We live in a time where developments seem to be emerging left and right in all types of industries. When it comes to productivity tools, there’s no difference. But with how much everyone is looking to maximize their results, it’s no wonder so many are coming out. Using tools for your business plans, projects, and everyday life has never been easier.
However, only by understanding them and knowing how to get the most out of them will you come out in front of your competitors. That being said, productivity tools are known for bringing better planning and clearer analytics, although even they need something to support them.
And why do they need extra support?
They can’t automatically absorb changes happening outside their system and know what’s going on in the real world. Most tools rely on manual inputs in case of these changes; many plans fall apart because people don’t always manage to redo systems.
This is where productivity is being leaked.
Why Productivity Tools Struggle Without an External Context
The main reason for the struggle is that productivity tools work as closed systems.
Even though they ARE extremely useful – no doubt there – they do seem to struggle in the flexibility/adjustability department. Because once they’re set up to do what they’re designed to do, they have trouble reacting and adapting to all the rapid changes in the world. And in order for them to stay effective, they need to be able to do that.
When something changes, such as people not sticking to the schedule or dropping in figures on the market, tools don’t recognize them. They are not wrong, just unable to notice those factors.
What’s more, if they’re not checked and updated, you’re obliged to incur hidden costs over time.
Manual updates quietly slow teams down
As mentioned, the system needs to be updated. How does that affect your team?
The ones who are assigned to organize a project need to notice problems on time and to manually update every change, and that takes more time than it seems.
Unnecessary copy-pasting between tools and constantly switching from one to another can also be time-consuming and contrary to productivity. Even with all AI tools and systems, it all waits for a real check-up.
Static assumptions break as soon as reality changes
For instance, let’s say you were to organize a team-building set in spring.
You’ve chosen the locations, time, hotel, workers signed up, etc. With all that helped you, certain tools with statistics, analysis, and creating plans. While plans and numbers say one thing, in reality, it is totally opposite, due to human factors and unpredictable issues. That’s why what we assume with the help of those systems can easily break.
The plans and boards are showing what used to be right, and the key problem is noticing when those things changed. Even though the solution is to replan and adjust, it would be much easier if systems were a bit more interconnected and predictable.
Analytics explains the past instead of guiding action
Following earlier results, we can see certain trends that appeared over time. These are helpful when analyzing previous success or planning next projects; however, during those projects, they don’t show us the real image of the situation.
Analyzing the budget for the previous years, you can come to conclusions about what the causes were for its fluctuation. Or, looking at attendance lists, who has been more active and accurate than others?
However, as they observe the past and don’t have contact with external points, they’re hardly actionable. So when you take something like looking at dashboards – which are crucial for today’s work – their lagging is often due to unadapted problems and numbers, as they are based only on the data you input.
How External Data Sources Change Planning and Analytics
The solution to the mentioned problems is connecting tools with external data that could be collected.
Providing them with situational awareness, they could adjust automatically instead of being static and giving potential results.
When given information that appears instantly on dashboards or other tools, people as a team could work more efficiently, without putting extra time into making adjustments while others remain on hold. Not only will that save time, but it will also most certainly enhance the team’s productivity and focus.
Looking back at the team building example, the whole plan would be much easier if planning tools pulled data for their updates from a weather API for apps and analytics, and similar platforms. This way, the software would get fed accurate data, allowing the system to report if there might be issues (predictability), and not the other way around (assumption).
The goal here is simple – you want to have minimal changes without having to do a complete manual redo, and/or it requires continuous monitoring.
Conclusion
Focused on plan execution, connecting real-world changes with your planning and analytics will consequently lead to less rework and more motivation between coworkers.
Nevertheless, if you look for easier teamwork or your personal planning, it’s important to objectively watch for all factors that may occur. Incorporating planning tools into your routine is going to make your tasks easier to overview, while interconnecting will make them more reliable.
Your tools become of real use when they stop needing your attention at all costs, and start to be more up to date with extra information.
It’s not about adding more tools but finding a way to use their full capacity and to change the way they respond.
