What is the role of activity feeds in project management?
Many projects involve more than one person.
And, while collaboration and teamwork are often necessary to complete a project, they can have their downsides. Read on to learn about activity feeds and project management.
For example, there might be times when team members who are sharing the same project management software delete things that weren’t meant to be deleted, change dates without consultation, or otherwise make mistakes that can set a project back
To ensure project management goes smoothly, then, it’s a smart idea to use project management software that comes with an activity feed. Project management activity feeds can come in handy. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at what an activity feed does, and how it can benefit your next project.
What is an activity feed?
An activity feed tracks data in project management software, allowing your team to monitor real-time updates and therefore negating the need of sending emails to ask questions. Activity feeds let teams see what changes have been made, who made them, and whether the changes were made correctly or in error.
The specific data an activity feed tracks vary according to the exact software, but they generally track the following:
- Project creation
- Task creation
- Folder creation
- Changes in project dates
- Changes in assignees
- Tags removed or added
- Labels removed or added
- Checklist items added
- Checklist items completed
- Time logged
- Comments changed
How an activity feed benefits your project management
In order for a project to be successful, it needs to be successfully managed. This can only happen if everyone in your team is on the same wavelength. If tasks are being changed or even deleted without the approval of the other team members, it can cause delays. One way to ensure a smooth project flow is to have someone who has completed a project management online course on the team. Another is to have a history of the changes that have been made on each task.
This is where an activity feed comes in. An activity feed is the quickest way for your team to learn about the latest updates and changes. It can highlight things such as when a change was made, as well as who made the modification. This then allows your team to open up communication so that you can learn whether a mistake was made, and if it was, rectify it as quickly as possible.
Moreover, each change is stored in the same location, which means that your team is able to respond to changes efficiently. An activity feed gives you an overview of changes made within a task so that you can stay on track and up-to-date, too.
How does an activity feed function? Key features
When selecting your next project management software, here are some activity feed features you should look out for:
Filtering options
One of the most important features to look out for is the filtering option.
A filtering option is beneficial because it allows you and your team to filter updates according to tasks that matter to you. This ensures that your feed is smart and never clogged with information and tasks that aren’t a priority at the moment. Instead, you only get a notification when a change is made to a task you’re following.
You can also filter your feed according to comments and changes on tasks that are assigned to particular team members, as well as tasks that you have created or commented on previously.
All in all, filtering options mean that team members aren’t distracted by constant updates that are largely irrelevant, but instead have personalized feeds.
Real-time updates
Real-time updates are important because they allow you to react to changes as and when they happen. This is opposed to checking for updates periodically, at which point there may be too many updates to track, and the damage is thus irreversible. As soon as a change is made, your feed lets you know.
As such, it’s a good idea to find activity feeds that let you track updates instantly without having to reload the page.
Most recent first
When checking your activity feed, you can switch to the default view so that you can see the latest changes at the top.
For example, when you open up the feed, you can see what folders and tasks were updated just now or even a few minutes ago. This allows you to respond to things as a matter of priority and urgency. It also helps with organization and lets you rectify any potential mistakes almost as soon as they were made. This improves efficiency and workflow.
Discussion feature
The discussion feature is worth looking out for because it lets you and your team comment on any updates in your feed. This is invaluable because it boosts the overall communication of your team, and prevents any misunderstandings from having a detrimental effect on your overall workflow.
For example, if a change has been made and you’re unsure of said change, you can check the update and make an inquiry to whoever made it. They will then respond, letting you know exactly why the change was made. If the change was made in error, it can then be swiftly rectified.
Conclusion
With an activity feed, your team is able to stay on track with a project via timely updates to tasks, folders and more.
When working with project management activity feeds, as with all technology, make sure to find a platform that’s got all the key features and enhances your project management, allowing you to personalize your feeds, get real-time updates and open up the lines of communication so that nothing gets missed.
Michelle Deery is a content writer with over 8 years of experience. She specializes in writing content for SaaS companies. The words she writes convert readers into paying customers. Learn more at her website michelledeery.com and connect with her on Twitter @MichWriting.
