Recently, I got a call from Shlomo, a guy from my neighborhood who owns a large toy store. He told me he was planning on starting his own line of high-end toys. I knew he would need software to help him stay organized for a project like that, and listened curiously as he described his plans.
He didn’t disappoint; he was all business and cut right to the chase.
Shlomo: I had running a store down pat. But now we have a team of designers designing the new products, a few different vendors each manufacturing different lines for us, and then there’s quality control. All that is in addition to keeping on top of supply and shipping. There’s a lot more moving parts.
Me: Wow, sounds like a big project. Let’s start with what you already have. Were you using any software to manage your store until now?
Shlomo: I had a few employees manning the cash register and helping customers on the floor, but otherwise I was doing everything on my own. I used Todoist to keep track of when to place orders, make payments, and any other random tasks. I also have software that keeps track of inventory, but that’s a separate story. Now I need something to manage the whole project.
Me: Todoist is a great platform, but it doesn’t have the capabilities to run a large operation like you’re trying to do. It’s a task management software. You need to understand that there are two totally different categories of platforms. You’ve been using task management until now, and now you need to upgrade to project management.
Shlomo: Aren’t they the same thing? What’s the difference?
Project Management versus Task Management
People often assume these are two names for the same thing. Big mistake.
Project management manages the whole operation. It considers multiple people, teams, and processes, and keeps the whole thing organized and running smoothly.
Task management is just a souped-up to-do list. While it’s extremely powerful at what it does, it can only be used as a convenient and organized to-do list — no more than that.
Task Management
If what you need is a prioritized task list you can share with your team, or even just your VA (virtual assistant), you will really enjoy and benefit from a Task Management platform.
Task Management Options Include:
Todoist
Google sheets
Any.do
Ticktick
Project Management
Project management platforms can do everything that task management software can do, but their focus is on managing large operations with many different steps and different teams doing different parts of the process. Project management software can automate repetitive tasks, it can create project templates so that you can have a clear-cut process for how to do each type of project, and it’s also a good place to communicate with employees about projects.
