To support businesses in Wales, Superfast Business Wales have created a new digital toolkit designed to help businesses improve efficiency, streamline operations, boost security and often reduce costs.

Listing over 100 cloud-based solutions, the digital tool kit directory will help you find software and services you can rely on. All products listed are presented for information and research only, and any recommendations are not designed to be comprehensive or act as a specific endorsement from Superfast Business Wales.

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE DIRECTORY HERE

In the first part of this series, we look at project and practice management tools

• Project management software is a tool to help you plan, allocate resources and manage scheduling for projects.

By helping to plan scope and organise resources, you can gain greater control over costs and timings, all while improving collaboration. Properly implemented, project management software lets you achieve more and improve results, lowering costs and increasing transparency

• Practice management software helps you to run professional, client facing offices and consequently there are specific tools aimed at law practices, medical practices, accountants, dental practices, veterinarian surgeries, architectural companies, opticians and many more.

Typically, software products in this area can help manage records, billing, scheduling and appointments.

Getting tasks completed on time, on budget, and with the most efficient use of available resources is key to running a successful business and project management and practice management software are the tools that can lighten the load.

Project management products differ across sectors, so it’s important to choose the software that works best for your type of business.

Key things to look for include the right level of reporting for your organisation, plus features to help you plan your resource allocation and usage (human or otherwise), plus provide the flexibility to keep up with planned/unplanned business changes.

To ensure that your teams can communicate effectively, take time to examine the collaboration aspects of any software you choose. Also, consider the interaction with other digital tools you might use, from spreadsheets to corporate instant messaging. Will everything work together?

Practice management software tends to be more specialised, but the project management advice above still holds true. Look out for a product specifically designed for your type of business, whether you’re a lawyer, accountant or a doctor.

For both types of software, it’s important to examine the total cost of any solution. This should include per-user costs, plus any fees for converting data from old sources and any setup charges you might incur. By fully pricing out a potential software choice, you can make an accurate long-term prediction about the overall cost of ownership, enabling you to more accurately compare competing products against your current systems