I’ve been managing projects from the start of my career.
Social media can be a powerful marketing tool and it’s also a great way to reach different business goals, one of which is project management.
Different platforms will offer different solutions but ultimately, it’s a good way to enhance the management of your future projects.
Improving Communication
Communication is important for any project to run effectively. Prince 2 Managing Successful Projects, states that all projects should have an effective communication management approach whereby all team members actively engage and support each other. This management approach helps to develop relationships between different groups within the wider project ecosystem.
Social media can simplify the communication process within a team. It reduces the need for emails and having several communication channels. As Project Manager, you can choose the platform you wish to communicate on.
This could be a private Facebook Group, Whatsapp Group (yes, I classify it as social media – we can debate it!) or a Linkedin group. Having used other platforms like Slack, it also reduces the need for being overly tech savvy. All members will be in one place to communicate effectively when needed and to be able to keep a track of what’s being said and by whom. It’s a great way to keep your project moving and staying connected to produce outcomes and meet strategic objectives.
Remote Work
Remote work won’t be going away anytime soon. Some employees and employers are looking for flexibility and ways of saving costs on overheads. Remote work can indeed make it harder for some teams but that’s why as Project Manager, you should outline expectations on the type of communication, how much is needed and the operating hours, taking well-being into consideration.
Social media can help project managers, manage teams remotely, more effectively. It can help to share project plans/schedules with team members, assign new tasks, share feedback, schedule online meetings, send notes and reminders about milestones and deadlines approaching.
Complex Problems Solved Quicker
We’ve all heard the saying, “Two heads are better than one” but what if you had an entire team working on a project and just needed to bounce off ideas? Developing solutions requires teamwork and therefore team members must all work together collaboratively to solve problems. If team members are not supporting one another, this could jeopardise an entire project and therefore it is the responsibility of the team manger to ensure this is happening.
When a team member experiences an issue, the group needs to work together to solve it – delays are both time consuming and costly.
Using social media tools can help to reach out to team members, team mangers or the project manager. Notifications are instant, help and guidance immediate and projects can continue to run with fewer problems and meet deadlines.
Managing Learning and Development
Team leaders are required to help support development and growth. How else can you share useful training materials and provide the right resources? Social media can make sharing easier with links for interesting blog posts, evidence informed papers, useful articles, e-books, podcasts and videos (YouTube/TikTok). This will help to make comms more dynamic where the team can share ideas, discuss latest industry-related topics and help each other grow professionally. Remember, some of the best form of professional development is found internally. You just need to give everyone a chance to share. This will in turn enhance project management and delivery.
Project Reporting
Sharing lessons learnt and discussing struggles, ideas and overall experience will allow you to document and review the project effectively. With social media, this feedback will be instant and others will be able to have an input. This will make the finalised report writing easier at the end.
TEAMwork and Celebrating Achievement
Whilst we’d like all team members to have intrinsic motivation, as leaders we know that sometimes this isn’t consistent. In order to achieve maximum effort and improve motivation, celebrating victories, no matter how small, is a MUST. Social media allows you to celebrate your team publicly and sharing your organisations’ success stories.
Summary
Managing projects is challenging and requires a lot of emotional intelligence and professional collaboration. Social media can help make this easier. As with anything, before you launch your next project, ensure you check your organisations’ social media policies and any GDPR regulations needed to follow.
What other social media/tech tools do you use to manage projects?
The right combination of tools and social media can significantly enhance project management effectiveness. What tools do you use? What specific challenges have you faced in implementing these strategies? Let me know your thoughts!
