Question 1

What is Project Management Software?

Accepted Answer

To better understand project management software tools, it helps to clearly define what constitutes a project. According to the Project Management Institute, a project is a “temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result." This includes five phases that need to be completed to achieve the objective. The phases are: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Any project management software should provide features for all these phases.  
 While the five phases stay the same, there are multiple approaches to project management. The most important include: 
 The phased approach: It is also known as waterfall project management. The phased approach is a series of distinct steps that depend on the completion of a previous phase. Project phases can only be managed in a linear sequence, making it difficult to correct errors.  
 The iterative and incremental method: It consists of repeated cycles. This means a deliverable can be reviewed and improved after its initial completion. This approach, also known as agile project management, can be particularly beneficial in software development. 
 Lean project management: It uses lean management principles to reduce waste while maintaining a high level of productivity. This approach helps companies identify and eliminate tasks that do not bring value to the company and the customer.  
 Critical chain project management: It is based on the theory of constraints (ToC), a management philosophy focusing on restrictions that may jeopardize the success of a project. By identifying the most critical constraints, companies can prepare to avoid project issues. 
 Process and product-based project management: It focuses on outcomes. It is a part of the benefits realization management approach. When the result is a product, the company defines and manages projects to optimize production and distribution. For professional services companies, the business processes are at the core of their project management strategy. 
 Project management software has evolved into new offerings, including professional services automation (PSA) software and project and portfolio management (PPM) software. PSA software includes back-office features, such as CRM and accounting, on top of project management. PPM solutions focus on unifying multiple types of projects and managing the interdependencies between them. Buyers need to understand the differences between these types of software to choose the best solution for their needs.  
 SMB companies may benefit from a PSA solution that combines project management and back office, thus providing a single data repository and an integrated system. A possible drawback of PSA is that it may not always include robust back-office features, which is why companies may prefer to choose a separate accounting or CRM solution. 
 Medium to large professional services providers can significantly benefit from PPM software, which allows them to manage projects with multiple stakeholders. PPM can be quite expensive and needs to integrate with other systems, such as ERP systems or CRM software, which usually requires extra investments. 
 Small companies are facing another critical challenge when evaluating project management software: the multitude of solutions that only provide subsets of a typical project management solution. A few examples are task management and project collaboration tools, which can be used to complement core project management features but not to replace them. While these types of software are more affordable than project management solutions and can be a good option for startups and micro businesses, they usually become insufficient as a company grows. 
 What Types of Project Management Software Exist? 
 Project management software is designed to be implemented in different ways, including best of breed, all-in-one suite, and point solutions.  
 Best-of-breed software  
 Best-of-breed software focuses exclusively on project management. 
 All-in-one suites  
 All-in-one suites include other types of capabilities such as CRM or billing.  
 Point solutions  
 Point solutions are designed to complement project management tools by offering features such as project collaboration or project analytics.  
 Industry-specific project management solutions  
 Industry-specific project management solutions are designed for professionals in various industries such as design, real estate, legal services, etc. These solutions provide standard project templates and reports or KPIs for an industry or market. They are also tightly integrated with other software created explicitly for the same industry.

Question 2

What are the Common Features of Project Management Software?

Accepted Answer

The following standard functionality is included in most project management solutions: 
 Definition: Project definition functionality is the core of any project management software because it allows companies to define the project structure, which is the base of any business activity. A project structure needs to be carefully defined; it is difficult to make significant changes to it while it is implemented due to the risk of disrupting the project. At the same time, project management software should allow users to adjust structures to keep projects on track. 
 Plans: Project management software should provide multiple options to plan projects, such as templates and rules to define who does what and when. A project plan template is a good starting point for any project because project managers don’t need to start planning from scratch. Project rules can be used to define workflows for resource allocation, task dependencies, and project deadlines. Project plans should also take into account the risks that may impact a project. For instance, project managers may want to allocate more than the standard time and resources to complete a task. It is always preferable to plan for the worst possible scenario. 
 Schedules: Project schedules include milestones and deadlines, which establish when each stage of the project is expected to be completed. Depending on the complexity of the project, deadlines can also be assigned to activities and tasks. Project management solutions should include features to define milestones depending on the interdependencies between tasks. For instance, some tasks can only start when the previous ones are completed, while other activities can be done parallelly. 
 Visualization: Project visualization features (such as GANTT charts) provide an overview of all activities, tasks, deadlines, and milestones of a project. The ideal visualization allows users to drill down to each level of the project structure to find details on a resource or activity. Users with proper authorization should also be able to adjust visual schedules, and any changes to any action or milestone should automatically update any other related parts of the project. 
 Workflows: Workflows and processes define how activities are performed during the phases of a project. These features need to be customizable to adapt to the needs of each team and should provide sound logic to take into account project constraints and limitations. To improve accountability, workflows should include approvals so that supervisors, project managers, and executives take responsibility for the quality of the services provided. 
 Tasks: Task management is used to define, schedule, and monitor employees and their work. This can be critical to managing multiple teams working from different locations, as well as field personnel or external contractors and consultants. Project management software should provide the ability to adjust schedules based on unexpected changes or customer requests. To-do lists are also part of task management and are used to create lists of tasks by an employee or team. Using to-do lists, project managers can assign work to employees without giving them access to the entire project. To-do lists can also be used as checklists that employees use to track their progress. 
 Resource management: Resource management is particularly important because it can have a significant impact on the cost of the project. Each type of activity may require specific resources, which should be optimally used to keep costs down. Teams also benefit from the ability to allocate resources across multiple activities and projects, which allow them to acquire materials in bulk and save on purchasing costs. Besides, the ability to substitute unavailable resources with compatible alternatives can reduce costs and avoid delays. 
 Documentation: Project documentation functionality manages the process for all documents related to a project, such as contracts, statements of work, quotes and proposals, and so on. These documents are usually stored in an electronic format, making it easier for users to share them internally and externally. It is also crucial that a project management solution includes templates for documents and the option for users to reuse content. 
 Reporting: Reporting, analytics, and dashboards are used by all parties involved in a project, from employees to external consultants and even the customers. It is therefore essential for the analytics features to be flexible enough to easily adapt to each type of user. At the same time, sensitive information such as private data or financial details should only be shared with authorized users through secure portals. 
 Other Features of Project Management Software: Capacity Capabilities, Critical Path Capabilities, Dependencies Capabilities, Issue Tracking Capabilities, Mass Updates Capabilities, Project Budgeting Capabilities, Project Map Capabilities, Recurring Tasks Capabilities, Resource Allocation Capabilities, Task Prioritization Capabilities, Time & Expense Capabilities  
 Additional Project Management Software Features 
 Additional project management features are sometimes included in the core project management solution or delivered separately as addons or separate tools: 
 Kanban: Based on lean management principles, kanban functionality aims to eliminate wasteful work using visual representations of projects. Kanban boards include cards that can be used to group tasks and easily assign activities to employees or teams. These features are particularly useful for agile project management. 
 Collaboration: Collaboration between employees or between a company and its customers and partners can be critical to the success of a project. While collaboration platforms and software can be used separately from project management solutions, it is preferable to combine them in one system, especially for complex projects. 
 Document management: Project managers use documents such as statements of work (SOW) and work breakdown structures (WBS) to share project plans and information internally and externally. File sharing is an important feature that allows all parties access to documents. More advanced document management features allow users to collaborate on creating and modifying documents. Access to documents should be managed by role to limit access to sensitive information. 
 Billing: Billing and expense management isn't always required for project management, but can be very important for complex projects. When multiple parties are involved in a project, it is essential to ensure that the human and material resources used have been appropriately billed. 
 Optimization: Project optimization uses historical data to identify bottlenecks and other factors that hurt past projects. This allows companies to take corrective actions and avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. For instance, if a contractor is always late or does mediocre work, the company should replace it with another services provider. 
 Simulation: Project simulation allows project managers to create and compare multiple scenarios for a project and identify the best option to be implemented. Each scenario describes different ways to allocate resources and define milestones and can also take into account various constraints and possible bottlenecks. This type of feature is particularly important for large custom projects with complex activities. 
 Project accounting: This type of functionality is usually delivered as a module of accounting software and project-based ERP software. Its primary purpose is to track project costs and revenue and consolidate any financial information related to project management. Project accounting provides critical information on the financial performance of each project or portfolio. 
 Earned value management (EVM): EVM is another way to track project performance. This type of software also provides features that monitor project progress. EVM helps companies estimate project costs, track actual costs, and calculate the earned value of the project. While any company can use this type of functionality, it is more beneficial for large and complex projects that require significant investments. For instance, EVM is a must-have for companies delivering capital projects such as infrastructure or urban development. 
 Work breakdown structure (WBS): For complex projects, companies need to break the project into smaller components and plan them separately. Different employees and teams can be in charge of each element, and external consultants or service providers can also be involved. Companies use a WBS to track the project and its components by monitoring tasks, subtasks, resources, and the people involved. 
 Risk management: Despite planning and monitoring, projects can be negatively impacted by unexpected events such as natural disasters, hacking, or changes in personnel. While it’s impossible to prepare for any risk, companies can use project risk management capabilities to identify potential issues. Project risk management software also helps companies create plans and corrective actions to mitigate risk when it occurs.

Question 3

What are the Benefits of Project Management Software?

Accepted Answer

Resource management and cost tracking: The main reason why companies use this type of software is to manage resources and track costs for nonrepetitive business operations. For instance, marketing companies usually provide standard services such as social media promotion, but they may also create customized campaigns for large clients. The standard services are delivered in the same way to all customers and are therefore repetitive and require similar resources, which means that their cost is usually the same for every client. Custom campaigns can be completely different depending on the needs of the customer, meaning that the resources allocated to each project will also vary, and so will its costs. 
 Diversification of offering: Project management software offers the ability to combine multiple types of services to diversify the offering of a company. This flexibility allows teams to adapt to the changing preferences of their customer and market demand. The ability to quickly respond to market changes can be an essential competitive advantage in highly competitive industry sectors such as professional services.  
 Effectiveness and profitability tracking: Project management is needed to track the effectiveness and profitability of professional services activities. By allocating the right resources to the right tasks at the right time, project managers can deliver the project on time and on budget, which improves customer satisfaction and productivity.

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