Medium-to-large companies have a problem common: Once a business gets to a certain size, it needs to expand its employee base to facilitate the growing demand for the company’s product and to continue providing a top-notch service. This sets in motion numerous people collecting and inputting more data that has to be useful to everyone else. A particular task assigned to an employee could have an effect on the work of others, and comprises information that should be accessible to employees and management alike. Within a SharePoint structure, a list helps to create a system to view and implement this approach to project management, but what happens when there is so much information to track?
Having to flip between multiple lists every time an employee needs to check correlated data does not facilitate efficiency. It is also inconvenient to navigate when juggling and overseeing multiple projects as a manager or project supervisor. The process of list consolidation works to minimize these issues and create a more streamlined system in which to view all of the necessary data on a macro scale.
SharePoint List Consolidation as a Process
The nuts and bolts of list consolidation doesn’t seem like a difficult thing; it simply involves the correlation of two different lists into a single pane view. But what we quickly forget is the staggering amount of data that can be contained within a single list. Numerous entries laying out specific information about a particular task or meeting all need to be lifted wholly and put together with other information sets that may be even more complicated. It comes down to seamlessly weaving two or more information bases together in a readable view.
Why is List Consolidation Important to Project Management?
Having multiple lists together in a single view allows for a more holistic outlook on how a project is running. Sometimes certain facets of an assignment will get more attention than others, leaving some work to get left behind or inadequately supervised. By correlating, for example, a tasks and calendar list, a manager can get a truly comprehensive overview of his or her timeline for the assignment. Project management is all about being as efficient as possible with both resources and employee time.
As with all SharePoint-based processes, list consolidation allows for the best possible correlation and comparison of data, helping management to make the most responsible and effective decisions towards growing the company.
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