The Cloud and Stress-Free Project Management

Cloud computing has revolutionised the way we use the power of central storage. We are now more in touch with each other than ever since the history of mankind began. The propagation of information and knowledge knows no limits and physical distance is no longer the obstacle that it was, even as recently as 50 years ago.

Cloud computing’s proliferation has ensured that its scope of utilisation has been increasing exponentially as more users have access to cloud-based facilities. For example, the number of internet users has increased 30% worldwide in a period of 10 years, from 1990 to 2010*. This directly affects the number of cloud users, as they are progressively exposed to the unlimited potential of cloud-based computing.

From the first instances of cloud-based computing – which is the e-mail, the most basic cloud facility introduced to the internet realm – a potentially unlimited myriad of cloud-based productivity applications has grown and become increasingly adopted by internet users.

With this rapidly increasing advanced network of infrastructure being made available to the general public and the growing awareness of the benefits of cloud-computing in increasing productivity, it’s no surprise that the implementation of holistic cloud applications and programs in vast corporate – and even governmental – networks have grown at a staggering rate. This brings about the need for effective facilitation in their conceptualization, execution, and continuation of said digital amenities.

Stemming from this, implementation of large – and even small – scale business applications have given rise to the utilisation of standardised project management methods in cloud computing in order to rationalise, control, and formalise the process of successfully carrying out a project for a prospective client.

Project Management In Cloud-Computing

Fundamentally, project management in implementing cloud applications is similar to any other projects in its most basic sense: the skill of juggling resources, time, manpower, and customer expectations to successfully conclude a project; without exceeding time and budget constraints.

Conversely, project management in the cloud industry is also different as the resources and materials managed are virtual, compared to the physicality of, for instance, a construction or a manufacturing project. In this, project management in the cloud industry presents its own set of challenges in terms of customer expectations, time, resource and change management.

A project manager is basically the middle person that acts as a communications conduit between the client and the development team. As such, he or she must have an understanding of all roles involved in the project. This is critical in carrying out the most important function of a project manager: ensuring that the different cogs in the machinery of the project run smoothly and successfully.

Accurate Sales Pitch Results in Effective Project Management

Successful project management lies in the early stages of a deal, where the customer is presented with the available options of any particular cloud-based service that they are investing in. The project personnel are required to have intimate knowledge of the product in order to manage the expectations and requirements of the client.

The power of computers and the Internet has, rather ironically, unrealistically raised the bar for client expectations. Most layman users erroneously believe that software can be made to do anything and everything that they can conceivably think of, even to the extent of meeting the users’ job descriptions on a daily basis without any human involvement.

This is inherently unachievable as human input will be required at some point for a process to complete its cycle. Thus, managing a client’s expectations is one of the determining factors in project management. To achieve this, project managers must work closely with the sales and technical personnel to supervise and direct the deliverables presented to a client. Keeping expectations under control ensures that a project can be realistically kept within its budget and timeline, while also projecting a perception of efficiency and effectiveness to the client and building their confidence in our services.

Lava is an authorised Salesforce Partner in Malaysia and has more than a decade of experience in cloud solutions which includes marketing automation, CRM implementation, change management, and consultation. We pride ourselves in not just being a CRM partner but in also understanding the needs of our customers and taking their business to the next level.