Businesses have become more diverse and dynamic in recent years. Operation has gone mobile. Work teams are scattered all over the globe and are now working on the move.
ISV’s responded by creating a new generation in Project Management software. This software aims to be more functionally sophisticated and less complex.
Project Managers and team members now have a variety of PM solutions available – from simple Task Management to more complex suites.
These are three important tips to remember before you choose a Project Management app.
1) Accidental vs. Professional Project Management
The first thing you need to ask is how comprehensive and functionally wide does the PM solution have to be for your particular business case?
Use the A-B/C scale.
A stands for “A” which is for simple task management. It is suitable for individual activities planning. This program is used to keep track and manage specific tasks or to do lists.
“B” refers to group-based tools, which include task assignment, progress tracking and reporting. These tools are useful for automating small marketing, HR, or administrative projects. They can be used to manage group communication, but they are not business-critical.
“C” refers to all full-fledged project management software for professional and business-critical PM activities, such as system integration services or consulting. These products have broad functionality, including task assignment, resource allocation and budget planning. They can also include the portfolio management scope necessary for PMO support. Depending on the industry, such as construction, the functional scope may also include resource and asset management and integrations with ERP or requisitioning system.
2) Implementation barriers
Before you make a purchase of a project management software, you should consider the obstacles you might have to overcome.
You will need to consider the resistance your team might have to accept if they are required to use a different piece of software in their workday. You’ll also need to plan for another major obstacle like data migration issues.
Software adoption can lead to multiple costly and time-consuming training sessions, and worse, a decrease in overall productivity. If your team isn’t fully on board with a new system, you might end up with a complex mess that is just added to existing manual processes, rather than replacing them.
Data migration can be a major problem in the “C” scenario. With project data stored in large volumes and multiple systems, you need to budget plenty of time for this step. In the “A” or “B” scenarios, you may not need to worry about data sync.
3) Collaboration
There are two main deployment options: either on-premise installation, or Software as a Service (Software as a Service).
A cloud/SaaS version is the best option for the scenarios “A” and B above, which have low data volumes and few high priority security issues. This avoids the need for hardware maintenance and the headache of infrastructure upgrades.
For business-critical project management scenarios, such as “C”, your priority will be data availability and security. On-premise solutions offer companies much higher security standards. You can access and keep your data onsite.
What other considerations should you make before you choose project management software? These considerations can be added in the comments
Are you looking for Project Management software? Capterra’s top-rated Project Management software solutions are listed.