If you are a designer, this will be an in-depth look at our process and how we can offer full-service support through every step of your window treatments projects.
If you are a window treatment professional – a workroom, a retail storefront, or a shop-at-home service – this is a peek behind the curtain at how our process works, and how it could work for you and your business, too!
What is a Project Management System?
We all know that in this industry, each project is complex and has so many moving parts. There is so much to manage, so much to remember, and so much to follow up on, that it is nearly impossible to keep up with all the paperwork, sticky notes, and files.
That’s why you need a digital project management system. Wondering what that is, or what it looks like?
Simply put – it’s a cloud based information repository, where you keep all your information. From order details and vendor communication to due dates and back orders – it’s all organized and ready to retrieve with just the push of a button.
You are no longer tethered to a file cabinet, or in the case of a tragic event like the destruction of your office, you won’t be scrambling to locate all your client information – you will have it safely stored away.
It means you and any of your team members have access to the details of any project, at any time, from anywhere in the world.
Process Workflow
In order to build a project management system, you need to have established process workflows. The chart above shows the Vitalia Inc workflow. This is a map of how a project progresses.
They all start with a measuring appointment or an estimate, then the project enters the “waiting for approval” stage. Once a deposit is received, the project enters the expediting stage, which is by far the most detailed and time-consuming part of the process, and where the most help is needed to track the details.
After ordering and receiving and fabricating, we enter the installation stage, which is followed by either collecting the balance due if the install went well, or if there was an issue that needs to be addressed the project enters the service call stage.
Airtable
Now that we have our process mapped out, we can see how that applies to setting up our project management system. We use Airtable, though there are many other platforms out there. They are all quite similar and have many of the same features. I’ve used them all, but Airtable was the software that resonated with me and what I committed to using and building out in 2018.
Here you can see how we have our project steps set up in Airtable to reflect our process workflow.
In our project mapping view, you can see the different kind of information we track for each project. There is the project step, the customer/project name, type of project, referral source, expediting tasks, date of last update, install date, and notes.
The great thing about the capabilities of Airtable, and other digital project management software, is that it can be completely customized and built to your needs and workflow, and all the things you need to track.
Above, you can see how we use Airtable to track alllllll of those details that go into a window treatment project. We can record an expediting task, and populate it from a dropdown menu that is customized to our needs, and also assign a task status and related notes about the task.
Airtable is also a great way to store customer communications, view revenue totals in each project step, and generate reports. It also integrates with Quickbooks.
How long does it take to implement?
I’m often asked how long a project management system takes to set up. And the truth is, it is an investment in time and money.
But, if you’re drowning in paper, post-its, emails, texts, inquiries, and project updates, with no central location to store the information, then you need a digital project management system.
If you are ready to hire help, how can they help you when every project detail, process, and status is in your head? You need a digital project management system.
So, you do the hard thing now, or the hard thing later. Once you decide to take control and implement a paperless project management system to run your business like a well-oiled machine, the other side is life changing.
If this all feels overwhelming, and you don’t know where to start, I can help! I offer VIP Experience Days and Digital Business Tools that can help you get your business organized without having to start from scratch, do it all yourself, or waste time and money on just winging it.
Questions? I’m sure you have one or two – or more. Click the links below, or reply to this email. I’m happy to help!
