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Boost Productivity and Team Synergy with Project Management Software

Boost Productivity and Team Synergy with Project Management Software
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Niharika Sharma
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With businesses spread across borders and teams working in a hybrid environment, it is crucial to have effective project management, and seamless team collaboration is essential for achieving this success. Managers face numerous challenges, including coordinating projects, ensuring efficient communication, and meeting deadlines within increasingly complex tasks. To address these challenges, project management collaboration platforms have become invaluable tools.

In this blog, we will explore how managers can boost productivity and team synergy by leveraging project management software and fostering a culture of collaboration.

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The Power of Project Management Software

Project management software is a game-changer for modern businesses. It offers a structured and organized approach to planning, executing, and monitoring projects.

According to a McKinsey survey, it was found that, in the course of one week, the typical employee allocates approximately 28% of their working hours to the activities of reading and responding to emails, with an additional 19% dedicated to searching for and collecting information. This means that almost half of your workweek is absorbed by administrative tasks! Utilizing a smart project management and collaboration tool can substantially expedite these tasks.

Here are some key ways in which project management software helps managers:

  • Easier Task Management: Project management software allows managers to efficiently divide projects into smaller tasks and assign them to team members. This ensures that everyone is updated, knowing when to pick their tasks and when to deliver outcomes.
  • Deadline Tracking: Utilizing project management software enables managers to set clear deadlines and track progress, reducing the risk of missed milestones.
  • Resource Allocation: Efficient allocation of resources is crucial. Project management software helps assign team members tasks based on their skills and availability.
  • Document Management: Centralized storage for project documents ensures that team members have access to the latest information, reducing confusion and duplication of efforts.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Project management software also makes it easier for managers to gather insights into project performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize processes.
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While project management is crucial, we cannot overlook the importance of effective team collaboration, which is the bedrock of any successful project. Project management platforms play a pivotal role in promoting team collaboration in several ways, including:

  • Real-Time Communication: Many project management tools offer chat and messaging features. Team members can communicate instantly, reducing the need for lengthy email chains or meetings. This is especially handy when many team members work on a project; corrections and feedback take much time over emails. Being able to reach out to each other through messaging quickly enables employees to be more productive.
  • Collaborative Workspaces: These platforms provide shared spaces where team members can collaborate on documents, share ideas, and provide feedback in real time.
  • Transparency: By making project details, progress, and updates easily accessible, project management software ensures that team members are on the same page.
  • Task Comments and Notifications: Team members can leave comments and receive notifications about task updates, which streamlines communication and minimizes misunderstandings.

What to Look for in a Project Management Software?

While we understand how useful project management software is, it is important to choose the right one from the pool of available options in the market. When choosing project management software, a user-friendly interface is key to ensure team adoption. Effective task management capabilities, including task creation, assignment, and tracking with features like priorities, due dates, and dependencies, are essential for project planning. Also look for collaboration features such as chat, comments, and notifications that facilitate seamless team communication and discussion of tasks and projects.

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Exela’s BEATS Collaborative Workflow Management Software

Exela’s collaborative workflow management software, BEATS, offers a collaborative, high-powered platform for workflow and project management. BEATS is an all-in-one project management tool that provides a comprehensive set of features to enhance project communication and teamwork for your team.

With our robust workflow management software, users can effortlessly collaborate through our intuitive web interfaces. Enjoy complete visibility into your project’s progress and expedite your route to completion. Designed to streamline your team’s workflow with an intuitive interface, it offers powerful functionalities including:

  • Dynamic dashboard
  • Integrated communication tools
  • Workflow management and builder
  • Seamless system integration
  • Configurable and adaptable solution
  • Easy project management and collaboration


Project management collaboration platforms have revolutionized how teams work together and manage projects. By harnessing the power of project management software and fostering a culture of team collaboration, managers can significantly boost productivity and team synergy.

So, choose the right project management software that suits your team's needs, and watch your productivity and collaboration reach new heights. Get in touch with us to learn more.

Is Digital Transformation Recession Proof?

Is Digital Transformation Recession Proof?
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Carolyn Hedley

As technology and business automation advance, more and more businesses turn to digital transformation to improve processes, smooth workflows, and increase revenue. But what happens when a recession hits? Is digital transformation still viable? Should businesses further invest in digital solutions or stop spending on digital innovation?

Since we may be headed toward a recession, these are valid questions for companies to be asking. Recessions create a delicate balance between knowing when to cut back and continue moving forward. While recessions are often treated as a disaster for business, several companies have altered their business models that not only allowed them to weather the recession but come out on the other side stronger than before.

What is a Recession?

Let's take a step back and review some basics. A recession is a significant decline in the economy that happens over the course of several months or even years. According to Forbes, a recession is declared “when a nation’s economy experiences negative gross domestic product (GDP), rising levels of unemployment, falling retail sales, and contracting measures of income and manufacturing for an extended period of time.”

Recessions are common throughout history and many businesses stay on alert so they’re ready when another recession may hit. With the COVID-19 pandemic, countries experienced millions of jobs lost, lock-down regulations, people choosing to stay at home to remain safe, and a decrease in general spending. With all these factors, it’s no surprise that many businesses are preparing for a possible upcoming recession.

Recessions always present difficulties, but there's also a chance for opportunity and it's important for businesses to consider these opportunities including:

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  • - An urgency to reevaluate processes to determine if there are any inefficiencies that can be solved to increase efficiency
  • - Less competition in the market
  • - Highly talented people looking for employment
  • - A change in customers’ needs as they look for more convenient or economical alternatives to their purchases and services
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Considering these opportunities during a recession or before a recession is declared, can help businesses shape their strategy and digital transformation to push through the recession.

How Digital Transformation Helped Companies in the Past

We don't need to go back far in history to see how digital transformation helped companies through a recession. One such example is Netflix, a streaming giant that really took off during the 2008 recession. What started in 1997 as a company that rented and mailed DVDs to customers has now become one of the biggest streaming companies in the world. One aspect that catapulted them into their position was how they handled the 2008 recession.

Netflix launched its streaming service in 2007, just a year before the recession. Many people didn't believe it was going to last. However, Netflix offered a low subscription cost making their service a viable option even for those who were unemployed or had limited income.

They also partnered with Roku, Microsoft, LG, and other streaming services so that users could stream Netflix on a variety of devices including video game consoles. By using streaming technology and partnering with other companies, Netflix was able to better connect with prospective and current customers, offering them a wide range of selections and the ability to stream from various devices.

Now we see Netflix creating their own original shows and movies while continually improving their streaming service based on the analytics they received from the usage of their service. By finding that opportunity to provide a convenient digital platform for people to still be entertained at an economical rate, Netflix weathered the 2008 recession.

Another company that changed its business strategy due to the 2008 recession is Mailchimp, an email marketing service. Mailchimp was originally developed for enterprise businesses. However, with businesses cutting costs in 2008, MailChimp needed to change its business strategy and find a new way to gain revenue.

In 2009 they introduced their freemium platform, opening their technology up to a whole new market of small and medium businesses. Because of this, they saw a tremendous spike with 85,000 users gained within a year. They leveraged their technology and expanded their customer base to increase their revenue.

Both Netflix and Mailchimp found opportunities through digital transformation or using their existing digital platform during a recession and leveraged them to create a recession-proof plan.

How Digital Transformation Aids Businesses in the Current Recession

So that was the last recession, but what are companies doing now to keep revenue coming?

When the pandemic began and the lockdowns took place, many businesses scrambled to put digital solutions into place so they could remain connected to their customers and enable their employees to work efficiently from home. Digital technologies helped smooth the transition between working from the office and working from home. With their digital solutions still in place, businesses may find themselves at an advantage again during the recession.

Businesses continue to use their digital solutions or invest in digital solutions that give more power to the customers. As an example, some companies are investing in tools that offer self-service options which both simplify the purchasing process and give customers more control over their purchasing such as buy online pick up in store services.

Companies are also focusing on a digital-first touch point for their customers which, once again gives, more control to the customer to receive the service they require. This includes service portals, e-commerce stores and apps, and more.

Recessions require a delicate balance between businesses cutting costs and spending more. Many companies are trying to decide where that line is - where to focus on spending and where to focus on cutting. Businesses not only need to think about weathering the current recession but also recovering after the recession.

Throughout the decades, one constant has been the advancement of business through the internet. Businesses are still trying to find ways to leverage this to better connect with their customers. For this reason, companies may choose to invest further into online options and digital solutions. Despite multiple recessions, the internet has continued to advance forward.

Ensuring Your Digital Transformation is Recession Proof

Looking at the companies that thrived in 2008 and the companies that are pushing ahead now, there's a pattern to be noted here. Once a recession hits, companies focus on current customer needs. Just as the recession changes the needs of a business, the consumers' needs will also change. Companies need to reassess the needs of their current customers and prospective customers to provide an innovative solution that solves any current problems.

We saw Netflix do this by providing entertainment that was inexpensive so that those who had lost their jobs could still have entertainment in their own home. They didn't need to use gas to go to the store and rent a DVD; they were able to select a movie they wanted to watch on a streaming service, and thus Netflix took off. MailChimp is much the same way by expanding their customer base and providing more people with their digital platform.

So is digital transformation recession-proof? The answer here is yes, but it's imperative to invest in the right digital solutions. Businesses that look into opportunities and refocus their efforts on what their customers need now, can find digital solutions that help connect and entice customers. At the same time, recessions offer businesses the opportunity to discover ways to be more efficient while decreasing costs.

Final Thoughts on Digital Transformation During the Recession

Businesses that cut spending in digital transformation may find themselves behind by the time the recession ends. It's not only important to think about how to respond in the face of a recession, but it's also important to consider how the business will recover from it.

During a recession, businesses need to leverage the digital solutions they already have in place and invest in digital solutions that will meet current customers' needs. This may include creating a digital-first touch point or using digital transformation to further expand your customer base.

No matter the economy, technology and automation continue to surge forward. When reassessing spending, businesses need to continue to leverage digital transformation to make their business recession-proof.

Learn more about how digital transformation can improve your business by reaching out to us at Exela Technologies. We will help you find ways to increase savings and improve efficiency with the right digital solutions.

Remote Working: Eradicating Dependency with Smart Solutions

Remote Working: Eradicating Dependency with Smart Solutions
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Niharika Sharma

The shift from office working to the freedom of working from anywhere has been recent and something that most of us weren't prepared for. The pandemic forced businesses and leaders across the globe to reconsider how well they are equipped to work remotely.

According to a recent Gartner study, 82% of company leaders plan to allow their employees to work remotely some of the time even as workers begin returning to the office. Simultaneously, some organizations with employees working both onsite and remotely are adapting to a new environment with a more complex, hybrid operating model. The challenge remains the same: How can you enable employees to work together and effectively get their jobs done while they’re away from the office?

Strategize and Establish New Policies

If you’re planning to switch to a hybrid work environment, offering employees the option to work from home while others come into the office, some of your policies will likely need to be updated, and new ones may even need to be put in place. It is always preferable to establish clear remote work policies and train your employees accordingly, in order to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding the proper tools to use, the processes in place, and what’s expected of remote workers.

Company leaders need to define remote working policies - including when and where employees can work - and establish a clear and definitive means of communicating these policies to employees.

Clear Communication and Monitoring Efforts

One of the biggest challenges with remote working is establishing and maintaining consistent communication. Managers and employees both suffer due to communication gaps, which can adversely affect business. It is best to dedicate a few hours on a regular basis, often once or twice a week, to catch up – not necessarily just about work but also to keep the team connected and motivated.

Applications like Slack or Microsoft Teams can help bridge the communication gap, and project management tools like Trello and Asana can be put in place to track work updates and assign tasks. Time and location reporting for both onsite and remote workers can be done through solutions like Exela’s Contactless Entry & Exit (CEE), a part of our Smart Office solutions, which offers an easy-to-use time tracking system that improves operational transparency and compliance while also supporting social distancing protocols.

Mail and document digitization solutions, like Exela’s Digital Mailroom (DMR), are another way to help maintain communication. By transforming documents into digital assets, these tools provide an innovative, convenient, and cost-effective alternative to mailing and emailing.

Operating much like email, Exela’s Digital Mailroom makes location essentially irrelevant, as digital documents become accessible from any location with an internet connection. So, no matter how far away your team is, or what the circumstances are, your communication remains uninterrupted. Not to mention, digitizing physical documents also makes them easily searchable and shareable, as well as more secure.

Maintain Security while Working Remotely

Considering the increasing popularity of remote working and the likelihood that some or all of your team may work from home in the future, it is essential to update your cybersecurity policies to prepare for new threats this shift may present.

For example, remote employees using unsecured WiFi networks could unwittingly cause data leaks or open themselves up to cyberattacks. Virtual private networks (VPNs) are a great way to let your remote workers access the data they need while maintaining the same level of security they’d have on your company’s network.

Your cybersecurity policies should also encourage, or require, employees to encrypt data attached to an email in order to prevent unintended viewing. Company devices should also be set to have all stored data encrypted in case a device is lost, misplaced, or stolen.

Digital Approvals and Process Transparency

Dependency and the slow movement of documents is another primary concern that affects business. With employees working remotely, the struggle to keep things moving can be difficult – especially when something like an important contract needs to be reviewed and signed.

Solutions like Exela’s DrySign, together with Digital Mailroom, can help businesses avoid this issue entirely. Electronically signing documents with DrySign makes the review and execution process seamless. The platform also improves visibility and provides automated notifications to ensure that nothing is missed. You can start exploring the benefits of DrySign with the free version.

Conclusion

It may be uncertain exactly what the world will look like in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but one thing is clear - remote working will play a much bigger role in the new normal. Make sure your business is prepared by adopting new smart solutions designed to support your remote staff and add flexibility to your critical processes.

Not sure where to start? How does a DrySign free version sound?

Collaborative Project Management Software

Collaborative Project Management

Optimize your team’s efficiency with powerful task management tools

Exela’s Collaborative Workflow Management software, BEATS, offers a collaborative, high-powered platform for workflow management, project management and task management, designed to streamline your team’s workflow. With our robust workflow management software users can effortlessly collaborate through our intuitive web interfaces. Enjoy complete visibility of your project’s progress and expedite your route to completion.

Workflow Management and Builder
Workflow Management and Builder

Select from a library of BEATS workflows and customize or build your workflow from the ground up. Our library consists of workflows that are standard among the primary departments in any business. Design and implement custom workflows to model your business processes through a drag-and-drop interface to create custom forms and workflows.

Seamless System Integration
Seamless System Integration

Achieve complete unification of your data across various platforms. Our project management tools enable a seamless connection with your existing data management, customer relationship, and e-signature platforms. This integration ensures a unified and smooth project management experience.

Project Management and Collaboration
Project Management and Collaboration

Effortlessly collaborate with your team and manage the projects with real-time visibility. Our Time Tracker is tightly coupled with the project management workflow and allows resources to enter the time spent against the assigned tasks and manager to review and monitor the status of the tasks.

Integrated Communication Tools
Integrated Communication Tools

Our software comes equipped with built-in communication tools to enhance collaboration. From integrated email functionality to automated task and issue alerts, teams can work together on shared projects with ease. External stakeholders can also engage with the project team and track the progress of projects.

Dynamic Dashboards
Dynamic Dashboards

Our workflow management software features dynamic dashboards that generate detailed reports and provide full visibility over any type of workflow, tailored to individual system roles and functions.

Configurable and Adaptable Solutions
Configurable and Adaptable Solutions

We understand that each business has unique needs and workflows. That’s why our collaborative workflow management software is designed to adapt to your business requirements. It is fully configurable and can be quickly reconfigured as your workflow changes, providing your business with a flexible and future-proof solution.

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Collaborative Project Management Overview