Managing 101: leveraging software solutions (2022)

Challenges for startup owners

It can be an overwhelming experience, trying to lead a group of fresh-faced employees at the very beginning of a company’s life cycle. There are so many things to think about: the product, the team, the clients, the investors. Not to mention, you’re also trying to stay afloat in an industry that’s constantly changing and growing. 

It’s difficult to keep track of everything, and even more difficult to make sure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal. Some of the biggest challenges managers can face are:

• Defining long-term goals and objectives
• Creating a product roadmap
• Managing team performance
• Monitoring progress

If any of these sound familiar, then learning to leverage a software solution might be just what you need to help get your startup on track.

Benefits of goal-management software

One of the best things about using a software solution like Goals by KeepSolid is that it can be helpful to any kind of business, of any size, at any point in its development. 

If you have three remote workers that are in different time zones–software can help. If you have 100 employees crammed into one floor of an office building–software can help. 

Some of the key benefits that your workers will experience are:

• Increased clarity and transparency around objectives
• A better understanding of how their work contributes to the company’s success
• The ability to track their progress and performance
• A way to give and receive feedback in a constructive manner

And for you, as the manager, you’ll get:

• More visibility into what everyone is working on
• Easier progress tracking towards long-term goals
• The ability to quickly adapt as the market changes

Ultimately, using software to manage your team will help increase efficiency and clarity, while giving you the peace of mind that comes with knowing everyone is working towards the same goal.

Goals by KeepSolid can help

How will you know that everyone is working toward those goals? That’s where we come in. KeepSolid Goals has a long list of features, including:

• Budget Control
• Mind Maps
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Milestones
• Kanban boards

But the most important one for new startup owners is the one that gets the most press: the product roadmap.

What is a product roadmap?

An essential piece of any project management process, a product roadmap is a high-level overview of the development cycle for a product or service. It includes important milestones, features, and delivery dates, and is meant to be a flexible document that can be updated as the market changes. 

And while it’s possible to create a product roadmap without software, using a tool like KeepSolid Goals can help you manage and update your roadmap as the market changes, while also giving you real-time visibility into what everyone is working on.

How to create a product roadmap in Goals

It’s incredibly easy to get started. Not only is it free to try, but the intuitive interface will have you throwing up objectives in minutes, and assigning team members the same day. 

Here is a step-by-step guide to creating your first product roadmap (once you’ve signed up, of course):

1. Create your first objective – this could be something like ‘Increase website traffic by 10%’ or ‘Launch a new product line’ 
2. Create tasks under this objective that need to be completed in order to achieve it 
3. Assign these tasks to members of your team 
4. Make sure you’ve included Key Success Factors (KSF) in order to know exactly what is required for the task to be completed. 
5. Set Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to make sure everyone is moving in the right direction, and that things will be completed on time. 
6. Create deadlines for each task, and reminders for your team members when something is approaching it. 
7. Watch your team smoothly speed toward your goal (while monitoring the process to determine if any changes are necessary).

That’s it! Just by creating a product roadmap, you’re already well on your way to leveraging the power of software to help your startup get to the next level.