Let me begin with a disclaimer. I live, eat, and breathe project management software. Work wise, it is the reason for my existence (far as I can tell). I quit my job as an Ernst & Young PMO consultant 10 years ago to start a project management software company with no income, little in savings, and our first child had just been born. Since that time we have become a leader in our field and have some of the biggest and best customers in the world.
So for me to tell you that you should never buy project management software must come as some surprise to you.
Let me explain.
People call us all the time saying, "I want to buy some project management software". My answer is always the same "no you don't".
Here is my top 10 list: "What you really want to buy when you say you want project management software"
Paul - give me a drum roll - please!
10. An end to the administrative nightmare that has become project management
9. Resource capacity planning
8. A defensible argument as to why your team can't take on any more project work this month
7. A way to standardize a better process
6. An end to the chaos surrounding projects
5. An end to the 10 status reports to 10 different managers - every week!
4. A way to prioritize projects and communicate priorities to everyone
3. A way to measure the quality, quantity, and satisfaction of completed work
2. The ability to get more work done with the same number of people
and the number one thing you really want to buy when buying project management software is...
1. Getting your boss off your back!
These are the things you are REALLY looking for. Not another piece of software for your organization to digest.
Why do I bring this up? Because so few companies follow the axiom "You lead with the need".
Or consider this quote from one of my favorite pontificators, Yogi Berra: "If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there".
The risk of not having clearly defined needs? We see all the time that people buy the wrong project management system and in the process waste hundreds of thousands of dollars, months of lost effort, and sour their organizations to the many benefits of project management. They fall in love with pretty pictures that require too much end user input or satisfy no real management need. They may be suitable for framing, but won't allow your company to make more money, save money, or eliminate business risk.
I recommend (before you look for software) that you make a list of objectives and prioritize them. It is also nice to know the things you need today and the things you might need in the future. It might look something like this:
| Current Requirements (By Priority) |
Future Requirements (By Priority) |
| Benefits |
Features |
Benefits |
Features |
- Simple to use
- Supportable by current staff with less time
- Web-Based
- Project Tracking
- Work (Deliverables/Tasks)
- Milestone tracking
- Issue Management
- Timesheets
- Status Reporting
- Email Integration
- Project Templates
- Workflow/Lifecycle
- Gantt Chart
- Forecasting/Capacity Planning
- RYG Metric Reports
- Project Accounting
|
- Action Items
- Service Requests
- Risks
- Document Management
- Feedback/Wiki
- Location Hierarchy
- Active Directory Sync
- Post project scoring
- Change Management
|
- Microsoft Project Integration
- Program Management
- Customer Integration
- Pre-project client requests
- Balanced Scorecards
- Portfolio Mgt by Organization
- Portfolio Mgt by Client
- Issue Resolution Reporting
- Milestone Completion Reporting
- Changes By Priority Reporting
- Avg Number of Risks Reporting
- Project Satisfaction Reporting
- Risks By Exposure Reporting
|
- Customer Satisfaction Metrics
- Project Dependencies
- Small/Support Project Tracking
- Red-Yellow-Green Reporting
- Schedule Variance Reporting
- Risk Resolution Reporting
- Avg Number of Issues Reporting
- Cost Overage Reporting
- Issues By Priority Reporting
- Avg Number of Changes Reporting
|
This will give an excellent probably of picking the right solution the first time and not getting "snowed" by flashy charts and graphs that either mean nothing or require so much administration it would bury the organization.
Now that you have a handle on your requirements you are ready to look at possible solutions. In the next Blog I will teach you the top 5 things to never say to a vendor while shopping for project management software!
Virtually yours,
Nick Matteucci, MBA
Author: Nick Matteucci is a co-founder of VCSonline.com a web 2.0 project management software company headquartered in St. Louis Missouri. Mr. Matteucci is also an active board member and the Chief Technology Officer for the PMI ISSIG. When not obsessing over virtual project management best practices Mr. Matteucci enjoys spending time with his wife and three small children. He also enjoys travel, running, and all things automotive.
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