How to Track Project Progress: 5 Steps to Take

Managing artwork approval workflows without tracking progress is like sailing without a compass. You may risk wasted resources, stakeholder misalignment, and missing important deadlines.

In this guide, we explain the basics of project tracking and its vital role in artwork management. We'll walk through the benefits of effective tracking, such as improved team collaboration and resource allocation.

Keep reading to find out how to track project progress, and learn how an artwork management tool like Mox can help.

Table of Contents

• What is Project Tracking?
• The Importance of Tracking Project Progress
• The Benefits of Tracking Project Progress
• 2 Methods of Tracking Project Progress
• How to Begin Tracking Project Progress: 5 Steps
• Track Your Artwork Review and Approval Seamlessly with Mox

What is Project Tracking?

Project tracking, or "progress tracking," is the process of monitoring a project's status. It includes monitoring tasks, collaboration, and performance to meet milestones. Project tracking also allows you to optimize and maintain quality throughout.

In today's digital age, project tracking has moved beyond spreadsheets. It's important to use tools that offer real-time updates and predictive analytics, simplifying the process.

Effective project tracking prevents issues like scope creep and missed deadlines. It provides essential data for informed decision-making in project management. Tracking project progress involves a straightforward, strategic approach, eliminating unnecessary complexity.

The Importance of Tracking Project Progress

Tracking project progress is crucial for any successful team. It keeps everyone focused, accountable, and aligned. Here's why it matters:

• Focus: Project tracking provides a clear roadmap to help teams stay on track without juggling multiple tasks, which can reduce productivity significantly.
• Accountability: Clear metrics and deadlines cut confusion. Mox allows you to assign tasks, making clear responsibilities.
• Alignment: Project tracking ensures tasks and due dates align with the project and company's goals.

The Benefits of Tracking Project Progress

Tracking project progress offers clear and significant advantages:

• Risk Mitigation: Identifying problems early allows for resource allocation to prevent escalation. For example, if a critical task falls behind, you can shift resources to get it back on track.
• Resource Optimization: Knowing task status enables efficient resource allocation. By using the Mox artwork and packaging product management tool, you can easily view task owners across projects.
• Stakeholder Communication: Regular tracking builds trust by providing accurate updates.
• Team Morale: Achieving milestones boosts team morale and can increase job satisfaction.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Tracking provides valuable data for future project planning and improving efficiency.

Each benefit streamlines artwork project management, making tracking a necessity.

2 Methods of Tracking Project Progress

Understanding how to track project progress is vital for successful artwork approval workflows. There are various methods available, each with its advantages and disadvantages. 

Your choice of tracking method can significantly impact your project's outcome. Here's an overview of two proven methods for tracking project progress:

Project Tracking Tools

Project tracking tools serve as the backbone of efficient artwork project management. Platforms like Mox provide centralized project control, allowing real-time monitoring of tasks, deadlines, and team performance. Mox stands out for its specialization in Packaging Artwork Management, ensuring centralized control over design drafts and approval workflows. 

These tools automate tedious tasks, enabling you to focus on strategy and execution, making them indispensable for any project.

Manual Methods

Should you prefer a manual method, these three methods are most popular for project management:

• Gantt Charts: Gantt charts are blueprints for project timelines, depicting tasks on a horizontal axis against time on a vertical axis. They offer clarity by showing task dependencies, bottlenecks, and individual responsibilities.
• Spreadsheets: Spreadsheets, while old-fashioned, still serve as a straightforward method for tracking tasks, assigning responsibilities, and setting deadlines. They allow basic calculations for metrics like time-to-completion and resource allocation. Spreadsheets are best suited for small projects with closely-knit teams due to their simplicity.
• Email: Email project management can be done by sending necessary updates to stakeholders at each phase of the project. This can get clunky, however, depending on how each person uses it and how quickly the emails get buried in the depths of their inbox.

How to Begin Tracking Project Progress: 5 Steps

You're poised to take charge of your project's direction, but where to start? Here are five straightforward steps to initiate effective project tracking:

Step 1: Define Project Goals

Set specific and measurable project goals aligned with your scope and stakeholder expectations. Use the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to ensure clarity. 

Balance stakeholder priorities and maintain transparent communication for everyone to stay on the same page.

Step 2: Select a Project Management Solution

Once you've defined your project goals, pick a project management solution that fits your needs:

• Project & Artwork Management Software: Tools like Mox offer customizable solutions for diverse project and workflow needs.
• Manual Solutions: Tools like email, spreadsheets and Gantt charts can be used to manage projects but have their limitations.

Considerations for Selecting a Project Management Solution

When selecting a project management solution, you will want to focus on your team and project's needs. Choose a solution based on:

• Customization Options: Choose a solution that allows you to customize workflows and templates that suit the needs of your team and project.
• Version Control: Version control is critical! In collaborative workspaces, all stakeholders must have access to updated project files at all times.
• Cost: When looking at pricing structures, you want to consider how the tool fits into your budget now and as you scale.
• Permissions & Roles: Access controls allow you to select who has permission to view, edit, and manage projects. This ranges from administrators, different teams, and even guest users who just need to pop in.
• Product Launches: Consider how many SKUs you plan to create and/or update each year.

Step 3: Set Up Your Project Management Solution

Now that you've picked your solution, the next step is set up. Before you implement your project management solution, map out your ideal structure so you are not going in blind. This pre-work will make all the difference as you prepare to implement!

Proper tool setup results in...

1. Risk Reduction: Effective setup helps identify potential issues and prevents future problems.
2. Team Alignment: A well-organized project management solution ensures clear communication and expectations among team members.
3. Resource Planning: Knowing your tracking parameters allows for efficient resource allocation optimizing workforce, time, and budget.
4. Data Accuracy: Delayed setup can lead to data gaps and errors, undermining the reliability of project metrics.
5. Stakeholder Updates: A prepared project management solution encourages transparent and timely communication with stakeholders.

Think of your project management solution as the operational center of your artwork project management, not just a tool. Invest time setting it up properly to enjoy its benefits throughout your project's lifecycle.

Mox offers the ideal "operational center" by offering a platform where stakeholders can complete all steps of the artwork approval process in one place. Not only is the platform centralized, all edits are tracked and available to view for all versions of the asset, keeping all stakeholders up to date on the current project status.

Step 4: Onboard Involved Parties

After setting up your project management solution, the next vital step is to get everyone on board. This is critical for the success of your project.

To keep it simple, make sure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities, fostering accountability and motivation. Take the time to show everyone, including team members and stakeholders, how to use the tracking tool effectively. Everyone must know how to use it properly.

Finally, stress the importance of regular updates. Consistent tracking leads to more accurate data, which helps with better decision-making.

Effective onboarding ensures tool usage and a culture of transparency, accountability, and excellence. This approach prioritizes quality over just completing the project.

Step 5: Establish Clear Communication Expectations

Setting clear communication guidelines fosters transparency, ensuring the project stays on track and building trust among all involved. While using the right tool is essential, maintaining an informed and open environment is equally vital.

Effective communication is crucial for meeting tight deadlines on artwork approval projects. Silence is detrimental when issues arise. If a critical milestone is delayed, it's essential to update all stakeholders promptly. This allows for quick adjustments in timelines and expectations. 

Track Your Artwork Review and Approval Seamlessly with Mox

For tracking artwork review and approval, Mox offers a user-friendly solution. Unlike rigid alternatives, Mox provides customizable templates that make starting your projects effortless. You can easily adjust existing templates by adding task assignments, durations, reference assets, and attributes to suit your needs.

For at-a-glance project check-ins, Mox provides timelines of project and task due dates reflect the project's pacing. To save you time in establishing new deadlines and tasks, automatically set due dates by saving task durations in a template, allowing you to quickly and easily duplicate them with each new project!

Once you've customized a template, be sure to save it for use on future projects.

Mox excels in packaging artwork management by simplifying the process of artwork approval. It's not just about tracking; it's about creating a logical, easy-to-follow workflow.

Mox offers a streamlined approach to artwork project management. Its user-friendly platform, customizable templates, and strong tracking capabilities make overseeing projects simple and effective. If something needs to be called out specifically, mention your entire project team or individuals using comments to have them know what might've changed or needs their direct attention.

Beyond being just another tool, Mox is a solution tailored to meet your unique challenges, ensuring efficient use of time and resources. After all, time is one of the most valuable resources.

Ready to take the next step? Experience Mox in action for yourself. 

Request a demo today to see how Mox can revolutionize your approach to tracking project progress.