Should you use Slack for project management?

You know your product’s soaring it when it’s discussed as a verb. “Google it” is one common catchphrase and “Slack it to me” is another. That’s because Slack-the collaboration app that’s used by six million daily users- is ubiquitous enough to earn verb status. But it is robust enough to manage your projects?

Slack’s role as an all-purpose communications tool makes some folks ask how to use Slack for project management. But if you’re wondering whether that’s a good idea, you’re not alone.

Slack’s popularity collided with big changes in how project management is practiced. Research from Gartner (available for clients) shows that standard project management software isn’t always the best choice. Instead, an increasing number of teams use social collaboration tools -like Slack- to keep projects on track.

tl;dr

• Users can build communications channels by team, project, etc.

• Public channels let colleagues see what other teams are working on.

• Cross-functional project teams can have everyone communicate in the same tool.

• Slack integrates with several project management apps, like Wrike and Trello .

• APIs for collaboration apps like G Suite pull notifications into Slack.

It’s easy to see why Slack has such high adoption. Users can build communications channels by team, department, project, or any other factor.

Its public channels allow folks on other teams to see what their colleagues are working on. This transparency is a big bonus for cross-functional project teams with sub-teams that do different work, but need to achieve it all within the same software.

Plus, Slack integrates with project management tools like Wrike, Trello, Asana, and more. The APIs for several project management software pull data and notifications into Slack.

This applies to other collaboration tools as well: Slack’s integration with G Suite notifies users within Slack when a Google Doc they’re shared on is updated.

"

I have actually not worked on a project with a team without Slack for a few years now,"

says Brett Harned, a digital project management consultant and author of the book

Project Management for Humans

. "I work with a variety of teams mostly on digital projects, and Slack tends to be the general go-to communication tool."

“We’ll do everything from quick project-related conversations to sharing files, and even conducting phone calls,” Harned adds. “In many ways, Slack feels like the place where the team convenes to provide updates and communicate with one another-whether they’re all located in one place or distributed.”

tl;dr

• The amount of Slack channels can impede productivity.

• Slack has no central place to store project sprints, reports, roadmaps, etc.

• It lacks an easy way to visualize progress against project tasks, budgets, etc.

• Users can't set recurring tasks, then manage those tasks.

• It doesn't support projects that need more structure.

Despite its benefits, Slack isn’t the best choice as a standalone tool to manage every project. As a gracious giver of Slack emojis, I can confirm that while Slack is easy to use, it’s also easy to get distracted in there. If one isn’t careful, the same blessing of endless channels can be a productivity curse.

There are other drawbacks as well. Despite easy search and attachment features, Slack has no central place to store sprints, reports, project roadmaps, and more. It’s also missing an easy way to visualize progress against project assets like tasks, budgets, and milestones.

And unlike project management software-which tends to let users set recurring tasks, then manage those tasks- Slack’s capabilities aren’t as robust. You canset reminders for meetings, messages, and to-do lists within Slack. But if your project team tends to work with more structure -like using the Kanban method to build and ship software projects - using Slack won’t be enough.

"

Slack is only a communication tool that can help to facilitate larger tasks like project planning, resourcing, budget monitoring/reporting, etc.

" Harned explains.

He adds that regardless of project type, Slack can become a hindrance if project teams try to use it, but adoption stays low:

"The one thing that becomes an issue with the tool is level of engagement. For instance, if a team has decided to use Slack but not everyone signs in, you'll find an immediate breakdown in communication and information sharing. So, I think the type of project is less important [than] how the team decides to use the tool."

With this information in mind, how can you tell if Slack is the right choice for your own project team? GetApp asked Elizabeth Harrin, author of Collaboration Tools for Project Managers, to share her thoughts on how to use Slack for project management.

What kinds of project teams (if any) should use Slack? Is it equally helpful for nonroutine, less structured projects and more technical dev projects?

“I think Slack works well in collaborative environments, where it feels fast-paced and you need to stay in contact with your teams. On projects where everyone has very defined and non-overlapping roles, [Slack] can have a place, but in my experience it’s best for conversation and collaboration - quick catch-ups and check-ins.”

How can project teams use Slack in tandem with their software of choice (Trello, Asana, Jira Cloud, etc.)?

“As long as you set clear boundaries about what should happen where, you can use Slack in tandem with any other tool.

“If you use Trello, for example, you could keep task management there and use Slack for the team chat that helps you get the tasks done. For me, it’s most important to model the behavior you want to see and encourage tool adoption across the team. If they know where to go for what, and why that’s the best choice, you can make almost anything work.

“Additionally, Slack integrates with a number of other tools, so you don’t have to worry about interoperability or navigating between tools to do your work.”

Do you think Slack can replace project management software altogether? Why or why not?

“I think it depends on the project. For some smaller projects where you don’t need formal timelines, then perhaps it could. I suggest that people managing projects with defined milestones and multiple work packages would need something more.

“Personally, I don’t think I could manage without something that visually showed me the breakdown of work, tasks, and progress - whether that was a Kanban board, a Gantt chart, or a simple spreadsheet.”

Research from Gartner and GetApp shows that an increasing number of project teams are becoming nonroutine, less structured, and more likely to use collaboration software like Slack. How do you foresee this impacting project management practices?

“I think that’s a trend we’ve been seeing for some time. Collaboration tools benefit teams immensely when used well. Harnessing tech like this improves efficiency, reduces miscommunication, and minimizes rework. I think self-directing, collaborative teams are the future - but in some places, they already exist.”

Consider using Slack for project management if:

• You work on a fast-paced, collaborative project team.

• Slack integrates with your project team's software.

• The project lead defines which information lives in Slack vs. your project management software.

• Everyone on your project team commits to using it.

Even if Slack isn’t your only tool, learning how to use Slack for project management is worth the effort. When used in tandem with other project tools, team efficiency and engagement can soar.