![Thanks to collaborative task management, employees are aligned with common and individual deadlines and objectives.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Header_collaborative_task_management_fd3d01717c.svg)


We’ve all seen it—a task gets lost in the shuffle, deadlines slip, or a project stalls because one person didn’t get the memo. In traditional, siloed task management systems, these mishaps are frustratingly common. Tasks are scattered, communication is fragmented, and accountability? 
Let’s just say it’s hit or miss.

Enter collaborative task management, the modern approach that turns disorganized chaos into streamlined productivity. Instead of operating in silos, teams work together on shared platforms with real-time visibility, integrated communication, and clear accountability. The result? Projects move faster, communication flows better, and productivity gets a serious boost.

In this article, we will discuss what makes collaborative task management the secret weapon for productive teams. From understanding its core principles to exploring its impact on productivity, we’ll break down why working together beats working apart, every time.

## What is collaborative task management?
Collaborative task management isn’t just a fancy term for teamwork—it’s a strategic way to ensure tasks are planned, executed, and tracked with input and alignment from the entire team. At its core, it’s about bringing everyone onto the same page so no one’s left wondering, “Who’s supposed to handle this?”

### Key principles of collaborative task management
Some of the key principles of collaborative task management include:

1. **Real-time visibility:** Everyone knows who’s working on what, what the current status is, and what’s coming next. Think of it as a shared dashboard for all your projects.
2. **Shared accountability:** Tasks aren’t just assigned; they’re owned. Team members are empowered to take responsibility for their work while staying connected to the team’s overall goals.
3. **Integrated communication:** Gone are the days of juggling emails, chats, and random notes. Communication happens where the work is, keeping everything organized and easy to follow.

### The role of digital tools in enabling collaboration
In the age of hybrid and remote work, digital tools like [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) have revolutionized task management. They bring together task assignments, communication, and progress tracking into a single platform, creating a central hub where work actually gets done. Features like real-time updates, file sharing, and [customizable checklists](https://wedo.com/features/checklists) mean no task falls through the cracks, and your team stays aligned—even across time zones.

### Individual vs. collaborative task management
If individual task management is like keeping your own to-do list, collaborative task management is the team equivalent. Instead of working in isolation, team members contribute to a collective workflow, ensuring tasks are interconnected and progress is visible to all.

For example:
**- Individual task management:** “I’ll complete this, and I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
**- Collaborative task management:** “I’m working on this now, and once it’s finished, it’s ready for the next person to pick up. Let’s track it all here for visibility.”

In short, collaborative task management transforms how teams organize their work, creating a smoother, more transparent workflow that leaves less room for confusion and more room for productivity.

## The impact of collaboration on productivity
Collaboration is more than just a “nice to have” for teams—it’s the engine that drives productivity. Without it, work slows down, miscommunications pile up, and accountability gets lost in the shuffle. Collaborative task management changes the game by creating alignment, improving workflows, and giving everyone a stake in the outcome. 

![Visual explanation of the benefits of collaborative task management, such as better communication and smoother procedures.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_collaborative_task_management_the_key_to_productivity_3909c19e53.svg)

Here’s why it matters:
### Clearer communication, fewer missteps
How many times has a project hit a wall because someone didn’t get the memo and didn’t do their part? Scattered emails, outdated task lists, and vague instructions are the culprits. Collaborative task management ties communication directly to tasks, so updates, feedback, and progress all live in one place. No more “Who’s handling this?” moments, and no more missed deadlines because of crossed wires.

### Workflows that actually flow
Bottlenecks are productivity’s worst enemy. When tasks are tracked collaboratively, it’s easy to spot what’s holding things up. Is one person overwhelmed? Does another task need more resources? Collaboration tools make these issues visible and fixable before they derail your progress. The result? A team that moves like clockwork instead of constantly stumbling over roadblocks.

### Ownership that drives results
When everyone can see the big picture, they’re more invested in their piece of the puzzle. Collaborative task management isn’t just about assigning work; it’s about creating ownership. Team members know how their tasks contribute to the overall goal, which makes them more motivated to deliver. After all, accountability isn’t something you enforce; It’s something the team naturally adopts.

### Collaboration in action: Industry examples
Collaboration is a game-changer for productivity across all industries, but how it’s implemented can look different depending on the challenges and priorities of each field. 

Let’s look at some of them:
#### Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
For [small and medium enterprises](https://wedo.com/industries/sme), juggling multiple projects and tight deadlines is business as usual. Collaborative tools bring order to the chaos by providing shared visibility into deadlines, priorities, and progress. When everyone is on the same page, teams can shift gears quickly, prioritize tasks, address bottlenecks, and deliver results without the usual last-minute scrambles.

#### Banks & insurances
In industries like [banks and insurance](https://wedo.com/industries/banks-insurances), where precision and compliance are non-negotiable, collaboration ensures every detail is accounted for, even when working across teams handling different stages of the process. Whether processing claims or approving loans, collaborative task management tools track every step, assign accountability, and maintain documentation, reducing errors and meeting strict compliance requirements with ease.

#### Municipal administrations
[Local governments](https://wedo.com/industries/municipal-administrations) face a constant flow of responsibilities—from managing budgets to organizing community projects. Collaborative tools streamline workflows across departments, making it easier to coordinate resources, meet deadlines, and deliver services efficiently, even when multiple stakeholders are involved.

#### Healthcare sector
Patient care depends on seamless coordination between specialists, nurses, administrators, and the rest of the healthcare sector. Collaborative tools help [healthcare teams](https://wedo.com/industries/healthcare) organize tasks like patient management, follow-ups, and case updates to ensure nothing is missed. This not only prevents errors but also improves outcomes by keeping the focus on patient care instead of paperwork.

#### Foundations & associations
[Nonprofit organizations and associations](https://wedo.com/industries/foundations-associations) often operate with limited resources but ambitious goals. Collaborative task management tools help align volunteers, board members, and staff by keeping everyone informed and accountable. From tracking donor outreach to managing events, collaboration ensures that no effort goes unnoticed or untracked.

#### Education sector
Collaboration in [education](https://wedo.com/industries/education) extends beyond classrooms. Whether it’s managing school projects, coordinating administrative tasks, or organizing extracurricular activities, task management tools keep educators, administrators, and support staff aligned. Shared visibility into deadlines and priorities ensures that both students and staff benefit from a more organized, productive environment.

## The role of technology in collaborative task management
Technology has fundamentally changed how teams collaborate, making task management faster, more efficient, and more transparent. Instead of relying on fragmented tools or endless back-and-forth messages, teams can now streamline their workflows with centralized platforms that connect everything—tasks, communication, and progress tracking—all in one place.

Cloud-based solutions have been particularly impactful, offering features like real-time updates, shared access to projects, and instant file sharing. These tools allow teams to access the same information, track progress, and collaborate seamlessly, whether they’re working remotely, in-office, or across time zones. Accessibility across devices ensures that no one is left out of the loop, even when schedules don’t align.

Tools like WEDO take this even further. By integrating customizable workflows, project views, and real-time notifications with calendars and meetings, WEDO creates a unified hub for collaboration. From managing recurring tasks to navigating complex projects, WEDO ensures that every step of the process is clear and connected. With features designed for teams of all types, it makes achieving alignment and accountability second nature.

By removing the barriers to communication and task execution, technology has become the backbone of collaborative task management—turning the potential for chaos into a recipe for productivity.

## Key features of collaborative task management tools
The best collaborative task management tools go beyond simple to-do lists—they create a streamlined system where teams can work together effortlessly. 

Here are the features that truly make a difference:

![List of key features to look for in collaborative task management software](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_key_features_of_collaborative_task_management_tools_05c913579d.svg)

**- Task assignment and tracking:** Clear ownership of tasks and the ability to set deadlines ensures everyone knows who’s doing what and by when. A good tool provides transparency into deadlines, progress, and priorities, keeping the entire team aligned.
**- Real-time notifications and updates:** When priorities shift or tasks are updated, instant notifications keep everyone in the loop, preventing delays and bottlenecks.
**- Integration with calendars, meetings, and other tools:** Seamless integration means your team’s workflows stay connected. Whether syncing with calendars or embedding tasks into meetings, integration keeps everything running smoothly.
**- Accessibility across devices:** Whether in the office or on the go, cross-device functionality ensures tasks and updates are always within reach, so no one misses a beat.
**- Checklists and standardized processes:** Recurring tasks, like weekly stand-ups or onboarding processes, are easier to manage with built-in checklists. They standardize workflows and ensure consistency across the team.
**- Customizable workflows and views:** Flexible tools that offer Kanban boards, lists, or cards adapt to the way your team works, making organization simple and intuitive.

With good task management software like WEDO, these features work together in an intuitive interface that simplifies task management and enhances collaboration. From tracking projects to managing recurring workflows, WEDO helps teams stay connected, productive, and focused on what matters most.

## Challenges in adopting collaborative task management
Adopting new task management apps can feel like a big shift, and it’s not without its challenges. Even the best tools and systems can stumble if they’re not introduced or implemented thoughtfully. 

Let’s break down what often goes wrong and how to get it right.

### Resistance to change in workplace culture
Change isn’t easy, especially when it involves shifting long-established ways of working. Some team members might be hesitant to adopt a new tool, worried it’ll add complexity instead of simplifying their workflows. This resistance often comes from a fear of the unknown or a lack of understanding about how the system can make their lives easier.

**How to overcome it:**
Make the transition feel less like a mandate and more like a team improvement. Show the value of collaborative task management with examples that address their pain points—less confusion, fewer missed deadlines, and more visibility into progress.

### Misalignment of tools with team workflows
Not every tool fits every team. A mismatch between the way a team works and the capabilities of the tool can lead to frustration and underutilization. For example, a tool that’s too rigid might not adapt to a dynamic team, while one that’s overly complex might overwhelm smaller groups.

**How to overcome it:**
Choose a tool that’s flexible enough to align with your team’s workflows. Prioritize features like customizable workflows, shared project views, and integrations with the tools your team already uses.

### The elephant in the room: Price
Let’s face it: budgets aren’t limitless, and investing in new tools can be a tough sell. Teams want the functionality but hesitate to commit to the price tag, especially if they’re unsure how much value they’ll actually get out of it.

**How to address it:**
Think about what your team is already losing without the right tools. Missed deadlines, duplicated work, stalled projects—those costs add up quickly. A tool like WEDO shouldn’t be just another expense; it’s a solution that saves time, reduces errors, and drives productivity, helping your team get more done with less friction. When framed as an investment in your team’s efficiency and results, the value becomes crystal clear.

### Strategies to overcome these challenges
Adopting collaborative task management shouldn’t be a rocky transition. By focusing on thoughtful implementation and team engagement, you can set the stage for success and ensure your team sees the value from day one.

Start by introducing the tool with a hands-on approach. Provide training sessions that go beyond the basics, showing your team exactly how the platform can solve their specific pain points and make their daily routines easier. It’s not about overwhelming them with features—it’s about connecting the dots between the tool and their everyday tasks.

Instead of diving in headfirst, start small. Launch the tool with a pilot project or a single team to build confidence and gather feedback. A gradual rollout allows you to address any hiccups early, helps you refine workflows, and shows how the tool fits seamlessly into your processes.

Celebrate quick wins along the way. Highlight early successes like improved task completion rates or fewer missed updates. Seeing immediate benefits motivates your team to embrace the tool and reinforces its value.

Finally, listen to your team. Keep the lines of communication open during the rollout and beyond. If something isn’t working or workflows need adjusting, be flexible and responsive. Showing that their feedback matters fosters trust and ensures the tool works for everyone, not just leadership.

## How to measure the success of collaborative task management
Implementing collaborative task management is a step toward better productivity, but how do you know if it’s actually working? Measuring success means looking at the right metrics, analyzing the data, and continuously refining your approach to make the system even more effective.

### Key performance indicators (KPIs) for productivity
Start by defining clear KPIs to evaluate how collaborative task management impacts your team. Some of the most insightful metrics include:
**- Task completion rates:** How often are tasks completed on time? A noticeable improvement here can indicate better alignment and accountability within the team.
**- Team efficiency:** Measure the time it takes to move tasks from start to finish. Are projects moving faster now that collaboration is streamlined?
**- Missed deadlines or bottlenecks:** Track how often tasks stall or deadlines are missed. Collaborative tools should help reduce these issues by increasing transparency.
**- Engagement levels:** Consider feedback from team members. Are they finding the tool useful? Do they feel more connected to their work and their teammates?

### How tools like WEDO provide analytics and insights
The best tools do more than just help teams get work done—they show you exactly how well your team is collaborating. WEDO, for example, offers built-in analytics that track task progress, project timelines, and team activity. With real-time dashboards, you can quickly spot patterns, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate successes.

Need to see which tasks are holding up a project? WEDO’s visual project views and reporting features make it easy to pinpoint bottlenecks. For an even more detailed look at project timelines, WEDO’s upcoming Gantt chart integration (arriving in January) will provide a clear visual overview of tasks, dependencies, and progress.

Want to know how your team is handling recurring tasks or deadlines? WEDO’s insights give you a clear picture, helping you make data-driven decisions and keeping your team aligned.

## Conclusion
Collaborative task management is the foundation of how successful teams operate in today’s work environments. It bridges gaps in communication, eliminates inefficiencies, and creates a system where everyone knows their role, their responsibilities, and how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

The question isn’t whether your team can benefit from collaborative task management—it’s how much longer you’re willing to work without it. With WEDO, you can create a system that drives productivity, boosts morale, and keeps your team aligned every step of the way.

Ready to set your team up for success? [Try WEDO’s free trial](https://wedo.com/signup) today and see how collaboration can transform the way you work.

Discover how collaborative task management improves team productivity with better workflows, real-time visibility, and smarter task management tools.

This image illustrates boosting team productivity through collaborative task management, with people climbing a bar chart

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Why collaborative task management is key to team productivity?

![A manager who struggles to juggle the tasks of his colleagues](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Header_collaborative_task_management_71b848cd18.svg)

Remote work stopped being a trend a long time ago; it’s now the norm for teams across industries. While it offers undeniable flexibility and access to global talent, it also brings unique challenges for task management. Let’s face it: Without the shared space of a physical office, teams often have to deal with coordination issues, accountability lapses, and struggle to stay aligned on goals.

This is where collaborative task management comes in. To keep remote teams organized and on top of their tasks, you have to foster a unified approach to organizing, assigning, and executing work. Effective collaboration tools and strategies are often the ones to help bridge the gaps in communication and alignment, making productivity possible—even when you can’t just walk over to someone’s desk.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to implement collaborative task management in remote teams, covering practical strategies, essential tools, and actionable steps to overcome common challenges. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to improve your team’s remote productivity with ease.

## Understanding collaborative task management for remote teams
In traditional office settings, spontaneous interactions and physical proximity naturally encourage collaboration. Remote, distributed teams, however, rely heavily on intentional efforts to maintain connection and alignment. 

If your team works remotely, we’re sure you’ve experienced the challenges that come with staying connected and aligned. Misunderstandings due to miscommunication, delays caused by unclear responsibilities, and the occasional feeling of working in a silo are all too common. 
Without the casual check-ins and in-person meetings of an office environment, collaboration doesn’t just happen—it requires careful planning and the right tools.

Collaborative task management is the solution. It’s more than just a way to organize tasks—it’s a system designed to help remote teams bridge gaps in communication, build transparency, and stay productive no matter where they’re located. Let’s explore why collaboration is so essential in remote settings and the key elements that make collaborative task management work.

### Why is collaboration more critical in remote environments?
Collaboration is the glue that holds remote teams together. Without it, teams can quickly fall into disarray, leading to missed deadlines, duplicated work, and disengaged team members. But why is collaboration even more vital in remote settings than in traditional workplaces?

![a diagram demonstrating the key principles of task management for remote teams](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_key_principles_of_collaborative_task_management_32c533a1ae.png)

#### Bridging communication gaps
Remote teams often rely on asynchronous communication, which has its benefits but also significant challenges. Important updates can get lost in overflowing inboxes, or a delay in responding to a question might stall progress for hours. Collaborative task management helps by centralizing these interactions—updates, clarifications, and feedback are tied directly to tasks, making it easy for everyone to find the context they need.

Imagine you’re working on a project where a team member needs your input to move forward. Without a clear system, they might email you or message you on a different platform, and if you miss it, they’re stuck. A collaborative task management tool ensures those updates are documented and easy to find, preventing bottlenecks.

#### Enhancing coordination across time zones
When working across time zones, finding overlapping hours for real-time discussions can be a logistical nightmare. How often have you worked with a client or team member where you only had one or two hours of overlap? 
Collaborative task management tools solve this by providing a shared platform where [team members can update tasks](https://wedo.com/features/tasks), review progress, and leave comments asynchronously so work doesn’t come to a standstill.

For instance, your developer in New York might complete a task during their workday and leave notes for a designer in London to pick up where they left off. The designer, seeing those updates when they log in, can seamlessly continue the workflow and stay aligned without the need for constant meetings.

#### Maintaining focus and accountability
Distractions are inevitable in remote work, whether it’s a noisy household, unexpected errands, or just the lure of social media. Without the visibility of an office environment, tasks can easily slip through the cracks. Collaborative task management combats this by assigning clear responsibilities, setting deadlines, and tracking progress in a transparent way.

For example, a marketing team might assign ownership of a campaign to specific individuals using a shared tool. Deadlines and subtasks are visible to everyone, and automatic reminders ensure nothing is forgotten. This structure helps keep the team focused and accountable without the need for constant check-ins.

#### Fostering a sense of team unity
If you've been working remotely for a while, you know that kind of work can sometimes feel isolating, and team members may miss the camaraderie of an office. Collaborative task management can counteract this by fostering interaction and shared decision-making. When tasks are visible, and progress is celebrated collectively, it builds a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

Think about it, a team completing a major project can celebrate milestones together using task management features like shared dashboards or progress trackers. Even simple acknowledgments like a completed task notification can create moments of connection, showing that everyone is contributing to the bigger picture.

By addressing these challenges, good collaborative task management transforms how remote teams work together. It bridges gaps in communication, aligns workflows across time zones, and fosters a sense of shared accountability and unity—key ingredients for success in any remote environment.

### Core elements of collaborative task management tailored to remote work
As you can see by now, collaborative task management isn’t just about tracking tasks; it’s about creating a system that enables remote teams to function cohesively and productively. For remote teams, this means addressing the specific challenges of distance, time zones, and asynchronous workflows. 

Let’s break down the essential elements of collaborative task management tailored for remote work.

#### Shared visibility for all tasks
In remote teams, visibility is everything. When everyone has access to a shared platform that outlines tasks, deadlines, and team goals, it eliminates confusion and fosters alignment. Team members know what’s being worked on, who’s responsible, and how their contributions fit into the bigger picture.

For example, if your marketing team uses a task management tool to track a product launch campaign, every task—social media posts, email drafts, or ad designs—should be visible on a shared dashboard. Team members can see deadlines, track progress, and address potential delays before they snowball.

Additionally, if you use a task management tool that allows tasks to be grouped by phase, like planning, design, testing, and release, everyone will know exactly where the project stands at any time, what's behind schedule, and, most importantly, why.

#### Integrated communication
In remote work, scattered communication across emails, chats, and meetings often leads to lost information. Collaborative task management tools that integrate messaging or comments keep discussions tied directly to tasks, so important updates and clarifications are easy to find.

Rather than starting a long email chain about a client deliverable, a designer, for example, can add a comment to the task in their tool, sharing design updates and asking for feedback. The client manager responds in the same thread, keeping all the information in one place. This reduces the need to switch between platforms or dig through emails for context.

#### Real-time updates and notifications
With remote teams often working asynchronously, you need real-time updates and notifications to keep everyone on the same page. Real-time updates and notifications keep everyone informed about project progress, preventing misalignment and delays.

A team member from a different shift can update a task during their work hours, and colleagues who come after are notified as soon as they log in. This seamless flow ensures progress continues without waiting for the next meeting or email response.

#### Standardized and customizable workflows
No two remote teams are alike, which is why collaborative task management needs to strike a balance between standardization and flexibility. Standardized workflows, templates, and [checklists ensure consistency](https://wedo.com/features/checklists), while customization allows teams to adapt the system to their unique needs and work styles.

For example, in the [healthcare industry](https://wedo.com/industries/healthcare), a remote medical team managing patient referrals can use a standardized workflow for initial assessments, documentation, and follow-ups. 

However, for complex cases requiring multidisciplinary input, the workflow can be customized to include additional steps, such as virtual consultations with specialists or approval from a senior physician. This ensures that routine tasks are handled efficiently while accommodating the flexibility needed for unique cases.

By combining standardization with flexibility, workflows can remain consistent and scalable while adapting to the specific demands of remote teams across various industries.

#### Accountability through clear ownership
Accountability is a cornerstone of effective task management, especially in remote teams. Collaborative tools should allow for clear task ownership, with assigned roles and deadlines visible to all team members. This eliminates ambiguity and ensures everyone knows their responsibilities.

For instance, a sales team assigns leads to individual representatives in their task management tool. Each rep is accountable for following up, and the tool tracks progress so managers can see which leads have been contacted.

#### Accessible and user-friendly tools
The best collaborative task management tools are intuitive and easy to use. Remote teams don’t have the luxury of walking over to IT for help, so the tools they rely on must be straightforward enough for everyone to adopt quickly.

#### Reporting and analytics
Finally, remote teams benefit from tools that provide insights into task progress and team performance. Reporting and analytics features help leaders identify bottlenecks, assess workload distribution, and make data-driven decisions to improve workflows.

By focusing on these core elements, collaborative task management becomes more than just a tool—it becomes the foundation for how remote teams work, connect, and succeed together. Whether you’re managing a small team or a global workforce, these principles help overcome the inherent challenges of remote work and create a seamless, productive environment.

## Steps to implement collaborative task management in remote teams
Making collaborative task management work for your remote team isn’t about adding more complexity. It’s about creating clarity, alignment, and accountability in how tasks are handled. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you implement it effectively.

![a diagram showing the steps involved in adopting task management software ](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_steps_to_implement_collaborative_task_management_2798fe2ab5.png)

### 1. Identify your team’s needs and goals
Every remote team has unique challenges, so the first step is understanding what your team really needs. This means looking at how your team currently works and pinpointing where things fall through the cracks.

Are communication gaps causing delays? Are tasks frequently stalled because responsibilities aren’t clear? Once you’ve identified these pain points, align your task management strategy with your team’s objectives. Whether it’s meeting tighter deadlines, improving project visibility, or simplifying workflows, knowing your goals will guide every decision.

### 2. Choose the best task management tool
Your tool is the foundation of your collaborative task management system, so it needs to fit your team’s needs. Look for features like task assignments, progress tracking, integrated communication, and real-time updates to ensure everything stays on track.

Ease of use is just as important—your team won’t adopt a task management software that feels clunky or overly complicated. You’ll also want something that scales with your team as your projects and priorities grow.

Tools like WEDO combine simplicity with powerful features like shared dashboards, seamless integrations, and automated reminders. Designed to reduce friction in collaboration, WEDO ensures your team can focus on what matters most: Getting work done.

### 3. Establish clear processes and protocols
The best tool in the world won’t help if your team doesn’t know how to use it. Set clear guidelines for how tasks should be assigned, tracked, and updated. Everyone should know:

- How tasks are assigned and who’s responsible for each.
- The process for setting deadlines and updating progress.
- Where and how to communicate about specific tasks.

Establishing these protocols creates consistency, so everyone works in the same way—even across different time zones or roles.

### 4. Integrate collaborative tools with daily operations and workflows
For collaborative task management to work, it can’t feel like an “extra step.” It needs to become part of your team’s everyday workflow.

- Use the tool to structure your team meetings: Start by reviewing tasks, tracking progress, and identifying blockers.
- Incorporate it into team communications: Encourage updates, feedback, and task discussions to happen directly within the platform.
- Reinforce the habit: Make updating and reviewing the tool a routine part of your team’s operations.


### 5. Encourage transparency and accountability in remote collaboration
Remote work relies on trust, and trust comes from visibility. A collaborative task management system ensures everyone knows who’s doing what, when it’s due, and how it’s progressing.

**- Make tasks visible:** Share progress with the whole team to keep everyone aligned.
**- Automate accountability:** Use task tracking and notifications to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
**- Foster a culture of ownership:** Encourage team members to take responsibility for their tasks and update them regularly.


### 6. Provide training and support to your remote team
No system is successful without the buy-in and confidence of your team. Make sure everyone knows how to use the tool effectively from the start. Provide training sessions, quick-reference guides, and space for questions during the onboarding phase.

As your team uses the tool, be ready to troubleshoot any issues and adapt workflows as needed. Keep encouraging team feedback to fine-tune the system for maximum efficiency.

## Avoiding common mistakes in remote task management
Implementing collaborative task management can transform how your team works, but it’s easy to fall into traps that derail the process. 

Let’s look at three common mistakes and how to avoid them.

### 1. Overcomplicating workflows with unnecessary steps
One of the biggest pitfalls in task management is creating workflows and checklists that are overly complex. While it’s important to have a structure in place, adding too many steps, approvals, or check-ins can bog your team down and lead to frustration.

**How to avoid it:**
- Focus on simplicity. Build workflows that include only the steps essential to completing tasks effectively.
- Regularly review processes. Ask your team what feels unnecessary or redundant, and streamline accordingly.
- Use automation sparingly. Automate repetitive actions, but don’t overdo it—too many notifications or auto-generated tasks can become a distraction.

### 2. Neglecting team engagement and input during implementation
No system will work if your team doesn’t feel involved in the process. A common mistake is implementing a task management tool or workflow without consulting the people who will be using it daily. This can lead to resistance, low adoption rates, and an eventual return to chaotic, unstructured workflows.

**How to avoid it:**
- Involve your team early. When selecting a tool or designing workflows, ask for their input and feedback to ensure the system meets their needs.
- Communicate the “why.” Explain how the new system will benefit both individual team members and the group as a whole.
- Create space for feedback. After implementation, regularly check in with your team to identify pain points and make adjustments.

3. Not leveraging the full capabilities of the tool
Many teams adopt a task management tool but only use it for basic functions like assigning tasks or tracking deadlines. This approach wastes the potential of advanced features that can make a huge difference in efficiency and collaboration.

**How to avoid it:**
- Explore the tool in depth. Take the time to learn about all its features, including integrations, reporting, and notifications.
- Provide training. Make sure your team knows how to use the tool effectively and feels comfortable exploring advanced functions.
- Revisit usage periodically. Review how your team is using the tool and identify any underutilized features that could improve workflows.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll ensure your remote task management system is simple, user-friendly, and optimized to meet your team’s needs. The goal is to create a system that empowers your team, not one that adds unnecessary complexity or frustration.

## Conclusion
Remote teams thrive on structure, transparency, and collaboration—all of which start with effective task management. By implementing the strategies and tools outlined here, you’ll not only improve how your team organizes and executes tasks but also build stronger alignment and trust across your remote workforce.
The right task management platform is the backbone of this transformation. WEDO is designed to address the unique challenges of remote teams, offering features that simplify workflows, enhance communication, and keep everyone on the same page. From real-time updates to customizable workflows, WEDO empowers your team to collaborate effortlessly—no matter where they’re working.

Don’t let distance slow your team down. [Try WEDO’s free trial](https://wedo.com/signup) today and see how streamlined collaboration can help your team achieve more, together.

Learn how to implement collaborative task management in remote teams with practical strategies, tools, and tips to improve productivity and alignment.

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How to implement collaborative task management in remote teams

At a time when the pyramidal management system inspired by Taylor and Ford is perceived as rigid and culturally obsolete, new forms of work organization are gradually emerging.¹ Self-management models are an important part of these new organizational structures.

Self-management models are an important part of these new organizational structures. To understand why organizations are adopting these self-management models, we need to understand what managers want most from their organizations: reliability and adaptability. All organizations want to achieve, to some extent, both reliability and adaptability. But one usually overshadows the other. Indeed, too much reliability creates rigidity and can make companies insensitive to changing markets. Conversely, if companies place too much emphasis on adaptability, they risk becoming dispersed and losing sight of their raison d'être. In an attempt to reconcile reliability and adaptability, holacracy, the best-known and most widely practiced model of self-management, helps to achieve this balance.²

## But what is holacracy?

According to Bernard Marie Chiquet, founder of IGI Partners (the company that imports holacracy to Europe from the USA), holacracy is a practice that promotes responsibility and cooperation in the service of the company's raison d'être. In this practice, there is no longer a manager as such, but everyone is invited to manage themselves, and is expected to demonstrate leadership. This is not to say that there is no structure. Holacracy refers to a “holarchic structure”. Here's a diagram illustrating how this structure works:

![Graphic depicting the circle structure and roles in Holacracy, showing how autonomous teams and interconnected roles operate without traditional hierarchy.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Holacratiezero_waste_1_a93adb54f3.jpg)

### The super circle
Also known as the company's general circle, it represents
the company as a whole. In particular, it is made up of the 1ᵉʳ and 2ᵉ link of
each sub-circle.

### The sub-circle
The sub-circle represents autonomous teams where each person has a role and
working towards the same goal. Sub-circles are formed or dissolved according to
needs of the organization.

### Role
The role is a set of responsibilities within the organization. Roles can be
can be created, modified or cancelled. People usually have more than one role
in several circles. There are operational roles and structural
structural roles. The various structural roles, which are less concerned with operational tasks, must guarantee the smooth running of the team (= sub
circle), both within it and within the organization. The two main roles are
structural roles:
    - **1ᵉʳ link:** in each sub-circle, one person takes on the role of coach, similar to the leader or manager in a pyramid system. This person's responsibilities include assigning roles, managing finances and priorities, coaching team members, and maintaining a good atmosphere. These tasks take up around 10% of his or her time, the rest being devoted to other roles depending on his or her skills.
    - **2ᵉ link:** is responsible for escalating a tension from a sub-circle to the super
    circle if it exceeds the authority of the sub-circle in question.

Also, in order to be better organized and more efficient than in a so-called classical structure, the “holarchic structure” relies on three [types of meetings](https://wedo.com/features/meetings) :

- **Strategic meetings** to define the company's direction.
- **Governance meetings**, the purpose of which is to work on the organization without addressing operational issues.
- **Tactical Meetings**, whose purpose is to work within the organization, i.e. on concrete (operational) subjects to be developed.

During these sessions, strict order, rules and roles must be respected. Each participant is invited to speak in turn and submit ideas or tensions. The aim is to find solutions collectively, and to help the organization evolve thanks to everyone's involvement.

### Holacracy: a change of cultural paradigm

Adopting holacracy is more than just an organizational transformation; it's also a profound change in corporate culture. One of the main challenges for companies is to abandon the culture of hierarchy and control, deeply rooted in traditional systems. Employees, accustomed to rigid structures with clear chains of command, must learn to operate autonomously and embrace individual responsibility.

![Graph comparing Holacracy and the traditional pyramidal system, highlighting structural differences and organizational impact.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_task_organisation_4_steps_1_0db00fe11e.png)

This requires not only a new way of thinking, but also a new way of working together. In a holarchical structure, employees must take on a certain form of individual leadership, while collaborating more closely with their colleagues. Collaborative decision-making, which is at the heart of holacracy, may take longer and require more patience than in a pyramidal model. However, this approach improves transparency, individual responsibility and alignment within teams. Each employee is encouraged to take the initiative and become more involved in decision-making processes. This creates an environment where autonomy is not only encouraged, but valued. Holacracy also encourages more open and regular communication between team members, reducing information silos and strengthening team spirit.

Another key aspect is that companies must be prepared to reinvent their reward and recognition systems. In a holacratic organization, traditional promotions are no longer relevant, as there are no hierarchical levels to climb. This overturns the traditional model of career progression. Employees need to be motivated by other forms of recognition, such as broader responsibilities, the opportunity to contribute to a variety of projects, or regular feedback mechanisms. For this system to work well, employees must also have a clear vision of their objectives and understand how their work contributes to the organization's raison d'être.

## The limits of holacracy

Although holacracy has been adopted by many companies, some, such as Amazon subsidiary Zappos, have either abandoned it or never embraced it. Indeed, this structure also has its limitations, such as rigid meeting rules, restrictions on freedom of expression, and questionable effectiveness. These various points influenced Zappos' decision to retract.⁴

Regarding roles, the Zappos example shows that an employee has around 7.4 roles for an average of 3.47 responsibilities per role. That's a total of more than 25 responsibilities per employee. This multiplicity of roles complicates the organization of work, recruitment, and the definition of salaries, as it becomes difficult to assess a fair wage. In fact, as the employees compile the various roles, establishing a salary in relation to what is being done on the market becomes virtually impossible.

Another delicate point in adopting holacracy is the need for greater discipline. In a model where individuals have greater autonomy and responsibility, it can be easy for some to lose sight of the company's priorities. What's more, not all personalities adapt easily to this level of self-management. Some employees may experience increased stress when faced with the need to take on more initiative and responsibility without traditional supervision. It can also create a lack of clarity in task allocation, especially in larger or more complex organizations, where communication and coordination are essential.

Despite its image as an innovative management system, holacracy is not suitable for all businesses. It can take years to adopt, and many employees may have to leave. For large companies, partial adoption is recommended. On the other hand, for start-ups and SMEs with a high level of organizational adaptability and a relatively small size, holacracy appears to be an appropriate solution. In fact, many of them are early adopters.⁵

## Holacracy and conflict management

Managing tensions is a key element in a holarchic organization. Tensions, according to holacracy, are defined as gaps between the organization's current state and what an ideal situation might be. These tensions are often seen as opportunities for improvement. However, managing tensions can sometimes become a source of frustration. If they are not dealt with quickly or effectively, they can lead to conflict between team members.

The role of the facilitator is therefore crucial in ensuring that tensions are resolved constructively. In a traditional structure, conflicts are often managed top-down, with a manager or supervisor playing the role of arbiter. In holacracy, conflict resolution is more horizontal, with teams often having to find their own solutions to problems that arise. This requires a high level of maturity and communication skills on the part of team members. For this to work, the organization needs to put in place well-defined conflict resolution processes and clear frameworks for escalating tensions.

## The long-term benefits of holacracy

Despite the challenges it presents, holacracy offers many potential long-term benefits. By adopting a more flexible governance model, companies can improve their resilience in the face of market changes. Increased team autonomy encourages innovation, as ideas can emerge more quickly and be implemented without going through a long validation chain. This enhanced responsiveness is essential in sectors where change is rapid and adaptability is a key success factor.

One of the main advantages of holacracy is that it encourages better use of employees' skills. Indeed, employees are no longer restricted to a single defined role or position; they can contribute to different projects and circles according to their talents and interests. This also prevents certain talents from going untapped, or valuable skills from being under-utilized. This approach can lead to greater job satisfaction and higher talent retention, as employees feel they have greater freedom to develop their skills and broaden their scope within the organization.¹⁰

Finally, holacracy enables greater organizational agility. Companies that adopt this model are often more responsive to market changes, as they are not held back by rigid structures. Decisions are taken faster and closer to the operational teams, enabling strategies to be adjusted in real time. This flexibility can be a major competitive advantage, especially in dynamic markets where the ability to react quickly to change is crucial.

![Graph illustrating the benefits of Holacracy, emphasizing adaptability, autonomy, and team alignment.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_task_organisation_4_steps_4_a7aac4fe0f.png)

## Holacracy and innovation: a winning synergy

One of the great strengths of holacracy lies in its ability to foster innovation. By removing hierarchical barriers, employees feel freer to put forward new ideas, even if they're off the beaten track. This ability to generate new ideas is essential in a world where markets evolve rapidly and companies must constantly reinvent themselves. Holacracy also encourages calculated risk-taking, as each circle can experiment on a small scale without fear of serious consequences for the organization as a whole.

What's more, holacracy enables ideas to be tested more quickly. Each circle can make decisions independently and implement prototypes or pilot projects without waiting for approval from top management. This reduces time-to-market and keeps the company competitive. This is particularly beneficial for startups or fast-growing companies, where the ability to innovate and adapt quickly is crucial to survival and prosperity.

Holacracy also encourages a diversity of viewpoints, allowing everyone, whatever their role or status, to contribute to collective thinking. This diversity is a powerful driver of innovation, as it enables a variety of ideas to be brought together and more creative solutions to the challenges facing the company to be explored. It also helps to break down the tendency towards one-track thinking, by encouraging the inclusion of voices from all levels and giving everyone the opportunity to play an active part in creating value for the company.

In conclusion, holacracy is an innovative management model that challenges conventional structures. However, its application raises challenges, particularly in the complex management of roles and organization. Adapted to agile companies such as [start-ups and certain SMEs](https://wedo.com/industries/sme), it is not a universal solution, especially for large structures. Each company must therefore carefully assess its specific needs before adopting holacracy, preparing appropriate adjustments for a successful transition.

Would you like to test holacracy in your company? WEDO can help you with our comprehensive governance module dedicated to this management system. To find out more, ask one of our specialists for a free demo.


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### Governance with WEDO

::youtube-video{#vSchpiRKs0M}


::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

**References**

1. GROSJEAN, VINCENT, LEÏCHLÉ, JACQUES and THÉVENY, LAURENT, 2016. New forms of work organization: opportunities or illusions? . 2016. Vol. 245, pp. 6-9.
2. BERNSTEIN, Ethan, BUNCH, John, CANNER, Niko and LEE, Michael, 2016. Beyond the Holacracy Hype. Harvard Business Review. August 2016. pp. 38-49.
3. CHIQUET, Bernard Marie and APPERT, Étienne, 2013. A new managerial technology, holacracy. Goussonville : IGI partners. ISBN 978-2-9545641-1-1. 658.002 22
4. CASTILLO, Amanda, 2018. Holacratie, l'utopie qui se passe de chef. Le Temps [online]. October 5, 2018. [Accessed April 17, 2022]. Available from: https://www.letemps.ch/economie/holacratie-lutopie-se-passe-chef
5. BERNSTEIN, Ethan, BUNCH, John, CANNER, Niko and LEE, Michael, 2016. Beyond the Holacracy Hype. Harvard Business Review. August 2016. pp. 38-49.

Holacracy reshapes organizations by balancing reliability and adaptability, contrasting with traditional pyramidal systems. Discover its benefits and challenges in this article.

This image explores whether holacracy is a revolution or a challenge, illustrated with a network of interconnected circles on an orange background

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Holacracy: managerial revolution or organizational challenge?

Human resources (HR) departments are at the heart of talent management and employee well-being in companies. Their role ranges from day-to-day administrative management to strategic decisions to improve corporate culture and employee engagement. However, these responsibilities bring a considerable administrative burden, particularly in managing the time spent preparing and monitoring HR processes and meetings.

Automating HR procedures is emerging as a key solution for saving time, reducing errors, and improving the employee experience. In this article, we take a look at the recruitment process.

## Standardizing the recruitment process

Recruitment is often a long and costly process. Automating procedures will simplify the process for any new business.

### Checklists for your recurring procedures

By creating a checklist model for employee recruitment, you standardize the steps to be taken. 

With WEDO, each task in the template has :

- a detailed description
- attachments (application file, regulations, assessment, specifications, etc.)
- a completion date and deadline
- a member of staff responsible
- an observer, if required

Once created, these templates are available in the WEDO platform and can be updated as often as necessary as the internal process evolves. The various tasks in the template are automatically delegated to the people in charge and will be added to their list of tasks.

In the case of recruitment, good practice would advocate the creation of checklist templates for each of the following stages:

#### Talent search process
From describing the job to putting your adverts online, your checklist will enable you to list all the usual steps involved in targeting the right profiles. 

#### Recruitment process
As soon as an application enters the recruitment process, a checklist can be launched on behalf of the candidate to ensure that each application is treated in the same way:

![recruitment process with wedo](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Recruiting_process_EN_1_47784f7f75.png)

#### Onboarding procedure
You've found your rare pearl. Mission accomplished? Not entirely. You now need to prepare for the arrival of your new employee. Contracts, integrating the profile into the system, setting up their computer, creating entry badges, creating an email address, informing employees: you've got a long list of tasks ahead of you. What's more, this list of tasks will concern not only the HR department, but also the head of the person's department, or the IT department, for example. That's why it's so important to be able to delegate tasks between departments and to be able to monitor them as an observer.

![onboarding process with WEDO](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Onboarding_EN_1_0563642850.png)

#### Handover of tasks to the new employee:
Now that the HR staff's job is done, the checklists will be invaluable to the new recruit's manager. Welcoming a new employee and handing over tasks and projects are laborious and time-consuming stages. WEDO improves familiarization by providing checklist templates. These will provide crucial information on the steps to follow, contacts and documents needed to carry out their new projects.

In addition to recruitment and onboarding, WEDO customers use the Checklists module to automate procedures such as employee departure, contract amendment, maternity/paternity leave, event preparation and training strategy.

### Preparing and transcribing job interviews

As part of your recruitment process, you can transcribe all your interviews in WEDO's meeting module. By creating a customized agenda, all you have to do is transcribe the discussions into the planned themes.

## An array of essential HR management functions

In addition to its checklists and task management, the WEDO collaborative platform offers a host of features to support human resources in their activities.

### Manage your bilateral meetings

Bilateral meetings are privileged occasions for establishing a confidential and open communication space, encouraging in-depth discussion of individual and collective objectives. They provide a framework for recognizing each person's achievements and contributions, reinforcing the sense of achievement and belonging to the team.

![bilateral meetings with WEDO](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/HR_EN_1_c973c7a2da.png)

The WEDO platform enables you to automate your recurring meetings of all types, particularly bilateral meetings. The agenda is set by the supervisor, but preparation is collaborative. This allows employees to fill in the various points and questions to be addressed beforehand, or to complete an assessment, for example.

Generally speaking, the items on the agenda of a bilateral meeting are recurrent. With WEDO, you can set up the themes so that they recur from one meeting to the next, to ensure that the discussions are followed up and the objectives evolve.

Once completed, the minutes are locked and remain available to both participants for consultation.

![Sylviane Juilland HR manager testimonal](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/EN_Sylviane_Juillandfinal_1_b0a38e1a92.png)

In a previous article, we gave you a few ideas on what to discuss at a bilateral meeting, to make it as engaging as it is constructive. 

[Read article](https://wedo.com/blog/topics-for-bilateral-meetings)

### Governance :

In addition to checklists, task management and the meeting module, WEDO offers a governance add-on. It represents your organization chart in the form of circles and roles. Thanks to this unique and innovative visual structure, drawn from the principles of holacracy, WEDO users can now benefit from an agile and transparent method for structuring their teams, defining roles and responsibilities, and improving internal communication.

[Learn more](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSchpiRKs0M)

### Home working supervision :

As a collaborative platform, WEDO lets you monitor the progress of tasks and projects in real time. It provides secure access to minutes and files at all times, for seamless remote collaboration.

Interested in WEDO? Schedule a 30-minute meeting to discover all the WEDO features that will make your HR processes easier.

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}


Automating HR procedures is emerging as a key solution for saving time, reducing errors, and improving the employee experience. In this article, we take a look at the recruitment process.

This image asks how to save time in your HR processes, illustrated with a fast-moving stopwatch on a yellow background

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How can you save time in your HR procedures?

In today's professional world, meetings are inevitable. In particular, they are essential for planning, decision-making and monitoring projects. According to a recent WEDO survey, the biggest challenge for many professionals is **the follow-up on post-meeting actions.**

This article aims to provide you with practical advice on how to overcome this challenge and maximise the effectiveness of post-meeting follow-up.

Here are 6 concrete actions that you can apply to your follow-up:
1. **Clear assignment of tasks**: during the meeting, clearly assign responsibilities. Each action should be assigned to a specific person with a clear date. At the end of the meeting, recheck the tasks assigned and complete them if necessary.
2. **Use meeting/project management tools**: integrate tools such as WEDO to track the progress of tasks from one meeting to the next. These platforms provide a clear view of the actions to be taken and their progress.
3. **Meeting summaries**: send a meeting summary to all participants, including a list of actions to be taken, who is responsible for each task and the related deadlines.
4. **Plan follow-up points**: schedule follow-up meetings to review progress. At the start of these meetings, review any outstanding tasks. These regular updates help to maintain momentum and adjust plans if necessary.
5. **Open communication**: encourage regular communication between teams. This helps to resolve issues quickly and share updates on ongoing tasks.
6. **Recognition and feedback**: value successes and give feedback on completed actions. This strengthens the team's motivation and commitment.

For these strategies to be effective, it is essential to establish a culture of responsibility and transparency within your team. Encouraging each member to take ownership of their tasks and to communicate openly about progress contributes greatly to the overall effectiveness of monitoring. Similarly, it's important to remain flexible and adapt to changing circumstances, while keeping an eye on the final objectives. By implementing these practices, you will not only see an improvement in the follow-up of actions, but also a strengthening of the cohesion and dynamics of your team.

Post-meeting action tracking doesn't have to be a source of stress. By adopting these strategies, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity to improve the productivity and effectiveness of your meetings and your team.

In the professional environment, meetings play a key role in planning and decision-making. However, the follow-up of post-meeting actions represents a major obstacle for many people. Faced with this challenge, this article proposes concrete strategies for improving the effectiveness of follow-up.

This image outlines 6 practical steps for effective meeting follow-up, illustrated with a progress flow and check mark on a blue background

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Follow-up on post-meeting actions

![5 employees taking part in a motivating and engaging meeting](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/i_Stock_1443245160_40bc218d99.jpg)

In today's business landscape, meetings have become a cornerstone of how we work together. However, they can often seem monotonous and unproductive. They present a double challenge: on the one hand, keeping participants motivated and engaged, and on the other, ensuring that these exchanges are productive. As we struggle to navigate overloaded agendas and ambitious goals, how can we transform these meetings, often perceived as a constraint, into fruitful opportunities for collaboration and innovation?

This article examines how meeting leaders can create spaces where engagement, motivation, and productivity blend naturally. From agenda setting to post-meeting management, every aspect plays a crucial role in meeting success.

## How to boost motivation during a meeting?

### 1. Clarify the purpose and importance of the meeting
Make sure each participant understands why the meeting is important, and how it contributes to the overall objectives of the team or company. Try to link the meeting's objectives to the participants' personal or professional goals, showing them the direct benefit of their active participation.

### 2. Involve participants
Before the meeting, ask participants to contribute to the agenda. This gives them a sense of ownership and reinforces their interest. Actively encourage participation and show appreciation for everyone's ideas and opinions. Recognizing everyone's input increases motivation and commitment. Assigning specific roles (such as facilitator, topic leader, note-taker, moderator) can help participants feel involved and responsible for the success of the meeting.

### 3. Use interactive techniques
Incorporate interactive activities such as brainstorming or small-group workshops to energize the meeting and stimulate commitment. Round-table discussions are an easy way to encourage exchange.

### 4. Establish a comfortable, positive meeting environment
A welcoming space and a positive atmosphere can greatly influence participants' attitudes.

### 5. Ensure good time management
Setting a time limit for each item on the agenda and for each speaker ensures that the meeting remains dynamic and that all important topics are addressed without dragging on. Respecting participants' time shows that you value their contribution and their time.

### 6. Incorporate active breaks
For longer meetings, incorporating short breaks allows participants to stretch, refresh and come back more focused.

### 7. Use visual aids
Presentations, graphics and videos can make your meeting more lively and help to better communicate complex information.

### 8. Conclude with clear actions
End every meeting with a summary of key points and the distribution of tasks or actions to be undertaken. This ensures that the meeting has a concrete impact and that everyone knows what they need to do next.

### 9. Provide updates and feedback 
After the meeting, share a report with actions to be taken and follow up. This shows that the meeting is having a real impact and encourages continued participation.

![Meeting agenda for engaging meetings](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Brainstorming_Od_J_8cefa5a55a.png)

**Making a business meeting engaging is not only good for productivity but also for team morale.** By applying these strategies, you can transform your meetings into dynamic and productive moments, fostering better collaboration and communication within your team. You can create an environment where participants feel valued, involved, and motivated to contribute to the success of the meeting.

With the WEDO collaborative platform, you can **prepare your agendas** as a team and easily **track the progress of your projects**. From file sharing to task tracking, the content of your meetings is optimized by the platform so you can focus on the essentials.


::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}


This article examines how meeting leaders can create spaces where engagement, motivation, and productivity blend naturally. From agenda setting to post-meeting management, every aspect plays a crucial role in meeting success.

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9 simple tips to make your meetings more engaging

## What is Pareto's principle?

Pareto's principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, takes its name from the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He first formulated it at the beginning of the 20th century, when he observed that **80% of the land in Italy belonged to just 20% of the population**. The principle then stated that, in many situations, around 80% of the results are generated by 20% of the causes. In other words, a minority of efforts produce the majority of results. The principle quickly becomes a powerful concept that can be applied to many aspects of life, including time management.


![what is 20 of 80](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Loi_pareto_EN_c8000626e0.png)
## Time management and the 80/20 rule

Applied to time management, Pareto's principle means that 20% of your activities will produce 80% of your results. This means that if you identify these vital activities and prioritize them, you can save an enormous amount of time by eliminating or reducing less productive activities.

## How to save time with Pareto's principle

### 1. Identify your work tasks:
Start by making a complete list of all your work-related tasks and activities. Make sure you cover all activities, even the smallest ones.

### 2. Define your impact criteria: 
Establish precise criteria for evaluating the impact of each task. Criteria may vary according to your field of activity, but could include indicators such as sales generated, time saved, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, brand awareness, etc.

### 3. Assign impact scores:
For each task, assign an impact score based on your established criteria. You can use a numerical scale, for example from 1 to 10, to score each task according to its relative importance.

### 4. Measure actual results:
Collect quantitative data to assess the actual results of your tasks over a given period. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of each task. For example, if you work in marketing, you can measure the return on investment (ROI) of different campaigns.

### 5. Identify high-impact tasks:
Using impact scores and actual results, identify the tasks that have the greatest impact on your business goals. These are usually the 20% of tasks that generate 80% of your results.

### 6. Prioritize high-impact tasks:
Give these high-impact tasks top priority in your schedule and projects. Ensure that these essential activities receive the bulk of your time and attention.

### 7. Eliminate or delegate low-impact tasks:
Low-impact tasks, which have little impact on your objectives, can often be eliminated or delegated to other team members if possible. This frees up time and energy to focus on what really matters.

### 8. Evaluate regularly and adjust:
Pareto's principle is not fixed, and high-impact tasks can change over time. So it's essential to regularly re-evaluate your task list, adjusting impact scores according to actual results, and making sure you stay focused on what's most important for your professional career.

## Pareto's principle: examples

To better understand how to apply Pareto's principle in everyday life, here are a few concrete examples:

- If you're an entrepreneur, identify the 20% of your customers who generate 80% of your revenue and focus your marketing efforts on them.
- If you're studying for an exam, identify the 20% of subjects that make up 80% of the exam content and spend more time revising them.
- If you're looking to improve your fitness, identify the 20% of exercises that produce 80% of your results and incorporate them into your training program.

In conclusion, Pareto's principle is a powerful tool for optimizing your time management. By identifying and prioritizing the tasks that have the greatest impact, you can save time and achieve your goals more effectively. So put this 80/20 rule into practice in your life and enjoy the benefits of time management based on Pareto's principle.

## Pareto's principle and meetings

Pareto's principle can be a valuable guide to optimizing business meetings. By focusing on the key topics that generate the most impact, using time efficiently and eliminating unnecessary discussion, meetings can become more productive, saving participants valuable time for other essential activities. The key lies in identifying and putting into practice the 20% of factors that generate 80% of desired meeting results.

## Applying Pareto's principle with tools

WEDO software is a valuable tool for anyone wishing to apply Pareto's principle to time management. It enables you to prioritize, plan, track and analyze your tasks efficiently, helping you to save time by concentrating on what matters most. By using WEDO in conjunction with Pareto's principle, you can maximize your productivity and achieve your goals faster.

The principle states that, in many situations, around 80% of the results are generated by 20% of the causes. In other words, a minority of efforts produce the majority of results. 

This image represents the Pareto principle with an unbalanced scale showing 20 and 80, illustrating the 80/20 rule on a blue-purple background

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The Pareto Principle


Our recent LinkedIn survey revealed that almost 40% of respondents associate the ineffectiveness of a meeting with the lack of decisions made, while 34% point the finger at the participants' lack of preparation.

Indeed, meetings dictate our weeks and petrify our calendars. However, they remain a central element in collaboration and mark the echelons of project management.

In this article, we address these issues and suggest a few best practices that will have the advantage of optimizing your meetings.



## Problem n°1: Promoting decision-making at meetings

### 🎯 Systematically setting objectives

The meeting leader must be clear about the objectives of the meeting. Depending on the objectives and their deadlines, it is important to systematically [define in advance the decisions to be taken](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/6877940-voting-decision-preparing-the-decision-on-a-vote) and mention them in the agenda. 

### 🗣️  Assign decision-making authority 

It is advisable to define a meeting moderator or to [assign responsibility for each topic to a specific person](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5747620-define-the-presenter-of-a-topic). In this way, this person ensures that the matter reaches a decision before moving on to the next item. 

### 🗳️  Putting to the vote 

Decision-making can be facilitated by [voting](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/6877940-voting-decision-preparing-the-decision-on-a-vote). When a decision is taken within a group, voting can  reach a collegial decision. Voting puts an end to endless discussion and allows the group to move on to the next issue.  

### ✅   Formalizing decision-making 

It's important to record decisions clearly in the minutes. The [record of any decision must be easily accessible](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/2614315-view-all-decisions-made-in-meetings) to avoid wasting time searching for information. 


##  Problem n°2: Encourage participants to prepare themselves

### 👀  Reading discussion material in advance

[Send information and documents](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5959542-share-a-meeting) dealing with the various topics in advance so that participants can prepare themselves. Reading the issues in advance ensures that they are dealt with more quickly, thus reducing the length of the meeting.   

### 🗓️  Initiate debate before the meeting

By mentioning any [questions or decisions](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5701398-types-of-blocks) to be made on the agenda, participants can prepare themselves for the debate.  

### 👤 Empowering participants

The meeting initiator does not have to run the entire session. On the contrary, by [appointing a member of staff as presenter](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5747620-define-the-presenter-of-a-topic) for a topic in which he or she is involved, he or she will by nature be better prepared and more responsible for managing the project. In addition, the change of presenter will have the advantage of giving the meeting a rhythm.

### ❎  Consistency in the participation of certain employees

A lack of preparation or investment on the part of an employee can sometimes mean that his or her presence is perhaps not relevant.

![Préparation d'un ordre du jour](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/ca_preparer_odj_d6adef1deb.png)


Collaborative upstream work can radically improve meeting productivity and participant involvement. 

WEDO is a cloud-based solution that enables all team and company members to manage their meeting agendas. Agenda items and content are automatically transferred from one meeting to the next, ensuring the traceability of projects, tasks and decisions. 

The platform is compatible with the management of all types of meetings, from board meetings to HR meetings, as well as regular or exceptional project management sessions.


::button-primary[Request a free demo]{link="/demo"}


Our recent LinkedIn survey revealed that almost 40% of respondents associate the inefficiency of a meeting with the lack of decisions made, while 34% point the finger at the lack of preparation on the part of participants.

This article addresses these issues and suggests a few best practices to optimize your meetings.

This image highlights two common disruptors in meetings, shown with an icon of a frowning person on a purple background

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What are the main disruptive elements in our meetings?

It's time to get out the brooms and rags to do spring cleaning in your task lists and work environment! Take the opportunity to throw out anything that is no longer needed, update what needs to be updated and focus on the most critical tasks.

Sorting and cleaning your to-do lists will have a beneficial effect on your productivity. All you have to do is block off an hour in your calendar, pour yourself a cup of coffee, start your favorite playlist, and get to work!

## Here are some steps to get your projects in order:

1. Make a list of all your current tasks - this will allow you to see the scope of your current and upcoming projects so you can anticipate a possible lack of resources and prevent potential delays. For more clarity in tracking your projects, it is recommended to use a task manager that will allow you to centralize your tasks and those of your colleagues.
2. Prioritize your tasks - this will help you focus on the most critical tasks with the shortest due dates and the most severe consequences for poor execution.
3. Evaluate your tasks - ask yourself if all tasks are necessary, still relevant, or could be updated or deleted.
4. Eliminate redundant or unnecessary tasks - free up time and resources to focus on more important tasks.
5. Update your tasks - if they need updating, change them to keep them relevant.
6. Delegate - if a task doesn't seem relevant to your skills or job description, discuss with your colleagues and supervisors whether you should delegate it to a colleague.

Beyond your task lists, you can extend your spring cleaning to your work environment. Get rid of unnecessary things and rethink your organization to make a fresh start.

1. Spend a few minutes on your personal storage space, such as a locker or drawer. File or scan documents that must be filed to eliminate unnecessary or non-functional items.
2. Your mind will be lightened with an orderly workstation. To do this, sort out your desk. Put away your documents, throw away pens that haven't had ink in months, and collect all your *Post-its* and notes encroaching on your space. A digitalized task and note manager is highly recommended to avoid forgetting information written on loose sheets.
3. Sort out your computer desktop. Computer screens are often overwhelmed with files left there "momentarily" Here is an opportunity to sort or delete them to rediscover your desktop.

Spring cleaning is a rite of passage that guarantees guaranteed satisfaction and well-being, even if sometimes perceived as a chore.

If you want to digitalize, centralize and manage tasks collaboratively within your company, request a free demo of the WEDO collaborative platform.

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

It's time to get out the brooms and rags to do spring cleaning in your task lists and work environment! Discover our tips.

This image introduces the idea of spring cleaning your task management, with a broom icon on a red background

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Task Management: The Big Spring Clean!

Trello

Asana

Decisions

Monday.com

eSéances

MS Teams

MS Planner

OneNote

Every day, we juggle a series of tasks, from answering emails and attending meetings all the way to cooking dinner or finally folding that pile of laundry staring us down for days. Task management is everywhere around us, whether we realize it or not. 

But here's the catch: managing tasks is more than checking boxes. It's making sure the right boxes are checked at the right time, by the right people.

For individuals, good task management can mean less stress and more time to spend on what matters most to them. For teams and organizations, it's the difference between controlled chaos and seamless collaboration. When done well, task management becomes a superpower, moving businesses toward growth and ensuring projects are delivered on time (and with fewer sleepless nights).

In this guide, we're going to explore strategies, tools, and best practices that turn task management into a fine-tuned system. Whether you're wrangling your own to-do list or leading a team toward big goals, this can be your roadmap to staying on top of your game. 

Let's get started!


The Ultimate Guide to Task Management: Strategies, Tools, and Best Practices

Ever lost track of a critical task buried in an email thread? Or watched deadlines creep up because nobody was sure who owned what? Relying on a simple task list won’t cut it when multiple projects, due dates, and team members collide.

That’s where a dedicated task organizer or a task management tool comes in. [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) brings tasks, checklists, and meetings into one workspace. You can assign tasks to the right person, set due dates that sync with your calendar, and apply task checklist templates for recurring processes. With real time updates and a built‑in Kanban view, everyone sees the latest status without jumping between apps.

![Graphic “WEDO Task Organizer – Key Features at a Glance” with 6 highlighted features: Quick task creation, dependencies & subtasks, real-time updates, multiple views, calendar sync, comments & email conversion, checklist templates.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/WEDO_task_organizer_key_features_at_a_glance_en_dd38b51df8.png)

In this article, we’ll walk through WEDO’s task features, show you how to plan and prioritize projects, and explain how to track progress so your team spends less time hunting for updates and more time getting things done.

## Why You Need a Task Management Tool

Here’s why a dedicated task organizer is essential for any team:

1. Scattered tasks lead to confusion and delays. When work lives across emails, chat threads, and multiple spreadsheets, it’s hard to know who’s doing what and when it’s due. A centralized [task management tool](https://wedo.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-task-management-tool-for-your-team) solves this by consolidating every task in one place.

2. Clear ownership prevents dropped balls. In a shared task list, each item names its assignee. There’s no room for guesswork or “I didn’t realize that was mine.” Responsibility is explicit, which keeps tasks moving forward and reduces the need for constant follow‑up.

3. Visible deadlines keep projects on track. Due dates displayed alongside tasks and synced to your calendar,  ensure everyone sees upcoming milestones. Automated reminders surface tasks before they become overdue, so you spend less time scrambling and more time executing.

4. Flexible views support any workflow. Whether you need a prioritized task list, a Kanban board to visualize stages, or a calendar overview to plan weeks ahead, a task management tool adapts to your process. Real‑time updates mean all team members work off the same information without juggling multiple documents.

5. Built‑in templates and dependencies create consistency. Reusable checklist templates streamline repetitive processes, while task dependency features enforce the correct sequence of activities. This structure scales as your project grows, turning ad‑hoc to‑dos into a predictable workflow.

In summary, a task organizer transforms chaotic to‑do lists into a transparent, accountable system. It centralizes tasks, clarifies ownership, highlights deadlines, and adapts to your team’s needs, so you can focus on results instead of managing scattered details.

## WEDO’s Task & Checklist Features

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) packs powerful features into its platform, making it easy to manage everything from one‑off action items to complex, multi‑step processes.

### Quick Task Creation

Adding new work is simple. Click “New Task,” fill in the title and description, attach supporting files, choose a due date, and assign a responsible team member. If others need visibility, you can add them as watchers to follow updates and activity. Everyone involved receives a notification right away, so tasks never go unnoticed.

### Reusable Checklist Templates

Instead of rebuilding the same process each time, WEDO lets you create [checklist templates](https://wedo.com/features/tasks), a predefined list of tasks (and optional subtasks) tailored to recurring workflows like “Draft,” “Review,” “Approve,” “Publish.” When it’s time to execute the process, you simply launch a new checklist based on the template. Each task can be tracked independently, with real-time updates reflecting overall progress and keeping everyone aligned.

### Advanced Subtasks and Dependencies

Complex deliverables often involve multiple steps and stakeholders. WEDO lets you break a task into subtasks, assign each to a different team member, and set individual due dates. When order matters, mark subtasks as “blocks” or “blocked by” to enforce the right sequence and prevent premature starts.

### Multiple Views: List, Kanban, and Gantt

Different projects call for different perspectives. In List view, you can sort and filter tasks by project, assignee, due date, or custom fields. [Kanban view](https://wedo.com/blog/what-is-a-kanban-board-tools-apps-and-project-use-cases-explained) shows tasks as cards moving through workflow stages like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done,” making it easy to spot bottlenecks. And for a visual timeline, [Gantt view](https://wedo.com/blog/manage-your-projects-efficiently-with-wedo-s-gantt-chart) maps tasks across a calendar so you can track overlaps, dependencies, and progress over time, all in one place.

### Calendar Synchronization

Never miss a deadline again. Every due date in WEDO automatically appears in Outlook, Gmail, iCal, or any other ICS‑compatible calendar. Your task deadlines and meetings share the same view, so you can plan your day without toggling between apps.

### In‑Task Comments and Email Conversion

Context matters. Add comments directly within a task to discuss details, tag colleagues for input, or link related meeting minutes. When an actionable email lands in your inbox, convert it into a WEDO task, attachments included, so nothing slips through the cracks.

By combining these features, intuitive task creation, powerful templates, dependency management, flexible views, [calendar sync](https://wedo.com/features/meetings), and contextual collaboration, WEDO streamlines every step of task management. In the next section, we’ll see how to use these tools to plan and prioritize entire projects.

## Planning and Prioritizing Projects with WEDO

Effective project planning starts by breaking your goals into concrete tasks. In WEDO, you begin by creating a new project or linking tasks directly to a meeting’s action items. From there, follow these steps:

![Diagram “Your Task Workflow in WEDO” showing 7 steps: Create projects & milestones, add tasks or checklists, assign owners & due dates, prioritize & set dependencies, choose your view, track live progress, review in meetings.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/from_planning_to_progress_your_task_workflow_in_WEDO_en_4d5c5cef4b.png)

1. **Define Milestones and Tasks**
    - Outline your key deliverables, such as launch dates, major feature rollouts, or campaign deadlines, and set them as milestones.
    - Under each milestone, create tasks with clear titles, descriptions, and due dates. If a process repeats (like content reviews), apply a checklist template to save time.
2. **Assign and Balance**
    - Allocate tasks to team members based on expertise and current workload. WEDO’s task list shows each person’s assignments and due dates side by side, making it easy to spot overload.
    - Adjust assignments or due dates directly in the list or Kanban view to even out workloads and keep progress steady.
3. **Set Priorities with Urgency and Importance**
    
    [WEDO helps you prioritize](https://wedo.com/blog/guide-to-managing-and-prioritizing-your-daily-tasks) using the Eisenhower matrix, so tasks are ranked by what truly matters:
    
    - **Assign urgency and importance** to each task to determine how it should be handled: act, schedule, delegate, or eliminate.
    - **Sort and filter tasks** in List view based on these priority levels, so the most critical work always stays visible.
    - **Encourage smarter decisions** across the team by focusing on impact and time sensitivity, not just arbitrary labels.
4. **Layer in Dependencies**
    - For tasks that must follow a specific sequence, link them with WEDO’s dependency feature. This ensures that downstream work only begins when upstream tasks are complete, preventing hold‑ups.
5. **Sync Deadlines**
    - With due dates in place, your calendar stays current. Check your calendar view to see how [task deadlines](https://wedo.com/blog/how-to-stay-on-top-of-task-deadlines-and-due-dates) align with meetings and events, and adjust so high‑priority tasks get the attention they need.
6. **Review and Adjust**
    - During regular status meetings, or right from your meeting minutes, pull up the project’s task list in WEDO. Mark completed items, reassign tasks that need reshuffling, and revise due dates based on new information.

By structuring work into milestones, assigning ownership, flagging important tasks, and enforcing dependencies, WEDO helps you create a living project plan. Prioritization becomes a simple matter of filtering, sorting, and tagging, so your team always knows what to tackle next.

## Tracking Progress and Staying Aligned

Keeping projects on track means knowing where every task stands at a glance. WEDO provides real-time visibility and context so you and your team stay aligned:

**Live Task Status**

Every change, from marking a subtask done to updating a due date, appears instantly for all collaborators. No more waiting on email replies or outdated spreadsheets; you see progress as it happens.

**Dashboard and Feed**

WEDO’s workspace feed offers a chronological log of task activity: who completed what, when, and any comments added. Use the dashboard to get a high-level view of tasks due soon, overdue items, and overall completion rates for a project.

**Meeting Integration**

Link tasks to meeting agendas and minutes. When you review notes in your next meeting, WEDO shows which action items are complete and which still need attention. You can even create follow-up tasks on the spot and assign them without leaving the meeting interface.

**Custom Filters and Saved Views**

Focus on what matters most by filtering tasks by assignee, due date range, priority, or project. Save these configurations as custom views so you can return to the exact slice of work you need, whether that’s “My tasks due this week” or “High‑priority items in Project X.”

**Notifications and Alerts**

Choose how you want to be notified, via in‑app alerts, email summaries, or both, so you never miss critical updates. WEDO surfaces reminders for approaching due dates and flags overdue tasks to keep everyone accountable.

By combining live status updates, an activity feed, seamless meeting links, custom filters, and smart alerts, WEDO ensures you always have current, actionable information. That means fewer surprises, more proactive course corrections, and projects that finish on time.

## Power‑User & Security Features

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) doesn’t just handle tasks; it also scales with growing teams and secures your data:

**Public API & MS Teams Integration (Coming Soon)**

For advanced workflows, WEDO offers an API so you can build custom integrations and automate repetitive steps. An upcoming Microsoft Teams integration will push task updates directly into your team’s chat channels.

**External Users**

Collaborate beyond your organization by inviting clients or contractors into your WEDO workspace, free of charge. You control access rights so external users see only what’s relevant to them.

**Mobile Access**

Stay productive on the go. WEDO’s mobile‑friendly interface works seamlessly on any device with a browser, ensuring you can review, assign, or complete tasks whether you’re at your desk or in transit.

**Smart Notifications**

Customize your alert preferences: choose instant notifications for critical updates, daily digests for routine check‑ins, or silent mode when you need focused work time.

**Swiss‑Hosted Security**

WEDO is built and hosted in Switzerland on ISO/IEC 27001 certified servers. Features like SAML single sign‑on and two‑factor authentication protect your organization’s data and meet rigorous compliance standards.

These power‑user and security features ensure that as your task lists, and your team, grow, WEDO remains a safe, flexible, and reliable backbone for your project management.

## Conclusion

Effective task management is the foundation of successful projects. With [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features), you gain a unified platform that simplifies task creation, enforces consistent workflows through checklist templates and dependencies, and offers both list and Kanban views for maximum clarity. Real‑time updates and meeting integration ensure that every team member stays aligned, while Swiss‑hosted, ISO‑certified security safeguards your data.

Experience how WEDO can streamline your planning, prioritization, and tracking processes: [start your free trial today](https://wedo.com/signup) and turn your team’s task chaos into clear, trackable progress.

Plan, prioritize, and track tasks with WEDO. Assign tasks, set due dates, reuse checklist templates, switch to Kanban view, and get real‑time updates—all in one workspace.

Illustration with the text "Plan, Prioritize, and Track Like a Pro" on a yellow background, next to blue icons representing a workflow with milestones and a check mark.

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WEDO as a Task Organizer: Plan, Prioritize, and Track Like a Pro

You’ve tried spreadsheets, email threads, maybe even magic eight balls, yet projects still stall, priorities clash, and deadlines sneak up on you. If this sounds familiar, it’s time to rethink your strategy and look at two proven systems: Kanban and Scrum. Both belong to the broader agile framework for product development and project management, and both aim to bring clarity to chaos.

Scrum hands you sprints, short, fixed intervals where a defined group (Product Owner, Scrum Master, development team) tackles a set of tasks, then inspects and adapts at a sprint review. It’s rhythm with guardrails.

[Kanban](https://wedo.com/tag/kanban-2) hands you a board, lanes for each stage of work, limits on how much you start, and a focus on steady flow. No roles are carved in stone; your team tweaks policies as it learns.

In this article, we’ll explore both frameworks, compare their roles, rituals, and tools, and help you choose the one that fits your team’s rhythm.

## What Is Scrum?

[Scrum](https://scrumguides.org/) structures work into time‑boxed bursts, typically two to four weeks, so teams can ship bite‑sized updates at a steady clip. The goal is simple: break big projects into manageable chunks, inspect progress often, and adapt quickly.

### Defined Roles

- **Product Owner**: Owns the backlog, sets priorities, and answers questions about requirements.
- **Scrum Master**: Coaches the team on Scrum practices, removes impediments, and protects the team from distractions.
- **Development Team**: A cross‑functional group of team members who design, build, test, and deliver the work items.

These roles are non‑negotiable, no hybrids, no “part‑time Scrum Master.” Clear ownership keeps everyone accountable.

### Key Artifacts

- **Product Backlog**: The master list of features, bug fixes, and technical tasks, all ordered by value and urgency.
- **Sprint Backlog**: A subset of the product backlog chosen for the current sprint, complete with sprint goals and estimated effort.
- **Increment**: The sum of all “Done” work items at the end of a sprint. Every increment must meet the team’s definition of done.

### Core Events

1. **Sprint Planning**: Decide what goes into the sprint. The product owner presents high‑priority items; the development team commits based on capacity.
2. **Daily Scrum**: A 15‑minute standup. Each team member answers: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Any blockers?
3. **Sprint Review**: Demonstrate the increment to stakeholders, gather feedback, and update the product backlog.
4. **Sprint Retrospective**: Reflect on the sprint process, identify improvements, and plan changes for the next sprint.

### Cadence and Due Dates

Sprints enforce regularity. Because sprints are fixed in length, you get a predictable rhythm: you know exactly when the next sprint review will happen and when due dates are locked in. This makes forecasting easier and gives the team a clear “heartbeat.”

### Metrics

- **Velocity**: Average number of story points (or other units) completed per sprint. Used for forecasting future work.
- **Burndown Chart**: Tracks remaining work within a sprint to signal whether the team is on track.

Scrum works best when you need structure, defined roles, regular checkpoints, and clear due dates. It’s not magic, but it does bring a disciplined flow of work that many teams find invaluable.

## What Is Kanban?

[Kanban](https://www.icagile.com/resources/intro-to-kanban-what-it-is-how-it-works-benefits-and-core-principles) is an agile method centered on visualizing work items and managing the flow of work. It originated in manufacturing but has since been adapted for software and product development. Unlike Scrum, Kanban does not require fixed‑length iterations or prescribed roles.

### Core Principles

1. **Visualize Work**
    - Use a Kanban board with columns (e.g., “Backlog,” “In Progress,” “Review,” “Done”)
    - Each card represents a work item, such as a feature, bug fix, or task
2. **Limit Work In Progress (WIP)**
    - Set explicit limits on how many cards can be in each column
    - Prevents overloading the development team and highlights bottlenecks
3. **Manage Flow of Work**
    - Track how long cards spend in each stage (cycle time)
    - Aim for a steady, predictable throughput rather than bursts of activity
4. **Make Policies Explicit**
    - Define entry and exit criteria for each column
    - Clarifies expectations for team members and reduces ambiguity
5. **Implement Feedback Loops**
    - Hold regular reviews (e.g., weekly or bi‑weekly) to inspect flow and process
    - Adjust WIP limits or policies based on data and team feedback
6. **Continuous Improvement**
    - Use metrics like lead time (total time from request to delivery) to identify areas for improvement
    - Encourage every team member to suggest tweaks to the process

### Kanban Boards and Work Items

A typical [Kanban board](https://kanban.university/kanban-guide/) has columns that match stages of your workflow. Cards move from left to right:

| **Backlog** | **Ready** | **In Progress** | **Review** | **Done** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
- **Work Items**: Each card includes a description, assignee (team member), and due dates if needed.
- **Swimlanes**: Optional horizontal rows for different priority levels or work types (e.g., “Urgent,” “Maintenance,” “New Feature”).

### Metrics

- **Cycle Time**: Time a card spends from “In Progress” to “Done.”
- **Lead Time**: Time from when a card enters the backlog to completion.
- **Throughput**: Number of cards completed in a period.

### Flexibility and Roles

[Kanban](https://wedo.com/blog/wedo-integrates-the-kanban-view) doesn’t mandate roles like Product Owner or Scrum Master. Team members share responsibility for pulling work, reviewing policies, and facilitating improvements. You can introduce roles as needed, but the method thrives on adaptability.

### Kanban Method Variations

- **Kanban for Ops**: Focus on rapid response to incoming issues, ideal for support teams.
- **Evolutionary Change**: Start with your current process, overlay a Kanban board, then evolve.

Kanban works well when priorities shift unpredictably, work items vary in size, and you need a clear view of the flow without the overhead of fixed‑length sprints. Continuous improvement is built in, letting you refine your process one tweak at a time.

## Key Differences Between Kanban and Scrum

Now that we’ve outlined each method, let’s revisit their main contrasts without retracing every detail.

### Structure and Roles

[Scrum](https://wedo.com/blog/when-agility-becomes-a-necessity) gives you guardrails: a Product Owner who owns the backlog, a Scrum Master who keeps the process honest, and a development team that delivers in sprints. Those roles don’t budge until the sprint ends. Kanban, as we saw, drops role requirements. Any team member can pull work, tweak policies, or coach peers, if you agree who does what, ownership can spread more evenly.

### Cadence and Planning

We’ve described sprints as fixed intervals with locked‑in goals and due dates. That predictability can feel like a heartbeat for planning. Kanban swaps that for a continuous flow: items move independently through your persistent board. You set due dates per card, not per sprint, and you can reshuffle priorities anytime, as long as you respect your work‑in‑progress limits.

### Board Management

In Scrum, the board resets each sprint. You clear out “Done,” refill with new items, and track progress until the next reset. Kanban boards persist. Columns stay put, and cards cycle through until done. This ongoing view makes it easy to spot long‑running work or chronic bottlenecks without rebuilding the board every few weeks.

### Handling Change

Sprint boundaries protect focus by freezing scope mid‑sprint. If an urgent bug appears, you wait for the next sprint or declare an exception. Kanban keeps its doors open: add, remove, or re‑prioritize cards anytime, provided you don’t exceed your WIP limits. That flexibility is a boon when work arrives unpredictably.

### Measuring Success

Scrum teams track velocity (story points per sprint) and use burndown charts to see if they’ll hit the sprint goal. Those metrics guide sprint forecasts. Kanban teams focus on flow metrics: cycle time (from “In Progress” to “Done”), lead time (from request to delivery), and throughput (items finished over a period). These numbers tell you how smoothly work moves and where to tweak.

### Continuous Improvement Rhythm

Both frameworks value learning. Scrum packs its inspect‑and‑adapt into a sprint retrospective at the end of each cycle. Kanban spreads feedback across regular improvement meetings or even on‑the‑fly discussions. You adjust policies and limits whenever the data or your gut says something’s off.

In short, if you want timeboxed guardrails, defined roles, and calendar‑driven due dates, Scrum fits the bill. If you need flexibility, a persistent view of work items, and the ability to change course at any moment, Kanban might be your best bet.

## When to Use Scrum

[Choose Scrum](https://wedo.com/blog/when-agility-becomes-a-necessity) when your project benefits from clear milestones, regular checkpoints, and well‑defined roles. If you need a Product Owner to prioritize the backlog, a Scrum Master to shield the team from distractions, and a development team to focus on a sprint’s worth of work, Scrum provides the structure you need.

Scrum shines in product development efforts where features build on one another. You can plan a series of sprints, each “called sprint” lasting two to four weeks, with set due dates that align to release dates or stakeholder reviews. The sprint review gives you a formal moment to demo work items to stakeholders, gather feedback, and refine the product backlog for the next sprint.

Teams that thrive on predictability also gravitate toward Scrum. Velocity (the average number of story points completed per sprint) lets you forecast how many sprints it will take to finish work items. If hitting dates matters (for a marketing launch, compliance deadline, or major product milestone), knowing when your sprint review falls provides reliable checkpoints.

Scrum frameworks also help new Scrum teams learn agile practices. The defined ceremonies like sprint planning, daily Scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective create a repeatable rhythm. This rhythm can guide teams that haven’t yet mastered continuous improvement, giving them a safe container to inspect their process and adapt.

In short, when your work calls for strict sprint cadences, predictable due dates, and formal roles like Product Owner and Scrum Master, Scrum is likely the better choice.

## When to Use Kanban

Kanban is your go‑to when work arrives unpredictably, priorities shift often, or tasks vary widely in size. If your team handles support tickets, maintenance requests, or unplanned bug fixes, Kanban’s continuous flow lets you pull in urgent work without waiting for the next sprint.

You’ll set up a Kanban board, define stages that match your process, and assign explicit work‑in‑progress (WIP) limits. This keeps you from overcommitting: if “In Progress” is full, you finish existing cards before starting new ones. As cards move rightward, you track cycle time and lead time to spot bottlenecks and smooth the flow of work.

Kanban works well when you:

- Need flexibility on due dates. Instead of locking in dates for a sprint, you attach due dates to individual work items and adjust as you go.
- Want to minimize overhead. No mandatory sprint planning, daily standups, or sprint review, though you can borrow these ceremonies if they help.
- Aim for continuous improvement. Regular feedback loops, weekly flow reviews or quick retrospectives, let you tweak policies, column definitions, or WIP limits whenever you spot inefficiencies.
- Prefer visual transparency. A persistent Kanban board makes it clear what everyone is working on, what’s blocked, and what’s next, all without rebuilding the board each cycle.

In development teams where rapid response matters, Kanban is often a natural fit. It lets you balance demand against capacity, make flow issues visible, and improve steadily, one tweak at a time.

## Combining Scrum and Kanban: Scrumban

Sometimes the best answer lies between two extremes. Scrumban merges the rhythm of Scrum with the flow focus of Kanban, giving you structure without sacrificing flexibility.

### Why Scrumban?

- You like sprints for planning and reviews but want Kanban’s continuous flow to handle interruptions.
- Your team needs to limit work in progress to avoid context‑switching, yet still report velocity for stakeholders.
- You want regular retrospectives but also quick, on‑the‑fly adjustments to WIP limits or board policies.

![Infographic in English showing when to use Kanban, Scrum or Scrumban: unpredictable work, strict deadlines, flexibility, WIP limits, transition.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Which_framework_fits_your_workflow_best_en_a9fc6e3696.png)

### How Scrumban Works

1. **Sprint Planning Lite**
    - At the start of a sprint, pick a small set of high‑priority work items, not a full sprint backlog.
    - Use this meeting to set goals, but leave room for new cards to enter the board when capacity frees up.
2. **Kanban Board with WIP Limits**
    - Maintain a persistent board with columns that reflect your workflow.
    - Apply WIP limits in critical stages, like “In Progress” or “Review,” to force focus and finish tasks.
3. **Daily Standups**
    - Keep the quick check‑in: What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? Any blockers?
    - Use the board during standups to make bottlenecks and progress visible.
4. **Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives**
    - Hold sprint reviews to demo completed work and gather feedback on deliverables.
    - Conduct retrospectives to identify process tweaks—both at the sprint level and for ongoing Kanban policies.
5. **Flow Metrics and Velocity**
    - Track cycle time and lead time to spot delays in the workflow.
    - Optionally measure velocity for completed work items to aid forecasting without overcommitting.

**When to Adopt Scrumban**

- Your team is comfortable with Scrum but needs more agility for unplanned work items.
- You’ve outgrown strict sprint boundaries and want a continuous improvement mindset woven into every day.
- You need to balance predictability (due dates, sprint reviews) with adaptability (WIP limits, dynamic priorities).

Scrumban can act as a stepping stone: Scrum teams can introduce Kanban principles gradually, while Kanban teams can adopt sprint cadences for better planning and stakeholder engagement. By blending routines and flow controls, Scrumban creates a hybrid that adapts to real‑world demands without adding unnecessary ceremony.

![Comparison table in English of Kanban, Scrum and Scrumban: structure, roles, metrics and best use cases.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Kanban_vs_Scrum_vs_Scrumban_what_fits_your_team_en_ff6df415d3.png)

## Conclusion

Scrum and Kanban each bring order to the madness of product development. Choosing between Scrum and Kanban isn’t about right or wrong, it’s about fit. One method gives you scheduled cycles and role clarity, the other offers a live, pull‑based board and adaptive pace. If you need both predictability and flexibility, Scrumban blends planning checkpoints with on‑demand task intake.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) takes these frameworks out of theory and into practice. With built-in Kanban boards, sprint planning tools, custom workflows, and real‑time analytics—all hosted securely in Switzerland—[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) keeps every task, meeting, and deadline in one place. Whether you’re running a sprint review, tweaking your flow of work, or tracking cycle time, [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) adapts to your process so your team can focus on what matters: getting things done.

Ready for a smoother workflow? [**Try WEDO** today](https://wedo.com/signup).

Discover whether Kanban, Scrum or Scrumban best fits your team. Learn their key differences, use cases, and how WEDO’s platform streamlines your workflow.

Illustration with a magnifying glass and a gear, next to the text: Kanban vs. Scrum: Which One Should You Use?

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Kanban vs. Scrum: Which One Should You Use?

In the fast-paced world of administrative management, executive assistants play a crucial role. The Swiss army knives of any organization juggle many tasks and deadlines while supervising those of others. Faced with these challenges, they often find themselves overwhelmed by routine, repetitive responsibilities. We immersed ourselves in the daily lives of 6 executive assistants who use the WEDO platform to understand the workings of their organization, the challenges they face, and the tools they have put in place to facilitate their management.

According to our study, the most time-consuming tasks for executive assistants revolve mainly around administrative functions. These activities, while necessary, tend to monopolize a significant proportion of their working time, preventing them from concentrating fully on more crucial aspects of their role, such as operational and strategic development.

Among the most time-consuming tasks in their job descriptions, the executive assistants surveyed identify the following:

**1. Meeting preparation:** preparing agendas and presentation documents, taking and sharing minutes, following up on decisions and tasks delegated at meetings,

**2. Diary management and meeting organization:** planning and coordination of appointments, team meetings, and conferences, taking care to avoid scheduling conflicts,
**3. Document preparation and management:** drafting, proofreading, and organizing important documents such as reports, presentations, correspondence and contracts,

**4. Project coordination:** managing and following up on specific projects, liaising between different departments, and meeting deadlines.

Internal and external communications, administrative support, and human resources management closely follow those.

## How to lighten the administrative load for an executive assistant?

When asked what tools were used to monitor collaboration before WEDO was integrated, the most common programs were Outlook, Word (for taking minutes), and Excel. However, these tools had significant limitations. Respondents reported difficulties related to the cross-functionality of information between different team members. For example, these tools were not conducive to **active, real-time collaboration when taking PVs**, making this task often cumbersome and time-consuming, and necessitating numerous round-trips. The systematic use of e-mail to distribute these documents wasted considerable time without guaranteeing effective communication.

Furthermore, the limited nature of these tools prevented efficient tracking of tasks and projects. Users faced significant challenges maintaining a clear, up-to-date overview of projects. In short, although these tools are widespread and familiar, their use in team collaboration and project management needs to be improved.

This situation underlines the importance of cross-functional tools and solutions to lighten the administrative workload. With the implementation of WEDO, the executive assistants surveyed were able to optimize their administrative processes.

### 1. Meeting preparation and management

![computerized agenda for real-time note-taking](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/reunion_ENEN_aad2ef7f0e.png)

One of the most time-consuming aspects of the job is the preparation of meetings. With WEDO, executive assistants benefit from automated management and considerable time savings in preparation and follow-up. The platform enables uniform management of minutes, clear distribution of post-meeting tasks, and automatic tracking of topics from one session to the next. Users report an average time saving of 55% for these tasks.

![save time spent on meetings](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/55_ENEN_83c8604c19.png)

WEDO's meeting module lets you integrate blocks of paragraphs, tasks, file attachments, personal notes, votes and signatures, among others.

![testimonial Regula Oberdorfer](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Regula_Oberdorfer_ENEN_1a54d3c30f.png)

### 2. Project management and task tracking

![efficient task management](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/tasks_ENEN_be99588a59.png)

Project management and tracking represent another major challenge. WEDO simplifies this task by offering clear delegation possibilities, the creation of checklist templates to standardize processes, and real-time task tracking. This leads to better prioritization and more efficient day-to-day management.

![testimonials Aline Volery and Nicole Thalmann](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/testimonials_Aline_et_Nicole_ENEN_11a8dc6cff.png)

### Use case: facilitating HR processes and the transmission of specifications

When executive assistants are involved in HR processes, the integration of WEDO proves to be a major asset. The platform makes it possible to standardize on-boarding and off-boarding procedures by means of specific checklists. These checklists, drawn up for each stage of the process, automatically assign the relevant tasks to the team members concerned. This method ensures structured, efficient management of personnel transitions, eliminating the operational uncertainties often associated with the question "What steps should I take?".

By simplifying these processes, WEDO not only eases the workload for HR managers, but also contributes to a clear, documented handover of tasks and knowledge from one employee to the next.

![simplified hr processes](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Modeles_checklists_ENEN_fdf58af70f.png)

One of the decisive advantages of WEDO, highlighted by our management assistants, is the ease with which recruitment interviews can be documented in real time. Each exchange can be recorded directly in a standardized (and customized if required) agenda, enabling these interactions to be saved methodically and instantaneously.

### 4. Transmission of information

WEDO lets you link documents to tasks or meetings, ensuring that all the necessary information is in the right place. Global search makes it easy to retrieve documents, and to find a specific file based on a keyword found in the PDF file.

In terms of communication, WEDO users particularly appreciate the immediate visibility of entries and the ability to restrict access to certain information.

![Alexandra Locher](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Alexandra_locher_ENEN_e53527e95c.png)

**We asked our users to rate the platform on a scale of 1 to 10, to qualify the positive impact WEDO has on their daily tasks.**

![Best collaborative software for executive assistant productivity and organizations](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/preparation_reunion_note_ENEN_1_d92c7629a1.png)

![Alicia Aubert](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Alicia_Aubert_ENEN_5d3644b8f7.png)

Executive assistants can greatly ease their workload by equipping themselves with a collaborative platform. Do you have any questions or doubts about WEDO's compatibility with your needs? We'll be happy to give you a short 30-minute demonstration.

::button-primary[Try WEDO for free]{link="/signup"}

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

In the fast-paced world of administrative management, executive assistants play a crucial role. The Swiss army knives of any organization juggle many tasks and deadlines while supervising those of others

An executive assistant speaking on the phone with colleagues blurred in the background, overlaid with the text “How to make an executive assistant’s daily life easier” and “Use case”

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Making daily life easier for executive assistants

Held once a month, quarter, or half-year, as required, these privileged meetings provide a confidential and open communication space, encouraging in-depth discussion of individual and collective objectives. They create a valuable opportunity to discuss each employee's specific challenges and needs, fostering better mutual understanding. Moreover, these meetings provide a framework for recognizing individual achievements and contributions, reinforcing a sense of accomplishment and belonging to the team. Thanks to these personalized exchanges, bilateral meetings contribute to more effective personnel management, more focused professional growth, and solid, fulfilling working relationships.

## Key topics for a bilateral meeting

During a bilateral meeting between a team leader and an employee, several key topics must be addressed to ensure effective communication and optimal management. Here are some of these topics:

### 1. Ongoing assessment
Discuss objectives for the current period and assess progress and results achieved. Identify successes and areas requiring further attention.

### 2. Professional Development
Explore opportunities for employee development, training, and professional growth. Identify skills to be strengthened and possible progression paths.

### 3. Feedback
Exchange constructive feedback on work performed, highlighting strengths and addressing areas for improvement. Encourage open dialogue to stimulate continuous learning.

### 4. Needs and Challenges
Allow employees to express their needs regarding resources, assistance, or support to accomplish their tasks. Discuss possible obstacles and find solutions together.

### 5. Work-Life Balance
Address workload-related issues, stress levels, and work-life balance. Identify measures to support employee well-being.

### 6. Projects and Initiatives
Discuss future projects, new initiatives, and potential employee contributions. Encourage active participation and creativity.

### 7. Management feedback
Offer employees the opportunity to share their feelings about management, work methods, and team communication. Foster an environment of trust and continuous improvement.

### 8. Focus on Vision
Ensure that the employee understands and adheres to the team or company's overall vision, values, and goals.

### 9. Resources and Support
Identify the resources required for the associate's success and ensure that he/she has the proper support to carry out his/her tasks.

### 10. Long-Term Planning
Examine longer-term perspectives and discuss the employee's career aspirations and how these align with team or organizational goals.

_"Enabling discussions in bilateral meetings, in a more intimate way and with a long-term vision, brings a notable benefit to the employee's career in the company. It makes them feel valued, heard and recognized above all. Setting clear, long-term objectives is a real motivator for them."_

**Marie Rudaz-Jaeggi**, *[AmbitionSuccess.ch](http://ambitionsuccess.ch/)* - MORGES

Team leaders and employees can establish fruitful collaboration, foster professional development, and maintain a positive working climate by addressing these topics regularly and in-depth at bilateral meetings.

## Use WEDO to keep track of your bilateral meetings!

![1_1 ENFR.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/1_1_ENFR_78b8a89537.png)

With WEDO, you can prepare your agenda jointly with your manager or colleague. In this way, each participant can prepare the questions or topics to be addressed.

Generally speaking, the agenda items for a bilateral meeting are recurrent. WEDO enables you to set the topics so that they recur from one time to the next to ensure that discussions are followed up and that objectives evolve.

Once completed, the minutes are locked and remain available to both participants for consultation.

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

During a bilateral meeting between a team leader and an employee, several key topics must be addressed to ensure effective communication and optimal management.

A smiling person listening to their counterpart in a one-on-one meeting, overlaid with the text “Topics for a one-on-one meeting” and “Use case”

Productivity

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