Collaboration tools can help project managers and teams manage change, communicate, collaborate and save time while remaining effective.

Communication and collaboration are two sides of the same coin. Timely communication is key when it comes to effective project management. To enhance communication among the project team, use a visual project management tool that allows all members of the team to easily see the work before, during and after it appears in a workflow.

The ability to see the work in all its stages is good for individual productivity because it helps people anticipate, prioritize and coordinate their work:

• Anticipating what is coming up next allows people to feel more comfortable with what’s expected of them.
• Prioritizing work based on a holistic view of all the work needing to be done helps people focus on the right tasks at the right times.
• Coordinating your work with the work of others prevents team members from working in relative isolation.

Seeing the work as it happens is great for project managers because it helps to streamline communication. Good communication helps project managers:

• Manage stakeholder inquiries and expectations
• Keep the team marching to the beat of the same drum
• Coordinate dependencies and contingencies

Once a rhythm has been established in communication, the team can become truly collaborative. Collaboration tools helps teams reveal their true priorities and work together on tackling the most important things first. As a project manager, you can’t ask for a bigger win.