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One of the greatest flaws that many freelancers run into is that they feel like they don't really run a professional business. Because of this, they often fail to take advantage of some of the resources (such as project management software) available to small business professionals that help businesses to run more smoothly and more efficiently. They feel like they aren't quite at that level or don't need it yet or can't afford it. This simply isn't true. If you want your business to run like a professional business and to earn you a professional income, you need to start treating yourself like a professional. Having the right tools is the first step you need to take to getting any job done, so if you're a freelancer, you need small business tools at hand.
Of course, not all small business tools are going to be right for the individual freelancer who is working from home. For example, you aren't going to need payroll tools because you don't have a staff that needs to be paid. However, many of the tools which apply to small businesses do apply to freelancers and starting to implement them into your businesses can make a huge difference in your bank account numbers. Project management software is one of the types of tools that falls into this category.
Project management software may sound like a fancy term for something that you don't really need yet. But it's not. The term refers to all of the software programs which are used to keep small businesses running smoothly. The main components of project management software programs are spreadsheets and applications tools which are designed to improve communication, documentation and scheduling. Basically, project management software is designed to help keep your business more organized and to keep you in better communication with your clients. So, with it, you start looking and feeling more professional and your work (and income) will reflect that.
There are many different types of project management programs available, so you'll have to do some searching to find what's right for you. If you have a large client contact list and you want to start staying on top of keeping in touch with them, using such items as template-based newsletters and regular email reminds could be a great way to go. Project management software which is geared towards improving online communication in this way would be what you're seeking. On the other hand, if you only have a few clients and you're regularly in touch with them but they give you a large number of projects and you're having trouble keeping them all organized, project management software which is focused on documentation (and maybe scheduling) would be right for you.
Ask yourself what you need as a business to run more professionally. By beginning to think of yourself in terms of a business, instead of as just doing some work, you will begin to approach work more professionally. And by incorporating the use of tools such as project management software into this business, you'll be able to get more work done with better quality, keeping clients coming back for more.
HERE IS A LIST OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Technorati Tags: project management, project management software, shareware, software, freelance, freelancing
11 Comments
I'd like to inform you about WhoDoes a new web-based project management software suitable both for small business and professionals that have to plan and manage various projects of diverse complexity.
I suggest you take a look at http://www.celoxis.com. It is web based and does almost everything that most people want: project management, time sheets,expenses, folders, calendars, forums, issues, bugs, help desk etc. It is quite reasonably priced. We save a lot of time in finding things, our communication has improved and things have stopped slipping through cracks.
If you're going to research PPM software, let me save you some time. Get on to attask.com, and check out the best PPM software out there. We just came out with our latest version that now has a capacity planner plus everything else these other guys have mentioned. We have resource, expense, document and time management. You can track all these things. We are also very reasonably priced. Don't waste time researching other software; or do. Either way you'll see for yourself that Attask is the best PPM software on the market.
I think the link i put is incorrect. Here is the correct link: Celoxis - project management software.
Something simple, powerful, yet very affordable (Free to $100) for freelancers and small business is DeskAway. Give it a spin and see how you can be in control of your projects, rather than the other way around.
Cheers!
A new project management tool does everything for freelancers, and looks great...check out http://www.Projecturf.com.
I know what you are talking about. It's sometimes really hard to start thinking of your business as a professional business. A good project management tool can help you to overcome this. I started using tproject management software for organizing myself, then I realised that it's a great way to collaborate with my clients. I'm using Wrike. The thing I like about it is that I can built my plans just the way I want. Wrike is very flxible working with folders and subfolders of tasks. Another great thing is their timeline - I can drag and drop items and easily reschedule tasks if I need to.
SantexQ is an excellent online project management tool for those looking for a straightforward and easy to use application. It's free too, definitely worth a look.
A better Project Management software that suits my EPM needs is called valleyspeak project server, which I found at http://www.valleyspeak.com. One of the main reasons why I like the software is the fact that I could continue to work in Microsoft Project 2007 while sharing my Microsoft Project plans with my teams.
Because it is a hosted service, I did not have to buy expensive software or deal with installation and maintenance headaches. The functionality that I have with valleyspeak to manage my geographically dispersed teams works well for me. We also evaluated with and some other solutions but were not impressed.I would say "Just go for valleyspeak project server".
I would like to suggest PlanningForce's new Project Planning tool at http://www.planningforce.com/ . It has great features, hope it might help you.
Another great online project management tool to add to the list is SantexQ. They just came out with a bunch of new features like file uploads and pdf invoice generation. Worth a gander!