Work Management

There are many aspects to running a business, but the most important one is work management. Without it, projects may be unsuccessful, and there may be an inefficient use of finances. There would also be poor teamwork and a lack of skillful human resource management.

Every company needs to be well managed for it to function optimally. Management systems, management processes, and human resources are key areas that need attention if a company is going to work at its best. Teamwork, information, and project management also play an essential role in how well the firm runs.

What is Work Management?

The correlation between a business and its team to create a workflow to increase efficiency is termed work management. The workflow is brought about by work order management. Workflow is linked to several work management systems that promote synergy between human resources and business operations and improve business information flow.

Teamwork management is another significant consideration every business makes. A team is responsible for actioning organizational goals.

Daily work management entails the coordination and control of day-to-day processes in an organization. It can include employee follow-up and ensuring the tasks assigned to each individual are completed on time and conform to management specifications.

Organizational departments are themed on processes and functions. These departments must collaborate seamlessly for organizational success. Teamwork management is vital, and employees must complete tasks timely, following instructions.

Work Management Process

A work management process is a set of steps to organize work in a tracking system. The flow help managers know when, how, and what will be done at a particular time. A work order management process involves work request approval, creation, prioritization, scheduling, assignment, distribution, execution, documentation, closure, and analysis.

Below is a chart illustrating the work management process in an organization.

1. Work request approval

For work to be done, it is first communicated through a work request. It is then approved after it has been proven legitimate and a work order is created. The offer can come from a team leader to the rest of the group.

2. Creation

After a work order has been approved, authorization is given to carry out the requested maintenance work. Without approval, the work order may be challenging because the workflow process must follow the right channel.

3. Prioritization

Prioritization of work order determines which work will be done first; this is done through critical analysis. Essential work requests are given higher priority than non-essential requests.

4. Scheduling

Work orders are scheduled according to their priority and availability of equipment and the required workforce to complete a given work order. This scheduling is essential to ensure there are no clashes in orders and work deliverables.

5. Assignment

Every work order is assigned to a staffer with the required skills and abilities. Large organizations prefer to use skilled experts,s while small companies go for a jack-of-all-trades type of technician who can perform all the tasks.

6. Distribution

Once scheduling and assigning work orders is complete, work orders are either physically handed out or emailed to the required technicians, which is the easy way. This way, there is accountability on the work process to see everything that was carried out and who sent it out, and to who.

7. Execution

After scheduling, assigning, and distributing the work order, technicians execute the work order. A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is used to track the work done.

8. Documentation

Documentation of results, both good and bad, is part of the work management process. CMMS is used to maintain records for easy retrieval and analyzing areas that need improvement.

9. Closure

After work is completed and services are delivered, a work order closure is issued to demonstrate work completion. Another work order can be rolled out, and, to finalize the closure, the existing order is moved out of the queue.

10. Analysis

A historical record forms the basis for the proper analysis. Without the use of CMMS, tracking and analyzing key areas becomes difficult.

Work Management Vs. Project Management

Work management is often confused with project management. Below is a summary of the differences between these two concepts:

Work management is the relation between a business and its team to create a workflow to increase efficiency. In contrast, project management applies knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet project requirements.
Work management focuses on the structure of workflow, while project management focuses on teamwork and collaborations.
Work management is measured by work completed, while project management is measured by time. Project management strictly works on time; if the project is not delivered in time, it can hurt the outcome.
Work management results are measured by completing work; the quality of applications measures project management results. The quality of work in workflow management determines the outcome, while in project management, the application of skills, tools, and techniques determines the results.
Work management concentrates on connecting several tasks in project management planning, monitoring, and measuring those tasks’ success is critical.
Work management is straightforward, while project management is quite complex. The series of steps found in workflow management is easy and remains the same. However, in project management, it becomes complex due to new actions by project staff.
The workflow in an organization usually remains constant, but with project management, the various units are dissolved once a project is completed.
Work management remains constant, while project management has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Workflow management is all about completing recurring tasks, but project management consists of a one-time job and once it’s over, so is the project.

Work Management Software

Work management software is a digital tool that allows you to plan, keep up with, arrange and review both project and non–project duties. It also helps with business improvement and team performance.

Time tracking is the most common feature of work management software, and with good reason. According to the Harvard Business Review, the average employee spends over a third of their time reading and answering emails. Another study revealed that employees spend up to 65 minutes a day browsing news sites and 44 minutes on social media.

Lost time is gone for good and negatively affects productivity. Unless addressed, poor time management ends up negatively impacting a company’s bottom line. The annual cost of lost time is estimated at $11 billion.

Time Spent by Employees Chart — (Image source: Finances Online)

Different work management tools offer various features depending on the unique needs of a business.

Some features of work order management software include:

Advanced task management
Centralized communication
File storage and sharing
Time management
Resource management
Kanban boards
Reporting capabilities

Below are some examples of work order software available on the market.

Quick Base

Quick Base is a work management software application that allows you to build applications that suit your processes. This customized application can organize and combine information, work orders, and people.

eMaintCMMS

This web-based work management software tool gives users complete control of maintenance and management of all job facets. Users can see the available work orders and requests. It is flexible and user-friendly.

Field Edge

This work management platform is a cloud-based solution suitable for field technicians such as plumbers. It allows companies to track and handle business operations remotely. It includes features such as invoices, customer service, dispatch, customer history analysis, and so on.

Upkeep

Upkeep is designed for midsized companies. It enables users to create work orders anywhere and easily accessible via a mobile app or as a desktop application. Users can view work and due dates and the workers assigned to a particular job. It offers services on a monthly subscription basis.

Wrike

This work management platform allows users to simplify their work by:

Centralizing communication and streamlining workflow.
Planning and tracking projects.
Collaboration and reporting.
Customization and automation.
House call pro, a cloud-based app that offers automated work orders and simplified technician dispatch. Due to the digital automation available, service businesses such as cleaning, plumbing, electrical work can forego the required paperwork with ease.
AI field Management, a roofing software with features such as scheduling, equipment dispatch, tracking, billing and invoicing, etc. It is designed to support both big organizations and SME’s (small and medium-sized enterprises)
Repair CRM, a customer relationship management program, is a cloud-based program. It is used to build connections and engagement with consumers. It helps users manage their customer’s data.

Synchroteam

This is a cloud-based service management solution that caters to both big companies and SME’s. It has tracking, scheduling, and dispatching features.

Free Work Management Software

There are also several free work management software tools if you are on a limited budget.

Todoist: This tool is a cloud-based free work management software for scheduling, task creation, adding comments, and marking completed tasks. It also allows you to create projects, add jobs and subtasks to the projects.

Drag App: This tool is a task management tool that works inside Gmail. It was created to reduce the in and out movement between other task management tools and your Gmail. Its features included limited workflow, shared inboxes, endless collaborations, and unlimited integrations.

ClickUp: It is a one-stop app where one can do more than task management. It includes features such as scheduling and reminders.

Hitask: This is a task management app that is suitable for both companies and individuals. It gives you the option to arrange tasks according to teams and due dates.

TasQue: It is an online task manager that allows the user to track their tasks. One can see updates on projects and help maintain collaborations.

Quire: This is a cloud-based project management system suitable for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). It is used to create collaborations between teams and also manage tasks. Features include project planning, document management, and file sharing.

Asana: This is task management software designed to manage both tasks and entire work orders. It enables easy collaboration.

Wimi: This is an online management task management with a browser-like interface. It has tabs that make it easy to navigate between tasks. The free package is suitable for three users and comes with eight workspaces and storage space of 10GB.

Enterprise Work Management

Enterprise work management refers to the process of thinking, carrying out tasks, and communicating through an information system that aligns the organization’s resources directly with the leader’s vision, mission, and goals.

Below are some prime examples of enterprise work management software.

Omini

This is an enterprise work management software used by enterprise teams that mainly work on iOS devices. It comes with solid features such as projects, tagging to maintain collaborations, and forecasting. Features of Omni include:

Simple keyboard shortcuts to help create a to-do list to keep track of your priorities.
With a single click, it turns emails into tasks.
It helps you view your to-do list by the project.
Sort, file, repeat, and flags your tasks.
It has clearly defined categories, labels, and tags to make project viewing easy.
It groups similar actions and zeros down to work that needs immediate attention.
It keeps you up to date with weekly reviews.

Agile CRM

This is a wholly integrated enterprise work management software that allows automation of services, sales, and marketing in a single dashboard. It efficiently and effectively manages projects with a drag-and-drop task list. Agile CRM features include:

Resource and time tracking.
Team and task categorization.
Visual representation of all the project goals and achievements.
Task sorting according to the agency, owner, due date, and its nature.
Seamlessly drag and drop tasks.
Run webinars.
Automate your email marketing and social media.
Track your tasks’ status and view the overdue items.
Centralization of all task information in one place and automatically distribute it to your team.
Tracking unopened emails and display unsubscribe requests.
A free trial.

EPM Live Software

This software is integrated with Microsoft SharePoint and Outlook to provide a comprehensive enterprise management software tool. Its features include:

Supports planning tools that help you identify how you will conduct your enterprise by allocating resources for different projects. It also enables you to determine the time to carry out the tasks.
Supports communication among teams and allows team members working on the same project to communicate with ease. The shared information will let the team know exactly how and when they are supposed to be working on their projects.
Supports application portfolio management, EPM live allows you to create applications that are connected to IT operations. Therefore, creating a good portfolio which many apps do not support.
It supports customer management and makes it easy for you to manage your clientele. It is the best tool to simultaneously manage your customers, project, and services all at once.

Jira

This is a popular problem-solving and project handling enterprise management software. Some of its features include:

It is helpful for teams that need to track and plan projects. Team members can distribute tasks, plan stories and sprints.
It gives clear visibility to enable teams to discuss and prioritize projects.
It has a flexible workflow and helps you create custom templates. They are then displayed on a digital board that shows the transitions of every project.
It offers smooth integration with other tools, such as Confluence, to facilitate knowledge management.

Workzone

This is one of the best management software for organizations that manage several projects and need to share them across a broad base of technical and non-technical users. The organization handles tasks such as marketing and operations. Some key features of Workzone include:

Project organization by task and subtasks.
Notifies when a task is due.
It gives you the option to merge tasks and observe how a change in a given area will affect the rest of the project.
Sends notifications when tasks are overdue. It helps enterprises prioritize projects.

Microsoft Project

As the name suggests, this is project management software and one of Microsoft’s leading enterprise work management software. With this tool, you can allocate tasks, manage resources, and create reports. It also comes with powerful customization options. Some of the features include:

Easy resource management.
Track resources, projects, and programs.
Enhances communication and collaboration among team members.
Mark projects as done with a task list.

Workfront

This is an enterprise work management software that connects people to tasks and projects. It has a smooth integration with many other applications that allows customization to suit your needs. Some of Workfront’s features include:

It has an intelligent planning system for automation. It can accurately give room to a specific project and prioritize it through an automated request and custom form.
It supports project management, and project automation is made easy through customized templates. With this tool, it is easy to keep up with every step of the process. It also turns the new request into projects within a split second.
Workfront provides custom dashboards to help keep track of budget allocation and spending, time allocated to a given project, and so on. Reports on the work front are automatically sent and scheduled.

Smartsheet

For spreadsheet lovers, this is the software to use for project management. It is also straightforward to use. Some of its features include:

Allows sheet sharing; this is suitable for collaborating teams working on a similar project. Sheet sharing enables several users to view and edit sheets.
Advanced reports; allows the generation of accounts across a sheet.
It allows for sheets to be sent in different formats, such as PDFs or Excel attachments.
It facilitates the easier upload of files into a sheet, row, or workspace.

InMotionNow

InMotionNow software is mainly used to manage creative projects. It comes with all the standard enterprise functions. Key features are:

It has a streamlined feedback method that connects marketers and designers.
It marks up and interprets things such as images, videos, and documents.