Table of Contents
Introduction
As project managers, you know how hard it is to manage a team of freelancers while handling many projects and deadlines.
With so much work, making freelancer workflow better and increasing efficiency is important to get the most out of any project.
This is where automation and integration can help.
Did You Know?
67% of companies use business process automation solutions to streamline operations.
Without the right automation and integration solutions, it can be hard for project managers to:
- Keep track of their projects
- Assign tasks to freelancers
- Monitor progress in real-time
- Work well with their teams
- Make sure all deadlines are met
Luckily, there is a way to simplify your workflow and automate many tedious processes of managing freelance teams.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss how automation and integration can help agencies streamline their freelance workflows and get the most out of your freelance team.
Let’s dive in.
With such a high volume of work, optimizing freelancer workflow and maximizing efficiency is crucial to get the most out of any project.
This is where automation and integration come in.
The report shows that 67% of companies use business process automation solutions to streamline operations.
Without the right automation and integration solutions in place, it can be challenging for the project managers to
- Keep Track Of Their Projects
- Assign Tasks To Freelancers
- Monitor Progress In Real-Time
- Effectively Collaborate With Their Teams
- Ensure All Deadlines Are Met
Fortunately, there is a way to streamline your workflow and automate many tedious processes associated with managing freelance teams.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss how automation and integration can help agencies streamline their freelance workflows and get the most out of your freelance team.
So, let’s dive in with
Quick overview of
Why Is It Essential For Project Managers To Streamline Their Freelance Workflows?
1) Time-saving:
Streamlining freelance workflows can save project managers time by automating administrative tasks such as
- Invoicing
- Setting Schedules
- Tracking Progress
- Sending Payments
2) Better Collaboration:
Streamlining workflows ensures that all team members are on the same page, allowing for better collaboration. Project managers can use collaboration tools to
- Communicate With Freelancers In Real Time
- Track Project Progress
- Provide Feedback
3) Reduced Costs:
By streamlining workflows, project managers can reduce the costs associated with managing freelancers. This includes expenses such as
- Invoice Management
- Payment Processing
- Administrative Overhead.
4) Increased Efficiency:
Project managers can use project management software to increase efficiency. Automated task tracking and reporting will allow project managers to
- Track The Progress Of Tasks In Real-Time
- Keep Track Of All Projects
- Find Areas To Improve Efficiency And Optimize Processes
Now let’s take a look at
Examples Of Daily Tasks That Can Be Automated To Manage Freelancers
1) Scheduling-
Automation can easily help manage freelancer availability and send reminders for upcoming tasks. This will ensure that the
- Right People Are Up-To-Date With Their Duties
- And That Projects Are Moving Forward On Time.
- Deadlines Are Met
2) Resource Allocation-
Automation can assist project managers in allocating resources to freelancers.
By using software that tracks resource availability and project requirements, managers can easily identify the right freelancers to assign tasks to.
This can help
- Optimize Resource Allocation
- Reduce The Risk Of Overbooking Or Underutilization
- Ensure That Projects Are Completed Within The Designated Time And Budget
3) Reporting-
Generating reports is important to any project manager’s job.
Automated reporting tools allow project managers to collect freelancers’ data quickly and help them to create detailed reports on
- Project Progress
- Performance Trends
- Resource Utilization
This makes it easier for project managers to track how well their projects progress and make any necessary adjustments along the way.
4) Communication-
Automation can also help facilitate communication between project managers and freelance teams.
It can provide an easy way to
- Share Files
- Exchange Messages
- Distribute Information
- Stay Updated On The Latest Developments
This will improve collaboration and ensure that everyone is up-to-date with their tasks.
Now that we’ve outlined what task can be automated with automation and integration let’s take a look at
Common Challenges Faced By Project Managers While Working With Freelancers.
As a freelance project manager, you are likely to encounter several challenges while managing multiple freelancers for outsourcing. Some of the common challenges include:
Challenge 1- Time Management:
Managing multiple freelancers across different time zones can be quite challenging. it can be difficult to know
- How Much Time Does Each Freelancer Spend On Each Project
- How Much Progress Is Being Made
- How Many Hours Of Work Does Each Freelancer Contribute Per Week
This makes it difficult to allocate tasks and manage the overall project timeline.
Challenge 2 – Difficulty In Managing Multiple Projects:
Freelance project managers often work on multiple projects simultaneously, which can lead to challenges in
- Prioritizing Tasks
- Delegating Responsibilities
- Ensuring Timely Completion Of Projects
This can result in
- Missed Deadlines
- Increased Delays
- Increased Stress Levels
This makes it challenging to stay organized and ensure that each project is managed and delivered within time.
Challenge 3 – Non-Visibility In Schedule:
Freelance project managers may face difficulty keeping track of multiple freelancers’ schedules, as they may not always be available during traditional working hours.
This can lead to
- Conflicts In Scheduling
- Difficulty In Assigning Tasks And Tracking Progress
- Difficulties In Coordinating Tasks
This can lead to project delays, making it difficult to meet deadlines or underutilizing risk staff.
Challenge 4 – Time-consuming manual processes:
Freelance project managers may face challenges with manual processes, such as
- Tracking Hours Worked
- Verifying Completed Tasks
- Managing Invoices
This can be time-consuming and lead to errors or discrepancies in project management.
Challenge 5 – Tracking Real-Time Progress:
Another challenge freelance project managers face is tracking the projects’ progress of freelancers in real-time. This requires them to
- Constantly Monitor The Projects
- Communicate With Freelancers Regularly
- Track Milestones And Deadlines
- Ensure That Projects Are On Track
This time-consuming process requires a lot of attention and focus on driving insight from multiple sources, making it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing landscape.
Now that we have discussed the challenges faced by freelance project managers let’s explore how automation and integration can help overcome these challenges.
Streamlining Workflow: Best Practices for Project Managers Working with Freelancers
Solution 1- Time Tracking With An Automated Time Tracker And Timesheets-
To address the challenge of time management, freelance project managers can use an automated time tracker and timesheets. This software can track the
- Time Spent By Each Freelancer On A Specific Project
- Their Total Activity Time
- Idle Time
- Manual Time
- Break Time
- Effective Time
This can help project managers have complete transparency among freelancers about their work time and provide accurate invoicing.
Solution 2- Project Management Software For Prioritization And Delegation-
To manage multiple projects simultaneously, freelance project managers can use project management software to
- Assign Projects & Tasks To Team Members
- Delegate Responsibilities
- Track Progress
These software tools can help to manage
- Project Timelines
- Budgets & Task Lists
- Live Status Of Each Project
Keeping track of all the projects in one central location makes it easier to stay organized and ensures that each project is managed and delivered on time.
Solution 3: Schedule Visibility With Employee Scheduling:
Freelance project managers can overcome the challenge of schedule non-visibility by utilizing employee scheduling software.
This software provides a centralized platform for managers to
- View And Assign Tasks To Freelancers
- Track Performance & Schedule Time Off.
- Send Reminders And Notifications To Freelancers
Managers can easily visualize and predict working schedules with this software to manage better scheduling visibility.
Solution 4- Automating Tasks With Workforce Management Software-
To overcome the challenge of time-consuming manual processes, freelance project managers can use workforce management software to automate tasks such as
- Time Tracking
- Productivity Monitoring
- Automated Scheduling
- Timesheet Managing
- Accurate Invoicing
This helps project managers to reduce administrative costs for managing multiple freelancers and improve the overall efficiency of their project management process.
By automating these tasks, freelance project managers can focus on other aspects of their projects, such as
- Strategy Development
- Client Communication
- Team Collaboration
Solution 5 Real-Time Progress Tracking With Ai Reports
To ensure that all tasks are executed on time, and projects are completed on schedule, freelance project managers can use AI-powered reports such as
- Time & Activity
- Weekly
- Apps and Url
- Timesheet Approvals
- Project & Todo
- Attendance Report
- Project & Todo
To track the real-time progress of their projects.
These tools provide a centralized location to
- Track Project Milestones,
- Monitor Task Completion,
- View Upcoming Deadlines
- Track Overall Project Progress
This helps project managers to have a clear overview of the status of their projects, identify potential issues or roadblocks, and take necessary actions to ensure on-time delivery.
These are some of the solutions that freelance project managers can use to overcome the challenges of managing remote teams.
However, it can be time-consuming and difficult to manage multiple software tools for each of these solutions.
This is where Workstatus comes in as a single solution for all these challenges.
Workstatus offers a comprehensive suite of tools that include
- Automated Time Tracking
- Project & Tasks Management
- Automated Scheduling
- Ai-Powered Reports & Dashboard
With Workstatus, project managers can easily
- Track Freelancers’ Productivity
- Ensure On-Time Delivery Of Their Projects
- Easily Monitor Project Budgets
- View Detailed Reports
- Automate Tasks To Save Time And Reduce Administrative Costs
Next Step:
Try Workstatus Free Timesheets To Get Started
For businesses that are short in budget, Workstatus offers a free timesheet solution to help you get started.
With Workstatus, you can easily track your freelancers’ time spent on each project and monitor their productivity levels.
The timesheets feature allows you to track time spent on specific tasks, assign projects to individual freelancers, and set hourly rates.
To get started with Workstatus, all you need to do is
Step 1 – Navigate to the Workstatus website and select the timesheet template best suits your business needs. Workstatus offers several customizable options to choose from.
Step 2 – Save the template to your computer by downloading it from your preferred download option, which includes PDF and Excel formats.
Step 3 – Open the timesheet template you just downloaded on your system.
Step 4- Enter information about your project, Time spent on tasks, Tasks worked, description of each task, and employee & manager signature.
Step 5- You can save the timesheet and generate a report once the data is entered.
Conclusion
In conclusion, automation and integration can significantly improve the efficiency and productivity of project managers who work with freelance teams.
Automating daily tasks such as
- Task Assignment
- Time Tracking
- Invoicing, Payment Processing
Project managers can
- Save Time,
- Reduce Administrative Burdens,
- Ensure That Their Projects Are Completed Within The Designated Time And Budget.
You can opt for Workstatus, the most comprehensive project management software for freelance teams, offering all the essential automation and integration features to streamline freelance workflows.
So what are you waiting for?
Get started with streamlining your freelance workflows today by signing up free Workstatus demo
That’s all for today
Thanks for reading
FAQs
What is automation in the context of freelance workflows?
Automation refers to using software or tools to automatically perform tasks that would otherwise require manual effort.
In the context of freelance workflows, automation can be used to streamline repetitive or time-consuming tasks, such as
- Invoicing
- Project Management
- Time Tracking
- Team Collaboration
Do I need technical skills to automate and integrate my freelance workflow?
While some technical skills may be helpful, many automation and integration tools are designed to be user-friendly and accessible to non-technical users.
However, it’s important to understand how the tools work and how to set them up properly to avoid errors or data loss.
