April 8, 2016
Case study: how Array Architects manage looming deadlines with DropTask [Ayoa]
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“With many deadlines – both client and self-imposed, we relied on lists (hand-written, “draft” emails, etc.) and lots of post-it notes before DropTask (Ayoa)*! There was always the looming thought of ‘have I forgotten something?’”
“Managing client proposal deadlines by assigning due dates and specific people responsible within DropTask (Ayoa) allows everyone access to a forum where we can share files, ask for updates and deposit drafts for review.
It allows more independence for staff as each person can see their assignments and can prepare for internal kick-off meetings ahead of time by reviewing attached documents.
As a collaborative tool, DropTask (Ayoa) allows all team members to see what other members are working on, create and assign tasks, and group tasks by topic. Being able to see the contributions (current and planned) from peers – which may often spark another idea or collaboration opportunity – provides a sense of community. For example, one architect’s ‘in-progress’ blog about a ‘central sterile processing department project’ could tie into a designer’s case study on ‘healthcare flooring options’ – and the two may inform a thought leadership book on ambulatory care design drivers. With a team of six dedicated to marketing and business development, a visual, web-accessible tool has become essential for managing our experts’ content creation. The content begins in each Task Board we do with our clients, and tracking its transformation into a blog, video or e-book has become much less challenging with DropTask (Ayoa).”
DropTask (Ayoa) and Marketing
“The marketing team use DropTask (Ayoa) in a few ways – primarily to manage tasks, ensuring no team member is overwhelmed. Since DropTask (Ayoa) is a visual representation of our projects, we can see who has a light load and who has a heavier load, enabling us to pitch in where needed. Our secondary use is, obviously, project management. We have 3 umbrella Task Boards to coordinate our marketing efforts and we use task groups, tasks and subtasks to keep track. So when we open a new office location, for example, that one Task Board is broken down as follows:
Step 1: Create a task group (we treat them as projects)
Within the Content Creation Task Board we create a group and label it with the new office’s location.
Step 2: Create tasks then assign team members
Some of these tasks will have subtasks – for instance all blog related tasks have a minimum of five subtasks each: 1)Write/Review/Edit; 2)Send to (name); 3)Revise; 4)Graphic; 5)Layout. We’ve successfully pushed the writing of many blogs through drafting, editing and posting with the help of DropTask’s (Ayoa’s) open communication lines. Some additional office tasks would include: web platform updates, creating a campaign, updating our website and creating office templates such as letterheads, address labels, business cards, etc.
Step 3: Assigning due dates and dependencies
Depending on the task, we will also change the urgency, importance and effort. We check off tasks and subtasks as they’re completed, and when necessary, we request updates from others and schedule our reminders. For the most part though, marketing’s use of DropTask (Ayoa) is self-contained. The entire group has access to all three Task Boards and each member has the flexibility to invite others, create, delete, complete and change tasks.”
DropTask (Ayoa) and Administration
“The admin team use DropTask (Ayoa) as more of a daily, weekly and ongoing checklist. An example of some tasks that appear include the weekly supply orders, maintaining our databases and updating documentation. Since many of these tasks reoccur, the admin team use the calendar function to quickly create recurring tasks, as well as to set reminders and due dates.”
DropTask (Ayoa) and Accounting
“Our client contracts are managed and tracked within Accounting. Each office location has its own large task group that contains multiple client contracts, with 6 tasks each representing step-by-step instructions on completing a client contract. These tasks are then assigned dependencies as tasks are completed – Accounting checks them off before providing the information for the next task in the client group. Since these tasks never change, Accounting simply duplicate and rename the entire client contract group as required.
Since DropTask (Ayoa) is available on the web – along with native apps for both iOS and Android devices, team members across offices and locations can access their Task Boards at any time. This is particularly helpful in weekly meetings which span offices, as each team member can have their DropTask (Ayoa) screen open and as the roundtable discussion is proceeding, team members can add tasks, make updates, and assign people to tasks. Having the ability to assign team members – regardless of team hierarchy, provides a level of independence and allows the team to lean on one another’s strengths to increase productivity.”
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*DropTask has now become Ayoa. Ayoa has the same great task management capabilities that DropTask provided, with the added benefits of innovative and creative Mind Mapping tools to aid your brainstorming. Find out more about Ayoa’s full features and pricing plans.
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Louise Cunnah
Louise Cunnah has always had a passion for the written word, leading to her studying English, Media and Journalism at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Since graduating in 2014, she has held a number of different roles in marketing, both agency-side and in-house for brands like Ayoa. She loves taking on a challenge and has written content on a diverse range of subjects over the years, including horticulture, business management, telecommunications, health and safety, productivity, neurodiversity, and personal finance (to name but a few!).