So, you just started using monday.com to manage your projects. Or, maybe you’re still trying to decide if it’s the right project management software for you. Either way, you’re in the right place.
Monday.com is packed with useful tools that can help you effectively manage projects. But we get it—you’re busy. Finding all those juicy hacks, and learning how to use them, can take loads of time. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you by uncovering some of the most useful monday.com tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the tool.
What is Monday.com?
Monday.com is a work management platform known for its visually appealing and highly customizable interface. Designed to facilitate seamless coordination and communication within teams, this tool is a favorite for tracking projects across various scales and industries.
One of the features that makes monday.com unique is its flexibility. For example, team members can choose between many different views, like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, timelines, calendars, and more. It also has features like time tracking, automated workflows, and integration capabilities with tools like Slack and Google Suite.
Monday.com Tips and Tricks
There is so much to uncover when it comes to monday.com. To help us dig deeper, we asked Fred Baker, a Sr. Program Manager and monday.com consultant at Integrated Human Consulting, to share his pro tips for using the platform.
Before you even think about diving into the tips below, he suggests taking some time to consider what you want to accomplish using the tool.
1. Streamline your projects with templates.
monday.com makes it super easy for beginners to get started. Of course, you can design your own workspaces and boards, but the platform also offers a variety of templates to choose from. There are templates available for single projects, project portfolio management, request approval workflows, and more. If you’re moving to monday.com from another platform, they make that easy too. You can choose to import a new board from Excel, Google Sheets, Trello, and other tools.
2. Automate everything.
monday.com also offers some helpful automations that can be used to streamline repetitive tasks like reminders, time tracking, reviews, and more. These automations allow you to set up different rules and triggers to perform tasks automatically, saving you tons of time. For example, you can create automations to send an email when a due date is approaching, get notifications when tasks are completed, or stop tracking time when a task’s status is updated.
3. Try out different views.
Another powerful feature in monday.com is the ability to view your existing boards in a variety of different ways. Some of the views you can access include calendar, chart, files, workload, Kanban, map, and timeline views. These views can come in handy when it comes to managing complex projects, tracking project progress, and reporting out to stakeholders. You can add a view to any of your boards by clicking the “Add View” button at the top of the board.
Keep in mind that certain views, along with features like being able to lock a view, are only available depending on your monday.com plan.
4. Easily review data with dashboards.
Monday.com’s dashboard feature can be incredibly helpful because it allows you to view data across your projects all in one place. You can choose from more than 30 different widgets to better understand progress, budgets, workload, and more across your projects. Dashboards also make it easier to create and share reports.
To create a new dashboard within a workspace, you simply click “+” below the name of the workspace and select “New Dashboard.” You can choose whether a dashboard is private or public, and any boards can be added to the dashboard.
5. Create a private board for your personal to-dos.
If you have a Pro or Enterprise plan with monday.com, you can create an unlimited number of boards in your company’s workspace. So, in addition to the main and shareable boards you use to communicate with your team and external stakeholders, you can create a private board to help keep track of your individual tasks. Private boards won’t show up in search results in your company’s workspace. But keep in mind that your company can still get access to private boards in your workspace if they export your entire account’s data.
If creating your own personal board sounds like too much, monday.com also has a place to track your personal to-dos on your home screen.
6. Stay updated on new features.
You can stay up-to-date on monday.com by visiting their “What’s New” page. You can scroll through recent updates or even sort new features by which plan they’re available under, what types of teams are most likely to benefit from the upgrade, and what process will be improved by the new feature.
Looking for Alternatives to Monday.com?
Not sure if monday.com is the right solution for you and your team? We’ve tested, reviewed, and evaluated the most popular project management software to help you find the best tools to manage and control projects and teams more effectively.
- monday.com — Best for workflow automation
- Smartsheet — Best for stakeholder project views
- Celoxis — Best for Project Management with BI analytics and dashboards
- Wrike — Best for large projects and scaling organizations
- ClickUp — Best for task customization
- Productive — Best for agency resource, project, and financial management
- Jira — Best for cross-team project tracking
- Zoho Projects — Best for integration with Zoho Suite
- Visor — Best for spreadsheet-based management
- Bonsai Agency Software — Best for agencies & consulting firms1. monday.com — Best for workflow automation
- Smartsheet — Best for stakeholder project views
- Celoxis — Best for Project Management with BI analytics and dashboards
- Wrike — Best for large projects and scaling organizations
- ClickUp — Best for task customization
- Productive — Best for agency resource, project, and financial management
- Jira — Best for cross-team project tracking
- Zoho Projects — Best for integration with Zoho Suite
- Visor — Best for spreadsheet-based management
- Bonsai Agency Software — Best for agencies & consulting firms
About Kelsey Alpaio
My career as an editor and writer has always been about helping people thrive at work. Now, as the Senior Editor for The Digital Project Manager at Black & White Zebra, I’m excited to keep that mission going strong.
This article originally appeared on TheDigitalProjectManager.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
More from MediaFeed:
3 secrets for managers looking to maximize their time
As a manager, it may feel like the closer you get to the top, the more people need your time. Small tasks such as approving time cards, training new hires, or completing assignments get less and less attention, as finding the time to do even little tasks can be like pulling teeth. Between all the meetings, one-on-ones, and check-ins, there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
But even small tasks must get done to keep the business running. Putting them off isn’t just inconvenient—it’s crippling for those who depend on manager approval to complete their own work, whether that’s running payroll or planning employee training. Every level of the business benefits when managers can spend more time with their employees and finish tasks that depend on their approval.
So how can managers free up their schedules? Check out these tips to keep the business rolling.
Depositphotos
Here’s a rule of thumb for good managers: If you can do a task in your sleep, it’s probably a task worth delegating to others. Similarly, if the thought of going on vacation makes you think nothing will get done, chances are good you’re not properly delegating tasks. “To raise the ceiling of your leadership potential, you need to extend your presence through the actions of others,” said Harvard Business Review contributor Jesse Sostrin in a 2017 article on delegating tasks.
He also notes that although managers often struggle to let go of tasks, being able to delegate is the difference between “being involved and being essential.” Here are four of Sostrin’s strategies for helping managers and leaders better delegate:
- Provide context to employees, so they understand what’s at stake when they take on new tasks. You’ll also want to make sure the employee you assign to that task is properly trained to take it on. “You can’t motivate somebody to care when you can’t express the reasons why it matters to you, so this essential step sets the table for effective partnering,” Sostrin writes.
- Communicate all expectations and inspire them to commit to the project they’re taking on. “They can’t read your mind, so if the finished product needs to be meticulous, be equally clear-cut in the ask.”
- Stay involved and track their progress. Offer support when needed and hold employees accountable to your expectations. If you find they aren’t performing as expected, the employee may need some further guidance. However, be mindful of how much monitoring the employee is comfortable with—ask them what their preferred management style is, and be respectful of that.
- Be selective with taking on new tasks, and be sure to pass off tasks that may not require your level of skill but can be completed by members of your team. As Sostrin puts it, “practice saying ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ and ‘yes if…’” with the last of these being tasks that can be delegated to others.
“You may still consult, motivate, and lead—but you’re essential as the catalyst, not as the muscle doing the heavy lifting,” writes Sostrin.
DepositPhotos.com
Communication is vital within a business, but not all communication is focused on action. Utilizing “action-focused” language—such as clearly defining the purpose of a meeting or directly asking for assistance on a specific task—can help employees and other managers get to the point of the matter.
To ensure your meetings and messages are focused on action, try these steps:
- Clearly define the goal of the project or meeting at hand. If possible, send out a notice prior to the initial meeting that defines the purpose and goals that will be discussed.
- Outline specific steps that will help everyone achieve that goal. Spend some time considering what setbacks may arise, and outline “plan B” or “plan C” if necessary.
- Communicate that goal and the process clearly and openly with everyone who needs to know it. The more transparent you can be with the goal, the more motivated and prepared the team will be to tackle it.
- Allow time for feedback and questions. Provide as much context as possible in order to get everyone on board. If a team member doesn’t feel comfortable addressing an issue in front of the group, allow time for one-on-one chats where they can speak to you privately.
DepositPhotos.com
Most modern inventions were created with one goal in mind: convenience. Automated business tools, especially, have shined a light on how sometimes the old way of doing things is simply too cumbersome, error-prone, and time-consuming. Studies into productivity show that lightening an employee’s workload and clearly defining prioritization of projects, among other things, can really help improve job performance.
Time tracking is one example of how automated tools can improve job performance. Regardless of how it’s managed, it’s an essential business task, but done wrong, it can take up a lot of time. Tracking time manually or on an Excel sheet isn’t very efficient, and such methods can create a host of problems including time theft, duplicate time entries, and payroll errors.
Automated systems, on the other hand, can notify you of errors, integrate into your payroll system, and may require little more than a glance from managers prior to approving employee time cards. They can also save administrators hours of time—on average, about 3.2 hours of time could be saved through integrating time tracking with payroll.
Project management tools are another example. Keeping track of who is in charge and when the project is due can easily get overwhelming or confusing. Project management tools can help illustrate the chain of command for projects, show due dates, and help managers assign out new projects with ease.
DepositPhotos.com
Imagine a world where tasks are delegated, meeting agendas are action-focused, project management tools are implemented, and managers like you can enjoy more flexible schedules. You’ll have more time to spend with your team, and more time to sit down and work on projects that need your attention and approval. In turn, administrators and leaders will find you to be more responsive to requests and more on top of the small administrative responsibilities that keep the business running.
The ripple effect can be felt across the company, and—although the number of hours in the day won’t change—your schedule will start to clear up. But such a world isn’t fantasy—you can make it a reality with effective time management.
This article originally appeared on TSheets.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
torwai / istockphoto
Featured Image Credit: Viorel Kurnosov/istockphoto.
