Cloud-based projects are becoming more common and complex in office administration, as they involve multiple stakeholders, platforms, and tasks. How can you manage them effectively and efficiently, without losing track of deadlines, deliverables, and feedback? Here are some strategies that can help you succeed in this challenging environment.
One of the first steps in managing cloud-based projects is to select the tools that suit your needs and preferences. There are many options available, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Dropbox, Asana, Trello, Slack, and Zoom. You should consider factors such as cost, security, compatibility, functionality, and user-friendliness when choosing your tools. You should also consult with your stakeholders and get their input and approval on the tools you will use.
Using the right tools in the right ways will reduce fatigue and increase productivity in the workforce. It will also improve the quality of work being produced along with reducing the risk of injuries or accidents.
Another important step is to define the scope and roles of your project clearly and communicate them to all the stakeholders. You should establish the objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, and quality standards of your project, and document them in a project charter or plan. You should also assign roles and responsibilities to each stakeholder, such as project sponsor, project manager, team member, client, vendor, or consultant. You should clarify the expectations, authority, and accountability of each role, and create a communication plan that outlines the frequency, mode, and purpose of communication.
Roles and Scopes are two different mechanisms for implementing authorization in Web APIs with OAuth 2.0. While Scopes are part of the OAuth specification, Roles are not, but they are still leveraged by some Authentication platforms like Azure AD and available as part of the access tokens (Json Web Tokens or JWT).
Once you have set up your project, you need to track and update its progress regularly and transparently. You should use your cloud-based tools to create and share a project schedule, a task list, a Gantt chart, a dashboard, or a report that shows the status, milestones, dependencies, and risks of your project. You should also update your stakeholders on any changes, issues, or achievements that affect the project, and solicit their feedback and input. You should use your communication plan to determine the best way to communicate your progress, such as email, chat, call, or video conference.
Use your cloud-based tools to create and share a project schedule, a task list, a Gantt chart, a dashboard, or a report that shows the status, milestones, dependencies, and risks of your project. You should also update your stakeholders on any changes, issues, or achievements that affect the project, and solicit their feedback and input.
A key benefit of cloud-based projects is that they enable collaboration and coordination among stakeholders, regardless of their location, time zone, or device. You should leverage this benefit by using your cloud-based tools to share files, documents, data, and ideas with your stakeholders, and to co-create, co-edit, and co-review your deliverables. You should also use your tools to coordinate your activities, such as scheduling meetings, setting reminders, sending notifications, and assigning tasks. You should foster a culture of collaboration and coordination by encouraging participation, feedback, recognition, and support among your stakeholders.
The difference between collaboration vs coordination can be viewed like this: Collaboration = Working together to achieve an activity goal together. Coordination = Working separately to achieve an activity goal together.
A major challenge of cloud-based projects is that they involve storing and transferring sensitive and valuable data over the internet, which exposes them to potential threats and losses. You should protect your data by using secure and reliable cloud-based tools that offer encryption, authentication, authorization, and backup features. You should also follow best practices for data security, such as using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, limiting access rights, avoiding public networks, and updating software. You should also backup your data regularly and store it in multiple locations, such as local drives, external drives, or other cloud services.
Steps must be taken to protect data from accidental data loss, corruption, and unauthorized access. This includes routinely making additional copies of data that can be used to restore the original data or for recovery of earlier instances of the data.
The final step in managing cloud-based projects is to evaluate and improve your performance and outcomes. You should use your cloud-based tools to collect and analyze data and feedback from your stakeholders, such as surveys, polls, ratings, or comments. You should also use your tools to measure and report your results, such as completion rate, quality level, customer satisfaction, or return on investment. You should use these data and feedback to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your project, and to implement improvements and adjustments for future projects.
You should use your cloud-based tools to collect and analyze data and feedback from your stakeholders, such as surveys, polls, ratings, or comments. You should also use your tools to measure and report your results, such as completion rate, quality level, customer satisfaction, or return on investment.