiss their department's shortcomings as mere department inefficiencies. They may also dismiss the importance of cross-functional solutions and the need for employee training. This perspective is often referred to as a silo mentality. A silo mentality is a mindset that prevents certain departments or sectors from sharing information with their peers. It can lead to decreased efficiency and employee morale. The silo mindset does not appear to be an accident. It is, however, a reflection of the complex dynamics within an organization. One common misconception is that the silo mentality is the root cause of these behaviors. In reality, it is the result of assumptions that are based on flawed logic and correctable issues that are often wrongly perceived as irreversible. It’s the leadership team’s job to step up and create long-term solutions that are sustainable and can be easily implemented. What are the problems associated with information silos? A silo mentality occurs when department or team communication is lacking, and there are no common tasks. In this scenario, the team derives its power and status from its group. They are less likely to collaborate with other teams or departments if their efforts are not shared. It is the owner's responsibility to create a culture that discourages silos within their business. They set a tone and values for their organization and approve employees seeking to maintain a silo mentality. If they do not, they run the risk of: Limiting collaboration When employees aren’t clued in on bigger picture ideas and information, they often operate in a bubble. This individualism leads to issues connecting with goals. It also limits an employee’s ability to see beyond their own role and how it affects others. Decreasing communication Information silos hold back important facts, data, and decisions from key employees. Not only does this make projects more confusing, but it can also dissuade employees from sharing valuable feedback. Creating hostility Miscommunications and lack of collaboration can lead to interpersonal conflict among colleagues. When someone feels left out or makes a mistake because they lack information they believe they should have access to, it breeds a culture of contempt. This is yet another reason why communication management skills matter among leadership. Inhibiting creativity Information is empowering. It can inform decision-making, but it can also spark creativity. Without the right information, teams may feel as if they can’t think outside the box or risk making choices without the right facts in front of them. Derailing progress It is not uncommon to need a large amount of ramp up to keep the momentum going. When teams waste time looking for missing information, waiting on access approval, and flipping through virtual files, their inertia is taken away. Lost data Knowledge is power. It is the key factor that enables a team to thrive and be productive. When important data is lost, teams lose that power and consequently the ability to perform at a high level. Examples of information silos Missing, out of date, or messy data in a CRM A broken integration between one or more tools Forgetting to loop key decision-makers into important email conversations Using too many tools at once, so information is spread out and hard to look for Slower quote-to-cash workflows as a result of process complexity How to break down information silos with Wrike A strong leadership team is built on the understanding of the company’s long-term goals and key initiatives. It must also have the ability to communicate effectively with teams and motivate them to reach their full potential. Once the leadership team has agreed on a unified vision, it is important that they identify the root issues that may be causing silos to form. This team then needs to work with the other members of the organization to develop a strategy and implement it. That’s where Wrike comes in. Wrike is a project management tool that simplifies the process of communicating and organizing important information. Here’s how: Create structure The structure of a business can foster a silo mentality if employees do not get along with one another. Wrike uses visual tools for project communication such as color-coding, task owner photos next to assignments, and Gantt charts that lay out the entire project grid for maximum visibility. Maximize collaboration To maximize collaboration, management should establish a culture where meetings are regularly scheduled — yet project planning is designed to reduce unnecessary meetings. Wrike solves these issues with a fully transparent project planning dashboard that is personalized for individual users and creates a single source of truth for the entire organization. Measure progress Once a common goal has been established, it is important that it is measured accurately. Leaders must also establish a timeframe to complete it. This goal should also be communicated to all employees. Wrike shows progress across all tasks simultaneously so team members can see where they stack up. It also shows them how their work factors into big-picture goals. Establish workflows The owner or manager sets the rules and routines that define the organization's structure. This process helps preserve the culture while ensuring that the rules are followed. Wrike allows managers to create repeatable workflows that make rules and routines easy to follow for project phases and tasks. Takeaway A business owner must develop strategies that help employees understand what they’re working to achieve. They also need to establish an environment where employees can collaborate and communicate. Wrike helps support these initiatives and more through advanced features that foster productivity and keep everyone on the same page at all times. Start your free trial today.

Productivity 10 min read

How Goal-Setting Software Can Keep You on Track

Thinking about goals is easy, but setting and completing them is tougher. Only a mere 8% of people consistently achieve their New Year’s Eve goals, which, according to the Harvard Business Review, has a lot to do with a cognitive bias toward seeking unattainable benchmarks. In this article, we’ll teach you how to make your team members of that 8% by using goal-setting software to manage projects and keep collaborators on track. Keep reading for practical tips on how to overcome the most common challenges with free and effective goal-setting software tools. What is goal-setting software? Goal-setting software is a tool you can use to plan, track, and execute your goals. It often includes visual elements such as Gantt charts and project timelines that make it easy to see your team’s progress right in front of you. You can add details such as due dates and outside collaborators for when your goal requires a little extra help. You can also plan multiple goals at once and see how they all work together or against each other. The advantages of goal-setting A goal-based approach helps people reach their objectives and keep them on track over a period of time. It sets realistic expectations and encourages everyone involved to hold each other accountable. Plus, it turns ideas from inside your head to vivid plans that come to life in the real world. As leadership expert Mark Murphy notes, “Vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success, and people who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals than people who don’t.” Challenges of goal-setting Creating goals is hard because we have so many traps that keep us from reaching them. From cognitive biases to conflicting priorities to unclear roadmaps, the chances of falling for one of the many common pitfalls of goal-setting are considerable. From a management perspective, goal-setting software can help overcome the following challenges of goal-setting when working with a team: Miscommunication regarding project files and due dates, plus roles and responsibilities that eat up valuable project time. Unclear benchmarks and workflows that confuse instead of empower teams. Vague KPIs that lead to unfocused work or results. A waste of valuable resources like time due to poor management or communication. Free online goal-setting tools Free online goal-setting tools help you reach goals and motivate others. Unlike analog goal-setting, online tools help reinforce good habits teamwide and offer time-saving features such as built-in reminders. Tools like Wrike are compatible with the S.M.A.R.T. goal structure since they offer much more detail without overcomplicating plans to the point of futility. You can also modify your plans along the way with tools that forecast how changes will help or hurt your main objectives. How to use Wrike as your goal-setting software Wrike is a goal-setting software teams rely on to deliver high-quality work consistently and on time. Whether you’re managing one or one thousand individuals, having a goal-setting software makes it easier to organize, communicate, and fully achieve your vision. Not only do the visual elements hold users accountable, but they also offer in-depth analysis of workflows that simple pen and paper goal-setting systems simply cannot. Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll need to do: Create a shared folder to organize and manage your team's tasks. Create a subfolder within that for your company's objectives. Collect all the team's OKRs. Connect each key result to a subtask. And here’s the more detailed version: Plan long term Annual planning is an integral part of any business. It helps identify goals and objectives, and it coordinates the various activities of the organization. When competing priorities or inevitable roadblocks come up, your team will be able to make decisions based on what best serves these big-picture goals. In Wrike, create a folder dedicated to your year goal plans then share it with the whole company. Or, if the information is meant only for a certain group, you can restrict which user groups will see what data in the field. Inside that folder, create project groups or tasks for all of the major initiatives and goals of the year. You can also assign people to the task and set deadlines. After, use Custom Fields to create notes on budgeting, client feedback, and anything else stakeholders should know about. Break big goals into smaller goals Once you successfully brainstorm and narrow down your annual or long-term goals, you can break them up into smaller benchmarks. If you choose to create annual goals, we suggest breaking them down further into quarterly goals. Ideally, you will have only one or two big-picture goals that you can divide into four smaller quarterly phases. For example, if your annual goal is to reach an additional $100,000 in revenue, you can divide that goal into quarterly targets of $25,000 each. To organize all of this in Wrike, all you have to do is add subfolders within your annual folder for each quarter. Add ideas for action steps inside each dedicated quarterly folder. Once you've narrowed those down to only the most essential, you can then create tasks that each have their own due dates. Assign these tasks to team members before moving on to the next step. This will make them easier to track and help you organize your team’s workload. Create your OKRs If you're someone who likes to set goals and hit numbers (or if you work for someone who likes it when you do), then implementing an OKR system might be the way to go. OKR stands for objectives and key results. Creating an OKR is a lot like creating a broad Objective only the Key Results are more specific and can be used to support specific goals. They are typically written out in this format: Objective: A brief summary of the goal or subgoal in a sentence or a few words. Key Result #1: A one or two-sentence summary of the measurable, specific, and attainable outcome that will be achieved once the goal is complete. Key Result #2: As above Key Result #3: As above You’ll want to include one to three (three is most common) key results that are distinct from one another but still realistic. From there, your team members can choose to create their own individual OKRs. Individual OKRs should be built by each team member based on their unique subgoals and mini objectives within the larger scope of the project. Creating these as part of your project kickoff will help everyone get on the same page from the beginning. Pro tip: Key results should be a direct result of achieving the objective and not a by-product. For example, if your objective is to bake a cake, an effective key result would be to eat a delicious slice of the cake after dinner this evening. An ineffective key result of cake baking would be to celebrate your friend’s birthday together. Although you may bring the cake to their party, the celebration would have happened either way and was not dependent on the completion of the cake. Here are some additional tips for creating smart OKRs with your goal-setting software: Make sure your Os and KRs are all actionable Your OKRs should include ambitious stretch goals without going overboard Use the Wrike Chrome Extension to create goals or key results related to any web page or any other application that uses HTML Create team objectives that are aligned with the company's big-picture goals. You can do this by making sure to discuss these with all team members Use specific metrics for your OKRs. These goals are specific and detailed, so they should be rooted in data so they can be tracked and measured Wrike offers an OKR template you can use right within our goal-setting software If you’re managing a multi-departmental or companywide project, ask teams to create their own Team OKRs folders. This will allow them to see their team's goals and contribute whenever possible. Track progress with dashboards In Wrike, create a My Objectives dashboard to keep track of all of your goals and tasks in one neatly summarized view. Use the table view to see all the tasks related to a specific folder plus start and due dates and the expected duration of each task. It also shows key stats such as the number of tasks needed for the project as well as who the tasks are assigned to for approval and completion. If changes need to be made to a task list, drag and drop them to make it easier to organize and re-prioritize action items as needed. They will then automatically be reflected in your team's workspace. You can also make changes on the go with the Wrike mobile app, which updates the information across all devices and accounts in real-time. As you hit goals and mark your tasks as complete in Wrike, the green progress bar will appear on the objective parent task until the goal is reached. Reflect on and evaluate your progress Your team's work shouldn't end when you check the Complete box. Instead, the work you’ve done on one goal should be used to inform the rest. Create a folder in Wrike where you can collect all the lessons you've learned so far, and share them with your team. In addition to noting your observations manually, Wrike offers reports that make it easy to see your project outcome from every angle. Use Wrike Custom Fields to see which team or project supports each objective. These fields can then be used to generate insightful data that show how those goals impact the overall project or task's success. This is also a great time to grade your teamwide and individual project OKRs. At the end of the quarter or year, ask everyone to come together and share their grades while explaining their key takeaways. Over time, teams will learn more about how they work individually and together, which will go a long way towards future collaborations. Why is Wrike the best goal-setting software for managers? With features such as visual goal timelines, OKR templates, and customizable workflows, Wrike is the best goal-setting software for managers and team leaders who want to successfully achieve what they’ve set out to do. Ready to transform your team into a goal-getting machine? Get started and improve your success rates today by signing up for a free trial of Wrike.

Productivity 7 min read

7 Ways Employers Can Support Working Parents, Including Childcare and Hybrid Working

Being a working parent has always come with challenges: time spent working in an office is time spent away from raising children. If you get called into a meeting, you might have to skip your child’s drama performance; if you have to work late, you might miss tucking your kid in before bed. As we ease out of the pandemic, now is the time to consider ways employers can support working parents better. As women began entering the workforce generations ago, children often became ‘latchkey’ kids from a fairly young age if one of their parents wasn’t able to take care of them before returning from work. In recent times, though, parents have relied heavily on daycare, grandparents and relatives, after-school programs or sports, or full-time nannies to take care of children while they work. Before the pandemic, most working parents were expected to be in an office full-time. This meant that many parents had to coordinate dropping kids to school, bringing them to doctor’s appointments, cheering them on at the soccer field, or watching them in the school play — all while making it to the office on time. For parents who needed to commute, kids might be dropped to daycare at the crack of dawn and not picked up until suppertime. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant increase in flexibility for many working parents, thanks in large part to the rise of hybrid working. Many working parents are now able to drop their kids to school or make it to performances or appointments because flexible remote working has become normalized. However, hybrid working isn’t a solution in itself. Workplaces and employers need to support working parents in a more holistic fashion, from offering childcare subsidies as an employee benefit to creating programs that help employees feel a stronger sense of belonging at work. What does the current childcare landscape look like for working parents? Before the pandemic caused a seismic shift in the way we work, finding, scheduling, organizing, and even affording suitable childcare was difficult for many working parents. If kids were sick or a childcare worker didn’t show, parents were left trying to pick up the pieces — and still make it to the office. With the pandemic-induced shift to remote working, previous childcare conundrums paled in comparison to working at home with no childcare at all. Many parents were expected to keep productivity up while somehow overseeing remote learning for multiple children and keeping them occupied throughout the day without so much as a playdate. Needless to say, that situation was untenable for many working parents, leading 40% of working parents to make changes to their jobs and 17% of women to leave work altogether. The attrition due to the pressures on working mothers in the COVID-19 era isn’t over, though, because according to a study on Women in the Workplace by McKinsey, “as many as two million women are considering leaving the workforce.” Why should bringing women back into the workforce matter for businesses? Getting women back into the workforce is key to a strong economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic, according to the U.S. Labor Secretary, Marty Walsh. “We need to make sure if we're going to have a strong recovery — a strong, equitable recovery — we need to get women back into the workforce,” Walsh explained. Walsh further commented that childcare remains a critical factor in ensuring that women can indeed return to the workforce and affect change in the greater economy. As offices reopen and working parents are making decisions about how they plan to return post-pandemic, many parents favor hybrid working to accommodate their needs in taking care of their children. In a study of 1,000 randomly selected working parents in the UK, “76% of all mothers and 73% of fathers surveyed wanted to work flexibly to spend more time with children.” Only 16% of those surveyed expressed an interest in working from the office full-time, due to the flexibility that the hybrid model provides for working parents. What can businesses do to help parents in the workplace? Workplaces have clear incentives to actively help working parents, in particular working mothers — both to create a diverse employee panel and to contribute to the overall economic recovery. As offices reopen and employers look to attract and retain highly skilled talent, here are some initiatives they can undertake to assist working parents. Offer hybrid working options: Hybrid working options give parents the flexibility to drop kids to school and daycare, pick them up, or take care of children who are sick. Hybrid working also eliminates commuting time for working parents on the days they work remotely, giving them additional time with their families. Wrike, as a Citrix company, has offered employees the option to avail of their choice of full-time office, full-time remote, or hybrid working scenarios. Create programs for employees that enhance their sense of belonging in the workplace: Working parents can often feel isolated as employees, struggling with responsibilities that they aren’t typically encouraged to share with others. Programs like a company parents group chat or coffee chat on Zoom can create a stronger attachment to the workplace, making it more likely that those employees will continue their employment at their company. Provide a childcare subsidy to employees: Just like healthcare has become an important item in a list of company benefits, childcare subsidies are likely to become increasingly enticing to potential and current employees who have children or are considering having children in the future. Offer on-site childcare options: Large companies sometimes have the ability to provide on-site childcare to their employees in an effort to lessen the burden on working parents who might otherwise not be able to see their children for many hours at a time. On-site childcare options mean that employees are able to see their children during their lunch breaks and commute with them rather than only see them when they pick them up from daycare. Help employees access employee assistance programs: Company employee assistance programs (EAPs) are often designed to help employees with tricky issues such as finding childcare or a realtor. However, some EAPs aren’t exactly user-friendly, and busy working parents might find them difficult to access. Helping employees access the help in EAPs can increase the rate at which they’re utilized. Encourage all employees to maximize work-life balance: Some benefits may carry a stigma that keeps working parents from taking advantage of them. For instance, encouraging all employees (not just parents) to use all of their vacation days will de-stigmatize that practice and help working parents spend more time with their families. Likewise, encouraging all employees to avail of flexible scheduling or hybrid working will reassure working parents that this benefit isn’t frowned upon. Create a parent support forum: Providing opportunities for parents to support each other is a free way of assisting working parents. Employers can create a forum where parents can share babysitter or daycare recommendations (if many employees are in the same geographic area) or offer hand-me-downs to fellow team members when their children outgrow them. Employers can and should support working parents as the global workforce eases slowly out of the pandemic into what will be the new normal. Elements that were incorporated into daily work during the pandemic, like remote and hybrid working options as well as robust employee assistance programs, can continue to help ease the burden on working moms and dads in the future. These kinds of improvements to the workplace will help increase the likelihood that parents will be able to continue to thrive in their employment as well as at home.

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Moore’s Law and the Productivity Problem

What is Moore’s Law?

Moore’s Law and endless productivity tools

How your team can effectively invest in productivity

Consider toxic productivity

Turn your attention to other methods of increasing productivity

Making the most of all-in-one technology like Wrike

Erin Lindsay

Related articles

What Is an Information Silo?

How Goal-Setting Software Can Keep You on Track

7 Ways Employers Can Support Working Parents, Including Childcare and Hybrid Working

Moore’s Law and the Productivity Problem

What is Moore’s Law?

Moore’s Law and endless productivity tools

How your team can effectively invest in productivity

Consider toxic productivity

Turn your attention to other methods of increasing productivity

Making the most of all-in-one technology like Wrike

Erin Lindsay

Related articles

What Is an Information Silo?

How Goal-Setting Software Can Keep You on Track

7 Ways Employers Can Support Working Parents, Including Childcare and Hybrid Working

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