Should you be using project management software as an interior designer?
Blog: Monday Project Management Blog
If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re an interior designer looking to find out more about project management software and whether you should use it, right?
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’re going to explore why you absolutely should use project management software.
We’ll take a look at what interior design project management software is, the benefits of using it, and why monday.com is the perfect platform for managing your interior design workflow.
We know you’re busy, so let’s get straight to it.
What is interior design project management software?
Project management software for interior designers helps design teams plan, manage, and execute their projects from start to finish.
Ranging from managing vendors to tracking billable time — interior design project management software meets the needs of an interior design business.
As a result, a design manager can efficiently manage multiple projects from start to finish and keep track of project progress along the way.
How essential is interior design project management software?
At this point, you might be questioning whether you need to use project management software as an interior designer.
The answer is no. You don’t need it, and it’s not essential.
But it’s certainly a worthwhile investment.
Why? Because as an interior designer, you’ve probably got a pretty hectic schedule:
- You have multiple projects on the go at the same time
- You constantly liaise with contractors, suppliers, and vendors
- You source new clients while keeping current clients up-to-date on progress
- You manage accounts and invoices
- You process change orders
- You keep track of inventory and sourcing new products
And these are just to name a few.
But with good project management software, you can manage all of the above in the same location.
By hosting everything on the same platform, it’s a whole lot easier to keep on top of everything. And you can sleep easy knowing that nothing will fall through the cracks.
So, yes. Although project management software isn’t essential for interior designers, it certainly has its benefits.
Now let’s take a look at some of these benefits in more detail.
What are the benefits of using project management software as an interior designer?
Let’s explore some of the ways project management software can be incredibly useful for interior design teams.
1. Manage vendors, contractors, and clients
As an interior designer, you’re juggling a lot of people.
From the vendors you use to source materials to the contractors who are doing the heavy lifting, managing all these people can be pretty overwhelming.
But using project management software makes it easier to manage all of your vendors and contractors.
You can store all of their contact information on the platform and even invite them to collaborate with you on certain projects. That way, everyone involved in the project is in the loop, and you don’t have to worry about constantly reaching out to them for updates.
All you have to do is check the project management platform, and you can see how things are progressing.
And when it comes to managing clients, project management software really shows its value.
With the right platform, you can keep track of client relationships and make sure that you’re providing clients with the service they need. This keeps your customers happy and makes your life easier, too.
2. Create real-time purchase sheets
When you’re working with a client, you need to provide them with a breakdown of costs for materials.
Creating a purchase sheet is the perfect way to do this. It outlines everything you plan to buy for the project and the cost for each item.
So how can interior design project management software help with this process?
Well, with project management software, you can create a shareable purchase sheet that you can update in real-time.
This allows your clients to see how much of their budget you’ve used and what you’ve bought. It also allows them to track progress without asking you for updates, which we all know can be a time-consuming task.
Using a project management platform also allows you to make quick changes to the purchase sheet.
Let’s say the client’s budget changes. You’ve got to work with 75% of the budget you were promised, which means you need to update the purchase sheet to reflect this.
With project management software, this is a painless task. You can change everything quickly, and you can easily see what you need to change to suit your new budget.
3. Track and bill your time
In addition to material costs, you also need to provide clients with how much they need to pay you for your service.
Some interior designers opt to use a flat rate, which is fine. But it does mean that sometimes your profit margin might not be so high. Or worse, you might not even break even.
Tracking your time allows you to provide clients with an accurate cost and makes sure your service is profitable.
Having said that, we do get it. The thought of tracking your time is tedious and off-putting.
With interior design project management software, time-tracking doesn’t have to be such an arduous task.
It allows you to efficiently keep track of your time without much effort at all.
All you have to do is start your timer when you begin working and stop it when the work is done. It’s that simple.
And if you forget to start the timer — don’t worry, it happens to the best of us — you can add your time manually instead.
As a result, you can keep track of your billable hours and accurately invoice your clients at the end of the project.
4. Manage your inventory
We know that not all interior designers need inventory management. So if this isn’t something you think you need, feel free to skip ahead.
If you use inventory management, keep reading.
Inventory management is on the ‘least exciting’ end of the interior design spectrum, but it’s important nonetheless.
Put simply, inventory management allows interior designers to track and manage their inventory.
Ranging from homeware and bathroom supplies to paints and decorative items, inventory can vary from business to business.
So how can project management software help your interior design firm better manage inventory?
Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons.
- Keep track of inventory in real-time: If you’re not using software to track your inventory, it’s hard to keep on top of what you have available.
But using project management software allows you to monitor your inventory in real-time. As a result, you know what’s available and what you might need to source for a client.
Inventory management with interior design PM software is usually done with the help of QR codes:
- Automate the inventory management process: With project management software, you can create automations to update the status of your inventory. As a result, you can make sure new inventory is stocked up when you need it.
- Manage your inventory from anywhere: With a cloud-based platform, you can track your inventory from anywhere. Whether you’re on the bus or in a meeting with a client, you can see what’s available with one glance.
5. Collaborate with your team
So how can project management software improve collaboration for interior design teams?
Good question. There are a few reasons we can think of:
- Share files: With project management software, interior design teams can upload all their files, share them with teammates, and collaborate on them together.
Whether that’s a kitchen floor plan or a SketchUp design for a new project, using a platform to share these files makes it easier for everyone to access them and work together on bringing them to life.
- Send messages: Do you have some information you’d like to share with a staff member? With a project management platform, you can easily send a message or comment their way. This usually generates a notification, so nothing gets missed.
- Share updates: Interior designers can quickly share important updates about a project, and everyone involved can see them.
So if you have a team-wide update you’d like to share, you can simply post a single update. It beats contacting everyone individually, don’t you think?
With all these features, interior design project management allows you to collaborate with your team better.
Whether that’s assigning tasks to an internal studio designer or sending an update to an external contractor — with the right software in place, collaboration can be much more efficient.
Should you use monday.com for interior design projects?
We know what you’re thinking: monday.com isn’t interior design project management software.
And you’re right. It’s so much more.
monday.com is a complete Work OS that enables you to create the ideal interior design project management software for your needs.
We have all the features an interior designer needs. And you have the freedom to put together those building blocks in whichever way works best for you.
With our work management platform, you have everything you need to effectively plan, manage, and execute your interior design projects.
So let’s take a look at some of the features that make us the perfect project management software for interior designers.
1. Customize your projects
We want you to create a workflow that’s perfect for your interior design team.
And that’s why monday.com is fully customizable.
You can choose how you view your project, which columns to add, and even customize our pre-made templates. You can also create automations to streamline your projects.
This level of flexibility makes monday.com the perfect platform for the complicated and intricate design projects you’re working on.
2. Easy-to-use interface
With so many moving parts to an interior design project, we know that you want a platform that’s simple to use.
Well, you’re in luck.
Not only does monday.com have a visually appealing interface, but it’s also pretty straightforward to navigate.
So no need to worry about spending hours training everyone in your team how to use it. Simply get everyone to join your account, and let them get to work.
If you find yourself needing a helping hand, you can check out our support page or get in touch with the team. We’re here 24/7.
3. Easily create reports
Whether you need to review your budget vs. actual spending or the time it takes to complete your projects, monday.com has all the reporting features an interior designer needs.
We offer basic and advanced reporting features that allow you to create custom reports based on the information you’d like to see.
And if you need to show information to clients, you can also create dashboards. These are a great way to show your clients the most important information on one screen.
4. Invite external users
As an interior designer, you need to be able to collaborate with external parties.
Vendors, suppliers, and contractors will all be working alongside you, so you need to collaborate efficiently, or things could get difficult.
But don’t worry. We’ve got a solution.
monday.com allows you to invite external users to your platform.
All you have to do is create a shareable board and invite the user to join. As a result, your design team can work with external parties from one central location, making collaboration a whole lot easier.
5. Manage your workflow from start to finish
As a Work OS, we provide teams with the tools they need to create an efficient and streamlined workflow from start to finish.
But don’t just take our word for it.
Playtech increased efficiency in their workflow by 26% from using monday.com.
And it’s no different for interior designers.
From sourcing your clients and purchasing materials to working with suppliers and bringing your vision to life, you can create a workflow that’s perfectly suited to what you need.
Project management software keeps you on track
To answer our original question, yes.
You should use project management software as an interior designer.
We know that interior designers have a lot on their plate. But using a project management software solution can help you organize your time, keep track of your project status, and provide a better service to your clients.
If you want to give it a go, take a look at monday.com’s design weekly tasks template. It’s ready to use, so you don’t have to worry about setting it up. Just sign up and get started.
The post Should you be using project management software as an interior designer? appeared first on monday.com Blog.
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