When you’re getting started as a freelancer, you probably have many questions about the business side of things. One big concern is project management apps – do you need them? What features do they offer? Where can you find the best options? This guide to essential features freelancers must look for when purchasing project management apps will help with all of that and more!
Table of Contents
Time tracking
As a freelancer, you need to understand how much time you spend on each project. Time tracking ensures that your clients receive their money’s worth, and it gives you a better understanding of how to improve efficiency. Moreover, once you know what your productivity is like, you can decide when to take on new projects. You can ensure that none of your valuable hours gets wasted in an endless stream of Facebook browsing or Buzzfeed reading by tracking your time.
Task assignment and delegation
Once you’ve begun using a project management tool, assigning tasks to other users or delegating work can be easy. This could make your life easier, but you should understand how to do so without compromising your team’s workflow and productivity. Before assigning or delegating a vital task to a teammate, run it by them first and explain why they are uniquely qualified for that task; also, make sure they know who else on your team will be part of creating or delivering on that goal. Delegating tasks is especially important as it helps build strong bonds with teammates while also allowing each member of your team space to express their creative output through actionable goals.
Task completion reports
Every freelancer knows that projects take more time than they’re given. This is especially true with large, complicated tasks. There’s often so much to do that it takes longer than anticipated to get everything done correctly. To ensure all your bases are covered, consider using project management apps that offers task completion reports. With these tools, you can keep an eye on exactly how long each task takes in relation to other tasks and measure how effectively you’re spending your time throughout your job. The ability to analyze things in relation to other work has been shown to increase efficiency for many freelancers. That means more money for you at the end of each day!
Invoicing capabilities
Whether you want your clients to pay by check or another method, make sure a good project management app for freelancers has invoicing capabilities. It should be easy to add new clients and customize invoices with specific due dates and other details. An invoice template should also be provided so you can have an invoice ready before accepting a job. Payment reminders can help ensure that you get paid quickly and prevent disputes from arising over money issues later on in a project.
Offline access
Working offline is increasingly critical, as more and more remote workers rely on their smartphones, tablets, or laptops instead of desktop computers. You can’t do your job if you can’t access your tools. A project management app that supports offline access allows you to sync everything later when an internet connection becomes available again. What’s more, it also saves you from paying extra fees to use their services on an airplane or in a spotty Wi-Fi zone. If your budget doesn’t allow for purchasing remote project management apps, purchase software that at least allows working offline before paying extra fees just because they don’t support it out of the box.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, there are many fantastic project management apps out there that you can use to get your work done. Remember, it’s a great time to be a freelancer! Let’s find that perfect PM tool and make this your most productive year yet!
