A good plan is the key to executing projects successfully. After identifying goals and available resources, superior project planning breaks massive projects into smaller deliverables, establishes realistic timelines and budgets, and takes steps to reduce potential risks. The larger the project, the more complicated the project planning stage will be.
Project planning software can help by streamlining and automating tasks in this initial stage of project management to eliminate errors, increase efficiency, and forecast risk more accurately. Choosing the right software is critical. Project planning applications that are too complex and inflexible will be difficult to adapt for certain projects, requiring teams to create inefficient workarounds.
That’s where Quickbase can help. As a no-code application development platform, Quickbase provides project planning solutions that are completely customizable by users with any level of technical ability. With Quickbase, your project teams can improve planning and collaborative capabilities through automation, end-to-end visibility, and real-time insights.
The challenges of project planning
During the project planning stage, your project teams – and their project tracking software – must inevitably deal with several common challenges.
Scope creep
Project teams often field requests for additional deliverables, revisions to plans, and higher budgets that increase the scope and cost of a project. Managing scope creep effectively is one of the primary ingredients for a successful project.
Communication issues
Miscommunication can send any project off the rails, causing delays, budget overruns, and unacceptable outcomes.
Undefined goals
Projects often fail when goals for a project are not specific, measurable, or realistic. Establishing goals that can be accomplished in a reasonable timeframe and budget is essential.
Constrained budgets
Planning a project with a limited budget requires great attention to detail and an understanding of the risks and complications that can lead to cost overruns.
Skill shortages
When projects fail, it’s often because organizations lacked team members with the necessary skills to handle specific tasks or stages of the project.
Unrealistic deadlines
While many project teams are under pressure to achieve results quickly, setting realistic deadlines is imperative. Expecting more from a team than it can deliver is a sure recipe for failure.
Customize your project planning tools with Quickbase
Quickbase is a no-code platform that lets anyone easily create, connect, and customize enterprise applications using a visual builder and intuitive graphic user interface. With Quickbase, teams can continuously improve project management software and other business applications without the cost and delays of traditional application development.
Quickbase’s project planning capabilities enable your teams to:
Visualize projects from end to end. Quickbase provides a 360° view of every project from start to finish. Teams can see all projects, processes, resources, suppliers, and subcontractors in one view, making it easy to adjust plans as needed to mitigate risk and cut costs.
Make better decisions and expect fewer surprises. By connecting information from siloed systems, Quickbase enables teams to pull deeper insights from data to make the right decision every time. A unified data set allows teams to spot areas of underperformance across multiple projects, enabling real-time adjustments to keep things on track.
Accelerate the pace. Quickbase automates processes to move projects along faster while letting your teams work with tools built for their unique needs.
Enhanced communication. By connecting everyone across the project inside and outside your organization, Quickbase helps keep all parties on the same page throughout the project.
Track progress and success. Easy-to-build reports and dashboards provide custom views for every member of the team – from executives to field workers.
What you’ll find on the Quickbase platform
Quickbase empowers teams to continuously improve their most complex business applications while eliminating the traditional costs of developing, maintaining, and deploying software. Enabling controlled citizen development at scale on one common platform governed by IT, Quickbase unites business and IT teams to create solutions that solve the challenges of modern and complex workflows.
The Quickbase platform provides tools for:
No-code and low-code development. Quickbase allows users to build business applications with graphical user interfaces and pre-configured components rather than through traditional coding. This no-code approach empowers users who can’t write a line of code and have no background in software development to nevertheless build powerful solutions for complex processes and projects.
Automated workflows. Quickbase integrates with existing technologies using Pipelines, a technology that allows users to create complex integrations and orchestrate workflows with a drag-and-drop visual builder.
Continuous deployment. Quickbase makes it easy to update apps, transform data, and change schema without taking applications offline. Sandbox capabilities allow users to push application changes with no downtime, allowing continuous deployment and improvement of business applications.
Why choose Quickbase?
Quickbase is designed to unite business and IT teams on a common platform that offloads development to business technologists with any level of technical skill, freeing IT teams for higher-priority tasks. With Quickbase, applications can be built by people who are closest to the challenge and who will benefit most from the technology, inherently improving the quality of software solutions.
Quickbase provides an integrated set of tools and services that require no professional training to use. A secure and flexible governance model keeps data safeguarded and ensures best practices are deployed throughout the organization. 24/7 customer support and a full set of enablement services ensure the successful creation and deployment of workflow automation and project management solutions.
From property management systems for industrial and retail property management firms to PMO software for healthcare and government organizations, Quickbase delivers a broad variety of solutions for businesses in many industries.
FAQs
What is project planning?
Project planning is a stage of the project management lifecycle. During the project planning stage, planners define project objectives, determine the scope of work, schedule tasks, allocate resources, identify stakeholders, develop budgets, and formalize communication plans.
What’s important in project planning solutions?
Organizations can automate many aspects of project planning by choosing the right software solution. In addition to capabilities for budgeting, tracking, and communication, superior project planning software allows teams to customize tools and workflows for the specific needs of each project and the culture of the organization.
