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As savvy executives and professionals know, the business world spins ever faster and faster, and the enterprises that can’t keep up become obsolete and fall by the wayside. This has arguably always been true, but in today’s age of lightning-fast AI algorithms and automations, the pace of business has accelerated even faster than humans can think.
According to Brianna Van Zanten, Customer Success Manager at scalable task management platform InCheq, the businesses that adopt groundbreaking task management tools today will gain a competitive edge over their rivals.
“It can make the difference between a business that leads the industry and one that gets run over,” Van Zanten says. “It’s the difference between industry leadership and falling behind.”
Indeed, next-generation task management systems are the backbone of innovation. They improve employees’ job satisfaction, increase efficiency, enable better decision-making, and help businesses pivot as needed in real time.
Empowering remote work and distributed teams
Remote work continues to increase in the US. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people who worked remotely increased from 17.9 percent in October 2022 to 20 percent in August 2023.
Hybrid work has also been on the upswing. Owl Labs’ 2024 State of Hybrid Work reports that full-time work in the office has decreased by 6 percent since 2023. Moreover, many workers’ expectations have changed, with 40 percent of employees saying they would start looking for a new job if their employer required them to come into the office full-time, while 22 percent would expect a salary bump to compensate for the loss of flexibility.
At the same time, studies continue to demonstrate that organizations reap rewards when they honor their employees’ desire to work remotely or keep a hybrid schedule. For instance, Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom concludes that employees who work remotely two days a week are equally productive as their in-person colleagues and are equally likely to win a promotion. Meanwhile, 33 percent fewer employees quit when they moved to a hybrid schedule, saving the organization millions.
These trends suggest the workplace will continue to feature distributed teams, which means businesses must adapt to accommodate off-site employees. The good news is that modern task management software makes this easy.
“These tools ensure every task — from routine maintenance to critical updates — is assigned, tracked, and verified, keeping the whole team on the same page no matter where they are,” Van Zanten explains. “Staff can communicate in real time, no matter the distance, and even work on the same files simultaneously while receiving up-to-the-second updates. These systems track project progress and smoothly pass tasks from one person to the next, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks, and every team member remains accountable, whether working on-site or remotely.”
According to Van Zanten, next-generation task management software can also help businesses level up their digital transformation.
Integrating with emerging technologies
Cutting-edge task management platforms integrate with new AI-powered technologies, enabling businesses to take advantage of predictive analytics. Since these tools predict customers’ likely behavior and identify emerging market trends, they empower businesses to make better decisions. Business leaders can submit queries and run simulations to determine the consequences of any given decision, which directs them toward the most advantageous choice.
“Businesses that can generate predictive analytics can position themselves to win,” says Van Zanten. “These AI-based systems sift through millions of data points in short periods of time, surfacing with patterns that elude even careful human scrutiny. These technologies can even identify places where a previously unknown quantity could be making an impact.”
Similarly, these platforms can track a team’s general performance and those of particular individuals. This helps identify employees’ strengths and weaknesses, ensuring they are utilized in the roles that suit them best.
As Van Zanten explains, AI-powered technologies can also calculate how to distribute resources — not only human resources but also equipment and inventory — most efficiently. “Smart scheduling means that, whenever an emergency comes up, the system calculates a solution in the blink of an eye,” she says. “It immediately recalibrates, much like your map app does when you go off the original trajectory. So, for instance, if a certain employee calls in sick at the last minute, the system can immediately supply the names and contact information of possible replacements to the relevant manager.”
The result is optimized operations that produce at the highest possible level at all times. This is especially important as the organization scales up, which is another thing these systems do well.
Expand, monitor, and protect in real time
“The best new task-management systems scale up smoothly alongside the business,” Van Zanten explains. “This is one of the reasons why AI-based systems are so pivotal today — they can handle change and complexity.”
Today’s task management systems can also be integrated into Internet of Things (IoT) networks. Pairing the software with sensors, for instance, allows people to monitor conditions at distant facilities and respond immediately to anomalies or threats.
“You can give the AI eyes and ears anywhere you can install sensors,” Van Zanten says, “and the AI can send notifications if anything significant occurs. This is especially helpful in the logistics, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.”
Finally, since these new task-management systems are future-focused, they also prioritize cybersecurity. Sensitive information is shielded, protecting organizations from unauthorized breaches. “AI never tires, so the level of vigilance never flags,” Van Zanten says.
The foundation for future success
Today, businesses stand at a crossroads. Those who neglect to transform risk losing their competitive edge, while those who seize the opportunities of cutting-edge task management software can ensure their success.
