The emergence of cloud-based technology—also known simply as the cloud—in recent years has been a real game-changer for businesses. An increasing number of organizations are now storing their data, and accessing information via the cloud.
In the project management world, cloud-based project management solutions have gained popularity as a preferred way to coordinate the planning, collaboration, monitoring, and delivery of a project.
So why is cloud technology gaining so much momentum within project management circles? Let’s look at what cloud-based project management is, its benefits, and how it can empower collaboration within your team.
The project management landscape has rapidly evolved with the rise of cloud-based solutions. Moving key processes to the cloud offers numerous advantages for managing and collaborating on projects in today’s increasingly dispersed work environment.
In this article we’ll explore some of the top benefits of adopting cloud project management
- Access your projects anywhere, anytime
- Streamline communication and collaboration
- Reduce costs by minimizing hardware needs
- Gain real-time visibility into project performance
- Scale up storage and functionality as needed
- Enhance security for your project data
- Facilitate agile workflows and continuous delivery
- Integrate seamlessly with other cloud-based tools
Let’s look at each of these benefits in more detail.
Access Projects Anywhere, Anytime
One of the biggest perks of cloud-based project management is the ability to access your projects from anywhere with an internet connection. There’s no need to be chained to a desk.
With cloud PM tools like Asana Jira Trello and others, you can
- Check project status from home, a cafe, or on the road.
- Update tasks and workflows remotely via phone or laptop.
- Communicate with teams wherever they’re located.
- Stay on top of changes in real-time instead of playing catch-up when back at your computer.
This allows for true mobility and location independence You have full visibility and control without physical proximity to on-site servers.
Streamline Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication is a cornerstone of successful project delivery. Cloud platforms offer built-in tools to streamline exchanges between team members and stakeholders.
Features like activity feeds, notifications, @mentions, and group messaging foster continuous collaboration. Comments let you discuss updates and feedback directly within tasks.
Document sharing eliminates version control headaches. Everyone has access to the latest files and assets without digging through long email chains.
Advanced platforms even allow video chat and screen sharing without leaving the application. Together these features keep all stakeholders aligned and engaged.
Reduce Costs by Minimizing Hardware
For decades project teams relied on clunky on-premise servers to manage and share information. Maintaining these servers required significant investments in physical infrastructure and IT resources.
With the cloud, these costly hardware requirements vanish. You no longer need to purchase, configure, and continually upgrade local servers and software.
Cloud PM services operate on the vendor’s infrastructure, so the costs of servers, networking, uptime, maintenance, and security shift to them. This saves tremendous time and money for your organization.
Gain Real-Time Visibility into Project Performance
Traditional project management suffers from fragmented views and delayed insights—you’re always looking at old data. Cloud platforms consolidate your project data and give you real-time analytics.
Live dashboards and reports provide instant visibility into things like:
- Task completion status
- Milestone progress
- Team member workload
- Issue tracking
- Budget vs actual costs
- Resource allocation
This allows you to continuously monitor performance and make smarter decisions. You’ll instantly know when projects go off track instead of finding out weeks later through status reports.
Scale Up Storage and Functionality as Needed
With enormous scalability, cloud PM tools accommodate teams of all sizes and projects of all levels of complexity.
You can start small with just the features and storage you need today. Then easily scale up as your projects and data storage demands grow. It’s extremely flexible and cost-effective.
On-premise solutions just don’t offer this ability to elastically grow within the same ecosystem. And no in-house server infrastructure can compete with the vast capacity of leading cloud providers.
Enhance Security for Your Project Data
Data security is paramount, especially for confidential business initiatives. Cloud platforms enable robust access controls and data encryption to protect your project information.
Providers use state-of-the-art network security, redundant storage, and disaster recovery protections most organizations could never match on their own.
And you avoid vulnerabilities from local servers or lost laptops that expose valuable project data. Cloud systems give you enterprise-grade security without the headaches of managing it yourself.
Facilitate Agile Workflows and Continuous Delivery
Cloud tools promote real-time planning and fast inspection and adaptation—both central to agile project management. Team members can easily track progress during quick standups and sprints.
Integrations with CI/CD pipelines also allow you to frequently deliver smaller working increments vs. monolithic releases. Automated testing and deployment to the cloud ensures quality at each iteration.
This enables a shift left approach where issues are caught early and mitigated through constant collaboration between teams. Cloud’s flexibility is perfect for agile environments.
Integrate Seamlessly with Other Cloud-Based Tools
Most cloud PM services offer hundreds of integrations with other popular applications via APIs. This allows you to connect your PM platform to tools like:
- File sharing systems like Dropbox and Google Drive
- Video chat tools like Zoom and Skype
- Resource planning tools like Smartsheet and MS Project
- Code repos like GitHub and version control like GitLab
- And many more!
This creates a centralized ecosystem for managing your project workflows. You no longer have to jump between disconnected tools and endure friction points between them.
The Path Forward is Clear
Migrating to the cloud delivers tangible benefits for organizations of all sizes looking to optimize project management. Key advantages include:
- Access projects anywhere, anytime
- Streamline communication and collaboration
- Reduce costs and hardware dependencies
- Gain real-time insights into project performance
- Scale up storage and features on demand
- Strengthen security of project data
- Support agile workflows and continuous delivery
- Integrate seamlessly with other cloud-based tools
The bottom line—cloud project management breaks down traditional barriers for teams and helps drive better project outcomes. It’s the model of the future.
Hopefully this article gave you a comprehensive look at the value proposition of the cloud. Interested in taking the next step? Most providers offer free trials so you can experience it firsthand.
What are the Benefits of a Cloud Project Management Tool?
Switching to a cloud-based professional services automation (PSA) tool can be hugely beneficial for your organization. It could make team members more productive, among several other advantages.
Here are five benefits of using cloud-based PSA for your business:
One of the most significant benefits of cloud-based project management software is how easy it becomes to access your project information—whether you’re in the office, checking in from your phone, working from home, or located halfway across the world.
It’s not linked to a particular server at your workplace, so all you usually need is an internet connection to get your work done. Your remote team can also access their tasks, timesheets, and other project data across multiple devices, including mobile phones, laptops, or tablets.
A cloud-based PSA brings your team’s data and information right to your fingertips.
With cloud-based project management software, you can forget about the need for buying new hardware, expensive on-site software installation, additional storage, or extra IT staff to configure and maintain new software. Again, all you need is an internet connection and the computers your team already uses.
Many cloud-based PSAs are also relatively straightforward to implement and use. While there is a learning curve for every tool, cloud project management tools are more straightforward than most. Expect training costs to be minimal and significantly lower than other traditional, cumbersome tools.
Besides, most project management software is easy on the pocket as well. Costs will vary depending on your business’ needs but even small businesses with small budgets can usually afford a cloud PM tool. For example, Mission Control’s pricing is designed to be flexible and suit all kinds of companies. Check out the pricing plans here.
Low maintenance technology
In addition to being cost-effective, cloud-based project management systems are also low on maintenance. You won’t need to hire an army of IT staff to tackle software-related challenges. Most cloud systems are simple, functional, and easy to maintain. Additionally, most provide technical support to help you with any difficulties while using the software.
Roles And Responsibilities of a Cloud Manager | Project Manager Roles | NetCom Learning
What are the benefits of a cloud-based project management system?
Some of these include: 1. Ease of access One of the most important benefits of a cloud-based project management system is that it allows employees to access information in the cloud from any location as long as there is an internet connection. You can also access the cloud management program from various devices, such as tablets and smartphones.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud project management?
Related: 9 Types of Cloud Computing (With Definition and Tips) Cloud-based management systems have become increasingly popular among businesses. When compared to traditional management methods, cloud project management has many benefits and advantages. Some of these include: 1. Ease of access
Is cloud based project management a good idea?
If you are tired of updating your project data in emails, spreadsheets, good old sticky notes, cloud-based project management and cloud collaboration can deliver better quality results, faster. We’re big fans of the cloud here at Wrike and we’re not the only ones. Cloud adoption is flourishing.
Why should you use project management software in the cloud?
One of the biggest benefits of using project management software in the cloud is the ability to give quick feedback on information as soon as it’s uploaded to the project workspace. This can also increase productivity because it lowers the instances of work that needs to be redone. Up-to-date, data-driven decisions.
