Manage client projects in one shared workspace
Riverton gives businesses and clients a shared place to manage project work, communicate, exchange files, track requirements, and move the work forward together.
Client projects become difficult when the work is scattered
Managing a project internally is only part of the challenge when the client is also involved. Your team may need to coordinate tasks internally while sharing information, requesting files, answering questions, collecting feedback, and keeping the client informed.
When those activities happen across different tools and communication channels, clients can struggle to understand what is happening and teams can spend time answering questions that a shared workspace could make easier to manage.
Project information is scattered
Relevant project information can live across project tools, email threads, documents, and separate conversations.
Clients ask for updates
Clients may need to contact the team simply to understand what is happening or what comes next.
Tasks live separately
Client requirements can be difficult to connect with the conversations and files they relate to.
Files are buried in email
Project materials and supporting files can become difficult to find when they are exchanged through separate messages and attachments.
Clients lack visibility
A client may know the project exists without having a clear place to participate in the work.
Internal tools are not always client-facing
Tools designed primarily for internal teams may not provide the client experience needed for collaborative project work.
What is client project management?
Client project management is the process of managing project work when the client is an active participant in the engagement. It includes the internal work required to deliver the project as well as the information, communication, files, requirements, feedback, and approvals that need to move between the business and the client.
The important distinction is client involvement. A traditional project management workflow may focus primarily on the internal team. Client project management also considers what the client needs to see, provide, review, approve, or complete.
Projects
Organize the engagement around the project being delivered.
Tasks
Track work and requirements that need to be completed.
Files
Exchange project documents, assets, and supporting materials.
Messages
Keep client communication connected to the working relationship.
Updates
Keep the client informed as the work progresses where the workflow supports it.
Feedback
Give clients a way to provide input during the work.
Approvals
Support review and approval stages where they are part of the engagement.
Client responsibilities
Make requirements and actions that depend on the client part of the workflow.
Bring the client into the project workspace
Riverton is built around the idea that client work is shared work. Instead of managing the project internally and communicating with the client separately, businesses can organize relevant client activities within the same broader workspace.
A connected client project workflow
Client → Workspace → Project → Tasks + Files + Messages + Updates + Approvals
The client remains part of the workflow while your team manages the work required to deliver the engagement.
Shared workspace
Give the business and client a common place to participate in the relationship.
Project work
Organize the engagement around the work being delivered for the client.
Client participation
Bring relevant requests, files, communication, and requirements into the client-facing workflow.
Ongoing relationship
Continue using the client workspace as the project develops and the relationship moves forward.
Manage the parts of the project clients actually interact with
Client projects
Organize client engagements around the project work being delivered.
Client tasks
Track client requirements and actions that need to be completed during the project.
Explore client tasksProject communication
Keep questions and project conversations connected to the client relationship through client messaging.
File sharing
Exchange project files and supporting materials through file sharing.
Feedback
Keep client input connected to the work when projects require review and feedback.
Approvals
Support client review and approval workflows through client approvals.
A client project workflow from setup to completion
The exact project process varies by business, but a client-involved workflow can follow a straightforward sequence.
Create the project
Establish the project and the shared workspace where the business and client will work together.
Add the client
Bring the client into the relevant workspace so they have a defined place to participate.
Define the work
Organize the project requirements, tasks, responsibilities, and other work needed for delivery.
Share files
Exchange the documents, assets, and other project materials required by the team and client.
Assign and complete tasks
Track work and client requirements as the project moves forward.
Communicate
Discuss questions, requirements, and project matters through the client communication workflow.
Review and approve
Where the project requires client review, collect feedback and approvals as part of the workflow.
Complete the project
Finish the project while keeping the broader client relationship connected to the shared workspace.
Give clients a clearer view of the work they are involved in
Client project management should make participation easier without requiring clients to understand your team’s internal processes.
From the client’s perspective, the important questions are practical: What project am I working on? What needs my attention? What has the team shared? What does the team need from me? What happens next?
The client should be able to understand
- Which project they are participating in
- What information or files they need to provide
- Which requirements need their attention
- What the team has shared with them
- Where to communicate with the team
- What happens next
Client project management across service work
The exact project workflow depends on the engagement, but the need for shared communication and client participation appears across many types of service work.
Agency projects
Coordinate client requirements, project files, communication, reviews, and ongoing delivery.
Consulting engagements
Keep client information, requirements, communication, and project work connected.
Website projects
Organize project communication, content, files, requirements, feedback, and approvals.
Design projects
Give clients a clearer place to participate in briefs, files, feedback, and reviews.
Marketing campaigns
Coordinate campaign information, client communication, supporting materials, and review requirements.
Professional service engagements
Keep client requirements, information, documents, and communication connected throughout the engagement.
Client project management vs. internal project management
Internal project management and client project management share many of the same fundamentals. The difference is who participates in the workflow and what information needs to be client-facing.
| Internal project management | Client project management |
|---|---|
| Primarily team-focused | Business + client |
| Internal tasks | Shared or client-facing requirements |
| Internal communication | Client communication |
| Internal files | Client-accessible project files |
| Team visibility | Relevant client visibility |
| Internal workflow | Client-facing workflow |
This does not mean an internal project management system has no place in client work. It means that projects involving active client participation need a workflow that considers the client’s experience as well as the team’s internal delivery process.
What a shared client project workflow can improve
Less scattered project communication
Keep relevant client conversations connected to the project relationship rather than relying entirely on separate email threads.
Clearer client responsibilities
Make client requirements and actions easier to understand and track.
Better-organized project files
Give project materials a clearer place within the client workspace.
More consistent client workflows
Give your team a repeatable foundation for managing projects with clients.
Clearer client participation
Give clients a defined place to provide information, complete requirements, communicate, and participate in project work.
A more connected client relationship
Keep project activity connected to the broader relationship rather than treating project communication as a separate process.
Connect project management with the rest of the client relationship
Client projects rarely exist on their own. They may begin with client onboarding, require ongoing client messaging, depend on file sharing, and include client tasks, reviews, or approvals.
For the broader product experience, explore Riverton Client Portal or client portal software.
Client project management FAQ
What is client project management?
Client project management is managing project work when the client is an active participant in the engagement. It combines project delivery with the client-facing communication, files, requirements, feedback, and approvals needed to move the project forward.
What is the difference between client project management and project management?
Traditional project management can focus primarily on the internal team and delivery process. Client project management also accounts for the client’s participation, including information they need to provide, work they need to review, files they need to access, and communication they need with the team.
How can clients participate in project management?
Clients can participate by providing information and files, completing requirements, communicating with the team, reviewing work, providing feedback, and approving deliverables where those activities are part of the project.
What should client project management software include?
It should support the parts of project work that involve the client, such as project organization, tasks, communication, file exchange, requirements, feedback, and approvals where applicable. The client experience is as important as the internal project workflow.
Can clients see project progress?
That depends on the software and how the business structures its client-facing workflow. A client project workspace can provide relevant project information and communication without necessarily exposing every internal project detail.
Can clients access project files and tasks?
Client-facing project workflows can provide clients with access to relevant files and tasks. Riverton supports file sharing and client tasks as part of its broader shared client workspace.
Can clients communicate with project teams?
Yes. Client project workflows commonly include communication between the client and delivery team. Riverton provides client messaging as part of the shared client workspace.
Can Riverton manage client projects?
Riverton provides a shared workspace for businesses and clients and supports related client-work capabilities such as client tasks, file sharing, client messaging, onboarding, and client approvals. The exact project workflow should reflect the capabilities and setup available in your Riverton environment.
Give your business and clients one place to manage project work
Bring project communication, files, tasks, requirements, and client participation into a shared workspace.