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How long is a sprint? The length of a sprint should be determined based on your project and the capacity of your team. Generally speaking, sprints should last anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.

Whether you want the length of a sprint to be weekly, bi-weekly, or once a month depends on the scope and nature of the project. For instance, if you are working on a project that has a long implementation cycle, then longer a timeframe (i.e. monthly sprints) may be necessary to work through the full backlog.

Determine how much work should realistically be completed before deciding on the duration of your sprints. If short sprints are not realistic, then pushing for weekly sprints will only burn your team out and create a toxic work culture.

Listen to your team and actively iterate on feedback during your retrospectives. Scrum is flexible and agile, meaning that you can reconfigure your next sprint for a longer timeframe if need be.

Sprints in Scrum recap: everything you should know

Scrum is an agile project management framework that helps teams to move toward their goals by providing structure and guidance. It is based on three core principles: transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

In Scrum, a sprint is a timeboxed development cycle used to complete specific tasks. The goal of each sprint is to produce results that are reviewed at the end of the period.

The sprint length in scrum is 1 to 4 weeks because it allows teams to quickly cycle through a backlog. This helps teams stay agile and get work done in fast-paced environments that deal with a lot of uncertainty.

Here are a few terms you might have come across, or which are relevant to know when discussing sprint duration:

• User stories: User stories are a key component of the Scrum methodology. They are brief, simple descriptions of the desired outcome that can be used to help prioritize tasks.
• Scrum master: The scrum master is the team member responsible for implementing the scrum framework. They act as a coach and facilitator, and work to remove any roadblocks that may prevent the team from achieving their goals.
• Scrum ceremonies: Sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospective meetings are all considered scrum ceremonies. They are essential to the implementation of scrum and help keep teams on track while maximizing productivity.
• Backlog: the backlog is a list of tasks that need to be completed during a sprint. The backlog contains user stories and technical tasks that are broken down into smaller packages to help teams focus on what needs to be done.

How to manage a scrum sprint in simple terms

There are multiple stages to a sprint in Scrum.  Each stage has a different set of activities the team should look into to stay organized at work and ensure that tasks get completed in time.

Common stages in sprints are: pre-planning, Working Breakdown Structure (WBS), task completion, review, and retrospective.

Pre-Planning

Set the parameters of the sprint including goals, timelines, resources, and budgets. Meet with stakeholders to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding expectations.

Agile working breakdown structure

The working breakdown structure (WBS) is a key part of the scrum process. It helps teams break down goals into smaller, more manageable pieces that go into the backlog.

This allows the scrum master to implement task management and track progress and ensure that everything is completed on time.

When creating a WBS, it's important to keep the following in mind:

• Tasks should be specific and measurable.
• Individual tasks should be time-based, with a start and finish date assigned.
• Priorities should be set based on importance and urgency.
• Every individual action item should be related to the overall goal of the sprint.
• Keep the difference between project vs task in mind when configuring your backlog.

Once the WBS is created, teams can decide who will be working on what and by when each individual task or action item needs to be completed.

Task completion/sprint work

During the sprint, it's important to track progress and make sure that tasks are being completed on time. Things that can help with this are weekly to-do lists, daily standups and active task tracking.

The scrum master should monitor the team's progress and ensure that any obstacles such as roadblocks or unexpected delays are addressed swiftly.

Review & Testing

At the end of each sprint, teams should review their progress and conduct any necessary testing to ensure that all tasks are completed correctly.

Team Retrospective

After the allotted timeslot is over, teams should get together to discuss how the previous sprint went. Make sure to set up a meeting agenda at least 48 hours in advance so everyone can write down discussion items, share documents and prepare accordingly.

You can use this time to assess workload, budgets, and other estimates that were set. Set learning items from these experiences for your next sprint, then return to Pre-planning.

Are your sprints too short? Here are three signs to keep an eye out for

If your sprint duration is too short, then it's likely that most tasks are not completed in time or to an acceptable standard. Here are a few ways you can spot your sprint being too short:

1. You are spending too much time in retros & planning

Retros and planning lose value if they take up too much of the overall sprint cycle.  If you find that these activities are taking up too much valuable time, then it could be a sign that your sprints are too short.

Be efficient and adjust your sprints where necessary on an ongoing basis. This way you can guarantee that every sprint brings your team a step closer to an improved or even final product.

2. Output is too small

Your sprint time might be too short if the ultimate output from your sprints is not considered a completed phase or shippable output.

This could hint that you are not providing enough time for the team to complete their tasks or fit in enough tasks to reach the end goal.

3. Overloaded teams

If the sprints are too short, then there will not be enough time for people to take breaks or work on all the action items before the end of the sprint. This can cause stress and reduce motivation levels.

Remember that the scrum process should help foster collaboration and align with your communication strategies. If teams are constantly overloaded with work or can't find time to relax between sprints, then your cycles might not be in line with the ultimate goals.

What to do if your sprint duration is too short

You can fix short sprints by lengthening your cycles and adding more time for collaboration, planning, and strategic conversations between team members.

This will help ensure that tasks are completed on time and to a satisfactory standard. With the right amount of sprint time, you'll be able to ship products more quickly and efficiently.

Remember that there are no strict rules when it comes to sprints. Every team is different and some may need to adjust their cycles accordingly. The key is to find the balance between completing tasks within the given timeframe while not overloading or stressing out employees.

With careful planning, teams can achieve company goals and objectives while enjoying a healthy working environment.

Remote work tools like Rock were created exactly for this purpose. Teams can plan and review progress intuitively by combining task management and chat in the same space.

4 signs that might indicate your sprints are too long

On the other hand, your sprint duration can also be too long. Here are a few signs that might indicate you need to reduce the sprint length:

1. Teams accelerate as sprints near their end

Teams increase their productivity as they near the end of a sprint. The lack of pressure to finalize work allows teams to procrastinate and leave activities for the end.

Make sure that tasks within a sprint are completed in a regular cadence. If you notice that more tasks are getting completed towards the end of your sprint, then that might be a sign that you can add a bit more pressure to day-to-day work.

To fix this, set a schedule for completing tasks during your sprint. Set internal deadlines that end before the sprint if activities can be completed by then.

You can also rearrange the start dates of tasks so task assignees can more easily focus on items that require immediate attention.

2. Teams lose perspective on work

There is less understanding of what user story or overall goal a sprint is actually covering. When there are too many tasks in a sprint and work just piles up, it becomes a challenge to understand what everyone is working towards.

When there are an obscene amount of tasks in a sprint, and work just continues to build up, it becomes impossible to follow what everyone is working towards. Less understanding of the user story or goal the sprint is tackling can cause confusion.

To solve overloaded backlogs, try looking for ways to slice the workload up in multiple sprints. This gives your team more room to breathe, a better perspective on the outcome, and overall more motivation to tackle the tasks.

3. Teams become disengaged

If a project drags on, then the team might start to lose enthusiasm toward it. This can lead to procrastination and a lack of commitment.

If you believe your team is disengaging, try to discuss it during the next team retrospective meeting. This allows you to verify whether the sprint duration is truly the problem or if something else is at fault.

4. Mini waterfalls emerge

A mini waterfall is a phenomenon that occurs when different sets of tasks are blocking each other within the same sprint in order to complete a user story.

If too many tasks from one team member are blocking someone else, it might be time to re-evaluate the sprint. You don't want people waiting around unnecessarily. Slice up your sprint or make sure that current tasks in the backlog cover the availability of the whole team.

Manage your sprints in one place with Rock

Recap: How long is a sprint in agile? Scrum or agile sprint length should be anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.

Effectively implementing sprints can help improve productivity in your organization. Rock natively combines task management with chat so you can merge project management and team communications in one place.

Collaborate with your team no matter where you are in the project by utilizing the Chat and Topics mini-apps. Link to any task, note, person, or file by simply mentioning @ ____ in the chat.

Rock also provides an in-depth approach to task management with list, board, and calendar views. Task cards are full of features such as a dedicated sprint feature, assignees, labels, cloud file attachments, followers, comment sections and so much more!

Bonus! the Notes mini-app allows you to add meeting agendas before your next retrospective meeting. Add cloud files, leave comments and edit the notes before, during, and after your meeting.

Rock is an intuitive project management solution designed to help teams collaborate in one place. We combine task management and chat in one unified workspace, helping teams stay on track and reach their goals faster. Work with unlimited people and set up as many new projects as you want, all for free.

‍Sign up today to get started!

Budget overruns are a manager's nightmare. Even with all the checks and balances in place, you might still exceed the available finances. Underestimated costs can make the best idea turn into a failed project. So budgeting sometimes becomes a test for the success of a project.  

Budgeting is the key skill for ensuring organizations have sufficient financial resources to execute ideas. There are only few skills as critical to running a business as project budget management.

In fact, establishing a budget is the first step you should take to ensure that your plan is reliable and can work out. It also becomes critical if you are looking into how to improve productivity in an organization. 

But what is project budgeting and how can you apply it? In this article you will learn all you need to know to master project management budget planning and take your project to the next level. Let’s get started!

Project Budget Management: What Does it Consist of? 

Project budget management is the process of creating a document to estimate incomes and expenses for a project during a given timing (for instance, the upcoming quarter or year). When you develop your budget, you have to take into account three main aspects: money, people and time.

1. Money. Every project involves costs, regardless of its size and nature. Knowing how much you can spend sets the path for a prosperous launch. And it helps you put some order across the different phases of the project, helping you stay organized at work. Sometimes as the project evolves, the cost forecast changes, so you have to update the project planning budget accordingly.

2. People. Budgeting project management also involves people. When you are managing a project budget, you have to estimate not only financial resources but also human capital.Think on how many people will be involved in the project, what is their required level of expertise and how many hours are they going to work.

3. Time. Time is money, as it translates into productivity. Making sure you're not spending too much time on something unproductive will help you get better results. So having a realistic budget for project management will save you time.

Benefits of Project Budget Management

Why is managing project budgets so relevant? The most obvious reason is that an accurate budget helps you keep costs at bay. It also gives you a clear idea of the project feasibility, so you can see in advance if you can really get started with a certain project.

But there is more to it than that. According to Harvard Business School, these are five main reasons why budgeting is key for running any business:

1. Project budget management helps you achieve company goals and objectives. You can use budgeting to set financial goals. And you can also apply project management budgeting methods to see how those goals evolve.
2. ‍It ensures resource availability. Project management budget planning’s primary function is to ensure you have enough resources to meet your project's goals. By establishing and organizing your finances in advance you can plan task management better and determine which teams require more resources.‍
3. It provides a core plan. A budget is a financial roadmap for the upcoming period. It gives you a plan and shows how much you should earn and spend. The budget is updated as the project gets through that plan.
4. ‍It makes prioritizing projects easier. When you are managing a budget you have to decide which projects and initiatives come first. So having a good understanding of project vs task management is relevant.
5. ‍It can lead you to financing opportunities. Investors highly value documented budgetary information when deciding whether to fund a company or a business project, says the Harvard Business School. Don’t miss out on these opportunities! Master your budgeting skills.

Project Management Budgeting Methods

Now that you know what project budget management is and why it matters, let’s explore how to set up a budget. Here are six different methods:

• Bottom up: individual tasks add up to the overall cost of your project. Each department creates a list of expenses and cost projections, submitted for review. Cross departmental communication is used to keep everyone on the loop. Once agreed, these separate budgets are added to the company’s overall budget. 

• Top down: an overall cost is set and then calculated back. In top down budgeting, the senior management prepares the budget based on objectives, and passes it on to different departments, says the Corporate Financial Institute. The departments create their own budget based on established allocation and goals.

• Parametric estimation: you use industry rates to calculate the budget. Parametric estimating does not focus on every single task, but on the most important ones within the project management framework. An algorithm is used to calculate cost or duration, based on data and parameters.

• Analogous estimation: you compare to similar past projects to calculate the budget. Analogous estimation relies on expert judgment rather than data. It uses experiences from previous or similar projects, comparing its duration, budget, size and complexity, among other characteristics.

• Three point estimate: you calculate the budget based on risk analysis. This technique determines the probable outcomes of future events. It is established through three main points: the best-case estimate, the most likely estimate and the worst-case estimate.

• Earned value analysis: you make a comparison of budget and past projects. “Earned Value Analysis (EVA) allows the project manager to measure the amount of work performed on a project beyond the basic review of cost”, explains senior manager Reichel Chance from the Project Management Institute. 

Common Reasons for Project go Over Budget

How can you fail on your  project management budget planning? When something in the project goes wrong, time and money have to be invested to direct it back on the right track. So execution mistakes - either they are small mistakes or fatal errors - can induce a significant risk of surpassing the estimated budget. These are some of the main mistakes:

• Poor planning. A recent PwC’s Cloud Business Survey showed that just 17% of chief risk officers are brought into projects at the planning stage. Most come to the table much later, which often results in poor planning and bad budgeting.  
  
  ‍Poor organization of a project can make activities take longer than expected. There might be new activities that were not accounted for, or accounted activities that ended up not being relevant. Poor planning can make you waste resources unnecessarily. 

• Lack of coordination. This often happens when people lack professional communication skills, or when cross functional collaboration is not taken into account.
  ‍
  For instance, if employees engaged in the project do not fully comprehend its objectives and tasks, they will tend to make mistakes. In turn, managers will demand revisions and corrections, so things have to be remade multiple times. Hence, inadequate stakeholder communication may lead to cost overruns.

• Project changes. Since the business environment is highly dynamic, changes in projects are usually hard to get away from. This happens, for example, when the end deliverable of a project suddenly changes to something else. These changes can affect the whole project budget management plan. 

• Scope changes. The unchecked growth of the project’s scope is a massive problem for project managers. It happens when a project becomes much bigger than expected. Or when some parts that were initially not considered important are added. This occurs if a project’s complexity has been underestimated. 

Best Practices for Managing Project Budget

So how can you prevent going over budget? In the following you can find five project budget management  best practices for maintaining your project budget under control. Try them out:

1. Review frequently. Have an overview of tasks with deadlines to make sure that the work gets completed on time. It will not only help you manage your budget, but also have a better understanding on how to improve work performance.
   ‍
   Use Rock to review and prioritize tasks. Move the project’s tasks to a calendar view to see the starting dates and deadlines more clearly. 

2. Clear overview of progress and costs. In the Tasks mini-app on Rock, use labels, custom fields, lists and statuses to stay up to date on the progress and costs of your project.
   
   The board view in the Tasks mini-app can help by visualizing how the project and its budget are developing. It gives you a clear overview and reduces potential contingencies.‍
3. Implement a Project management framework. You have to choose the right framework to manage a project successfully. Set up a system with rules for everyone in your team to know which tasks they have been assigned. Agile can be good to deal with scope changes. Check out our previous article on Agile vs Waterfall to learn all about this method.‍
4. Enact transparency. Make sure that all team members can clearly see how far the project is getting along, and whether something is taking too long. It will allow you to have more control over your budget. A better transparency will reflect on a more organized project planning budget.
   ‍
   You can use the Notes mini-app on Rock to share relevant information about the budget. This way everyone involved has a quick access to information.‍
5. Communicate clearly. Better communication usually results in more structured budget information. Use clear, well-documented channels to communicate challenges and accomplishments. Also, don’t forget to foster cross departmental communication.
   
   Rock can help to keep your communication structured and in one place. Use chat, polls, or meetings to have quick interactions. You can also use the Topics mini-app for more in-depth and structured discussions.

Software Picks to Make Sure Work Gets Done While Staying in Budget

Which software can you use to avoid last minute surprises on your budgeting? Try out the following remote work tools:

• Rock. We have already given you some tips on how to use Rock for managing project budgets in the best possible way, but there is more to it.
  
  Something to highlight is Rock’s all-in-one project management functionality. Combine messaging with tasks, notes, files, topics and meetings to keep your whole project budget management in one place. Instead of using many different apps, you can use the same platform in a more organized way.Set up your budget and get everyone informed without having to switch between different apps.

• Loom. Loom complements Rock and it can be used to provide feedback in asynchronous work video format. Rock has a Loom integration, so you can share Looms on Rock easily.
  
  Use Looms for different parts of the project budget management process. Share information with your team about the different stages of the project and the budget prospects. Send and record videos at any time, so people can watch them as many times as they want to and leave comments if something is unclear.

• Google Drive. You can connect Google Drive with Rock. Integrate your files to the Files mini-app and have easy access to them. All your project budget related documents will be accessible to everyone in the platform. Learn about what file management is and make your work easier.

• Notion. Just like Google Drive, you can integrate Notion to Rock to work on your budget plan and get everyone on the same page.
  
  ​​Through this integration, teams can connect all necessary documentation from Notion to Rock more efficiently. 

Use Rock to Keep your Project Budget Management in One Place

Rock can help you to plan your budget effectively! Stay on track by sharing information and communicating about the budgeting project management process with your team on Rock.

Integrations such as Loom, Google Drive and Notion will allow you to manage all the budget information in one place. Spend less time switching tools and focus on finishing the project within your budget successfully!

Whatsapp is primarily used for personal communication, however, some companies use it for business. At the first sight this might look as an attractive solution as it's free and easy to use. Nevertheless, switching from WhatsApp to Rock unlocks a new set of functionality that can help your team stay productive.

There are several reasons why you should move your business communication to a more suitable platform. Rock is a great WhatsApp alternative to switch your business messaging. In this article we will highlight some benefits of making this change.

We also lay down the steps to take if you want to seamlessly switch between platforms.

4 reasons to move your business communication away from Whatsapp

There are a few relevant points which you should reconsider if you still use Whatsapp or other messaging-only tools for your business communication. Read on to learn more.

WhatsApp provides only messaging functionality

Even though messaging is an important part of any business’ communication, it’s not everything.

If you rely only on messaging, your team ends up being dependent on synchronous communication. Synchronous communication implies that employees expect others to reply in real time in order to move on with their work. WhatsApp chats get noisy and messy, and it becomes difficult to stay up to date and easily find relevant information.

Rock combines both messaging and tasks. This way communication becomes way more structured and information is easier to find. You can still use chat for general communication but the Tasks mini-app is great for tracking your to-do’s and easily seeing what your colleagues are working on.

On Rock, your team doesn't need to follow long chats to find what’s relevant for them. You can simply create tasks and assign employees, so everyone knows what they need to do.

Each task has its own comments section. Instead of writing everything in one chat, you can discuss each task individually in the dedicated space. This keeps all information easily accessible to the relevant team members.

Communication on Whatsapp is siloed

Often you might need more than one chat to manage your work communication on Whatsapp. This is where it becomes difficult. It can be quite a challenge to communicate across chats as they are not really connected.

For example, if you interact with colleagues on several different projects in multiple chats. It is challenging to manage the work between a number of disconnected streams of communication.

You might need to reference messages or action items which were discussed in a different chat. Whatsapp doesn’t provide a smooth way to interconnect multiple chats and easily reference information across them.

On Rock, you can create Workspaces which enable you to connect your group chats together based on function and focus. Using Workspaces allows you to invite or remove people from multiple spaces at once which saves you time.

Work related communication on Whatsapp is harmful for your work-life balance

It’s likely that you use WhatsApp to communicate with your family and friends. If you also use the same app for work communication, the line between work and personal life is blurred.

That makes it more challenging to disconnect and rest after your working hours.

According to Forbes, a separation between work and private life helps to avoid stress and is critical for your and your colleagues mental health.

Rock allows you to have a dedicated tool only for work communication. It means you won’t see unwanted work related messages coming in during your free time. This will help you to establish a healthy work-life balance.

WhatsApp needs to be combined with another project management tool

WhatsApp is great for chatting but not powerful enough for many teams that want to manage projects. Likely, you need to combine Whatsapp with another project management tool as messaging isn’t enough to establish a sustainable workflow.

Consequently, your team will have to communicate via messages on one tool, and monitor tasks on another one. This type of context switching causes employees to lose focus as their productivity is temporarily reduced every time they have to switch between tools.

Why not keep it all in one place? Rock has a bunch of features beyond the chat that will help you further supercharge your work. Here are a few benefits of Rock which will allow you to do way more than just messaging:

@mention.

You can create and easily mention tasks, notes, topics, files and people in the chat. It provides direct links to the objects you are referring to. As all the objects are on Rock, you don’t need to leave the platform to view them. Everything becomes interconnected and easily accessible!

Tap-to-organize.

Convert a string of messages into a new task, note or topic. No more copy pasting information between platforms so you save time. Also, your chats become clean and organized.

Less context switching.

The fewer platforms in your toolstack, the better the focus. With Rock, everything is integrated so you can stay on one platform and focus on your work with less distractions.

Use import from WhatsApp to quickly migrate conversations and users

Ready to move from WhatsApp to Rock? You don’t need to worry about losing your previous chat history as you can bring it over. You can simply import all your information, users and messages, from Whatsapp to Rock for free.

You can do that in a few easy steps. We’re going to guide you through this simple procedure:

1. Export your chats from WhatsApp

Firstly, export the chats from WhatsApp which you want to bring over to Rock. This is possible on your mobile device only.

2. Import to Rock

You can import a chat directly to Rock when saving from Whatsapp. Whatsapp will show you a selection of different apps to share the exported chat to. Select Rock among these and it will start the importing process.

3. Select the Rock space

Choose a space where you want to import your Whatsapp chat. Alternatively, you can also create a new space to host the messages and invite your WhatsApp contacts to.

4. Map the users you are importing

Invite users that were part of the WhatsApp chat to Rock. This way, the messages are assigned to the correct sender. You can invite people inside and outside your organization to Rock for free.

5. Confirm the import

Your messages and users are now on Rock! You will get notified and will see an ‘imported’ tag to your imported messages.
If you need more detailed information on how to carry on an import, please read this guide to walk you through all the steps in detail.

Switch from WhatsApp to Rock today, it’s free!

Get your team on Rock today to leverage more functionality through tasks, notes, files and meetings. Rock was built with a focus on productivity and collaboration.

Improve your workflow, reduce stress and access a complete overview of what your team is working on from a single app. Pick and choose how to communicate with your team and bring tasks to the finish line.

If you need any support with importing from WhatsApp or have questions to our team, feel free to get in touch with us.

We also encourage you to join the Future of Rock community to learn more about how we organize our work, collaborate with people and stay productive with messaging, tasks and more in one place.

We all have experienced a bad meeting. You arrive on time, but it starts late. Nothing is really decided. No one seems to be in charge. There are no check in questions for meetings. And, as the meeting wraps up, it just feels like a waste of time.

There is a better way to do meetings. The critical point is to find the balance between meeting length vs effectiveness. And have a clear purpose for the meeting.

So how long should a meeting last? In this article, you will find the answer to that question. You will learn about different types of meetings and how to apply the rules to effective meeting duration. 

What is the best meeting duration?

To decide how long your meeting should last, you have to reflect first about how urgent it is and how many people will participate.

Unless you have a very clear goal in mind, there is a danger that a meeting will be a waste of time, advises this Harvard Business Review article. So if you are in charge of organizing a meeting, ask yourself this question: “what is this meeting intended to achieve?”

Once you know that, you will be able to establish a meeting duration.

In general terms, no meeting should be longer than half an hour. There are many experts that support that idea. One of them is Donna McGeorge, the author of The 25 Minute Meeting: Half the Time, Double the Impact. She says that, if done well, meetings are “short, sharp and productive”.

This theory is inspired by Francesco Cirillo’s Pomodoro method, which states that 25 minutes is the optimal amount of time for people to focus on a certain topic. 

But there are exceptions. The meeting length really depends on the nature of each of your conversations. Let’s have a look at the most typically occurring meetings and their recommended duration.

Types of meetings and their recommended duration

Sometimes, setting up a long meeting is not necessary. You could just have a coffee chat or a very short meeting to clarify some points or share a quick update.

In other cases, meetings don’t need to happen at all, especially in the case of asynchronous work, where other kinds of communications are prioritized.

But in some cases meetings are effective tools to share information. You can use them to improve engagement and build team culture. They can also be critical if you are looking into improving work performance.

Keep reading to learn about the 9 main kinds of meetings and how long they should last.

Information sharing

0 minutes. Information sharing is usually a one-way dialogue where one person informs a group of attendees or employees about a specific issue. It is not a meeting by itself, but an effective way to share information.

You should do information sharing around 24-48 hours in advance, so people can take the necessary time to process information and prepare feedback and questions. It’s important to keep it short, clear and concise.

This type of communication is well recommended for company updates, lectures, workshops,  conferences and panel debates.
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The team can then schedule a brainstorming or a short meeting to discuss the contents of the information that has been shared.

Suggestion: As an alternative, you can record videos with apps like Loom to walk through a presentation. After that, only schedule a short meeting to discuss questions, brainstorm, or go deeper into the topic if it can’t be solved through messages.

1:1s

Between 20 and 40 minutes. 1:1’s are meetings between two people in the same department or across departments to get aligned. 

A 1:1 meeting is a free form meeting. It is used to keep two people in the loop about a certain situation, give feedback and resolve work related issues. But it goes beyond status updates because it lays the foundation for a productive and trusting relationship.

In this conversation there is usually a mix of work and culture. If it is arranged between you and your manager, it becomes a good opportunity to talk about how you handle task management, your general satisfaction level and personal experience within the company.

Regarding the meeting duration, schedule a 1:1 for 30 minutes, and then have 10 minutes extra open in case it goes a little bit over.

Suggestion: in a remote environment, try to get as close to a face-to-face conversation as possible. Make sure that your equipment allows  high quality video and audio for a better experience. 

Client meeting

30 minutes. Learning how to meet with clients is one of the most important tasks you can complete.

How long should the meeting take? Ideally, a client meeting should take half an hour. But you have to make sure to send as much information in advance as possible, so your clients are up to date and can prepare questions, feedback or any information they might need beforehand.

According to Fellow, there are four different types of client meetings:

• Introductory: you can use this preliminary first chat to establish a good relationship with a client.
• Consultation: gain a clear understanding of the client’s needs… and position yourself as a solution!
• Proposal: present the client your findings and research. Seal the deal.
• Check-in: make sure everything is on track and there are no unanswered questions.

Suggestion: in a client meeting, preparation is key. Come well prepared to make it easier and don’t go overtime.

All hands or town hall

Between 20 and 40 minutes. Town hall or all hands meetings are not very frequent, but they are important for employee engagement, especially if you are looking into improving productivity in an organization.

In this group conversation, all employees, managers and stakeholders meet to discuss company-wide matters and share general updates. These updates are sometimes shared in a news brief beforehand, and then discussed with the rest of the team. 

These meetings tend to happen on a monthly, quarter, semi-annual or annual basis. They allow alignment on achieving company goals and objectives.

All hands meetings are helpful to celebrate milestones and foster your company’s vision and values. They are also a good opportunity for people to have a direct approach with the CEO and with colleagues from different departments they don’t usually meet.

‍Suggestion: Make sure to make these meetings interactive to nurture collaboration between teams across departments. Give everyone a chance to ask questions and interact.

Brainstorming

Around 30 minutes. The meeting duration of a brainstorming can be flexible, but it’s a good idea to try to stay around 30 minutes. However, having shorter intervals will allow your team to be more straightforward. So it all depends on the kinds of ideas you are looking for and how specific you want to be with the topic.

Don’t be too strict about the end of the meeting; sometimes the best creative ideas rise in the last minutes.

Suggestion: once the meeting is over, use Rock to create a topic, so people can continue to add ideas even after the meeting. A topic in Rock is very similar to a thread anywhere else. It is like an extension of a brainstorm meeting to give space for some creative ideas to occur at a later point that day, week or month.

Weekly team meeting

Between 20 and 30 minutes. This kind of meeting is important for staying organized at work through weekly updates. It should not take much longer than 20 or 30 minutes. 

This meeting is usually arranged every week at a designated time. It addresses action items and roadblocks, as well as tasks and questions for the upcoming weeks.

A regular weekly team meeting can help team members progress better with their work and collaborate with their peers. But remember to have a clear purpose and don’t bore your colleagues with unnecessary too long meeting time.

Suggestion: share important information in a meeting agenda beforehand. Apply these meeting agenda examples to bring structure to your conversations.

Daily standup

‍Preferably less than 10 minutes. A daily standup should be as short as possible, ideally less than 10 minutes! In this daily moment, usually during the morning, you can give your team an update on what everyone is doing, how did it go yesterday and what is the plan for the day ahead.

You can navigate this short meeting using these three questions:

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What will you do today?
3. Anything blocking your progress?

Suggestion: As an alternative, you can create a topic on Rock for daily stand-ups and have team members communicate what they will be working on by @mentioning the respective tasks. It makes it easier to follow up and provide more context.

Retrospective meeting

20-30 minutes. Retrospectives usually come at the end of a sprint or at the end of a project to talk about what went well and what can be improved. They promote knowledge and value sharing while working together. These open conversations last about 20 minutes or half an hour.

In a retrospective, people discuss their thoughts about workflows or about a specific project. It is a space for employees to express concerns freely through a sense of trust and open communication.

Suggestion: look into how to run a retrospective successfully. You can start by setting a clear agenda with discussion points. You should try to have only relevant people involved.

Coffee chats

Between 20 and 30 minutes. Meeting duration is important here: don’t make a coffee chat too long! Think about how long you realistically expend drinking a coffee: most probably, not much more than 30 minutes.

A coffee chat is a great idea for networking and interacting with people across teams in a less formal way. Don’t be shy to make small talk, but stay away from sensitive topics.

Suggestion: these meetings are great for culture building. You can use these informal meetings to get to know new colleagues within the company.

Virtual meetings best practices

Now that you have a clear idea know of how long a meeting should be, let’s have a look into virtual meetings best practices:

• 30 minute meeting rule: As we explained before, some theories state that if meetings are around 30 minutes maximum, people are quicker in making decisions. When you have this timing, getting started and getting the most out of meeting time becomes easier. Use the 30 minute rule to improve meeting productivity.

• Set up a meeting agenda well in advance: Allow people to read through documents, add items and complete what is going to be discussed so you get the most out of your time. If the agenda is empty, then canceling might be a solution. Use these meeting agenda examples.

• Don’t overdo meetings: Be mindful of scheduling meetings. If something can be done asynchronously (by using tasks, messages, comments or notes) then don’t schedule a meeting.

• Learn to say no to meetings: If you have no input on a meeting or there is no value added to your presence in a meeting, say no.

• Async by default, synchronous when really needed: Move to asynchronous work by default. This way you can prioritize things that are actually important, and leave meeting time for activities that truly bring value.

Rock your meetings!

Reduce the length and the number of your meetings while improving communication in your team with Rock’s all-in-one functionality. All-in-one brings together different ways of communicating and connects to other commonly used apps  (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet, Google Drive, Dropbox, Figma, Adobe CC). It simplifies work by minimizing platform switching.

Instead of scheduling meetings that you don’t need, you can, for example, set up tasks on Rock. You can describe all important details in the description section. Assign tasks to team members to complete without an unnecessary meeting beforehand. Continue the conversation on the task level and allow employees to work in their own time.

With Rock, you can reduce the number of meetings by switching to different types of communication. And if you decide to have meetings, remember the 30 minutes rule. Make sure you set up a meeting agenda beforehand so you start and finish on time. When you have meetings, use meeting notes with Rock to capture the most important information and keep it accessible after your meetings.

Working remotely can be great. More personal autonomy, less commuting time to the office and a better work-life balance are just some of the pros. But while many people are embracing the flexibility of the virtual work environment, others might feel a loss of connection and structure.

The challenge is to create a solid remote work culture that allows achieving company goals and objectives without making people feel disconnected.

The sense of shared culture that is usually implemented in the office space needs to be effectively translated into the remote work environment.

In this article you will find a guide with some remote work culture ideas to learn how to build a strong culture with a remote team, and how to maintain it through time.

How does remote working impact culture? 

The pandemic has pushed many companies and organizations to become fully remote and try to build an engaging remote work culture.

As a result, the traditional office-centric ways of reinforcing work culture doesn’t work the same way as before.

Adapting to this new working model can be challenging. Especially when it comes to corporate values and interpersonal relationships in the virtual culture.

Zoom happy hours and implementing virtual meeting best practices can help, but they are not enough in the shift to a remote work culture.

Social events are harder to make entertaining without an office environment and it is more difficult staying organized at work with coworkers you can’t casually pass around the office.

That is why interactions in a remote work environment have to be more deliberate and intentional.

In the following, you will learn how to create those interactions through a strong remote work culture. It will also help you to build better connections with your coworkers.

What are the benefits of having a strong remote work culture?

In order to make employees feel more connected and satisfied within their jobs, companies need to reimagine and foster new ways of working remotely.

Creating and implementing a well grounded remote culture lies at the core of a healthy work environment. 

These are some of the benefits of a strong remote work culture.

Lower employee turnover

One of the consequences of caring about how to build a remote team culture is that employees will experience higher levels of satisfaction.

That is why when you implement a healthy remote culture, employees are less likely to leave. People are less stressed and feel better connected to their peers, and the amount of sick days requests also decreases.

Statistics support this claim. According to research by Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics, companies that support remote work have 25% lower employee turnover than those that don’t.

And another recent study by PR Newswire concluded that 80% of U.S. workers would turn down a job that wouldn’t offer remote or flexible work.

As a result, if you don’t develop a strong remote culture you will be risking losing actual and potential employees. They might find remote work opportunities elsewhere.

More productive teams

When remote work culture ideas are put into practice, your team becomes more productive.

A strong remote work culture is essential when you look into ways on how to improve work performance.

This way, you can understand better what they are working towards if a work culture is strong and well defined in the virtual environment.

More creativity

Team culture nurtures creativity in the workplace. This happens because employees feel at ease to share their opinions and ideas, and interact with people across  departments.

At the same time, the question of how to build a strong remote team culture leads to exploring new ways to make the work environment more creative.

Increase workplace attractiveness

A strong and positive remote work culture attracts more people.

Employees might leave good reviews and share their experiences of a positive virtual culture with their environment and with potential new colleagues.

It fuels new dynamics and becomes a talent magnet.

How do you maintain company culture while working remotely?

To figure out how to build a strong culture with a remote team, you need to use some communication strategies to introduce changes.

You don’t need to rethink everything – just make the adjustments that better suit the values, nature and size of your company.

There are really not many differences between how small businesses create remote work culture and how it is achieved by big corporations. It all relies on adjusting the mindset and implementing a plan.

Here are some remote work culture ideas to get started with.

Set up a water cooler space

Digital water cooler spaces are essential to engage remote employees because they allow people to chat about more informal topics.

If you’ve ever worked in an office, you probably remember the water cooler as the place you can rest, rehydrate, have a quick chat with a colleague or just take some air. It might as well be the kitchen, the printer or the coffee machine. 

But who says remote employees can’t have those office water cooler spaces too?

In a remote work environment, you can create a virtual water cooler to take a break, relax and connect with others.

Virtual coffee chats

One of the things that is most commonly missed from the traditional office environment are the human interactions.

Set up virtual coffee chats with team members across departments to learn more about each other. This encourages your team to take breaks while meeting others in the company and helps bond teams.

When teams work asynchronously, virtual coffee chats become even more relevant because it allows them to feel more connected with coworkers that don’t usually have much chance to interact with.

Virtual, scheduled coffee chats can foster better relationships in the workplace and increase productivity.

However, it is important to always make these events voluntary. Getting a good remote work culture is also very much adapting to different kinds of people within your team.

Create cross functional and departmental projects

You should have people across functions and departments work and collaborate together. This can strengthen the shared vision and allow everyone to meet each other.

Cross functional teams can spark innovation and grant a more collaborative working environment.

In the remote work culture, these teamwork experiences can really help your team members to expand beyond their area and enhance their productivity, creativity and motivation.

Voluntary virtual office spaces

Create a virtual office space and have it open for those interested in more interaction with the team. Leadership can set up open office hours for the team to come by and chat about anything.

A virtual office gives employees access to a remote working space to interact between each other and organize meetings through virtual rooms and video conferencing.

This way, people can communicate easier with their colleagues and also engage with others that won’t see them in person.

Make use of virtual meeting best practices

A lot of people are burned out from doing constant meetings in their day to day. A lot of them might not be that needed or even useful. In order to avoid this, make use of virtual meeting best practices.

Don’t overuse meetings and make sure that synchronous interactions in remote work environments add value. You don’t want your team to become desensitized to meeting up!

Don’t forget to add check in questions for meetings. It helps ensure high-quality communication and build team relationships.

Also, these meeting agenda examples can bring structure to your meetings and make them more meaningful, practical and valuable.

Celebrate victories and completed tasks

A great way to show appreciation and build a positive culture is to celebrate a job well done. Make sure victories and accomplishments don’t go unnoticed – you have to celebrate them!

In order to create a positive remote work culture, it's always good to find ways to congratulate people on their achievements, such as completing a big task or bringing in that huge client. Sharing success stories and acknowledging victories can hugely improve motivation in the virtual office. 

There are many ways to celebrate achievements in the virtual world. You can send a GIF into a common chat with employers and coworkers to congratulate an employee. Or mention that great success in the monthly meeting.

If you have more time and resources, host a virtual event and make it more fun. Create a memorable experience with the team to celebrate the milestones.

Look into fun voluntary social events

From virtual wine tastings to virtual escape rooms or team member quizzes, social events can enhance teamwork and build a strong remote team culture.

You can set up these and so many more things just so people can interact with each other, learn more about each other, have a less formal interaction and simply have fun.

These events can be fun and entertaining, but remember to make sure they are always voluntary, so no one feels forced to make part of them.

Establish shared goals and objectives

When everyone is working towards the same goals and objectives, people are more likely to be better connected in their interactions. You should make sure teams like Marketing, Sales and Engineering are all aligned on some high level goals and objectives.

This way there will be more understanding and initiative into learning what other people are doing. Make sure that these common goals are highlighted and well shared with the team and that everybody understands them fully.

If everybody is working towards the same target, it is much easier to set everyone up for success, especially in the digital workplace.

Build a strong remote work culture with Rock

Rock allows you to manage your whole team remotely through its multimodal communication.

Combine messaging with tasks, notes and files to communicate and collaborate in your day-to-day. Create unlimited spaces and make sure your team can get work done without switching tools.

All-in-one functionality allows you to keep all communication and projects in one place, which makes it easier for team members to feel more connected as interactions are not scattered across platforms. Anything you need to communicate with your team in a virtual work environment is within one platform! It helps to nurture interactions and empower your remote work culture at the same time.

Healthy remote work culture that lasts

Achieving a healthy remote work culture can be challenging. But it is greatly enriching for both employers and employees in the virtual environment.

It helps you to be more in tune with coworkers, goals and corporate values. And it’s a great way to engage current team members and attract new talent!

No matter your organization’s size or industry. In today’s virtual office, you need to build a remote work culture that lasts. Rock integrates messages, tasks and all-in-one virtual spaces to make it possible. You will find all the tools that you need in just one platform. Get started today!

Every project has a number of stakeholders involved, both internal and external. And for the project to be a success, everyone has to work seamlessly together, no matter what their roles are. This may seem tricky especially with projects involving a large team, but that’s where project managers come in.

Project managers help ensure that everything is going according to plan, and that every stakeholder involved is on the same page. That’s why one of the most important things to master as a project manager is stakeholder communication. 

Stakeholder communication refers to talking and collaborating with stakeholders of a project or business. Stakeholder communication involves all the groups of people who are affected by the project, or have a say in making decisions in relation to it.

That being said, it becomes clear that project management and stakeholder engagement go hand in hand. Effective communication with stakeholders is one of the keys to having a smooth-sailing project. And even if challenges come up along the way, having open and constant communication can help the team better solve any issue. 

To help you better understand what stakeholder communication is, this article will first define who stakeholders are, why communicating with stakeholders is important, and what you need in order to effectively communicate with any type of stakeholder. 

Who are your stakeholders?

Before knowing how to engage with stakeholders, you have to identify who they are first. By definition, stakeholders are groups or individuals who are invested in your project or business. More often than not, these stakeholders have different needs or expectations in relation to the project’s outcome. 

Some examples of stakeholders include, but are not limited to: 

• Founders/CEOs
• Management Committee
• Stockholders
• Investors
• Company employees
• Colleagues and team members
• Suppliers
• Partners
• Creditors
• Contractors
• Subcontractors 
• The government

‍

For each project, you usually have a set of key stakeholders, meaning the people who are  involved in the planning and decision-making process for it. This varies per project, but no matter who your stakeholders are, it can get tricky to make each one of them happy. And if your stakeholders aren’t satisfied, chances are the project may have a lot of back and forth. 

This highlights one reason for knowing who your stakeholders are – you can’t engage stakeholders unless you know what they’re looking for with the project. 

You can go about this by first mapping out your stakeholder groups and planning how to best engage each of them. By prioritizing which stakeholders need the most communication, engagement, and consideration, you’ll be more efficient in keeping up with all of them. 

Why is stakeholder communication so important?

If you’re wondering why engaging with stakeholders is important in the first place, let’s look at a few reasons. 

1. Builds trust

Having constant, open communication with stakeholders is an example of an easy way to form a solid business relationship. That’s because communication is key if you want to know more about their perspectives and needs.

Furthermore, it shows stakeholders that you also care about them, and not just the interests of your company. When you’re open and transparent, it will be easier for stakeholders to trust you.

2. Promotes better decision-making

Prioritizing effective stakeholder communication means that you get to gather insights and ideas that can help your project move forward. By consistently communicating and aligning with your stakeholders, you will have an easier time making informed and universally beneficial decisions for the project. This is one of the keys in helping you and your team succeed.

3. Breeds innovation

Without communication, ideas won’t have a channel to flow. But by learning how to go about stakeholder communications, you create an environment where stakeholders are happy to contribute to the conversations regarding the project. This leads to collaboration, and ultimately, innovation for the company. 

4. Prevents miscommunications 

Miscommunications happen when members of a project aren’t on the same page. This further highlights the importance of learning how to communicate with stakeholders. Through effective stakeholder communication, you’ll be able to lessen mishaps or challenges as you complete your project. 

This is especially important considering that some mistakes or moments of miscommunication may result in expenses that could have been avoided.

5. Encourages accountability 

Constant stakeholder communication is one way to ensure that everyone is accountable for their work. When you have open lines of communication and regular channels for updates, keeping track of who has to do what becomes more hassle-free. 

It’s also a good way to show each stakeholder and team member that their contributions are necessary for the project to succeed. 

What are some stakeholder communication needs?

Now that you know some of the reasons why stakeholder communication is important, you can look into what you need to have to reach out and collaborate with stakeholders effectively. 

For one, it’s important to know the right communication strategies when dealing with different stakeholders. That’s because one approach won’t necessarily work for everyone. For example, some stakeholders prefer having one-on-one alignments, while others are okay with receiving updates in a community or group space.

It’s also important to discern the right channels in which you can best communicate with your stakeholders. 

How do you effectively communicate with stakeholders?

If you’re now wondering how you can go about communicating with your stakeholder, it’s helpful to recognize the importance of different channels. Whether you’re dealing with a client, a supplier or a contractor, you should consider leveraging different ways to reach them. 

Being present in as many seamlessly integrated channels as possible will help your stakeholders better communicate with you. Here are some of the ways you can use different communication channels:

1. Leverage asynchronous video

There’s no denying that asynchronous work has gained popularity and acceptance in recent years. One way you can get in touch with different stakeholder groups is through asynchronous videos. 

For example, during onboarding it would make a lot of sense to record walk-through videos to explain the various processes. You can use a platform like Loom to record your screen while explaining what’s being shown. Just make sure there’s opportunity and space for asking questions and clarification afterwards. 

Asynchronous video can also be a more personal way of reaching out, because stakeholders see not just the brand you represent, but you yourself. 

2. Create communities

One easy way to connect with numerous stakeholders at once is to create a community for them. A community gives you the opportunity to engage with your stakeholders, just like for example in a Reddit community or a Rock space. 

Creating communities for your stakeholders is a convenient way to share salient information, updates, and discussion points with a group. Your stakeholders can also quickly raise any questions or concerns they may have. Furthermore, it encourages stakeholders to interact not only with you, but also with each other.

3. White-glove stakeholder communication‍

Certain stakeholders require a more personal and private form of communication. These are mostly stakeholders with very crucial roles in the project, or someone who is a driving force for the business. To address the needs of these stakeholders, you can set up a space on Rock where you can talk one on one. 

The beauty of Rock, a holistic project management and communication tool, is that you can create as many spaces as you need, for free. They can be created for a group of stakeholders or for individual one-on-one interactions. By creating these spaces, you get to have a more personalized and structured communication.

4. Newsletters

Another great way to engage with stakeholders is to create a company newsletter. This gives you the opportunity to gather pieces of content that are relevant to your company and industry. 

A newsletter can prove to be an engaging way of sending out company updates, project news, or any other information that’s relevant to your stakeholders. Depending on your preference, you can send out newsletters every week, bi-monthly, or once a month. 

5. Social media

Communicating with stakeholders doesn’t have to be limited to work tools. You can also engage with them through social media. With over four billion social media users in the world, this is a channel you shouldn’t ignore.

Leveraging platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help you put out much more engaging content. This can result in a new way of getting closer to your stakeholders. Social media platforms also have in-app messaging, which helps stakeholders easily connect with you, so it pays to be responsive.

Just remember that while social media can be a source of fun content and interactions, it shouldn’t be your priority channel for stakeholder communication.

6. Webinars

If you want to engage stakeholders while also providing added value, you may want to do webinars. This is effective if you want to get closer to certain stakeholder groups. Webinars are a great way to share knowledge, hear from relevant thought leaders, and learn from your stakeholders.

Organizing dedicated webinars will also help you better understand and interact with your stakeholders, which can prove to be advantageous while working on projects together.

These are just some of the channels that you can tap into when it comes to stakeholder communication. Aside from exploring these channels, you can also look for tools that can make communication with stakeholders more seamless and engaging, such as Rock. 

How Rock helps you manage your stakeholder communication

As a holistic communication and project management tool, Rock provides everything you need to engage with stakeholders on one platform. To give you an idea, here are some ways Rock can help stakeholder communication, and project management in general, simple and easy.

1. Create community spaces

With Rock’s spaces, you won’t have to switch from channel to channel when it comes to creating communities. You can already do so on the platform itself. This also makes it easier for you to be more responsive to various stakeholders. 

Additionally, if you’re already using Rock for your day-to-day tasks, you won’t have to learn a new tool for creating communities. It’s already on the same platform you’re using!

2. Create 1:1 spaces with key stakeholders

If you have certain stakeholders that need more in-depth collaboration, you can create a one on one space with them on Rock. This is great if you have to communicate with these stakeholders often, and if they’re heavily involved in your project.

Just like the spaces for communities, you won’t have to use another tool or platform for these one on one spaces – you can manage it on Rock.

3. Manage newsletter, social media and webinar projects 

Rock isn’t just solely for communicating with stakeholders. It’s also a great way to manage all your tasks. With the Chat, Tasks, Topics, Notes, and Files mini-apps, you get a full-fledged communication and management tool. Whether you’re looking to create a newsletter or host a webinar, you can coordinate and manage all the work on one  platform. 

This way, Rock becomes both the channel for engaging with stakeholders and the channel for your team to collaborate on project’s deliverables and next steps.

Ultimately, Rock helps ensure that nothing falls through the cracks as you go about your project. Through this one platform, you’ll get to stay engaged with your stakeholders, communicate with them consistently, and make collaborating on a project easier and more seamless for everyone involved. 

“Another Zoom meeting? No, please! I already have a Zoom headache”. 

Since the pandemic hit, we have been on video calls more than ever before. Virtual meeting burnout is a very real thing. And more and more people are suffering signs of Zoom fatigue these days. 

Let’s talk about the “elephant in the Zoom”: Zoom meetings can be draining. Pressing the Leave/End button and relaxing the “Zoom face” is the ultimate moment of relief for many.

But what’s wrong with Zoom meetings and why are so many people experiencing Zoom exhaustion? What exactly is tiring us out? In the following article you will find all you need to know about Zoom fatigue symptoms and how to deal with Zoom burnout. Read along!

What is Zoom fatigue? 

The term “Zoom fatigue” (also called virtual meeting fatigue) was popularized on social media during the first months of 2020. But it has been continuously searched online afterwards, according to Google trends.

Over two years into the pandemic, a recent survey found that nearly a quarter of American remote workers (23%) say that their Zoom fatigue is worse than ever. But it is not just an internet phenomenon. And it is not just about Zoom. It was called “Zoom fatigue” because of the popularity of the platform among the available remote work tools. 

A first peer-reviewed article about the so-called Zoom fatigue symptoms from a psychological perspective was published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behavior in February 2021, by Stanford University communication professor Jeremy Bailenson.

Bailenson researched the symptoms of Zoom fatigue. He concluded that Zoom was “an amazing tool”, but its continued use can have “psychological consequences”. According to the Bailenson study, Zoom and other popular video chat platforms have “design flaws” that exhaust the human mind and body. 

After too many Zoom meetings, you can feel extremely tired and have some signs of Zoom burnout, such as forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension pain, fatigue and insomnia. 

Let’s find out why, and what you can do to reduce Zoom meetings while staying organized at work. 

Why do I feel drained after meetings? 

As the Bailenson research shows, video calls exhaust humans and cause Zoom fatigue symptoms. 

There are different reasons that explain why you can experience meeting fatigue when using videoconferencing technology.

Here are the five main reasons:

1. Too close up eye contact

When you talk to someone face to face, there is usually way more distance with the other person than in a Zoom meeting. 

However, if you use video conferencing platforms, cameras are often very close. As a result, the amount of eye contact becomes too intense, and the size of faces on screens seems unnatural.

Besides, in a Zoom call everyone is mostly looking at everyone all the time, so even if you don’t speak, you still have faces staring at you. It can cause Zoom exhaustion because we are not used to that permanent eye contact.

“This is similar to being in a crowded subway car while being forced to stare at the person you are standing very close to, instead of looking down or at your phone”, explains Bailenson.

“On top of this, it is as if everyone rotated their bodies such that their faces were oriented toward your eyes. [...] For many Zoom users, this happens for hours consecutively”, says the psychologist.

2. Seeing yourself

Another cause of Zoom fatigue symptoms  is what Bailenson calls “an all day mirror”. You don’t see yourself when communicating in person. In a Zoom meeting, you see yourself all the time. It’s very hard for us not to look at our own faces if we can see them on screen, or to not be conscious of how we behave in front of the camera.

Imagine an assistant following you all around the office with a handheld mirror while you have meetings with people, making sure you see yourself in that mirror while you have those conversations. Does it sound like a weird or even worrying example of a toxic work culture? Well, it is not much different to what happens in a Zoom call.

“Even though one can change the settings to ‘hide self view’, the default is that we see our own real-time camera feed, and we stare at ourselves throughout hours of meetings per day”, stresses Bailenson in his report.

Marissa Shuffler is an associate professor at Clemson University. She says that being on camera makes you aware of being watched, which can result in “social pressure” and “feeling like you need to perform”. “Being performative is nerve-wracking and stressful”, adds the psychology professor.

3. Too long

Meeting in person and online are different. A lot of virtual meetings are too long, causing exhaustion and leading to Zoom fatigue symptoms.

“After a long day of back-to-back video calls, it’s normal to feel drained”, explain authors Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy in a Harvard Business Review article. The length of Zoom meetings is a shared complaint among many remote workers.

There are countless posts on blogs and social media platforms from users suffering from Zoom exhaustion. Many people complain about “too long” virtual meetings. For some, virtual meetings transform into a “Zoom all day long”, as stated by workplace advice columnist Alison Green. 

2021 Zoom data shows that meetings are still too long. A Zoom survey of nearly 1,700 users suggests that the average meeting length was nearly an hour. That is a rather long meeting, and nearly twice as long as our attention span allows for. According to Microsoft research, fatigue sets in about half an hour into video meetings. 

We all have been in meetings that weren’t needed. You can try out these meeting agenda examples to improve the length and productivity of your video meetings.

4. Little mobility

Staying seated in a chair for prolonged periods of time can be challenging and unhealthy. Also, staying within the angle of the camera can come unnatural.

In-person and phone conversations allow you to walk around and move. But with videoconferencing, most cameras have a set field of view, meaning you have to generally stay in the same spot. 

According to Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson, when we move, we “perform better cognitively”.

5. Cognitive load

In regular face-to-face interaction, nonverbal communication is natural and helps us to interpret messages subconsciously. But in video chats it is harder to send and receive gestures.

We make our brain work harder by exaggerating our facial expressions. We also have to make more conscious signs (such as thumbs up or down) to note if we agree or disagree with something, explains Bailenson.

That adds cognitive load and the use of your “mental calories” to communicate and to understand others. As a result, you carry a heavier cognitive load and it adds to Zoom fatigue.

Things to do during your meetings to prevent Zoom fatigue

So now that we have explored the problem, let’s explore the solution.

Here are some things you can do to avoid Zoom fatigue symptoms, in case those Zoom meetings can’t be avoided:

• Turn your camera off every now and then: Take breaks from the camera every now and then to recharge your batteries.

• Move around: Take meetings while going on a walk if possible, or move around the house. 

• Sit further away from the screen: usual interactions have 1 meter between people, try sitting away further from your screen.

• Reduce meeting time: Try to keep meetings at 30 minutes max. Reducing items on a meeting agenda might also allow for a smaller group to attend, so it’s a more focused conversation.

• Set up a meeting agenda and follow virtual meeting best practices: improve virtual meetings and make sure you are getting the most out of that time.

How to avoid meetings altogether

It is not always possible, but for some companies it might be a good idea to reduce Zoom meetings to the bare minimum and apply other communication strategies.

If that is your case, there are three options you can try to implement to leave video conferences behind and forget about Zoom fatigue symptoms once and for all.

1. Switch to asynchronous by default

“We should evaluate why we are choosing a video for so many calls that previously would never have warranted a face-to-face meeting, or perhaps any synchronous meeting at all”, says professor Jeremy Bailenson.

Asynchronous work requires less direct response and allows people to get work done in their own time. This allows team members to pick up tasks from others without waiting for meetings or direct messages.

2. Learn to say no

Sometimes you just don’t need another meeting. Learn to say no when you don’t think you will bring value to it.

Task management skills can be useful for that purpose, as you will learn to prioritize which meetings are more relevant.

3. Leverage documentation

Storing information means team members can find information more easily without needing to reach out to or schedule a meeting for clarification.

If you look into how to improve productivity in an organization, you will start having your documents more structured and organized, thus less meetings will be necessary.

How do I recover from Zoom fatigue?

Already experiencing Zoom headache, virtual meeting burnout and other Zoom fatigue symptoms?

Here is some advice for you:

• Communicate with your team: Share your issues with your coworkers. You might be able to brainstorm a solution together. Check in questions for meetings can be a good start for it.

• Take some time off: Taking a few days off can have positive effects on your mental health.

• Set a no meetings day: Set a day in the week in which you don’t accept meetings. This allows you to clear your mind for a complete day. 

Stop zooming, start rocking!

Rock is designed to help you avoid unnecessary meetings, so you can reduce meeting fatigue. Use messages, tasks, notes and files to increase the efficiency of your meetings or to not need them in the first place!

However, we do believe that when necessary, virtual meetings should be easy to carry out. Rock has Zoom, Google Meet and Jitsi integrations, so you can start rocking in all you meetings!

What is virtual communication?

Before diving into communication strategies for virtual teams, let’s see what we mean by virtual communication. 

In contrast to instantaneous communication, where there’s opportunity for on-the-spot feedback and response, virtual communication tends to lack in those aspects. Gestures, body language, tones and sounds are more easily misinterpreted as there’s no way to immediately clarify the intent behind them. Aspects such as body language and facial expressions may not be present at all in virtual communication, as the two parties may be miles apart.

Virtual communication requires different techniques and tools to achieve the same level of efficiency and effectiveness that is natural in in-person communication. Remote teams must be experts at virtual communication to function well. However, nowadays not only fully remote teams use virtual communication, almost every business also does. 

Some typical virtual team communication tools are:

• Mobile phones 
• Social media platforms
• Email
• Project management tools
• Video conferencing
• Instant messaging apps

So to some extent, most workplaces use virtual communication. But with a few tweaks, strategies, and the right tools, virtual communication can significantly improve business operations. 

Best practices for virtual communication

When a business works remotely, colleagues can’t rely on a ‘natural’ way of communicating. The verbal parts of the conversations don’t easily translate to virtual communication, and there’s an extended reply time as well.

For example, a colleague can’t simply walk past your desk for an immediate answer to a question. High-quality virtual communication is about creating a space where colleagues can communicate just as easily as if they were next to each other. 

The in-person type of office communication is known as synchronous communication. Creating an effective virtual communication strategy is about combining synchronous and asynchronous techniques.

Whether remote or not, there are critical elements to all communication strategies to adhere to:

• Get your message across clearly
• Match communication styles and channels to your team’s needs
• Use a combination of one-on-one and group meetings
• Create space to speak openly
• Document extensively
• Be consistent

With these points always on your mind, it’s time to have a closer look at the strategies you can use to improve virtual communication.

1. Switch to asynchronous work by default 

Asynchronous work isn’t as complicated as it might sound at first. Asynchronous channels, such as virtual assignment of tasks, allow people to focus on their work in their own time. On the other hand, synchronous channels, such as instant messages and meetings, require employees to adapt to each other's timelines.

By applying an asynchronous model of communication, team members can choose their work schedules more freely. Teams don’t need to be always online at the same time to communicate effectively. Organizing around an asynchronous work pattern means a preference towards asynchronous communication while still keeping the space open for discussing urgent matters synchronously. 

 A global, diverse team might experience scheduling issues. There are different time zones to navigate, daily life commitments, school runs, doctor appointments, holidays, or meetings. By leveraging an asynchronous model, these schedule clashes are no longer a problem. Team members become able to easily communicate without immediate timescale pressure.

2. Leverage task management 

Leverage virtual task management to improve communication and information sharing. 

For example, by implementing a project management framework, such as waterfall and agile, you can set rules on how to communicate on tasks. With these rules clearly set, everyone can keep track of progress. When properly managed, structured, and documented, tasks give virtual communication more structure. There is less confusion, the information is readily available and easy to find, allowing for the communication to be more to the point. 

Project management frameworks work by aligning a team. Clear steps, made out of tasks, outline the path to a successful project. For communication, this path is critical because the information is passed between colleagues within a structure. A colleague already knows a lot about a task or a message given to them because the framework provides context.

To fully leverage task management, use the Tasks mini-app in Rock. Import existing tasks from other task management applications and store them in a space next to messages, notes, and files. Communication around tasks and other day-to-day activities is all in one place when using Rock. Rock speeds up communication and efficiency because you don’t have to switch between multiple applications.

3. Reduce the number of meetings

Meetings can be great for nurturing more personal relationships, but make sure to use them when really needed. 1:1 meetings, coffee chats, and creative discussions can add value to remote teams. However, this isn’t always the case.

Many people spend too much time in meetings that end up being useless. It doesn’t always bring teams closer as some online meetings don’t have much engagement. 

Cancel or reduce the number of meetings that are not effective. Instead, concentrate on the meetings that provide value.

To get the most out of your meetings and communication in virtual teams, you can find more insights on virtual meeting best practices on the Rock blog. But two key points in making your virtual meetings more effective are:

• Cancel (or shorten) unnecessary meetings
• Substitute meetings with other tools and resources

Sometimes meetings are essential and can’t be avoided. In these circumstances, the structure is vital. A clear meeting agenda helps you to make the most out of it. You can find more meeting agenda examples on the Rock blog.

Alongside following a meeting agenda, there are some tactics to use during a virtual meeting to improve communication. In the Harvard Business Review, Melody Wilding explains how to tactfully interject during a virtual meeting. Ms Wilding recommends keeping points brief, being assertive, and capitalizing on transition points.

4. Use documentation as much as possible 

Strong documentation practices allow your team to find important information without relying on an immediate response from a coworker.

One of the biggest hurdles remote teams must overcome is asking for help when needed to complete a task. When working remotely, a coworker can’t sit at your desk and run you through a program. So how do remote teams overcome this issue? The answer is documentation.

A team should always have access to all the relevant documents and know how to document their own processes. Members must be able log in at any time or location, and the documentation should be available to access. Information around processes, protocols and day-to-day activities is worth documenting. 

Project documentation keeps teams applying similar strategies, staying up-to-date and reducing un-needed communication. Create documentation in a variety of formats:

• Screen recordings as tutorials
• Standard information documents for procedures
• Templates for communications

There’s so much to keep track of during the workday, it’s vital to categorize and document as much as possible. The more documentation you have, the smoother the work is.

5. Reduce the number of tools you use

There is a lot of context switching when you use different tools for communication and project management. Use all-in-one tools like Rock to combine messages with tasks, notes, files, and meetings in one place.

Condensing the amount of tools is important because it allows for less context switching. When you switch to a new tool, your mind is pulled away from the direct tasks. You’re dealing with a new interface, a new set of functionality, and it’s not connected to your previous thought process.

Alongside the last point, the tools aren’t natively speaking to one another, which costs more time. To integrate the tools, you will likely have to set up non-native integrations with Zapier, for example. However, at the end of the day, the two different tools aren’t designed to completely fuse. 

You can easily reduce the number of tools by changing to an all-in-one solution. Rock provides messaging, tasks, notes, files, and meetings all in one place. Teams don’t have to switch between tools when communicating on different areas of their work in Rock.

Communicate Efficiently, From Anywhere, At Any Time

Combining these best practices for virtual communication with Rock allows teams to supercharge their day-to-day work.

Use asynchronous work as default, leverage task management, reduce meetings, document as much as possible, and reduce the number of tools you use. Bring order to chaos with Rock and allow your team to implement any type of project management framework by signing up for free.

The success of any transaction-making business heavily depends on client management. It determines the outcome and the future of the collaboration by shaping the interactions between clients and business representatives. For most businesses, this means losing or gaining loyal clients, trust, and revenue. 

What is Client Management?

Simply put, Client Management is the practice of fostering relationships with clients and potential clients. 

As opposed to the average customer who makes simple transactions with limited interaction, clients seek to build a business relationship. Clients are the types of customers who pay for professional services and build a close connection with the provider in the process. As such, the built relationship between the client and provider will determine how clients feel about the company and talk about the service. 

The White Glove Experience

A white glove experience means VIP treatment; close attention to detail, a high level of service, and special care. 

It comes down to prioritizing the client’s needs and wants, creating unique and tailored solutions, and surpassing their expectations. This is when clients feel genuinely considered and cared for. White-glove experiences make clients want to return time after time, generating consistent revenue, positive reviews, and advocacy.

On the other hand, a non-white glove experience may make the client feel taken advantage of and exploited for profit, negatively affecting trust and driving clients to competitors. Even in less extreme cases, clients may stay on the lookout for other and better services and opportunities.

Delivering only what is expected is not enough to keep clients anymore. Businesses need to differentiate themselves through the experience they provide to their clients. Customers expect high-quality service, particularly in the tech sphere.

The challenge arises when the service is carried out remotely and clients expect the same level of attention digitally as if they were with you in the same room. By utilizing client management software, a company can provide its clients with a tremendous amount of personalization and clear communication without even meeting in person.

The increased level of expected quality might sound threatening to some businesses, however, it is a massive opportunity. Good client management also results in beneficial referrals, upselling of products, positive brand reputation, and trust. 

Client retention

Good client management is a cost-effective solution; it's cheaper to retain a client than to get a new one. Acquiring a new customer can cost you 5 to 25 times more than keeping an existing one. Frederick Reichheld also proved that increasing customer retention rates just by 5%, increases profits by 25% to 95%. 

Referrals

This is not a secret: happy clients get you more work. When a client is impressed and satisfied with the delivered service or product, there's a good chance they'll refer you to others. Referrals are the golden ticket for client servicing industries. A referral is free and generates more qualified leads than what is expected to come through marketing efforts. 

Upselling on products

There is a fine line between a client manager and a lousy salesperson. Most of the time, that comes down to their ability to upsell. Upselling is about recognizing clients' needs and offering a service to satisfy them. This way round, the client gets better service, and you increase revenue and improve the client relationship. 

If you regularly follow up with your clients, you know where their pain points are. Pain points will show where to upsell functionality and features. When there is a new business launch, you will also know precisely which clients are the best match for the new product. 

Reviews

It doesn't matter if your business is B2B or B2C; positive reviews are critical. The best client management practices develop strong relationships. Excellent relationships with clients will organically produce positive reviews. But also, a good client management system can prompt clients to leave favorable reviews.

How to provide the ultimate client onboarding experience

A stellar client experience starts at the onboarding process; one of the most critical aspects of successful client management. Client onboarding is a transition period where the client moves from sales into the business ecosystem. 

During this process, the client is equipped and initiated with the communication channels, tools, and methods used by the provider company.

It is also when the most considerable amount of information exchange takes place. There is a long to-do list to go through such as introductions, KPIs, timelines, processes, and expectations. 

A good onboarding experience pivots around engagement. You want to ensure the client is engaged with you and make sure they feel you are engaged with them. Communication is critical at this stage. Forbes explains that to improve client relationships, onboarding, and longevity, the focus should be on getting to know your clients closer. The interactions should not be reduced to business transactions.

During the onboarding process, two things become necessary to avoid an information-miscommunication mess. A resource center and a timeline space. 

Resource Center

This is the go-to place for all relevant documents, reports, files, videos, etc. Having a resource center ensures efficiency and transparency. A resource center brings all the vital information a client needs into one place. It's a one-stop shop for all work-related information, from policies to processes, reports, and instructions. 

The question to ask here is what onboarding resources do your client need to have access to? 

Keep communication clear

A resource center helps you to avoid overloading communication channels with requests for information that is readily available but hard to find. 

Rock facilitates seamless documentation and file management through its Files mini-app. You can easily share folders and files with your clients and store and access them in the app through integrations with Google Drive, Smartsheet, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Notion. 

Working on a design project? You can keep Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud design files in every space. Share wireframes, brand designs, or advertising visuals without the hassle of jumping between platforms. 

To avoid an overwhelming information mess, you can create notes and topics in the working spaces with detailed explanations and let clients leave comments below. By utilizing comments, it’s always clear which documents and topics everyone is referring to – no need to provide further context or search back, it’s all in one place, in order. 

Prefer to visualize the planning? Use the tasks mini-app board view to better organize information by category, and add labels and assignees for further filtering. You can attach cloud files to tasks so your files mini-app and tasks are seamlessly connected. 

Timeline Space

A timeline space is necessary for transparency, accountability, realistic expectations, and effective collaboration. A timeline needs to be set for each deadline and deliverable. Creating a timeline can also be useful if you deliver a report on a recurring basis. 

Rock allows you to create a timeline with a calendar view on the Tasks mini-app. This allows you to schedule things without leaving the platform. 

Tasks you create with a start and/or due date will be visible in the calendar. Add descriptions, attach files and comment on the task for any updates. 

Day-to-day operations management

Asynchronous work

Leverage remote work tools and make your clients feel involved without scheduling too many meetings. Asynchronous work provides valuable flexibility to both parties; saves time and energy while maintaining high quality. Your clients don’t have to wait for the next meeting to improve work by leveraging messaging, tasks, notes, and files in a space. When urgency requires it, you can always use the meetings mini-app. 

Operations space

Set up a task management board for activities you might require your clients to do. Use full-fledged messaging to stay up to date on what to do. Use topics to reduce the number of notifications everyone receives. Add cloud files in the files mini-app if relevant to the operations. You can also upload files from your device. 

Workspace 

Combine your resource center, timeline, and day-to-day operations space in a single workspace and directly invite a client to multiple spaces so nothing falls through the cracks. Through Quick Connect, your clients simply have to scan a QR code or click on a link to join your workspace. There is no registration required, making client onboarding frictionless. 

Behind the scenes: create internal spaces for client management

Operations

Discuss client work and @mention tasks, notes, and topics from your client spaces. This way you don’t have to send continuous links or go looking for work across spaces. 

Create different tasks for clients to track updates like a CRM. You can also use the tasks mini-app to manage activities for different clients and use labels to know what work is being done for that client. 

Key accounts CRM 

Create a task board for key accounts' CRM information so you can add a description and discuss the account in the comment section without leaving Rock.

Top client management tools 

Client communication and collaboration: Rock & Loom

Rock offers unlimited added members and spaces. Messages, tasks, notes, topics, files, and meetings are all in one place. In addition to Rock, you can use Loom to leverage asynchronous video communication and give your client, for instance, a personalized welcome without scheduling one more meeting. 

If you combine Rock with Loom, you can create videos for clients and attach them to different subjects on Rock. For example, tasks, notes, topics, and other relevant items.

You can scale up using this method by applying the same process to onboard multiple clients. For example, you record one video about finding relevant reports on Rock. You could then send the same video to all new clients, rather than creating a new recording every time.

Instead of scheduling a meeting for an exact time, you can record a video where you pass on the information. Your client can then watch this in their own time. This way you improve documentation and help people refer to information rather than remembering what was said in a meeting.

CRM tools

If you prefer a CRM with increased functionality, you can also use HubSpot, Salesforce, or AirTable to manage higher numbers of clients.

HubSpot

HubSpot has many great offerings as a CRM, including contact list management, ticketing, prospect tracking, and ad management. Alongside this, the HubSpot training library is fantastic. There is also a free version for small businesses which is excellent for client management.

Salesforce

Salesforce has made a name for itself through high customization levels, tailoring the CRM precisely to a business' needs. The software scales fluidly and is equipped with sophisticated AI and analytics, as well as sales forecasting, workflows, sales data, and lead management.

AirTable

AirTable lets you build apps for collaboration, with as little coding knowledge as possible. With AirTable, you can make bespoke workflows as well as share projects with people. 

File storage

Storing files properly is critical for security, efficiency, and legal reasons. Rock integrates many file storage solutions. Integrate your preferred cloud storage providers in the Files mini-app and attach documents to tasks, notes, and topics.

Google Drive

Google Drive is one of the most popular cloud-based storage solutions. You can sync documents, photos, and files of most types with multiple other users.

Dropbox

Dropbox allows you to store and share files online. It's particularly useful when you send large files that can't be delivered in other formats, like email.

Notion

You can store a huge amount of files on Notion such as DOCs, PDFs, PSDs, ZIPs, MPEGS, and MP4s. With a paid package, anything can be uploaded, with no size limitation. 

Create a true white-glove experience with Rock

Rock allows you to truly provide a white-glove experience to your clients. Leverage all-in-one communication and collaboration with workspaces, manage internal activities and client communications on the same platform.

No more multiple subscriptions, no more switching between platforms. Just one tool. With Rock, you can let go of platform switching and start concentrating on getting the work done. To find out more about how Rock can improve your client management, sign up for free today.

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Rock is not only the easiest way to start collaborating, but it’s also the fastest way to start working together. With your own personal Quick Connect anyone can open a space with you on Rock within seconds. 

What you might not know is that you can take Quick Connect anywhere. Instead of sharing an email address or adding a webform to your website, you can instead share your Quick Connect on LinkedIn, a website, email, in person, and more. 

Quick Connect has been around the globe, in over 172 countries to be exact, and there is more to come. It has helped start projects, and begin collaborations, but most importantly Quick Connect has been connecting people on Rock. 

To help you discover just how fast Quick Connect lets you start working together, we are running a contest. All you need to do is share the different places where you added your Quick Connect to enter for a chance to win.

When will the sweepstake take place?

From October 25th till November 8th, we will be powering up your connection with our Quick Connect Anywhere contest.

What are the prizes?

We will select 2 winners at random to receive:

• 1-year subscription to our TEAMS 5 plan, or a 2-year subscription to PRO.
• A personalized onboarding session with one of our Product Specialists

How to enter the take me anywhere sweepstake?

1. Join our space using this link.
2. You will have one entry into the contest for every public place where you share your Quick Connect. To gain an entry simply share a screenshot and the link to where we can locate your Quick Connect link or QR code in our common space.
   Public places include: LinkedIn Bios, Facebook pages, Twitter posts, public blogs, company websites, etc. More examples of where you can include your Quick Connect are provided below.
3. Each entry counts twice if you share it with us on Facebook or Twitter instead.
   For example: if you Tweet a link to where your Quick Connect is located along with the hashtag #quickconnectanywhere @ LetsRockHQ. The entry will count for 2, rather than 1. The same applies to Facebook.
4. Keep in mind that you can only use one channel to share each entry: either in our space, on Twitter, or on Facebook!

Where can I use my Quick Connect?

You can share your Quick Connect in the form of a personalized link or a QR code. Quick Connect can be used anywhere that accepts links or QR codes. Share your link in an email or include the QR code on your website to help anyone quickly get in touch with you. Couple of examples:

1. LinkedIn Bio 

Including an easier way to get in touch with you on LinkedIn can lead to stronger connections. LinkedIn is an important place for you to find clients, partners, and suppliers. By including your Quick Connect in your bio, you can provide them with an easy way to start discussing and collaborating with you. You won’t need to transfer from LinkedIn messages to email to a collaboration tool. With Quick Connect you can directly start working in a space. 

• Head to your profile, make sure your Creator mode is turned On, and click on the Edit symbol.

• Scroll down to the Website section & paste your Quick Connect link in the Link section.

• Then, you will be given the option to create a "Link text" that will show up on your profile such as the one below.

2. Website & Blog

Whether you work in sales or are a marketing agency, the Quick Connect QR code will instantly bring people from your website or blog into a conversation with you. Anyone can follow the Quick Connect link or scan the QR code and open a space with you to chat. You can feature this on your pricing page or customer support page to ensure that current and potential customers have an easy way to get in touch with you. Check out how we do it on our website.

3. Social Media Posts

From Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit to YouTube, you are likely spending many hours engaging with your community. Quick Connect provides you with an easy way to get in touch with your biggest promoters beyond your social media channels. 

You can use Quick Connect to quickly start communities where you foster discussion by providing a direct way for your audience to reach you. Simply add your Quick Connect to a social media post and share it with your audience.

4. Emails & Messages

What if we told you that you can get rid of the pain of losing your conversations and important documents in a sea of emails and messages? You can by using Quick Connect!

Including your Quick Connect link or QR code in your messages to potential partners, customers, and suppliers can help provide you with a place to start collaborating right away. You don’t need to miss out on information that’s shared with you or waste time searching through your inbox to discover all the different messages shared.

Quick Connect is especially useful if you are a freelancer working on websites like Fiverr or Upwork. By sharing your Quick Connect in a message, you can quickly move your collaboration to Rock. Collaborating on Rock gives you access to advanced features such as tasks, reminders, and time-tracking, which enable you to track your feedback, progress and time spent all in one tool.

Now, you should be all set to go. Start connecting, share it with us, and enter our contest to win. For more information on this contest, visit our designated T&C page.

Managing a project is no easy feat. Now imagine doing so without any guidance. No clear outline of the timeline, task distribution, or set budget. Any team would run for the hills and no one could blame them. This is why project scope management matters. Without a thorough project scope, scope creep is likely to arise, reports Forbes. Scope creep in project management refers to uncontrolled changes in a project’s scope, after its initiation. When this happens, a project is likely to derail with overspent budgets, delayed items, and low-quality work. Let’s take a look at how you can avoid this by clearly defining and outlining your project scope.

Project scope definitions

What is the project scope?

What is a scope in project management? The scope is the set of features and functions of a project, one that is usually a written document. The project scope is a framework that will guide your team on how to deliver a big project from initiation to completion. It includes tasks, timelines, budgets, human capital, final deliverables, and the overall goal of the project.

Project scope management definition

And what is scope project management? This is the process of defining these factors, such as tasks and budgets, as an integral part of the planning process.

In scope definition in project management

Within project management, the definition of scope has another subterm called “in scope”. This refers to work that is directly related to the established scope. Project managers want to make sure tasks remain “in scope”.

Why is it important to manage the scope of a project?

Projects will not always go as planned, but with the right project scope management, there is a reduction of risks. Without a clear framework early on, the project could grow beyond your team’s ability, leading to delays or even burnout. Staying organized at work would be near impossible without a plan, particularly in project management.Here are the key reasons why it’s important to manage the scope of a project:

• Stay within budget: A well-planned project scope addresses budget concerns. It makes sure you don’t go over the discussed budget. It’s important to set a realistic budget that takes into account all costs, including human resources and possible delays. Time and costs are usually directly related, so consider this when planning tasks and timeframes.
• Manage human capital: Your project scope will help you manage human capital in a more structured way. How will you use your team as a resource to the best of your ability? Find out which team members are better suited for certain parts of the project. Also, consider whether outsourcing is necessary.
• Coordinate with team members: Team members need to know exactly what to expect. The project scope will help you to break down tasks, assign them to team members, and address deadlines. Without such coordination, a project could go off the rails.
• Align collaboration: The way in which your team will collaborate will be set in the project scope. Who will work together? In some cases, a task can only start after the completion of another. This collaboration could depend on the project management framework, and whether you choose agile vs waterfall.
• Set clear goals and metrics for the project: The main advantage of a project scope is that it clearly sets the goals and metrics. After completion, you can see whether these goals and metrics were achievable. This is a great learning exercise to examine your project’s overall success.

How do you write a project scope?

A project scope statement is a document that details your project scope. The scope is either a separate document or a part of your project plan. We recommend you share it with all stakeholders before initiating the project.

1. Break down goals and objectives

The first step is to determine your goals and objectives. What is this project trying to achieve? How does it help achieve company goals and objectives? Your goals and objectives should also reflect the expectations of stakeholders. Here are some tips for goal-setting:

• Break down goals into smaller parts
• Make goals specific and measurable
• Highlight the relevance of each goal to the team

2. Collect requirements

What are the project's requirements? Collect these from relevant stakeholders, possibly clients. Find out what their expectations and requirements are to complete the project. These could relate to the budget, timeframe, or the look of the final deliverable.Think about how these requirements and expectations intertwine with your project scope. How do they fit with your human capital and overall strategy? Make sure they are realistic in order to avoid delays or disappointment. According to Business Insider, an effective requirements phase is your best chance to ensure scope creep is spotted.

3. Define the final deliverable

After collecting your stakeholders’ requirements for the project, what will the final deliverable look like? More importantly, how will you achieve this final deliverable while addressing these requirements? Define what falls within the scope of this project so that your team knows what work to tackle. Clearly defining the final deliverable will make sure the workflow runs smoothly. With all the correct steps in place to achieve this goal, exceeding budgets and delays are less likely.

4. Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)

Create a work breakdown structure (WBS), one of the most important project management documents. The goal of a WBS is to make a large project more manageable, breaking it up into smaller chunks. Have you ever considered how to improve productivity in an organization?A workflow that organizes large projects into smaller tasks is an effective way of increasing productivity. Structure your WBS in a spreadsheet, with different tasks, phases, and deliverables. Alternatively, create a flowchart that visually represents the WBS. It should encompass all aspects of the project, as well as all team members. You can find an example of a WBS made by Forbes here.Task management is key here. Determine the tasks necessary for your project to build your WBS. Rock’s task management feature allows you to organize tasks in a simple way which could help you to build a strong WBS. You can add further details to tasks such as deadlines, labels, assignees, and documents.

5. Validate with stakeholders

You don’t want to start a project without validating the scope and WBS with your stakeholders. Stakeholders could be your internal team, finance department, leadership, and clients. Make sure everyone agrees that the project is well-defined and sensible. This way, you are less likely to run into issues such as scope creep. This usually happens when the project scope was unclear at the start. By validating your project scope, all stakeholders know what to expect.

6. Ongoing Scope controlling

As a project manager, you need to stay on top of your scope throughout the project. Control scope is the process of monitoring the status of a project and managing changes to its scope.The day-to-day management of the overall project is thus crucial. Make sure to gather regular feedback from your team, using effective communication strategies. If your team works from home, adequate remote work tools for communication will help foster open communication.You might find that the project is going beyond the initial scope or that changes are necessary. It’s important to stay on top of progress to mitigate risk as quickly as possible.

Project scope vs task scope

Don’t make the common mistake of mixing up project and task scopes. While they are both essential, project vs task management have distinct roles. A project includes a wide range of information and deliverables. For example, building a website is a project. On the other hand, tasks are the actions within this project. In this case, starting the HTML code or brainstorming an SEO strategy are tasks. These are what you keep on your weekly to do list, daily tasks that are manageable for that timeframe.Simply, a project is a combination of all tasks, while tasks are individual items that work toward that final deliverable. It's important to understand these differences to avoid an overwhelmed team. Tasks should not be too large to resemble a project.

Stay within project scope with Rock

Rock, an all-in-one messaging and task management tool has full-fledged project management functionality to make sure your project runs smoothly. With the right task management, communication, and documentation features, project managers can engage in control scope.

1. Use the Tasks mini-app to monitor project scope

Task management is highly organized on Rock, allowing managers to monitor the status of a project and its scope. From a structured task board with assignees, labels, and attachments, you can easily access everything you need. You can use it to set up your team’s work breakdown structure (WBS), making the project more manageable.

2. Effective communication on Rock

Rock’s features also leverage effective communication, necessary to stay within the scope of a project. As a team, you can discuss the progress of your project through asynchronous and synchronous communication features. You can access unlimited messages, group chats, audio messages, feedback polls, video conferencing integrations, and more. While you can always set up a video call, Rock allows you to send a quick Loom video to avoid unnecessary meetings.

3. Don’t lose track of your project documentation

The Notes and Files mini-apps are always at your fingertips, so that you never lose track of your project’s objectives. This high documentation allows managers to make sure all documented deliverables are in line with the project’s scope and overall goal. Your project scope documents are always readily available to all for clarification.Staying within the scope of a project is not always easy. Unforeseen changes happen and not all project management runs smoothly 24/7. Nevertheless, Rock allows you to prepare and lessen any potential challenges, while staying true to your project’s scope. Avoid scope creep with Rock!

We know a lot of teams use Rock to manage projects with freelancers, clients, and agencies so we’ve decided to make all of this a little bit easier. With this release we’re introducing a management dashboard for PRO spaces, a brand-new Time Tracker, and custom and active user status in the TEAMS plan.

We’ve also made TEAMS available to every domain, so you can now benefit from all the advanced features that come with this plan. With all these improvements, we are running a special promotion.

Anyone who signs up for an annual TEAMS plan or new Time Tracker in the upcoming week will receive 10% OFF with the promotion code OCTOBER10.

‍Questions about the Time Tracker or the benefits of the TEAMS plan? Reach out to us at space.new/hello

Management dashboard

The Management Dashboard provides a summary of tasks across all your PRO spaces. Paid users get a Board View and Summary View of all tasks across spaces that were changed to PRO under the plan.

The Board View allows you to organize information based on group and filter by user, space, label and so much more. This makes it easier to see what is happening across your spaces and allows you to prioritize new action items.

The Summary View gives insight into tasks that were recently started, completed or stale within your team. This allows you to reprioritize and keep track of items that are being completed in time as well as tasks that are taking longer than expected.

If you add Time Tracker to your paid plan, the dashboard will also display tasks that have been consuming a lot of time allowing you to keep an eye on these. Free users can also access the panel with some limitations on which tasks and spaces you can see. Learn more about the management dashboard here.

Time tracker

Track how much time is spent on individual tasks by adding a time tracker to every PRO space. This makes it easier to keep priorities in check, work with freelancers, supervise team members and improve your overall productivity.

The Time Tracker also comes with a dedicated panel in the management dashboard, so you can get more insight into the hours users spend on tasks in your PRO spaces.

Time Tracker is a paid add-on to the PRO and TEAMS plans, so purchase the add-on on a yearly plan with a 10% discount using the code OCTOBER10 by going here.

User Status and Active Status

Rock now gives you two different ways to share if you’re online and what you’re working on. Active Status is available on the TEAMS plan and highlights when people are online and active on Rock. This feature is available for claimed domains and can also be enabled for workspaces on the TEAMS plan.

If you have a corporate domain that has been claimed you can enable this feature for all users on your domain which allows users to share their active status. For each workspace, you can individually enable this for all spaces in that workspace.

Users can choose to disable sharing their Active Status through Settings. This feature is only available on the TEAMS plan. Learn more about how this feature works by checking out the dedicated product guide.

For a limited time only, upgrade in the upcoming week and receive 10% OFF with the promotion code OCTOBER10. Sign up to TEAMS here!

User status

With User Status, anyone can add a custom status to their profile to let people know that they’re working on something, in a meeting, or out of the office. You can set this for a specific duration and automatically switch off notifications for that period.

This feature adds a custom icon next to your user profile. A custom emoji with highlighted text gives more information about your availability. Learn more about user status in this dedicated help guide.

TEAMS for everyone

Any user can now sign up for the TEAMS plan. Benefit from all the features in the TEAMS plan without needing to have a corporate domain (i.e. @gmail.com or @yahoo.com). We have created a special 10% discount for all teams that want to switch to an annual TEAMS plan in the upcoming week. Switching to TEAMS unlocks the following functionality:

• Managers & admins: Change spaces to PRO, manage users and access new features.
• Management dashboard: Summarize tasks that are being worked on and completed across spaces.
• Active status: Highlight whether users in your team are currently active or not.
• PRO spaces: Leverage advanced task management, scheduled messages, calendar integrations a pinboard and so much more with PRO spaces.
• More & larger workspaces: Create more workspaces with up to 50 group spaces in each.
• Custom Quick Connect, duplicate spaces, and so much more…

Grab your discount for the yearly plan while still available using the code OCTOBER10 and upgrade today!

Forwarding messages (mobile)

Want to share something across spaces? With the forwarding feature, you can share messages between spaces and avoid copy and pasting information.You can forward messages between your different spaces on mobile by following these steps:

1. Select the message you want to forward by pressing on it for a few seconds
2. Choose ‘forward’ from the option menu
3. Search for the space where you want to forward to. Make sure to also select it.
4. Your message is forwarded! Note that @ mentions will not always be recognized when forwarded. Uploaded documents that you forward will also be shared.

Faster object sharing (mobile)

We have now made it easier to move information from Rock to your contacts or other apps by sharing task, note, or topic links with seamless object sharing. You can share any object on mobile by following these steps:

1. Browse to the object (task, note or topic) you’d like to share with anyone and look for the sharing icon in the top of the panel.
2. Select “Share to other apps” in the option menu.
3. Select the application you want to share the object or store it in the files section of your device.

Download the mobile app

We’re building Rock in public, share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback with us!

Join the Rock team as we build the future of collaboration and productivity. Learn more about upcoming features, share product suggestions and access the latest resources and events from the Rock team. Everyone is welcome to join through this link.