subject: How To Select Project Management Software | Choosing Project Management Software | Choose Project So [print this page] Selecting a project management software for your projects takes work, planning, and careful strategy. All too often project management software and the project management software selection process is grossly oversimplified. There are many factors to be considered when selecting project management software and, although those factors vary in details from project to project, there are standard considerations to keep in mind regardless of the project or industry.
Often a project management software company will sell a project management software without truly understanding why the organization needs the project management software and what problems the company expects to solve in using project management software. These situations often result in a project manager purchasing a project management software and then later discovering that certain of project management requirements were not addressed and not easily solved using the selected project management software. The project management software at that point has a shelf life with the company while project managers start to develop a strategy of how to cover the additional overlooked requirements. A similar situation happens when the project or company changes business practices, scales up, or scales down in volume, and the selected project management software is unable to grow or change to accompany the changing project management business requirements.
In both cases, had the project manager and the software company invested more careful thought and planning into the implementation of that project management software for that specific business, as well as included additional parties from the company to address interdepartmental needs on project management practices, the software would have brought greater value to the company and project manager.
How does a project manager work within their organization to plan out the project management software selection process and get the most out of the project management software? The answers:
* Collaboration and awareness of interdepartmental project and dependencies
* Detailed analysis of project management issues that arose within existing and historical projects
* Proposed resolution list of project management issues
* Understanding of company policy and contracts as to leveraged both to improve project management
* Understand what motivates those participating in project management to perform
* Understand what discourages those participating in project management from performing
* Document existing project management steps into some logical work flow
* Map out a reward-driven project management system that rewards those following the project management process
* Involve those responsible for Accounting and Information Technology as to understand project software integration needs
