However you slice it, inefficient project
management is costly to a
small business. Yet keeping a handle on the many facets of large
projects--from subcontractors and teams to budget issues to resource
planning--requires feats of coordination that can at times be described as
monumental.
Instead of letting projects manage
you, you can use computer technology to more effectively manage project
information, maximize your use of resources, and optimize your bottom
line. ISA provides
project
management services that can be scaled to meet your needs.
Whether you are a general
contractor, a lawyer managing a case, or an advertising agency with fast and
furious deadlines, managing your business requires you to assign tasks to
yourself and other resources. These resources might include employees,
sub-contracted workers, heavy equipment, office space, and more. In the
past, these project assignments and project status updates would be
delivered on a sheet of paper, over the phone, and even in-person meetings.
Today, Microsoft® Project allows you to deliver all of this information over
the Internet.
Microsoft® Project allows you to
set up a Web-based "Team Inbox". This enables all employees and
sub-contractors to securely log in to a Web site and view their
assignments--without requiring all workers to have their own PC.
Additionally, these workers can update the status of individual tasks using
Web-based forms similar to an e-mail Inbox. The only system requirement is
access to a Web browser and an Internet connection to view and maintain this
information.
As more of your customers become
comfortable with doing business online, you can cut down some of your
customer visits and phone calls--saving both of you valuable time. With
Microsoft Project, you can easily export project information to a Web site
and create a secure customer log-in. At their leisure, they can get an up to
date status of time and budget without a special meeting or phone call.
If the majority of your employees
working on the project are within your office, you can further improve
efficiency with a network using Microsoft® BackOffice® Small Business
Server. BackOffice Small Business Server includes a centralized mail system
as well as the Microsoft Outlook™ messaging and collaboration client. When
assigning tasks to employees, you can simply send the task as an e-mail
message rather than wasting paper and time printing everyone's schedule.
When the Outlook user receives the message, it will automatically create an
electronic task item with a due date for that employee. Employees can then
update the tasks and return the latest information to you, the project
manager, via e-mail.
Less paper, less data entry for each employee, and
an overall more efficient process.
