Keeping your workspace organized can be challenging, even with physical files phasing out for lighter, digital tools. While some put in a one-time effort to keep their work-related items in place, others give up at the mere thought of having to go through the process from scratch at the end of each project.
If you find yourself facing similar challenges in your workspace, then this article is largely directed at you. It provides a review of 5 must-have organization tools for project managers to have in their workspaces. Let’s get started.
5 Must-Have Organization Tools for Project Managers
1.    Mesh Organizers
Organizers made of mesh are easy to incorporate into your office space, pleasing to the eyes, and never seem out of place in an office. As a project manager, you can make use of any of the several forms of mesh organizers like mesh shelves or trays for optimal use of your team’s available workspace.
Mesh shelves, for example, are especially handy when there is not enough space to accommodate commonplace bookends. With as much as a medium-sized mesh shelf, you can very easily organize files without having to deal with any unnecessary clutter that may have arizen otherwize. You can equally opt for pen holders and inbox trays alike.
2.    Checklists
Using checklists is a way to ensure that ongoing tasks are progressing according to plan. Although these items have been around for quite some time, they remain a great addition to most workspaces. A great way to incorporate checklists into your team workspace is by getting these checklists on clipboards.
This way, you can make them available in a variety of colours. The use of different colours could act as colour codes which, in turn, serve as a form of visual aid and help the members of your team to organize their thoughts to certain degrees. A maximum of 10 such clipboards per workspace is advisable to prevent a cluster.
3.    Scrum Boards
If you would like to incorporate Scrum methodology into your operation as a project leader, the Scrum board by PATBOARD would be a colourful and intriguing way to do so. This tool aids project management by providing columns with which the project manager can organize and keep tabs on the sprints of the project.
This set comes as a board of six columns, magnetic flashcards, and a set with which the Scrum board should be maintained. With the use of this board, various projects, either ongoing, done, or backlog can be categorized accordingly. In addition, team members will be kept updated in real-time on the status of assigned projects.
4.    Timers
As an item that is used across several niches for all age ranges, the timer, an all-too-important item, now exists in various forms. As a project manager making this necessary addition to the workspace, you can choose to opt for sand timers if you would like to go vintage, or you can pick a new-age theme by opting for a digital timer instead. Whatever you decide to settle for, having a timer in the office space remains a practical way of keeping all members of the team time-conscious.Â
5.    Whiteboards
Whiteboards could easily pass for the most overlooked digital aid tool in this digitally inclined age. However, the commonplace whiteboard and markers are just enough to effectively communicate strategies or methodologies to team members as are relevant to the project at hand.
Using whiteboards to highlight core points and leaving these points in plain sight would be a good way to encourage innovation among team members. Although, there are digital alternatives to the marker board and software that can perform whatever functions the market board can. Sometimes, however, having certain elements in the workspace in hardware increases the focus of team members to a degree.
Why should your project team have these organizational tools?
Optimizing one’s workspace is as important in every project management environment as time management, strategizing, seamless communication, as well as proper goal-setting. For starters, having to deal with time-sensitive projects or complete tasks either as a project manager or as a part of the project team in a heavily-clustered space may cut across as distracting for some. Here are other reasons why having an organized workspace is of great importance –
- Builds an organized atmosphere
Having organization tools as a project manager and effectively making use of these items creates an organized atmosphere for the members of the team. With clutters out of the way, responsibilities outlined, and tasks prioritized, each member of the team has fewer reasons to make hasty decisions when executing assigned tasks.
- Increases Team Efficiency
By completing more tasks in less time, more resources like labor can be channeled toward newer tasks or the incomplete aspects of ongoing projects.
- Increased Collaboration
Making use of the outlined organization tools for project managers ensures that the collaboration among members of the team experiences a positive impact. With the use of these organization tools in project management, team members can easily organize their ideas and offer contributions that are relevant.
- Saves time
With organization tools in the workspace of your project team, whatever time would have been spent sorting difficulties in locating required material would be saved. This in turn reduces the time spent on projects, even when the said increase is not so enormous. An organization item like the timer keeps each member of the team time-conscious.
- Boosts the memory of team members
By incorporating organization tools such as whiteboards and the Scrum board into project execution, each active member of the team is constantly reminded of key details regarding projects. Vital details like deadlines and pending tasks become difficult to ignore when in plain sight.
Bottom Line
In general, all resources should be used optimally in any working environment, especially ones that handle time-sensitive affairs. As we have outlined in the course of this article, time management, effective strategies, seamless communication, proper goal-setting, and an organized workspace can all be aided to certain levels using organization tools.
Acquiring these organization tools for project managers and making use of them would enhance the working atmosphere and is a step to increase the overall efficiency of your team.
