Self-hosted tech is a project manager's best kept secret.

As a project manager in the administration and operations industry, you know that keeping track of timelines, budgets, and resources is no easy feat. You need to be organized, proactive, and adaptable to ensure that your projects run smoothly from start to finish. However, there's one simple tool that can help you achieve your project management goals – open-source technology.

Open-source technology refers to software or tools that are freely available and can be modified or improved by anyone. These tools have gained popularity over the years, especially in the tech industry. However, they can also be beneficial to project managers in other fields, such as administration and operations. Here's how open-source technology can help you become a better project manager.

Projects text on pink and orange
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Improved Collaboration
Collaboration is crucial in project management. You need to communicate effectively with your team members, stakeholders, and clients to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Open-source technology can help you achieve this by providing tools for real-time communication, document sharing, and task management. For example, you can use tools like Slack or Trello to stay connected with your team members and share project updates and documents.

three person pointing the silver laptop computer
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Cost Savings
As a project manager, you know that managing budgets is a critical part of your job. Open-source technology can help you cut costs by providing free or low-cost alternatives to commercial software. For example, you can use open-source tools like GanttProject or OpenProject for project scheduling and management instead of investing in expensive project management software.

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Customization
Open-source technology allows you to customize software to meet your specific needs. This means you can modify tools to suit your project management style, workflow, or industry. For example, you can use open-source tools like Odoo or ERPNext to manage your operations and customize them to fit your organization's unique needs.

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Photo by Alexis Fauvet / Unsplash

Flexibility
Open-source technology is flexible and can adapt to changing project needs or requirements. This means you can easily modify or add new features to software as the project progresses. For example, you can use open-source tools like LibreOffice or Google Suite for document management and customize them to suit your project's specific requirements.

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Photo by Robert McGowan / Unsplash

In conclusion, open-source technology is an excellent tool for project managers in the administration and operations industry. It can help you improve collaboration, cut costs, customize tools, and adapt to changing project needs. So why not give it a try and see how it can help you become a better project manager?