Ready to save your team more time at work?
Discover tools and resources to make your life easier and get our special Out Of Office Report.
What is work management? Here’s what you need to know
Share on socials
What is work management? Here’s what you need to know
Jump to Section
Jump to section
What is work management?
Three benefits of effective work management
How has work management evolved?
What are the main aspects of work management?
What are the four work management activities?
How to improve collaboration
How to improve knowledge management
Top work management trends in 2025
If you've ever asked, 'What is work management?', here's your answer. Discover what it is, how it evolved, and today's workplace trends.
Is your organisation suffering from a lack of direction or poor productivity? Are your knowledge workers disengaged? Get ready to take notes - we're here to introduce you to work management.
Let's explore how work management evolved, what it involves, and the work management trends you should look for in 2025.
What is work management?
Work management is the umbrella term for all processes related to completing and delivering work, including planning, organisation, and tracking tasks within your team. Good work management practices backed up with the right tools allow teams to collaborate better, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of work across the organisation.
The practices and tools contributing to a successful work management system vary across different organisations and fields. The processes used in a hospital won't necessarily work well in a remote office environment, and vice versa, but the main goals of all work management systems are more or less the same: to cut down on wasted time, increase clarity and trust between workers, and delegate responsibilities fairly.
Three benefits of effective work management
- Teams work better: Room for meaningful communication and collaboration makes working together a breeze.
- Clarity increases: Clear objectives and defined workflows make it easy for everyone to be on the same page.
- Less wasted time: Simplifying processes means less context switching and more time to finish work that matters.
How has work management evolved?
Work management, or a version of it, started thousands of years ago. But it wasn't until the 20th century that work management truly began to develop, becoming an integral aspect of workplaces today.
Early 20th century
Businesses relied on manual, paper-based processes. Management consultants like Henry Gantt developed tools such as the Gantt chart to improve project planning and tracking.
Mid 20th Century
Advancements in work management included telephones, fax machines, and computers that improved data processing. Methods like CPM and PERT were developed to boost efficiency.
Late 20th Century
New tools like email, intranets, and digital databases improved communication and knowledge management. PRINCE2's publication set new project management standards.
21st Century
The rise of the internet has transformed business operations, with the Agile Manifesto shaping modern work. Video conferencing and real-time tools have made remote work possible globally.
Early 20th century: Around the turn of the 20th century, business practices were mainly manual and paper‑based, with interactions taking place in person. Management consultants started developing project and work management tools. One example is Henry Laurence Gantt, who designed the Gantt chart, a visual tool for planning and tracking projects (and is still widely used today).
Mid 20th century: The 1950s-1980s saw rapid advancements in work management. The introduction of telephones and fax machines supported limited remote collaboration, while computers began to revolutionise data storage and processing, improving knowledge management and reporting. During this time, the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) were developed to improve project efficiency and aid task management. Towards the end of this period, we even began to see the introduction of a few remote offices.
Late 20th century: As the 20th century progressed, new tools and techniques emerged to integrate with advancing technologies. Email and early digital tools improved communication, while intranets and digital databases made information more accessible for knowledge management. In 1996, PRINCE2 was published, setting the standard for project management to come.
21st century: The rise of the internet and integrated, technology-driven solutions have redefined how businesses operate. The Agile Manifesto, published in 2001, defines core values and principles for modern agile work. Cloud-based platforms, video conferencing, and real-time collaboration tools have made wide-scale remote and hybrid work possible for the first time. We've seen a shift from purely efficiency-based approaches to more holistic methods considering sustainability, adaptability, and employee well-being.
What are the main aspects of work management?
Eight key focuses make up effective work management:
- Collaboration: Creating an environment that values teamwork among individuals, teams, and departments.
- Knowledge management: Ensuring that everyone involved in the work has easy access to up-to-date, accurate information.
- Resource management: Efficiently allocating resources (such as a budget) to teams.
- Project management: Ensuring that any projects are completed on time and within scope.
- Time management: Planning and using time wisely to improve productivity and reduce waste.
- Task management: Giving team members the resources and information to complete tasks quickly.
- Reporting: Tracking areas such as performance, productivity, and budget to help with decision-making.
- Customer relationship management: Working with customers to understand their requirements and meet their expectations.
What are the four main activities involved in work management?
The four main activities of work management are planning, organising, leading, and controlling.
1. Planning
This step involves setting goals and learning the best way to achieve them. This includes identifying what resources you need and how to allocate them.
💡 Example: During planning, a marketing team sets an objective to increase product awareness by 20% within six months. They define tasks such as market research and advertising. They also establish a timeline, allocate resources such as a budget, and develop a strategy that details key messages and communication channels.
2. Organising
Organising focuses on arranging resources in a structured way. It includes establishing roles, delegating tasks, and creating processes to improve efficiency.
💡 Example: The marketing team assigns a project manager, designers, writers, and social media specialists to handle different areas of the campaign. They set up a communication plan to keep everyone on the same page about tasks and deadlines.
3. Leading
This involves guiding and motivating the team to work towards the organisation's goals. This can include providing direction, promoting a healthy work environment, and addressing workplace challenges or conflicts.
💡 Example: The project manager motivates the team by sharing the importance of the campaign. They hold regular meetings to provide feedback, celebrate small wins, and allow team members to share concerns.
4. Controlling
Controlling is all about monitoring progress, evaluating performance, and making adjustments to keep the team on track. This helps get the work done according to plan.
💡 Example: The team monitors progress against key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates and reach. They evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies and make changes based on the data to improve results. If tasks fall behind schedule, they reallocate resources or change messaging to correct the problem.
How to improve collaboration within work management
Collaborative work management lets people share ideas and have discussions no matter where and when they work. The specific solutions that work for your team will depend on its size and how you work (office-based, hybrid, or remote), but here are some pointers to get you started:
1. Use collaboration tools: The right tools make it easier to keep you and your team aligned. Collaborative project management platforms like Confluence or Trello help you track tasks and deadlines, whereas communication tools like Slack streamline real-time conversations. Discover which collaboration tools are perfect for your team.
2. Set clear roles: By clearly defining team responsibilities, you help everyone understand what (and how) they're expected to contribute. A RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) matrix is a great way to clarify roles.
3. Encourage open communication: A transparent team is likelier to be happy. Establish regular meetings (such as 1-2-1 meetings) to help employees freely express their thoughts. The most important thing is creating a culture where feedback is welcomed, so be genuine with team members and take criticisms on board.
4. Track progress and adjust when necessary: It's hard to keep everyone on the same page without a clear goal to measure against. We recommend setting key performance indicators (KPIs) or OKRs to help everyone understand how well work is going. If you're struggling to meet your benchmarks, sit down with the team and share ideas for improvement.
How to improve knowledge management within work management
Did you know that 57% of workers spend more than 30 minutes daily searching for information? Great knowledge management ensures that collective knowledge is up-to-date and accessible to everyone. Here are three easy ways to improve your knowledge management strategy.
1. Create a central knowledge base: A knowledge base ensures users know where to find information, saving time and boosting productivity. Platforms like Confluence and Notion are ideal for building a space that everyone will use. Just remember to keep it updated!
2. Encourage knowledge sharing: Knowledge management only works if everyone is on board. Once your knowledge base is live, make sure to share it! Running some training sessions is a great way to increase user adoption and ensure others can understand how it works. You could even incentivise usage while you're getting started.
3. Use automation and AI: Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve the efficiency of your knowledge management system (KMS) if you know how to use it right, and many platforms have AI assistants built in. For example, Confluence comes with Atlassian Intelligence, which helps you summarise pages, give clear definitions for jargon, and redraft content to make it easier for others to read.
Three key trends shaping work management in 2025
This year, work management is being impacted by several critical trends:
1. The continued rise of AI
AI, particularly generative AI (GenAI), is becoming more prevalent in the workplace. Organisations are continuing to adopt AI-driven tools that maximise productivity. However, more employees are resorting to Shadow AI (using GenAI without company approval), leading to greater security risks for companies.
What this means for work management: Organisations must move forward and embrace technology, with a focus on empowering employees rather than replacing them. This means investment in upskilling employees to use new technologies effectively. To mitigate the threat of Shadow AI, companies must invest in a secure environment, such as Narus, to keep GenAI usage under control.
2. Evolving work models
While many organisations were remote-first for the first few years of the 2020s, some companies are reassessing their work models and implementing stricter Return to Office (RTO) policies. Even though 96% of employees still want some form of remote work, Lloyds Banking Group and PwC have begun linking office attendance to performance reviews and compensation. Hybrid work continues to be popular with many companies, with some creating specific in-office schedules for better collaboration.
What this means for work management: Companies need clearer policies on in-office and hybrid work, ensuring employees know when and why to come into the office. Work management tools also need to support collaboration across teams working remotely. For companies linking office attendance to performance, remote workers need to be treated fairly. Managers can keep records of work performance as evidence of productivity.
3. Declining team engagement
Employee engagement has reached an 11-year low, leading to what is known as the "Great Detachment". The term "Quiet Quitting" - doing the bare requirements of your job - gained momentum over 2024, reinforcing that the workforce shows a growing disconnect from their jobs.
What this means for work management: To improve productivity, organisations must prioritise strategies to re-engage employees. This means building a culture of recognition through regular feedback and rewards, providing flexible work options without compromising accountability, and prioritising wellbeing metrics as a key indicator of company success.
Key takeaways
- Work management is a term that covers everything related to completing and delivering work. It began as a loose collection of ideas, developed into a full practice over the 20th century, and is continually being refined today.
- Work management encompasses many different aspects, such as knowledge management, collaboration, and time management.
- There are four main work management activities: planning, organising, leading, and controlling. These are essential steps for managing projects and campaigns at work.
Kolekti and work management
At Kolekti, we're on a mission to end inefficient work. We believe two focus areas have the most significant impact on a company's work management practices: collaborative work management and knowledge management. Without effective communication or knowledge sharing, work stalls and teams fall apart.
Our Confluence apps and resources can help you meet your work management goals, from project management and knowledge sharing to digital collaboration. That means less time context switching and sifting through tabs - and more time to do the work you were hired to do.
Mosaic: Content Formatting Macros & Templates: Whether you're building a knowledge base, developing documentation, or simply want to encourage your team members to collaborate more in one centralised place, Mosaic makes it easy. With templates, macros, and a built-in design wizard, it's easier than ever to create engaging pages that users read and remember.
Panorama for Confluence: Say goodbye to tedious Confluence cleanup. Panorama lets you edit, analyse, and organise pages and spaces from one central control panel, so you can save time for the work that matters most.
Guided Pathways for Confluence: It's never been easier to turn Confluence pages into smooth, multi-step guides and user journeys. Elevate your onboarding, call centre scripts, ITSM runbooks, and much more with Guided Pathways.
Forms for Confluence: Where you want to create a poll, survey, or quiz, get instant feedback and store data securely in Confluence. With Forms for Confluence, you don't need to rely on external tools to give customers and employees a voice.
Written by
Associate Content Marketing Manager
Matilda has a BA Hons degree in Creative Writing and Film and Screen Studies and is using her love of storytelling to create informative content that helps workers get the most out of their digital tools.