The Internet and social media as project management tools

Alison Coward, founder and director of Bracket Projects, explains: “Bracket is a consultancy that helps freelancers, businesses and organisations benefit from creative collaboration through using social media. I do workshops and training, helping people to develop skills in project management, communication, teamwork and the use of online tools that support project management.”

As well as training others to work more effectively together through project management, she also takes a practical role as a project manager for some of her clients. “I do hands-on project management for groups of people who are actively working together”, she says, “and I manage online spaces for them to communicate and work throughout the idea as well.”

The use of online and social media tools has been beneficial, as Bracket works extensively with the creative sector on projects with artists, designers and illustrators. This community is populated with freelancers and sole trader businesses that lack the exposure to a structured project management approach – and the resources to implement enterprise tools.

Online tools often have a lower cost of entry; and once they are set up, independent traders can work together as a virtual team wherever they are based, at whatever time of the day or night suits their work schedule.

“One of the projects that I’ve worked on recently is a group of artists that were setting up a work and retail space in Brixton as part of the Brixton Space Makers programme,” Coward says. “They offer artists empty retail units to develop and use as their workspace.

“There was a group of artists who came together, who usually work independently, and they developed a new brand called Field. We worked on developing the concept, the brand, how the space would look and what Field would actually do.

“We used Google Sites as a project management tool, firstly to brainstorm ideas, but also then to identify what needed to be done throughout the project and find a way of encouraging the team to check in together frequently because they all worked in different locations,” she explains.

The tools Coward used enabled her to keep track of decisions the group had made and to ensure everyone had the same information.

“I use it (Google Sites) in various ways,” she says. “The main thing is helping them brainstorm ideas in the online space because a lot of people I work with are actually independent and they work in different locations, so they need an online space to communicate between meetings.

“I use it for task management as well to identify what needs to be done and who’s going to be doing it; and to ensure transparency so that everyone knows what’s going on and when things are going to be delivered.”

While technology plays a part in helping her project teams deliver their vision effectively, she admits success is dependent on more than software. “The thing I have found most about social media and project management tools is that it is not just about the tools,” Coward says. “There needs to be an understanding of project management to use these tools effectively.” 

For more information, visit:

Bracket: www.bracketprojects.co.uk

Brixton Space Makers: www.spacemakers.co.uk/brixton

Field: www.enterthefield.org

Social Media for Project Managers:
www.socialmediaforprojectmanagers.com, for content and testimonials