Member Article

Small firms not keeping proper project records

A large percentage of small businesses are not managing company projects adequately, according to new research. 21% of small firms said the only record of managing company projects, such as marketing campaigns, events and product development, is in their head. A further quarter said they rely on paper to keep records of projects. Just over half said they used some kind of spreadsheet tool, according to the research by Microsoft.

Tim Kimber, Office Live product manager at Microsoft UK, said: “The results highlight how formal approaches to project management can fall by the wayside as small businesses often have a million other things to worry about. However, there are benefits to be had and it’s not just things like building construction or developing a product which require careful project management; even a simple direct mail marketing campaign will have milestones, dependencies and multiple actions to keep track of.”

The research also revealed that nearly a quarter of small businesses do not have project records stored where all relevant staff members can have easy access to it.

Mr Kimber said: “I know of many small businesses that have staff scattered across the country yet all collaborate on the same projects. Being able to share information and collaborate on documents wherever they may be is an important facilitator of effective team working, which is what successful projects are based upon.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .