Process Street

Process Street Review

By: Goodwinds Inc From USA
Based on 45 Votes

Detailed Reviews

How often have you used checklists to get some domestic chores done? You might still be using one to make sure you complete all the tasks you are supposed to do today. Process Street uses this simple concept of checklists and applies it to businesses to excel. Their checklists might be a bit more sophisticated and functional then what you must have used. However, it relies on the innate satisfaction that one gets after striking off a task from a checklist.

Pros

  • Easy to create new templates with multiple features.
  • Provides premade templates for various niche.
  • Allows sub checklists inside a checklist.
  • Use conditional logic to achieve more flexibility.
  • Schedule and assigns recurring as well as singular tasks.
  • Keep track of progress made on each checklist and project.
  • Allows collaboration with clear responsibilities for every individual.
  • Easy communication with team members.
  • Integration with other applications improves efficiency.

Cons

  • A time tracking feature would have made things even better.

The power of checklists

There is always a plan or process that one needs to follow to reach goals or targets. People often become so much objective oriented that they stop emphasizing the process and instead start focusing on the goal.

Everyone knows what the implications can be of not following the due process. The process is often made up of smaller sub-goals or milestones that one needs to reach in order to achieve the end goal.

All the milestones in a process are usually detrimental to the success of a project. People who understand the art of reaching goals and achieving targets often break the whole process into smaller conceivable targets.

They focus on these subsequent smaller goals, which ultimately take them across the finishing line. All of us have used a similar process to achieve targets in the form of checklists.

Checklists are nothing but a sequential breakdown of a bigger goal into smaller ones. These smaller goals are often identifiable, and one can strike them off the list once done.

A checklist is one of the most useful tools when it comes to project management. Process Street have harnessed and amplified the powers of this tool to come up with one useful project management tool.

Checklists keep you on track and allow you to focus on one step at a time. It remembers all the processes and sequences for you, which in turn allows your mind to focus on more important things.

In this review, you will find out how this tool helps individuals and organizations achieve high productivity and efficiency by using checklists.

It is not as if Process Street are the first to use checklists for project and task management, but they are definitely among the first few to make a checklist so dynamic and useful.

We will see how they incorporate various aspects of modern-day project management to a checklist and find out if they are able to bring out something special on the plate with this approach.

Create dynamic templates

Everything starts with a template on Process Street. A template is a detailed and step by step breakdown of a process. We know it sounds a lot like a checklist, and that is because it will turn into one when someone acts upon a template.

We will put light on this transition from template to checklist in the next section. For now, let us learn all about templates on Process Street.

When you login into the application, you will straightaway encounter the option of adding a new template to the tool. It is because there is nothing much you can do on this tool without one.

Process street contains a lot of premade templates. During the sign-up process, it asks the user about his industry niche. This choice may affect template options showcased to the user by default.

These premade tabs will usually contain some standard procedures followed in various classes of industries.

When you choose to add a premade tab, you will get some featured templates and the option to pick an industry niche again. The industry options will further give you more relevant template suggestions.

We suggest new users start with one of these premade templates. It will make the learning curve a little less steep, and the user will get a better idea of how to create more efficient templates.

Once you create a template, you can go about editing it the way you like.

Editing a template

A template can have as many steps as you want. On the template editor, you will get a panel on the left which displays all the steps under the template.

You can simply type in names for these steps and go on about adding them. The editor allows you to drag these steps along the list. It helps in changing the sequence of steps without the need to modify anything mentioned within these steps.

When you select a step, you will get to see what’s inside it. In the premade templates, you will notice that all actions are explained in much details when one clicks on it. Some of them even contain interactive elements such as checklists and forms.

It is the way process street is supposed to be used, and they provide enough elements for you to make these steps as detailed as possible.

It contains a panel on the right which has all the elements which can be embedded into a step. There are basic elements which allow users to add images, text, videos, files, etc.

It follows a drag and drop mechanism so you can pick the elements and place them anywhere you want in the step description. It follows a hierarchical structure. Therefore, all items go under or over each other. You cannot place two elements side by side.

Make it interactive

There are items on this editor which automate help you automate steps and make them interactive for users.

For starters, you can add subtasks within a task. It comes in the form of a checklist as well. This nested form checklist will help you ensure that the person responsible for doing the job does all of it. You will not have to worry about them forgetting the trivial parts.

You can use the ‘Send Email’ item to automate emails under these steps. You can add this element inside the step and decide all the elements of the mail beforehand. When you or some other user interacts with this step, they will get this email ready to be sent in their default email client. All they will need to do after that is press the send button.

There are a few more interactive elements such a long text, short text, dropdown, date, file upload, etc. You can use elements like these to create a variety of forms, make members describe actions, etc.

You can add items with multiple options. Such an item can be used to create feedback forms. You can add items for members with notes directed to them, or you can add hidden elements which will not be visible to the person interacting with the step.

Create conditional sequences in forms

One of the most powerful features on Process Street is that you can add some conditional logic in templates.

It means you can choose which items will present themselves to users when they choose a particular path. This feature allows you to sort entries the way you prefer without adding any kind of inconvenience to neither users nor yourself.

When you decide to add a new rule in a step, the options you get to see will depend on the fields already listed under that step.

The correct method of setting up conditional logic for any step would be first to add all the entries that can be possibly involved in your conditions and then apply conditional logic for them.

Conditional logic brings in a lot of flexibility and room for creativity on the platform. It allows you to make it mandatory for users to enter only the relevant details. You will be able to weed out all the unwanted and unnecessary entries.

You can apply conditional logic in all steps where it is applicable. You can use it to branch out a single step into a lot of avenues. It will not only make the template appear a lot sleeker to users but eliminate a lot of legwork for you as well.

Once you create useful and relevant templates for your business, you can then employ these templates into your project management adventures.

Templates > Checklists > Reaching Goals

There are broadly two ways to use templates created on Process Street. You can either use it as a checklist for one-time tasks or used it for scheduled tasks to make sure they get completed timely.

However, people from Process Street seem to have an even better explanation for the use of these templates.

According to them, you can use these primarily for three kinds of tasks- to create standard procedure documents, to complete trigger-based workflows, and to schedule and complete tasks.

Most organizations have standard protocols and set regimes for most of the tasks which fall under their niche. Everyone in the organization is supposed to adhere to these protocols to maintain homogeneity in results.

It helps when all the steps of the protocol are well laid out for members to understand and work on them. It can be on a topic as vague as office etiquettes to important stuff such as how to create reports.

After the previous section, we already know that Process Street is a great tool to lay out steps and procedures in a document and make them interesting and interactive for users.

You can create official documents which may contain instructions and information on how to go about doing things. It isn’t necessary that these documents need to be actionable all the time. Sometimes, they may exist just to enhance the knowledge base of employees.

There are options for saving, exporting, and printing templates once you create them. You can send them to team members to introduce them to a new set of guidelines or put it on your website to inform users about something. You can even save it for personal reference.

We acknowledge that Process Street is a useful tool even for creating standard documents, but it is most useful when it helps people complete tasks and jobs. Let us go into further details of how it helps complete the two kinds of tasks we mentioned at the beginning of this section.

Complete tasks as they arrive

This part is for jobs which don’t happen regularly. It might not be possible for employees to remember all the steps of a procedure or jobs which need to be done randomly once in a while.

It will help to have a standard procedure ready for referral on such occasions. You can create and save templates for these tasks and assign them to team members as the need arises.

Some typical examples of such jobs are when a new client or a new employee joins the organization, before the start of any new project, etc. You can delegate that task to one or all the concerned individuals.

It helps save time whenever a new job arrives, and a lot of jobs similar to it have already been done in the past. We also know that it’s easy to modify templates on this tool. This flexibility helps accommodate any changes you want to introduce in the template.

Schedule task and achieve goals regularly

The other kinds of tasks are the ones which keep recurring at a fixed interval of time. It can be daily, weekly, monthly, annually, etc.

You know when these tasks are supposed to happen so you can simply schedule a template for some said date and assign them in advance to team members.

Process street allows you to set up schedules for recurring tasks and prevent the need to keep scheduling them again and again.

When the time comes, the concerned team member(s) will get notified about the task. If a recurring task happens to take place at some time other than usual, then you can assign it like a one-time task as we explained in the previous section.

Collaborate and keep track of the progress made

Assigning tasks is a simple enough job on Process Street. However, you will be able to appreciate its effectiveness when someone starts using a checklist on this tool to reach goals.

You will be able to monitor progress made on a job at every step of the way and will be able to notify members if things detour from the proposed plan.

When someone needs to complete a task along with the checklist, all they need to do is run the checklist. There may be times when they might be responsible for only a few stages of a job, and hence, they might be assigned only some sections of a checklist.

Process Street allows you to manage permission levels for different users and groups. It is the permission level granted to a user which will decide if she will be able to view those steps of the process which are not assigned to her.

There are four kinds of permissions you can avail to users or groups on Process Street. You can allow them to edit and run templates, only view and run templates, only see checklists assigned to them and run it, and only see checklists assigned to them and not run it.

These permission levels help maintain decorum within the organization and ensure members always stay on the same page when it comes to working on a project.

It is easier to exercise confidentiality by not allowing members to even view the critical steps if they have got nothing to do with it.

Process Street comes with features which allow teams to function in harmony. Team collaboration is a vital ingredient for the success of any organization.

Team management starts right from the point when one adds team members on this platform. You can create teams which will be responsible for a set category of jobs. For instance, one can have groups dedicated to finance, human resource, resource procurement, etc.

One should not confuse team building with sorting of members. You can add one team member into as many groups you want. Having teams makes it easier for one to delegate a project to a lot of people in a single click.

You can assign a single task to multiple groups as well. There aren’t many tools which provide a function linking one department of the organization to another.

There are a lot of ways to include team members in the loop while creating a template or running the checklist. Process Street allows you to add members in individual steps of a template.

You can mention other team members while working on a checklist and inform them about any new developments or get their assistance if needed. You can assign tasks to others while working on them.

Process Street keeps the door open for the inclusion of other members at any stage of a process which makes things a lot more convenient for members working on them.

It allows users to leave comments under tasks along with references to other members of the team, which almost enables users to chat with each other.

Modern day organizations and businesses generally have their team members scattered all across the globe. It becomes necessary to maintain efficient communication channels between team members in such cases.

Process Street comes equipped with all the necessary features to construct such a communication bridge between users.

When a process is initiated, it is necessary for one to make sure it reaches its end within the specified time. After all, it is the completion of the task in a timely manner which is called success, and not just completion of it.

You can easily monitor the progress of any project on this tool. When a checklist is initiated, you can see its progress on the home screen. A green bar will indicate what percentage of it is done, and there will be icons to show which members and groups have been working on that project.

As a team member, you can sort projects in which you are working alone and the ones in which you are supposed to work with others. They allow one to set up due dates and reminders for both individual tasks and projects. Some users may feel the need to be motivated by reminders and due dates to bring out the best of their productivity.

Since there is always an option to determine which parts of the checklist are still left undone, you will always have a concrete idea of what’s been and what remains.

It will keep you away from wild guesses and incorrect estimations as to what else remains to be done in the project.

App Integration

There is an app for almost everything. Be it our personal or professional lives, we need to keep interacting with applications to get some parts of our job done.

Process Street is a process management software where it breaks down a significant process into a lot of the smaller ones and ensures that you complete all of them.

When we talk about these smaller tasks in a process, they can be broadly classified into two categories- ones which need to be done manually or by some human, and others which can be automated and an application can do that for you.

There is no fixed distribution of these tasks in a process. It is possible that there may be certain processes which have a major portion of tasks of the kind which can be automated.

However, it depends on the user if they are automating processes which can be automated or not. Process Street encourages its users to automate as many tasks as possible to make things easier.

The most useful step towards achieving this is using Process Street in sync with Zapier.

Zapier, as we all know, helps build valuable connections between various applications. When you integrate Zapier with Process Street, you will have the ability to get your Process Street account in sync with a lot of useful applications that you may be using.

With the efficiency of Process Street and the luxury of automation processes using other applications, you will be able to take your efficiency and productivity to whole new levels.

You can automate tasks in such a that when you make a modification in one application, it will act as a trigger to run a checklist in Process Street. To make things even better, you can sync your form entries on Process Street with some third application to repopulate them in that application.

With Zapier integration, you will be able to create networks from as simple as you want to the most complicated possible within applications to automate tasks.

There are some features of Process Street itself which will make things easier for you without any integration, but those are nowhere close to Zapier when it comes to being efficient and getting complicated and tedious tasks done with just one click.

Process Street has the option to create a conditional logic sequence and features such as email button to automate a few internal steps.

In Zapier’s case, you can assign one action on an app as a trigger which would actuate some other activity on a different application. Since Zapier can be integrated with thousands of applications, you will be able to connect Process Street with all of them.

You will find numerous examples on how to connect this platform with other application to increase productivity on Process Street’s help section.

Customer Support

Even though it becomes a lot easier to run and complete processes using Process Street, the process of learning to use this software efficiently may not be as easy for some as it is for others.

When we discuss a web-based service such as this one, we often focus only on its abilities and forget to focus on aspects which are generally taken care of while considering any service.

One such aspect is customer support. Since this application might prove to be detrimental in the proper implementation of projects in organizations, it is necessary that the person using it is fully aware of its capabilities and features.

Even we usually don’t discuss much of customer support when it comes to SAAS. However, (spoiler alert) the support on this platform is so good that we had to mention it in the review.

When someone talks about customer support, people usually relate it to how good or bad the support executives are on the service. But that is only one aspect of customer support. There is a lot more to it.

In our opinion, the one thing which helps users the most when it comes to learning to use a new application are the guides and little information packets embedded within the application.

Process Street provides a few guidelines for users to start creating templates and running. They provide premade templates which we think are very helpful to give users a sense of what templates are capable of doing on this application.

The next thing which is essential for customer support are sources which are available on the support page of the service. Not everyone is a fan of one on one conversation or direct chat. These people usually prefer a detailed article about what they want to know or some interest video clips on that matter.

Reading can be considered as more indulging thing as it demands more of user’s attention when compared to watching a clip.

They maintain a rich customer support page which goes through most aspects of Process Street. It is filled with practical examples which make it easier for the user to understand how to use features of this tool.

Same can be said for tutorials and clips on the support page. The videos are short and interesting to grab enough of user’s attention in this age of short attention spans and instant gratification.

Since they provide all these support options on the application along with on the website, users don’t need to switch between tabs to get help if they get stuck in one section.

The last method to get some help on Process Street is to contact their support executives. There is an option for live chat on the application. However, it is not the live chat feature which is impressive, but the quality of support you get.

They seem interested in helping users and guiding them all the way through the roadblocks. The inquiries they make from their side seem well rehearsed as well (looks like someone is using a checklist of questions.)

Overall, they have done a great job with their support section.

Conclusion

Process Street is unique in its approach when it comes to project management. They are similar to other project management clients as they also break down projects into smaller, measurable tasks.

But the methodology they use to achieve these tasks is different from the rest of the project management tools. Every project is a checklist for them, and one needs to complete every single task listed in the checklist to get the whole job done.

The effectiveness of this tool may come as a surprise to most of the users as they were not aware of how useful checklists can be. Everything on Process Street revolves around checklists, which may raise some eyebrows at times.

But it turns out that most of the business projects can be transformed into a checklist. Process Street made sure that they have the most dynamic and flexible checklists on the planet. They allow one to incorporate all kinds of nuances and intricacies in their checklists.

It has room for conditional logic, checklist inside of a checklist, automatic form filling, ability to link task with other functions & applications, etc.

They provide premade templates under various niches for those who find it challenging to create ones on their own. This is an especially useful feature when one wants to learn how to create useful templates on this application and how to incorporate multiple features in it.

Process Street turned out to be effective in taking care of recurring tasks as well as the ones which happen once in a while. They help to keep track of a project and ensure that you don’t miss out on any one of them.

Another feature which thrusts Process Street forward in the race for the best project management software is team management. It allows one to include multiple members on a project or even assign them only specific tasks of a checklist.

You can easily decide authority and responsibility, making it easier for people to know what they are supposed to do. The ability to communicate with others within the project also helps to keep everyone on the same page.

Integration of Process Street with other applications through Zapier makes it a very effective tool for project management. One can use checklist tasks as triggers for all sorts of other activities different applications which might be a mind-boggling thing for so many users.

In the end, Process Street is an excellent tool for getting jobs done and finishing tasks. We would definitely suggest one to give a try to this unique and excellent project management tool and see if it turns out to be their cup of tea.

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