Now Reading
4 Ways Your Internal Blog Can Help with Project Management

4 Ways Your Internal Blog Can Help with Project Management

Multi-Ethnc Group of People in a Meeting and Success Concepts

Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is a complex yet necessary system/tool for many businesses. However, much of the time it’s only the IT team and a few select “techies” at a business that really understand why a technology was selected, how it works, how it will benefit different departments, and the like. There’s a lot of jargon involved, and it’s easy to forget that some of the most important users (like the CEO) aren’t going to want to fess up to not knowing what customer configured applications are. Luckily there’s a way to introduce PPM and dynamic applications to even the least tech savvy in the crowd (or business): Your internal company blog.

Don’t forget that your major platform for sharing information (your blog) isn’t just for your customers. It can also be used to encourage communication between departments and within your company. The tech team might jump at the chance to provide a flow chart, presentation or training session, but these aren’t always conducive to more informal “talks” on blogs. Plus, they can be intimidating if anyone (or most people!) feel like everyone “get it” but them.

Here are a few ways to introduce your latest PPM technology to everyone who need to know about it with your blog, regardless of their tech prowess:

Create an open-to-employees internal blog

One of the best ways to encourage communication and sharing between departments is with an internal company blog. Depending on the kind of information shared here, this can also be open to the public. No matter what the privacy settings, it’s where your employees can go for the latest news and announcements, and it’s also an easily digestible platform for informal
trainings. For example, Google’s Matt Cutts is a renowned blogger and Search Engine Watch regularly features his snippets and links because he’s an authority yet writes in Layman’s terms.

Link your blog to an internal social media group

Within your business’ social media page, you can also create a number of private or public groups, and you can link readers to it via your blog. This is a fantastic way to encourage quick and informal sharing on the latest technology, comment threads can help everyone out, and of course posts or private messages also have their place. It’s the same as making blog content “shareable” via a social media button, but it’s solely for internal use.

See Also
Google Genesis

Add an invite to group chat

Whether it’s Google Hangouts or another means of chatting with a select group, there’s a certain level of anonymity felt here (even when it’s obvious who’s saying what). However, typing questions into an IM screen is a lot less intimidating than raising your hand and asking what the heck SaaS apps are during a training session. If your blog is for internal use only, include an invitation to a group chat for a conversation that moves faster than the comments section. Plus, groups can easily be made so that those on similar levels are together and everyone’s moving at the same pace.

Nurture the comments

If you really want people to be honest with their questions and concerns, make the Q&A/Comments anonymous. Encourage readers to drop anonymous “notes” asking for specifications or with any concerns, then address those questions publicly so everyone has access. There might technically be no such thing as stupid questions, but everyone knows that’s subjective. Being able to ask questions without feeling like you’re out of the loop is important, and doing so in a blog’s comment section is easiest when anonymity is available.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of ongoing training, which can be doled out in a blog. A single training session, combined with the previous approaches, is just the beginning. Your employees will forget things, new people will come on board with no training, and upgrades to technology can make a big difference. Continuing education, especially with technology, is crucial to making sure everyone stays on the same page.

 3 CRM Tools Ideal for Small Business

Scroll To Top