Task Management Blog - Comidor Digital Transformation Platform https://www.comidor.com/category/blog/task-management/ All-in-one Digital Modernization Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:30:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.comidor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cropped-Comidor-favicon-25-32x32.png Task Management Blog - Comidor Digital Transformation Platform https://www.comidor.com/category/blog/task-management/ 32 32 8 Types of Operating Costs Businesses Should Manage Effectively https://www.comidor.com/blog/productivity/operating-costs/ Fri, 17 May 2024 09:53:20 +0000 https://www.comidor.com/?p=37996 Operating costs refer to all the necessary business expenses that keep your company afloat, including employee salaries, outsourced manufacturing, materials sourcing, and shipping. Your business’ operating costs will overlap with those of others, but you will likely have some unique to your company and current situation. While all operating costs are important to keep a […]

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Operating costs refer to all the necessary business expenses that keep your company afloat, including employee salaries, outsourced manufacturing, materials sourcing, and shipping. Your business’ operating costs will overlap with those of others, but you will likely have some unique to your company and current situation.

While all operating costs are important to keep a close eye on, there are key areas that can influence how your business runs. Keep your business firing on all cylinders by fine-tuning the expenses mentioned in this article.

The Importance of Operating Costs Management

First, you must understand why it’s crucial to manage operating costs. Staying financially resilient means managing costs in a way that allows for discrepancies and optimizes for maximum profit. Uncertain markets, unexpected costs, hidden fees, and improperly managed finances can derail a business quickly.

If your operating costs are too high and outweigh your sales, this can result in a lower net profit — or even a net loss. Luckily, proper management can prevent this. Awareness of your business expenses can give you a leg up on competitors by allowing you to make informed financial decisions, like adjusting pricing or investing in new technology. If done correctly, effective management allows your business to streamline operations and budget forecast efficiently, considering all expenses.

cost managementActual vs. Standard Costing

Choosing a costing method directly shapes how you manage your business finances. While standard costing involves guesstimation based on historical data and predicted costs, actual costing uses tracked data.

Operating costs are fixed, variable, and semi-variable, meaning they never change, change often, or change unpredictably. For example, fixed operating costs include items like:

  • Accounting and legal fees;
  • Banking;
  • Costs of goods sold (COGS);
  • Licensing and insurance;
  • Property lease or rent;
  • Taxes.

These fixed costs are easier to predict and maintain. However, variable and semi-variable operating costs can change with the amount of goods sold. Further, costs can change based on company behavior. This is where operations management comes in. Learn how to effectively manage operating costs and safeguard the future of your business by honing in on the following areas.

1. Labor

Costs of labor include many different factors from recruitment to benefits. For internal employees, you have to factor in wages, training, payroll taxes, benefits, hiring, onboarding, equipment, and human resources. This can be affected by several factors, such as absenteeism, attrition, and hourly pay that goes up during peak seasons.

To manage these costs effectively, consider:

  • Strategic scheduling;
  • Cross-training staff;
  • Forecasting labor demand;
  • Hiring quality professionals;
  • Investing in employee development;
  • Boosting morale;
  • Automating menial tasks;
  • Outsourcing certain tasks.

The main goals are to hire the right number of employees, schedule them accurately with demand, and treat them fairly to reduce turnover rates. If you can automate certain manual tasks and processes, this can also save on labor costs. Non-core functions that can be outsourced include IT support, payroll processing, manufacturing, and customer service. It’s often more cost-effective to outsource these roles, as long as you work with reliable partners, or invest in automation software that can make your business life easier.

labor costs

2. Maintenance

Buildings, vehicles, and equipment all incur maintenance and repair costs. If you find that you are spending too much in this category, consider:

  • Investing in upgrades;
  • Training employees on proper use;
  • Performing preventative maintenance;
  • Conducting regular safety inspections;
  • Storing vehicles and equipment properly.

These practices can increase the longevity of equipment, prevent injury, and optimize production, delivery, and building efficiency.

3. Marketing

There are increasingly accessible options for business marketing. You can cut down on marketing costs by streamlining some aspects. For instance, look to your analytics and eliminate ineffective marketing channels or tactics. Several aspects of marketing can also be automated, such as social posting with software that can even tell you the best times for optimal performance on each platform. These two easy changes can save you time and money that can be used elsewhere like working on search engine optimization using an SEO analyzer or pushing social media ads. A marketing project and marketing operations can thrive on low-cost yet effective techniques. Analyze how well campaigns perform and adjust as needed.

4. Materials and Inventory

If you source materials to manufacture goods, this can be a significant expenditure. Even if you just manage inventory, there are ways to reduce wastage and maintain accurate stock levels for reduced spending. Consider:

  • Purchasing repurposed materials;
  • Upcycling;
  • Forecasting demand;
  • Using inventory management systems (IMS);
  • Leveraging tech for real-time stock updates;
  • Adopting just-in-time principles;
  • Monitoring market trends and demand patterns.

Knowing exactly when to replenish inventory can prevent overstock and reduce carrying costs. Internet of Things (IoT) tech like inventory sensors can provide insight into current stock levels and prevent missteps. All of this plus sourcing lower-cost, quality materials and goods can enhance the cost-effectiveness of your product operations.

material costs5. Shipping and Logistics

Your business’ supply chain processes can also be optimized for cost savings. Shipping and logistics include everything from receiving supplier products to delivering products to consumers. If you have your own fleet, you can optimize your routes and choose energy-efficient, newer vehicles that require less fuel and maintenance. If you outsource, you can work with shipment companies that are committed to reducing transportation expenses and freight rates. Further, opt for local sourcing to cut down on shipping distances.

You can also consider leveraging third-party logistics providers for specialized services. Continuous evaluation and adjustment of logistics strategies based on evolving market conditions and supply chain automation are essential for sustained cost optimization in the dynamic realm of shipping and logistics.

6. Technology

The tech you integrate into your business and in your workplace can be both a significant cost and cost-saving investment. When auditing your tech suite, consider eliminating any unused or ineffective tech. Also, check for upgrades and, if necessary, make changes to other tech that is better at streamlining your unique processes.

Business process management systems are a good example of tech that incurs an upfront investment but saves money in the long run by optimizing business operations. Generally speaking, any tech tool that offers you insight into how to streamline operations is a win-win investment. Just make sure to keep tech updated to prevent costly issues like cyberattacks.

7. Travel and Transportation

Business travel is a costly venture. Flying employees to tradeshows and training workshops can increase your bottom line eventually, but you have to keep tabs on the return on your investment. With the advent of remote workshops and online networking, it may be more cost-effective to have staff attend virtually.

Further, the rise of remote and hybrid work can help you cut down on transportation costs. If you are reimbursing employees for commutes and travel, you can get rid of this expense by offering flexible schedules and work-from-home policies.

8. Utilities

Adopting remote work can also help you save on utilities. Utilities like electricity and water can rack up and add to your operating costs. Using tech to track utility usage can give you insight into where to cut back. Some tools can even automatically adjust things like temperature and lighting to save money and reduce waste.

technology costsSaving Money Moving Forward

Continuous monitoring and analysis of business operational performance is a key. When you integrate new tech or strategies, you should follow up and track the cost difference. Also, check in with employees to ensure satisfaction. With automation tools like the Comidor platform and insight into your spending, you can drastically change your day-to-day operations and reduce operations costs for a more fruitful, resilient business year after year.

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7 Best Practices for Effective Task Scheduling and Employee Time Management https://www.comidor.com/blog/task-management/task-scheduling-practices/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:57:15 +0000 https://www.comidor.com/?p=37880 Achieving business success requires unwavering determination, a high level of professionalism, and exceptional organizational abilities. In particular, effective task scheduling and employee time management are crucial components for ensuring your business operates efficiently and accurately. If you fail to schedule tasks and implement a comprehensive employee time management schedule, chaos can quickly ensue. Having systems […]

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Achieving business success requires unwavering determination, a high level of professionalism, and exceptional organizational abilities. In particular, effective task scheduling and employee time management are crucial components for ensuring your business operates efficiently and accurately. If you fail to schedule tasks and implement a comprehensive employee time management schedule, chaos can quickly ensue.

Having systems in place to coordinate and track employee time management ensures that your business doesn’t miss deadlines because it is operating inefficiently. However, even if you meet all your deadlines, your business must operate smoothly and cooperatively to maximize growth and profit.

To boost your business, we’ve shared our 7 best tips and tricks for effective task scheduling and employee time management. If you implement these strategies, your business will run like a well-oiled machine in no time.

Understanding Task Scheduling and Time Management

Before we dive into best practices for task scheduling and time management, we need to explain these two concepts and how they benefit your organization and employees.  

Task scheduling and time management are tools and frameworks that assist your employees in visualizing their goals. They help employees break their goals down into small, achievable tasks and prioritize the most important tasks to make the best use of their time and resources. Juggling numerous appointments, to-dos, and deadlines can feel overwhelming even to the most capable employee. However, proper task and time management structure tasks and make it easier to tackle each day’s work as it comes. 

Using smart strategies or task management software to manage tasks and time usage also allows your employees to schedule more demanding tasks for their peak focus times, use tools like planners, calendars, and lists to their advantage, and remain flexible, even when unexpected challenges or responsibilities arise. Ultimately, task scheduling and time management help employees create a workflow that balances productivity with energy levels, resources, and well-being, promoting progress without overstepping limits. 

Flexible Schedule and Remote Work | ComidorPractices to Implement Task Scheduling and Time Management

Below, we’ve outlined the most effective ways to implement task scheduling and time management in your organization. This will help your employees streamline their workflows, maximize their productivity, and ensure that they reach their goals in a fast and sustainable way.

1. Utilize Enterprise Collaboration Software

One of the best ways to improve task scheduling for efficient company-wide time management is through enterprise collaboration platforms. The ultimate goal of this kind of software is to enhance company-wide communication to support synergistic collaboration efforts. It ensures clarity on shared targets and goals, allowing greater flexibility when working in teams.  

Enterprise collaboration software allows you to view organizational charts, thus clearly illustrating the business architecture that dictates the appropriate lines of communication. This software also includes reminders, scheduling features, and workforce monitoring. Additionally, it allows external collaborators to utilize the channel seamlessly. It streamlines communication by offering direct messaging services alongside email and video conferencing. It’s also important to note that scheduled tasks can be synced across features.  

Another attractive feature of enterprise collaboration software is that it’s highly secure. This means that employees can communicate without experiencing anxieties surrounding the potential leakage of sensitive company information. If you want to begin task scheduling while boosting employee time management, Comidor’s enterprise collaboration software is the ideal solution.

2. Improve Your Scheduling Process

Many businesses overlook the vital role that scheduling plays in daily productivity and effective task scheduling. Countless potentially productive hours are lost every day to poorly planned schedules. When you utilize Comidor’s process scheduling feature, you can avoid wasting precious time when scheduling repeat or rescheduled tasks and processes. This feature manages your schedule in a highly organized and time-efficient manner so you don’t have to.  

Scheduling offers several optional details such as assigning “importance,” “priority,” “responsible group,” and “supervisor” specifications, to name a few. The layout of a high-quality schedule management tool should be intuitive and user-friendly, too. This will help you in your task scheduling and employee time management endeavors. 

3. Utilize a Task Management Tool

Another important step to implement effective task scheduling alongside employee time management involves utilizing a helpful task management tool. Task management tools streamline processes that would otherwise be laborious and include inevitable slip-ups and miscommunications. Tools like Comidor Task Management manage personal and team tasks. It manages tasks assigned to you and tasks assigned to others.  

Task management tools allow you to get as intricate and detailed as you require per task. They boast exceptional organizational capabilities that ensure tasks and relevant information are meticulously ordered, grouped, and shared with relevant colleagues.

Task-Oriented vs. Process-Oriented Approach in Management 3 | Comidor4. Customize Your Digital Workplace

While there are many recommendations everyone should follow for effective task scheduling and time management, you must establish a system solution tailored to your individual preferences and needs. Every individual in a business will have different daily priorities—not to mention completely different jobs.  

It’s important that every employee can customize their digital workplace to bolster their productivity. To optimize efficiency and productivity within your organization, it is highly advisable to leverage customizable online workspaces, dashboards, or productivity tools provided by platforms like Comidor. By incorporating such tools, employees gain the flexibility to manage their schedules, tasks, meetings, documents, and notes in a manner that suits their preferences, leading to enhanced organization and effectiveness across the board.

5. Your Manager Matters

At the end of the day, you can have the best software tools at your disposal. But you still need a passionate individual to oversee your business’ coordination and time management. The good news is that the availability of digital workspace platforms can enhance the insights and capabilities of a good manager 

Digital workspaces are famously supportive of collaborations among various employees in a company. Managers can utilize this to its full potential by streamlining communication and the assignment of tasks. Furthermore, depending on the business policy, they may have access to behind-the-scenes insights into the activities and overall productivity of individual employees and different departments.   

6. Be Flexible

It’s vital to remain open and flexible when working towards increased efficiency and organization in any business. As mentioned above, your manager is responsible for overseeing the practical pursuit of this goal.    

Managerial insights from your online workspace are often generated through statistics. This allows managers to track and compare internal company progress in a highly accurate and accessible manner. With careful thought and skill, task scheduling strategies and time clock or tracking data can be compared to weekly productivity insights. This can help a manager assess which task scheduling system works most efficiently. This information can then be utilized to inform a more long-term strategy for improved employee time management.  

7. Embrace Automation

Automation is an essential tool for any business. It offers the ability to automate and streamline repetitive tasks to save time and money while maximizing efficiency. It can provide an enhanced experience for your customers or clients, boost productivity, and help you gain a competitive edge in your industry. Automation can also free up your team to tackle more creative tasks and problem-solving requirements, leaving your organization with more room to grow without sacrificing efficiency or customer satisfaction.  

Utilizing automation software to implement effective task scheduling and employee time management can take a little time to integrate and get used to. However, the best platforms are intuitive and user-friendly, making the learning curve short and sweet.   

All-in-one business process automation tools like Comidor offer a unique collection of automation features that work together to achieve highly effective task scheduling and time management. Features like process automation, low-code application development, project management software, CRM and sales automation, accounting and finance modules, and quality, risk, and compliance tools ensure that every part of your business can be partly or fully automated to reduce the pressure on your workforce. You can also integrate Comidor with popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, making it easier to store and share large files securely, or incorporate the use of tools like Google Search Console into your business operations”.

Automation-in-the-Workplace | Comidor

Conclusion

If you follow our recommendations, we are certain that you will effortlessly gain mastery in the art of effective task scheduling and proficient employee time management in your projects. With the right software tools at your disposal and a positive attitude driving your team forward, success is not only achievable but also inevitable. Embrace these strategies wholeheartedly, and witness unparalleled efficiency and productivity within your organization unfold before your eyes!

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Process Improvement in Organizational Development https://www.comidor.com/blog/business-process-management/process-improvement/ Wed, 28 Jul 2021 10:44:24 +0000 https://www.comidor.com/?p=30816 The post Process Improvement in Organizational Development appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

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Businesses are always looking to the future for ways to improve their operations and continuously grow in their industry. That may include investing in the latest and greatest technologies to improve your processes and achieve operational excellence. But how exactly should you go about improving your current processes and automating your tasks? Read on to learn the answer to this question and more.   

What is Process Improvement?

Business trends are constantly evolving and you’ll want your business processes to align with these changes and the continuous growth of your company. That’s where process improvement comes into play. 

What is Process Improvement | Comidor

What is process improvement, you ask? Anytime you identify and revamp or fix a current business process within your company, you are partaking in process improvement. As your company grows, you’ll want to spend time focusing on ways to improve your existing processes or fix broken processes to optimize and automate your workflow.   

Organizational process improvement is a never-ending practice that should be a regular part of your business structure. As you analyze current processes and implement new systems, you’ll want to monitor results and decide whether new processes are functional. One way of doing this is to automate your workflow and track progress using Business Process Management (BPM) software. We’ll take a closer look at this software in the next few sections.   

Workflow Automation and Process Improvement 

If you’ve ever wanted advanced software that allows you to simplify and automate your workflow, you’re in luck! With BPM software, you’ll have the ability to design and customize your workflows to fit your business’ needs and automate your work processes 

BPM software provides companies the opportunity to enhance collaboration, emphasize priorities, and closely monitor daily workflows. Instead of spending hours repeating the same processes over and over, you can create repeatable templates that will streamline the workflow processes and handle tasks for you. Team communication can occur quickly through automated discussion boards and messages. Send real-time notifications to the right team members to alert them of their next task.  

Additionally, receiving real-time reports and analyzing dashboards will give you access to see where processes aren’t functioning at their highest level and where the focus should be for process improvements.   

Ideas for Organizational Development 

Now that we’ve defined process improvement and how automation works hand-in-hand with this, let’s discuss a few ideas for achieving optimal organizational development.

Ideas for Organizational Development | Comidor

Standardize Processes 

Once you’ve invested in BPM software, standardizing and automating processes is simple. Facilitate regular processes using reusable process templates. If you have an existing template that is working well for certain tasks, you’ll have the opportunity to replicate the template and reuse it for other tasks as well. Notice that some of the steps in this template aren’t working for this new task? These templates are customizable and can be adjusted to fit your business’ needs. 

Not only will this speed up the work process, but it will allow you to see where continuous process improvement can occur. If a standardized practice is no longer producing the highest quality of work, you can focus your attention on brainstorming a solution and fixing the process.

Consider Employee Feedback 

Your employees are the ones working first-hand with this software, so their feedback is vital for identifying process issues and learning where improvements can be made. After you’ve implemented new processes with your BPM software, check in with employees to ensure that the improved process is functioning better and continue to make adjustments as needed. This software works for you, giving you the chance to change processes and adapt the technology to achieve the best results.

Be Customer-Oriented 

Customer satisfaction is key to any business. If your customers are unhappy with the service or product you’re providing, it’s a sign that you may need to analyze your processes and make process improvements. Consider what your customers are looking for and the problem your product or service should be solving for them. From there, you’ll have the chance to customize your automated workflows and change processes to improve output and please customers.  

Automate Your Business with Comidor 

Ready to tackle process improvement and automate your workflows? Comidor is here for you. Our advanced Low-Code BPM technology is easy to use, with drag-and-drop functionality and a convenient mobile app that can be used anywhere. With innovation and sustainability at the forefront of our mission, you can trust that our software will help your team function at its highest level.  

Contact our team today to learn more about automating your workflows and improving processes with Comidor! 

* Featured image: Monster Ztudio/Shutterstock.com

Streamline, improve and automate your
end-to-end business processes with Comidor

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How to Keep Up with your Business 100% Remotely https://www.comidor.com/blog/business-process-management/leading-remote-team/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 07:00:09 +0000 https://www.comidor.com/?p=1430 The post How to Keep Up with your Business 100% Remotely appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

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Marching into the new era of remote business and online operations, most of the organizations find it more profitable to operate remotely. Thinking that everything can be easily accessed online through the internet, more firms expect the business to run smoothly like any traditional businesses. That’s not the case.  

You won’t be able to call people into your office to go over things, and you might not even be in the time zone. You’ll need to adapt and do things a little differently. 

To run a remote business, the company needs a completely new business approach that is entirely different from the traditional one. There are challenges to face, as well, such as micromanagement, tasks, and process management. With advanced technologies and holistic digital business automation, keeping the business successful is not a problem.

From the demands for constant communications to successful process execution, sticking to the usual and conventional business approach may not be suitable.

On the other hand, managing the remote business properly using the right tools and techniques will yield higher profitability and more incentives for the team. To make your business successful while working remotely, here are some tips:

1. Motivate your Staff

Staff motivation | Comidor Digital Automation Platform

It can be a big challenge to motivate your staff to work remotely after being used to work conventionally for a decade or two. Fortunately, there are ways to help you motivate and inspire your staff as the business transitions into a remote setup. 

  • Empowerment 

The best way to empower the team is to let them know that you trust them and that you are confident in their skills and knowledge.A remote collaboration solution is also helpful so that your staff will feel that they are engaged just like how they were in a conventional setup. 

  • Mentorship 

Coaching strategies may be needed from time to time, at least during the first stage of the transition. Organizations must take the time and effort to coach them individually, as necessary, because a one-size-fits-all approach will not do the work. Positive reinforcement and constructive feedback are what they need to ensure that everything is handled accordingly. 

  • Compensation 

Keep in mind that the overhead expenses are now shouldered by the staff as they work remotely from home. Proper compensation should be given not only to compensate and motivate but also to alleviate the pressure as utility bills pile up. Another way to compensate the staff is to give them a break. Working remotely without breaks will result in exhaustion

2. Use Technology to Streamline and Automate Processes

Comidor Desktop | Digital Automation Platfrom

For smoother and stress-free remote business operations, using technology in the right way to streamline the process is your smart move. With efficient tools and an integrated system, your business will reach success and stay ahead of the rest. 

  • Digital Automation Platforms 

Sharing data between each department and business element is easier through digital automation platforms like Comidor. They are solutions that enhance business productivity and profitability. They also simplify things for employees and management as they visualize and automate core business processes. This way you will save time from the employees and you will make sure that they are informed of how to complete their tasks. 

  • Customer Support System via VoIP 

VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol helps provide convenient customer care and support. It is easier for the staff to receive calls through the internet using laptops or desktop computers instead of using old-school telephone lines. 

  • Real-Time Analytics

There is no need to meet and consult a financial advisor if you use technology for your remote business. With real-time analysis, you can instantly get any real-time information you need. With digital automation platforms, you can get full and clear insights with dashboards and reports that will help you evaluate your business success. 

3. Encourage Small Work Groups

IoT for workplace safety-connected employees

Employees need proper scheduling depending on their local time zones. To make things work, it is best to assign a small group for each locality and to develop shared leadership. The tasks will be delegated more efficiently if they are divided into groups. 

  • Team Virtual Work Sessions 

Small workgroups can easily have a team virtual work session through Chats & HQ Video Conferencing. This way, teams can manage tasks, track work, communicate and share content. 

  • Team Building 

Remote team buildings can be done monthly or quarterly to build up the team and strengthen the bond between employees or team members. It also helps improve communication, increase productivity, build up the team’s morale and enhance confidence. 

  • Team Ideas 

Brainstorming team ideas is an excellent way to keep up with the latest business and industry trends

It is necessary to facilitate interactions among team members so that they feel motivated to work from home or any remote place. 

  • Effective Deadlines

You need to make it clear on when things are due. This is very important, especially when dealing with people spread across different time zones.

Consider using tools that allow you to assign tasks and set due dates. They will send email reminders to people and give them a notice when an upcoming task is due in their time zone. You could also schedule things into someone’s calendar just to be sure that they will get notified. 

Conclusion 

There are many ways to take advantage of high-end technologies and digital solutions. Transitioning to a remote business demands a specific approach and not a trial-and-error one. The shift to a remote business may lead you to face plenty of challenges. But with the right tools and proper business approach, you can achieve success for your remote business. These tips are proven to help keep the business up 100% remotely. 

About the Authors:

Jock is the founder of Digital Exits, an online brokerage that specializes in the buying/selling and appraisal of online businesses. His career began in digital marketing before he opened his own consulting firm. Now he focuses on helping others find success with their business.

Meggie is a freelance writer and communication manager at AMGtime. Meggie is deeply convinced that marketing is a key to get success in all spheres and it’s a crucial part of our lives. Regularly, she delivers various concepts on how to market products, services, and events effectively. Meggie believes in a win-win formula and utilizes it on a daily basis in staff management.

Intelligent Automation Report 2021 banner | Comidor Platform

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9 Key Reasons to use Online Task Management Software https://www.comidor.com/blog/task-management/9-key-reasons-use-online-task-management-software/ Mon, 16 Oct 2017 09:33:01 +0000 http://192.168.1.9:8888/?p=30 Daily business life is full of tasks; work, meetings, phone calls, appointments, business trips and much more. Many professionals to remember, manage and finally accomplish these tasks, they use post-it notes, pieces of paper with to-do lists, calendar notebooks or just their minds. However, some others use Online Task Management Software. In this article, we […]

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Daily business life is full of tasks; work, meetings, phone calls, appointments, business trips and much more. Many professionals to remember, manage and finally accomplish these tasks, they use post-it notes, pieces of paper with to-do lists, calendar notebooks or just their minds. However, some others use Online Task Management Software. In this article, we present the main reasons that lead professionals to use advanced online task management software for enterprise collaboration and the respective benefits.

1. Don’t forget tasks

Crucial or minor, urgent or future, complex or simple, no task should get forgottenAccording to Anders Clark, Writer / Editor / Project Manager at Disciples of Flight “Online Task management software is a good way to log and organize the tasks as they come, and be reminded to take care of them at an appropriate time”. Jordan Warzecha, CEO & Co-Founder of backstitch, illustrates it with an example based on his experience “Anytime something like a bug or customer request comes up we put it in a Priority Dependent list that we pull from when assigning tasks. That way we don’t forget ad-hoc tasks but don’t have to stress about them in the back of our minds. We can just add it to the list and move on.”

2. Cleaner Email Inbox

Actually, the majority of emails is related with tasks. Tasks that have been assigned to you or tasks that you have assigned to others…David Bakke from SparkCharge Media LLC underlines that “Online Task management software offers a better way to communicate rather than relying on say, email.” Corey Barnett, Founder & Consultant of Cleverly Engaged Marketing, has noticed that “The ability to comment on assignments directly in the task management software keeps more emails out of the inbox. It also prevents super long email chains of 50+ replies that are difficult to read.”

3. Enterprise Collaboration

Mark Tuchscherer, co-founder and president Geeks Chicago describes “We have people in multiple offices, all working on multiple tasks with different groups. People can view and update tasks on the go. If something changes with regard to a task, individuals can receive alerts on their mobile phones and laptops”.

Vasili Puntus, Marketing specialist at Xpansa Group shares with us “Our team can work together with a lot of tasks at the same time. We can quickly and easily communicate and interact each other when it needed. In this case, we can know and plan resource usage. As a result, it allows us to save time for all team and help us to work more efficiently and faster. People in the company can work together around the world mixed the knowledge, culture and help our company grows together with them.”

4. Sense of Accomplishment

Completing task is satisfying by itself, but using task tracking tools it can be more…! Steve Gibson Director of JotForm Inc considers that “It’s extremely satisfying to move things from one field to the next.”Moreover, as Jordan Warzecha explains “Being able to look back at everything that got accomplished over a day, week or month gives a concrete way for a team to have a sense of accomplishment.” Marc Prosser, co-founder and managing partner of Marc Waring Ventures, agrees and wonders “Who doesn’t get a kick out of crossing items off a list?”

5. Responsibility

Individuals using task management software may feel more responsible. Manish Raje, Founder of MyOPDClinic Software, explains “When a Task is assigned to an individual, it keeps the individual on track with a set date of completion. As people become more accountable, they feel more responsible.”

6. Productivity

Marc Prosser,describes “Task tracking software can track how long and how much effort things take to accomplish, and in so doing, can help you refine your productivity. If you’re not tracking something, you can’t optimize it, and task tracking software can be a great way to assess how you’re doing at specific tasks.”

7. Traceability

Steve Gibson informs us that using task tracking app “You can give an accounting of what you did long after the fact.” Manish Raje has realized that “People come and people go. As a result, an important business function is to know history of a Task, may be days or years later, be it any communication or a support issue. With everything logged into a Tracking software, business become less people dependent and more process dependent.”

8. On time and budget

Mark Tuchscherer considers that “Tracking tasks with software is one of the best ways to ensure that tasks and projects hit deadlines while remaining on budget.” According to Amy Fowler, Online Marketing Manager of Boom Online Marketing “Probably the biggest benefit (to task tracking software) for us as a company is the ability to manage client budgets. Everything we do at Boom is highly variable; our clients all have different budgets, and instead of charging a fixed amount for each task we do, we charge an hourly rate for our time. This means that without task tracking software it would become very (very!) difficult to keep track of how much of each client’s budget has been spent, especially since we also need to be able to keep track of this throughout the length of our working relationship with each client (even though our clients pay a set amount each month, we’re a little more fluid in how we use their budget and we just need to ensure that the books balance over time).”

9. Human Resource Management

Steve Gibson and Anders Clark agree that “with task tracking software, you start to gain a better idea of how long certain tasks take, and what resources they require and this allows you to better plan for similar tasks in the future.”

Amy Fowler claims that Task tracking software is also imperative in managing our staff’s time, and ensuring they’re not under, or overworked. Although we can never measure exactly how long something will take, we assign each task a set number of hours. This means that, once we’ve calculated approximately how much work each member of staff would be capable of completing in a given month (another huge variable on account of staff’s differing responsibilities, and of course, holidays) we can ensure they’re assigned the right amount of work to fill their time.”

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Key Reasons Not to use Task Management Software https://www.comidor.com/blog/task-management/key-reasons-not-use-task-management-software/ Mon, 16 Oct 2017 09:23:54 +0000 http://192.168.1.9:8888/?p=27 Despite the variety of Task Management Software, there are still professionals who have not figured out what these tools really offer or they have not found yet the suitable solution for them. Of course there are also those who just refuse to use them. For example, the “busy guy”:“I cannot lose my time keeping records of […]

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Despite the variety of Task Management Software, there are still professionals who have not figured out what these tools really offer or they have not found yet the suitable solution for them. Of course there are also those who just refuse to use them. For example, the “busy guy”:“I cannot lose my time keeping records of my tasks, I prefer just do them”. Or, the “lazy guy”: “To use it for what? To keep records of not completed tasks…?!”.

Key reasons that make people feel absolutely right deciding to not use Task Tracking Software are the following:

1. Ignorance

Ignorance of Task Tracking Software variety, pricing, features and functionality can be considered as the main reason that people do not use this kind of apps. According to Julie Titterington, Managing Editor of Merchant Maverick, “If people knew that there were inexpensive, user-friendly tools without extraneous features which do not require installation, training, or IT support to maintain, they would be much more likely to use task tracking software”. Leslie Shreve from Productive Day describes that “using task tracking software professionals can continuously plan and track action steps, compare and contrast everything they need to do from multiple sources: email, voice mail, papers, files, meeting notes, conversations, etc., prioritize accurately and effectively, and know where their time should go without losing track of the rest”. Here comes the question “do people know that all these can be done in an easy and quick way”? Maybe yes, however then the issue of pricing may rise. AsJulie Titterington informs us “they assume (falsely) that task tracking software is too expensive and won’t fit in their budget. The truth is, however, that most basic task tracking tools are relatively cheap, and some are even completely free. Even if you have to spend $50/month to help streamline communication and increase productivity in your business, it is well worth the investment”.

2. Lack of Strategy or/and Methodology

Without linking tasks with business objectives or having no methodology for task management in order to enhance collaboration and improve productivity there is no reason to use Task Tracking Software. Leslie Shreve points outthat“without a methodology for their technology, a system and a process to follow, professionals struggle to know how to use task tracking software”. Sabrina Atienza  from Qurious.io emphasizes thatIt’s tedious to configure task management software properly” and Leslie Shreve adds “The default screens on task lists typically show Subject and Due Date which entice people to add projects and due dates (even when there’s no formal due date) and it keeps professionals stuck in project management thinking instead of task management thinking, and that isn’t helpful for making meaningful progress”. Paul Sokol, Data Scientist at Infusionsoft has observed that When first getting started, the feature overload distracts a new user from focusing on the objective which is to set it up in a manner that works best for them and their workflow. Even worse, sometimes people aren’t even present to their own workflow and style, so they will configure things wantonly and hope it works”. Having a specific methodology for task tracking you know what you need to configure and how to customize it. Consequently, you can save time on the transition process and achieve enhanced collaboration and increased productivity by using the specific tools.

3. Fear of Accountability

Some people may be not so productive, as the want to be, due to several reasons such as ineffective time management, procrastination, wrong prioritization, lack of motivation, lack of discipline, distraction issues etc. Definitely, there are also those who do not care to be productive. Both would not like to reveal their low productivity using task tracking apps. Moreover, even productive employees may feel exposed using them. Sabrina Atienza explains “Task tracking software can illuminate who’s really doing what, how effective they are, how much time they’re spending or wasting, and so on. That level of transparency is scary”.

4. Lack of Commitment to the Habit

People realizing the benefits of using task tracking software, they consciously decide to use it. Unfortunately, this is not enough. They should do it daily and this requires great discipline. Paul Sokol warns us ”for a task tracking program to deliver the value it promises, the user must make using it a daily, unflinching, habit. While a lot of people can see the value in a task tracking program, they lack the discipline to use it impeccably every day. As a result, they sporadically use it and things get chaotic”.

5. Lack of Commitment to an Official System of Record

Ok, we have to admit it; Habit Change is extremely difficult. As Paul Sokol claims Even if someone can get a task tracking system setup and use it daily, there still has to be mindfulness in getting any and all new tasks into that system as soon as they are identified. It takes effort for someone to adjust their thought processes and stop using sticky notes, or random notepad docs; they slip into their old habits easily”Julie Titterington elaborates a little bit more on this issue stating:“They like things the way they are, and don’t want to change to a fancy new system. People don’t like change, period. Task management tools exist to consolidate information/files and improve interoffice communication, so fully committing to task tracking software usually entails giving up other forms of business communication, like sticky notes, casual conversations, phone calls, and email. For some businesses and business owners, it is just too difficult to make the transition”. But, keep in mind… as Aristotle said:We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”.

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Cloud productivity & Team Productivity for dummies https://www.comidor.com/blog/task-management/cloud-productivity/ Fri, 13 Oct 2017 14:30:32 +0000 http://192.168.1.9:8888/?p=20 Last night I had a couple of drinks with friends. A bunch of old dogs desperately seeking for relaxed quality time, but hopelessly ending over and over again talking about CRM Project Management, problems with collaboration, new fabulous Business Intelligence tools and stuff…Last night’s guest start “stuff” was productivity. Each one of us had a […]

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Last night I had a couple of drinks with friends. A bunch of old dogs desperately seeking for relaxed quality time, but hopelessly ending over and over again talking about CRM Project Management, problems with collaboration, new fabulous Business Intelligence tools and stuff…Last night’s guest start “stuff” was productivity. Each one of us had a different definition to the term, obviously, but surprisingly enough we all approached cloud productivity from a time-based perspective. If I could extract the average definition it would be something like: “productivity is a measure of the average work units you produce in a certain period of time”.

Wikipedia on the other hand states that: “Productivity is an average measure of the efficiency of production. It can be expressed as the ratio of output to inputs used in the production process, i.e. output per unit of input…Outputs and inputs are defined in the total productivity measure as their economic values…”

In wikipedia’s productivity the prominent dimension is not time (even though is implied) but the ratio of outputs (i.e: products, services etc.) to inputs (resources, effort, etc.). And you ain’t  have to be a rocket scientist to understand that in order to increase the outcome of the division (cloud productivity) you have to minimize the divisor (input).

Moving your business to cloud you do just that. Your increase cloud productivity by minimizing your IT spent resources as Cloud offers:

  • Minimum Operating Expenses: As you lower capital expenditures by not having to invest in and maintain expensive IT infrastructure.
  • Focus on the job: As you have your valuable resources (otherwise spent to IT maintenance and upgrades) to be assigned in your products and services improvements.
  • Improved Integration: With Cloud you don’t care of the operating system that runs on the other side of your IaaS platforms. It is Cloud’s embedded philosophy to provide exceptional interoperability across data and services.
  • Scalability: Cloud scalability allows you to automatically re-adjust your web characteristics in order to always cope with increased demands without compromising performance.
  • Availability – Reliability:  24/7 service, automatic systems upgrades, continued software support and SLA bound guaranteed uptime and data protection. Nothing more to add here
  • Last but not least: It’s a greener solution due to its scalability.

Got it already? It’s not about fancy economics, not even mathematics. It’s plain 2nd grade elementary fraction problems!

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Why BPM platform are fundamental https://www.comidor.com/blog/task-management/digital-transformation-bpm/ Fri, 13 Oct 2017 12:37:24 +0000 http://192.168.1.9:8888/?p=14 Using technology and BPM platform for Collaboration Task Management tools  are everywhere and technology’s growth seems unstoppable. The growth is not only coming in terms of accomplishments (incredible new materials, superb energy efficiency, medical miracles, sci-fi patents, miniature engineering, speed-of-light processing software), but also in terms of geographical penetration. Actually, the whole planet is benefitting […]

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Using technology and BPM platform for Collaboration

Task Management tools  are everywhere and technology’s growth seems unstoppable. The growth is not only coming in terms of accomplishments (incredible new materials, superb energy efficiency, medical miracles, sci-fi patents, miniature engineering, speed-of-light processing software), but also in terms of geographical penetration.

Actually, the whole planet is benefitting from technology, even in places that no one would ever imagine. Long suffering Afghanistan has more than 1 million internet connections and 18 million mobile users in a population of 32 million!(The World Facebook) In one of the poorer and more isolated places of our planet, one out of two is daily paying for technology services. Marconi and Tesla surely rest in peace.

However, technology’s most important penetration is to enter everyone’s daily life by facilitating the fundamental human need for communication. Moving one step further, to elaborate this need into something that brings tangible results: technology facilitates collaboration.

Collaboration adds value on the flat verbal exchange by adding the element of mutual goal. From individuals to friend groups, from project teams to large company departments, everyone is using technology tools to accomplish mutual goals. And technology is quite generous with providing affordable collaboration and productivity measurement solutions, since location and volume of the collaborators is not a problem anymore.

Welcoming BPM platform

Various collaboration tools exist in the global market: simple calendar organizers, fun team-project tools, professional enterprise collaboration systems, CRM Project Management softwares. Some still run only on desktops via the company’s local intranet, while other run on smart mobiles and tablets using the Cloud technology. All of them share the same cornerstone: the tasks from BPM platform.

Despite tasks ‘ importance as a fundamental element in the collaboration process, it is admittedly neglected. Managers prefer grandiose and impressive terms, such as: sales plan execution, project management scheduling, financial consolidation, enterprise social networking etc. On the other hand, employees avoid the word “tasks” for the fear of extra work and responsibilities.

Still, it is the careful-designed task management process (assignment, execution, monitoring and reporting) that will deliver sales volume, successful projects, financial results, efficient collaboration and drive a company to grandeur, while helping the employee to show-off his daily contribution in printed reports.

Especially, in times of global economic turbulence, when the latter is haunted by cost-cutting policies and cost-efficient machines, tasks monitoring within collaboration tools can be claimed salvation.

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