Monday, September 21, 2015

Project Management Software: Help or Hindrance?

I was recently checking out a project management software package and looked at reviews to see how this application compared to others.  What I found was that on the day that I checked, there were 460 software applications that were advertising themselves as project management software.  That is a lot of choices!

It brought me back to a question that I have often been asked, “Do we need project management software?”  I have come to the conclusion that for most projects and project teams the answer is, “No.” 

The Purpose of Project Management Software

Let’s step back and consider the purpose of project management software.  The software is to assist the project manager and project team with planning and tracking of project progress.  If it doesn’t provide timely and accurate information, it is not meeting its purpose.

When project management software is being used correctly it is great.  It is a consolidate repository of project information.  Depending upon the software application, it can analyse the project plan from a cost or schedule perspective.  It often can be used to do “what if” sensitivity studies of various project scenarios and options.  It will generate reports and analysis on a variety of important project attributes.  It can be emailed or shared with team members anywhere around the world and instantaneously updated to show current status.  Good grief, what’s not to like?

Well, all of this capability comes with a burden on the project team.  They must actually use the software for it to do any of those things.  And that is the problem.  Despite the claims of the software developers and their marketing organizations, most of these applications are not so intuitive that you can just immediately start using it with no training or orientation.  And the more powerful the software, the more training it takes to know how to use it well.

The Burden of Project Management Software

That is where the problem comes in.  The software must be used by everyone on the project.  Team members must use the features correctly and they must be disciplined enough to use it continuously for the information in the software to be complete and accurate.  If the team members do not keep the information current, or worse yet, don’t even initialize a project plan with an accurate representation of all the activities, the information coming out of the software will be worthless.  In fact, making decisions based upon what is in the software will often create project problems that would not have otherwise existed.

So why doesn’t the project manager mandate that everyone use the software?  The characteristics of a project and project team make that a virtually impossible task.  A project is a temporary endeavour.  Many project team members are not permanently assigned to a project team; rather they are working part-time on the project with responsibilities in other areas.  Even if they go to the training program for the project management software, they will only use the software with a portion of their day-to-day work and only for a short time.  Within a few months they have probably forgotten almost all of the training.  So when assigned to another project, it is back through training again.  This takes time and money.

In addition, for most team members, maintaining the project information in the software is not seen as being value-added effort.  As far as they can see, it is only used to make pretty charts for management.  The time they spend keeping the information in the software current is time they do not have available to do the actual project work.

The bottom line for many team members is that working with the software is difficult, awkward, unfamiliar and a waste of time.   And it only takes one team member that does not keep the information accurate and current to destroy the validity of the entire project plan and status.

How to Use Project Management Software

So what is the answer?  I believe that there are actually two answers; based upon the characteristics of the project. 

On large complex projects, the project management software is an absolute necessity.  I managed large complex defense projects thirty years ago.  Back then I needed a project management team of five to eight individuals just to keep track of what was happening, maintaining the budgets, tracking the schedules, doing risk analysis, and preparing project status reports.  Today, all of that could be done in the software.

This is a tremendous savings in effort and improvement in accuracy.  And the benefits grow with the project complexity. The key is that all the project information is accurately entered and maintained in the software.  Therefore, I recommend that on large complex projects, the project manager, and maybe one or two others on the core team, should be trained and competent users of the software.  But don’t annoy and irritate the rest of the team.  Many project management software programs have excellent import functions to bring information into the project file.  Give your project team simple forms or templates and have them use those.  Then import the information.  The project file will be much more accurate.  Yes, it is a little more work for the project manager, but accuracy and completeness is well worth the extra effort.


For small simple projects, don’t waste everyone’s time trying to get things into project management software.   Otherwise you soon find that maintaining the software is a bigger project than the actual project work.  Run your projects with post-it notes on a whiteboard (similar to an Agile Scrum Board) or with a simple spread sheet being used as a repository of project information. A project manager on a small project is free to use a software application.  But don’t burden the rest of the team with it.  They have lots of other work and learning a new software application is low on their priority list.   

10 comments:

  1. Replies

    1. Tag: PM202A54. Let me share all of you about #5 Tips for Project Management Success,, I hope you enjoy it

      1. Plan your day using time management techniques

      As a project manager, time management skills are essential because you are dealing with a wide range of tasks that demand a quick turnaround time. Planning your day will go a long way in keeping you organized and increasing your productivity. Assist your task planning by using project management software which helps you track the work of you and your team.

      If you are not very tech savvy, a simple to-do list can also be a great organizational tool. Prioritize your most important tasks by putting them at the top of the list and less important ones at the bottom. Having a visual plan of your daily tasks helps to keep you on track and aware of time.

      Related post: Free ebook 104 secrets to become a great project manager

      2. Include stakeholders in important project conversations

      While you will have plenty of responsibilities regarding the project, don’t neglect your clients.

      Good communication is essential is keeping both parties informed of project progression, curtailing scope creep, and apprised of changing requirements. Some clients may have different expectations when it comes to communication, so make sure to establish the frequency and type of communication (like emails, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations) at the beginning of your project.

      Establishing communication expectations early helps alleviate stakeholder uncertainty about communication frequency and delivery.

      3. Regularly communicate with your team

      Daily team communication helps keep misunderstandings and unclear requirements under control. Keeping your team informed in every step of the project is essential to project management success.

      For example, a study published by Procedia Technology found that good communication skills were the cornerstone of project management. The study examined over 300 “construction project managers, architects, construction managers, engineers and quantity surveyors” and their successes and failures on various construction projects.

      4. Anticipate project setbacks

      Even the best-laid plans often go awry.

      Remember that even with a high amount of planning and attention to detail, your project may still encounter some challenges. Pay attention to complaints from stakeholders or colleagues, and other warning signs, like a missed deadline or cost overrun, that there may be a problem.

      Preventing a crisis will keep your project running smoothly, save you a lot of time, and keep you, your team, and your stakeholders confident in progressing with the project.

      Unfortunately not every complication can be avoided. Crisis management skills are essential for dealing with the unexpected. Project managers need to be flexible and pragmatic. Improvise and make sharp decisions when needed.

      Related post: 92 free project management templates

      5. Stay focused on the details

      A common problem project managers encounter is having the project aims not aligned with the organization’s objectives. A great project manager will strategize a plan for the project to lead back to the overall success of the business.

      Know your project’s scope by heart and avoid wandering outside of the project’s requirements. It’s too easy to get lost in minor details and forget what your focus is, so a well-planned project scope is essential for success.

      And final, you should use KPI to measure effectiveness of the project, here are full list: 76 project management KPIs


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  2. I never read this type of article before. I appreciate you for the article you have written. Thanks.

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  3. Hi, thank you for making this post. I agree with your point that most project or project team doesn't require any software. clear explanation of the purpose of project management software and its burden. this is a great help to me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Agree with you about project management software. There are many project management software available in the market, so choosing right one from them might be tricky task for owners. For them, found a list of top project management software for your business with reviews, comparison, free demo, pricing and more. One will get free expert help to choose right software.

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  5. Thanks for sharing this article. Currently I am working on My Task Management System, which is Project Management System.

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  6. A very well developed post Thanks a bunch for sharing
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  7. there are many time tracking and project management software that allows you to easily track your employees working hours and billing accordingly at Reviano.
    Track your team’s billed hours to make sure no time was wasted and have automatic timesheets generated, they can even add manual hours for approval.

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  8. The blog you have shared is really impressive.

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