Tips to Get the Most out of Your Project Management System

There’s an endless array of project management software you can use today. Whether you love open-source or proprietary systems — there is a pool of such software solutions out there to choose from.

But, while adopting such software solutions can help you successfully manage your projects, the odds of failure remain daunting — especially, if you don’t know how to make the best use of them. That means you will be staring at the risk running head-on into challenges like scope creep which will not only slow the project but will also severely paralyzing the morale (and consequently the productivity) of your team.

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Just like every other project manager, you want to find a way to bring a positive change in their work-life. And that means, getting creative with how you select and implement your PM software.

So how do you ensure that you are getting the most out of your project management software?

Begin by evaluating your needs

What do you need project management software for? The thing is, these software solutions come in different shapes and sizes. According to Vice President of marketing at Mavenlink, Catherine Brown, “The first step is to determine what kind of project management and/or collaboration you need.”

To avoid uncomely surprises along the way, make sure you have sufficient responses to these questions:

• Are you handling internal projects entirely or your projects involve working with clients and external vendors?
• What about tasks and deliverables? Do you just need it to assign or to create a space that fosters collaboration among team members?
• How about your working budget? How are you going to create invoices and issue certificates of payment?

The questions make part of the critical questions that will enable you to engage your Sherlocks Holmes mode in search of the project management software that will help you to effectively solve your project management woes.

Go for cloud-based services

Adoption of the cloud-based services is on the rise. Today, over 60% of business leaders and tech innovators are singing their fervent praises of the cloud.

There are many reasons why businesses are falling hard for the cloud-based software solutions.

For example, the reason Sid Haas, vice president of Business Development at LKCS chose cloud-based project management system for their company was pegged on many factors that included “minimal upfronts, ease of deployment, integrated tools and overall cost of ownership.”

According to Haas, the company has been using the cloud-based software solution “for about three years and have saved tens of thousands of dollars.”

Since these software solutions are web-based, project managers (and other users) can access the systems on any device, from anywhere and anytime. Furthermore, they don’t suffer the inconveniences and the cost of upgrades, and system enhancements. That responsibility falls within the ‘jurisdiction’ of the software vendors.

Ease of use should be a priority

You don’t want to end up with a project management software that takes you (and your team) an age to learn and maneuver. Jon Payne, advice project managers to go for software solutions that are “both intuitive and generally in-line with how [their businesses] works.” The president of Ephricon Web Marketing, Jon warns that if your desired project management software “doesn’t meet your specifics out-of-the-box, then you need to select a solution that offers you not only built-in custom fields but also the ability to rename categories and fields.”

Besides, a clear and flexible UI makes your project operations more transparent, run faster and increases effectiveness. The software solution you are going to purchase should also allow you to organize projects into easily manageable formats so that you don’t end up overlooking important tasks or projects.

Select software solution that provides scalability

Your project management software should not be tossed to the bin when a new technology comes. It should also allow for future growth. While purchasing project management software is easier, “implementing the solution in your company is a long-term project in itself.” That means as a brilliant business manager, you will need to choose a software solution that “that not only grows with [them], but also offers a “buttload of features that you might not even think of using in the first place.”

Ask for feedback from your team members

What works for you might not impress your project team. For you to successfully choose a project that is overall fit, Lynne Henslee recommends including “the whole team in the selection process.”

The thing is, each project has its processes and goals that they need to achieve at the end of the day. Besides, they have their idea of what good project management software should do for them. To overcome this challenge, Henslee, the president of e2b Technologies, a business services and technology provider advice project managers to first “get feedback from [members of your team] and departments” that will be using the software solution. That way, it makes it easier to implement and use the software because:

• The team members feel they are not excluded from the decision-making process.
• The team members are happy for their needs will be met

At the end of the day, your project team will invest themselves more to make the project a success.

Your PM software should easily integrate with core apps

There is a risk and cost that comes with running multiple systems in your organization. The truth is, your project is more than the sum of its parts (tasks, sub-projects) and so should be the software system you are using.

Every project manager knows the struggle of keeping track of every task. There is stakeholders’ information, inventory, job schedule, invoices, company communications, payroll, and the general health of your project that needs attention. All these activities need a specific tool to help get the job done. Running a system that integrates all these tools under one roof will not only make your job easy, but also reduces possibilities of making errors that will cost you in the long run.

According to Mavenlink’s Brown, chief among the factors any project manager should consider when selecting a software solution is “its integration capabilities.” For example, adopting a software solution that continually updates customers, clients and any other interested party will “increase user engagement” and as a result, extend the reach of the end- product.

Select PM Software that offers topnotch vendor support

Quality and reliable customer service is everything. There are times when things go south, and that’s when you need someone you can easily reach out to for quick solutions.

Joanna Wyganowska, the director of marketing at Intelligent InSites advice: “When selecting software [solution for your next project], you need to look for [a vendor] who offers top customer service and has a rich user community” where you can always turn to when challenges arise.

Try out fully-working versions of different PM solutions

The rule of the thumb is: You should not invest in any PM software that you and your team haven’t experienced. Mavenlink’s Brown suggests that you need to “create a checklist of the tools you might want to try out and another one based on your needs.”

Insist on getting free-trials for every solution. Then invite the project manager(s) and the team members to try and review the software. In cases where the other parties — business partners, contractors, or even vendors will be using the software solution — do not deny them the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Make adoption of the PM mandatory

Once you have decided to settle on a particular solution and the PM software is up and running, don’t be flexible about user adoption. The truth is, not everyone will always flow with the stream. Some might still harbor reservations about adopting new software. The only way for you to establish whether your software solution will deliver on what it promises is to make sure as many people as possible in your company are using it.

A study conducted by Workfront found out that if a company surpassed 75% solution adoption, they are likely to reach their organizational objectives 95% during that time.

Provide adequate training

One of the factors you will be looking at when selecting your PM software is the ease of use. But that doesn’t rule-out proper training. According to Mavenlink’s Brown, you need to “offer multiple training sessions to make sure everyone can attend.” Ensure that everyone has created their accounts, login info so that they can start interacting with the software solution right-away.

Also, you need to offer follow-up training session a couple of weeks and the initial training session to address any questions that might come up and possibly reinforce any what they have already learned.

Summing it up

There are a ton of time-saving, productivity-enhancing and life-changing project management software out there. But, sifting through the chaff of software solutions to get one that perfectly works for your organization can be a herculean task. And, while investing in good project management software can be a godsend solution to your project management woes, it may mean nothing to you if you don’t know how to make the best out of it. Good news is, the above tips can help you use you to make the best out of your project management software.

Over to you?

Are there any tips we have missed that will help organizations to make the best out of their project management software? Feel free to leave your comment below.

Source: https://blog.proofhub.com/tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-project-management-system-72938d28c43a

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Created on Feb 20th 2018 03:12. Viewed 907 times.

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