Completing projects on time and within budget is important in all businesses, but it’s even more crucial for e-commerce teams. Efficiently managing projects is key, as deviations from the original project scope can result in a failure to meet the client’s expectations, negative impacts on the customer experience, and missed sales and opportunities.
There are often tight turnaround times for these projects to allow for item production and shipping, but clients regularly request last-minute changes to things like design, quantity, and copy, making project management a challenge.
Here, we dive into how project management tools can help align internal and external teams with real-time visibility into each project’s scope, deadlines, specifications, and progress, ultimately helping teams work more smoothly, stay on track, and boost sales along the way.
Common Project Management Challenges in E-Commerce
Things are constantly changing and evolving in e-commerce businesses to keep up with consumer behavior and expectations. On top of the rapid pace that must be maintained to stay ahead of the competition, there are several common challenges faced by e-commerce teams when it comes to project management:
- Scope creep: Clients often ask for changes to design, features, and functionality after agreeing on a final product, which can lead to project delays and shifting budgets.
- Resource allocation: E-commerce teams require individuals with diverse skill sets, which can make it challenging to ensure employees are assigned the appropriate tasks.
- Unrealistic deadlines: E-commerce projects are made up of many moving parts, and this complexity can be overlooked from a client’s point of view, resulting in deadlines that are tough to meet or even unattainable.
- Risk management: It can be difficult for even the most tenured team members to identify and mitigate potential risks, such as unexpected supply chain disruptions.
- Communication gaps: E-commerce projects often require collaboration between cross-functional teams such as designers, developers, marketing teams, and other stakeholders, which can contribute to miscommunication and misunderstandings.
Benefits of Project Management Software for E-Commerce Teams
With rapid project implementation, demanding client expectations, and the involvement of different teams that use varying processes for their work, managing an e-commerce project successfully can feel like a daunting task. Project management software – a single platform for handling every aspect of a project from start to finish – can help through the following benefits.
Clarity of Expectations
Workforce management software provides visibility for every stakeholder into all of a project’s deliverables, milestones, expenses, budgeting, and responsible parties. This transparency keeps everyone on the same page about exactly where a project stands in terms of timeline, budget, and progress, which helps maintain client expectations.
Optimized Resource Allocation
coAmplifi helps e-commerce businesses increase profitability by ensuring the right professional is assigned to the right project based on their job description, role, and availability.
The platform can also quantify productivity numerically through a unique feature known as the Resource Productivity Index to determine each team member’s workload and focus. This means you’ll always be utilizing your resources in the most efficient way possible.
Informed Predictions for Better Time Management
Business intelligence tools can help predict the outcomes of different scenarios, which may help anticipate risks. When risks are understood well in advance, e-commerce teams can proactively mitigate them or build in more time to account for them.
Improved Communication & Collaboration Between Each Team
Effective communication is crucial throughout a project’s duration to ensure all teams are well-informed and on the same page.
Having built-in communication and collaboration tools such as instant messaging, shared files and dashboards, a Virtual Campus, and transparent schedules all within the same platform make it easy to keep open a clear and constant line of communication. Additionally, real-time updates in the platform eliminate the need to request status information.
Automated Invoicing & Billing
Project management software can also help ease your administrative burden by automating time tracking, billing, and invoicing. This can cut down on a large percentage of time previously spent manually tracking these things, allowing that time to be allocated elsewhere.
On top of that, coAmplifi sends automated late notices when invoices are overdue. That’s one less item to keep track of.
Streamline E-Commerce Projects for Greater Efficiency in Your Business
Managing your projects more effectively gives you additional time to spend in other priority areas of your business, whether it’s putting together ideas for future product launches, figuring out how to optimize a feature on your website, or brainstorming how to scale your business.
See how your e-commerce business can become more profitable with better project management through the integration of coAmplifi. Schedule your demo now!
