Transparency in Project Management: Not Just a Buzzword

Transparency has been a loaded term lately. Whether it is in context about large organizations using data, high-level political conversations or technology innovations like Blockchain, transparency seems to be something we’re increasingly craving, even as it seems harder to come by.

So it should be no surprise that in digital project management, transparency is also essential, both for clients and for project team members.

Using project collaboration software to create a transparent work an environment has several benefits. It unites your team and rewards your client. It gives you a sense of freedom, free of having to remember what you can share with whom and how. It creates accountability and makes it simple to see the impact your actions are having as your project progresses.

Here are three areas you should focus on when establishing transparency in digital project management:

Make data available to everyone

In digital project management, data is key. Your project goals and methodology should be chosen using data, and your results should be measured using data.

Even if you’re just starting out in the world of project management, you likely know the importance of establishing KPIs, which allow you to measure and quantify the work you’ve been doing, and, in turn, may inform the next steps of your project.

Data, however, has another key benefit. It holds your team accountable and provides transparency. Making project data available to your team in a centralized platform, so everyone can see how money is being spent, how users are engaging and how the process is moving along. Not only does this hold your project accountable, but it gives your team a sense of cohesiveness and trust.

Embrace workload transparency

In digital project management, especially with an agency that may consist of several small teams, task transparency becomes an even more important tool.

It’s crucial that your team understands who is tackling what, where things stand and what the main priorities are. Not only does this help inform each team member’s own tasks, but it creates an open, collaborative community where team members are held accountable for their own actions and feel that their colleagues are holding up their end of the bargain.

In terms of planning, this also helps you as a project manager know where to allocate talent. If all your copywriters appear to be maxed out, you’ll know not to take on any projects requiring extensive copy until you have more available resources in this department.

Sharing work statuses with others becomes much easier when you use project collaboration software, as all this information can be shared centrally on a digital platform. If it’s cloud-based, your team can access it from anywhere, provided they have the right login credentials and an approved device.

Enhance office culture with HR transparency

While there will always some information that must remain confidential in HR – such as personal information relating to each employee – nobody benefits when hiring or structural decisions are kept secret.

When it comes to hiring new team members, working with remote experts, or adding someone from a different department to a project, keeping the existing team in the loop is a good idea. Not only does this signify to your team that their opinions matter, but you might find that they have some great ideas when it comes to hiring strategy or what kind of talent a project could benefit from.

Establish open forum meetings and make sure your team knows their opinions are welcome and valued. You might be surprised by how much your office culture benefits from this.

Ready to see how TaskBranch can take your project transparency to the next level? Start your free trial today.