It’s easy to look at project management software through the lens of a single goal: more successful projects.

It’s true: 77% of high-performing projects are built with project management software. Companies that use project management software are better at staying on schedule, on budget, and on top of stakeholder needs.

 Those things create a better customer experience and a stronger bottom line. But remember, buyers are human. The key question — the one we’ve found actually gets people to pull the trigger on project management software — is this: What can it do for my team?

How teams win with project management software

In multiple ways, project management software makes teams’ lives easier. Here’s what to expect:

1. More time

Time is every project team’s most precious resource. The less time you need to spend on one project, the sooner you can start another.

 Project management software helps your team be more efficient. Software can complete small tasks, such as reminding others of deadlines, that you’d otherwise have to perform manually. Integrations allow you to access all the tools you need from a central location, rather than having to jump between browser windows to access them each separately.

2. Less stress

When you get more work done in less time, your and your teammates can take more time for yourselves. Frequent breaks have been shown to cut stress, enhance creativity, improve wellbeing, and strengthen team connections. Consider a mid-day walk or even an afternoon off to reward your team for a project well done.

3. Insights for improvement

Project teams are always looking for ways to improve. Whether it’s spotting areas of the project where progress is slow — which could indicate a buggy codebase — or struggling team members, project management software makes it easier.

 Customizable dashboards let you monitor the metrics you care most from a single page. A contributor who’s taking longer than expected on tasks may need extra support. Billable hours exceeding the budget could indicate scope creep.

4. Stronger communication

Communication issues are costly to the company, but they can also make the team miserable. When everyone’s input is recorded in a single place for the whole team to see, miscommunications happen a lot less frequently.

 Today’s project management software doesn’t just maintain a feed of project comments, though: For quick questions and longer conversations, it can:

  • Store files and easily share them with others

  • Integrate with instant messaging services

  • Facilitate video chat for when a text conversation won’t cut it

Project management software recognizes that not everyone likes to communicate the same way. Some prefer direct messaging; others would rather hop on a call to ask questions and receive feedback. Modern project management tools give team members a choice.

5. Better organization

Have you ever lost a project brief in a mountain of sticky notes and scrap paper? Project management software can take that mess and store it in a single, searchable location. Integrations with the GSuite and other services make it possible to access documents stored elsewhere as well.

 Project teams can tie those documents with specific tasks using workflow boards. Workflow boards let you lay out steps of a project in detail. Many teams use them as to-do lists, with tabs for organizing tasks by their level of progress. This function lets managers see and track all their projects’ progress in one place.

6. Role clarification

Nothing promotes burnout like uncertainty at work. Who’s responsible for which parts of the project? Is the designer supposed to come up with the app’s user flows, for instance, or is that the job of the UX specialist?

 In project management software, every task can be assigned to a specific person. Everyone can see those assignments, so there’s never a question about who’s doing what and collaboration is a breeze. That also makes it easier for managers to hold team members accountable and recognize above-and-beyond work.

7. Effortless reporting

Ah, the quarterly meeting: when the project team is set to report its results to company leaders and project stakeholders. Without project management software, that means crunching numbers by hand, putting together a presentation, and guessing at what leaders want to see.

 When the CEO can simply pop into the project management platform, reporting is simple. Beyond a high-level view of the project’s progress, project management software can show how many hours the team has invested, where that time has been spent, and what areas of work remain.

 At the end of the day, it’s people that make projects come together. The right tools boost their efficiency, improve their quality of work, and reduce their stress levels. No wonder project management software is so popular.