subject: Should Enterprises Use Tailored It Project Management Software [print this page] Software developers usually rely on IT project management software to organise and manage their projects in the best possible fashion, while project management software is used in virtually all spheres of business where need for managing single or multiple complex projects exist. Initially, project management systems emerged as software applications providing planning and documentation management capabilities but rapidly evolved into sophisticated systems that can be used to estimate and assess projects, schedule workload, plan and allocate available resources, control project-related costs, and manage complex project budges. Thus, modern project management systems allow managers to plan and control all aspects of a project, from planning, to resource allocation, to costs and quality management.
Specialised IT project management systems usually feature all of the above-mentioned functionality but are developed bearing specifics of the IT industry in mind. Therefore, many software developers and vendors prefer to use customised software solutions or in-house developed software that is designed to meet their particular requirements and comply with the specifics of business processes within a particular organisation. On the other hand, advanced project management solutions can offer the full range of functionality required to plan and manage complex projects regardless of their industry as well as businesses involved in a project, thus enabling enterprises of all sizes and within different industries to utilise ready-to-use, non-customised licensed software for managing their projects.
Actually, good project management systems frequently develop into more sophisticated enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in a natural way, enabling corporate customers to take utmost advantage of complex enterprise management tools provided by such software platforms. Resource scheduling and resource allocation are the kernel around which most project management solutions are developed; therefore, it is not surprising that developers tend to re-develop existing project management systems into more advanced systems, offering full-scale business solutions for running a large modern enterprise.
The use of tailored or customised project management software, like various IT project management software available in the market, offers obvious competitive advantages but can be a more costly, therefore financially non-advantageous solution. Software customisation is an expensive process and implementation of tailored solutions is usually dearer than adoption of ready-to-use but highly configurable software. Custom software use is reasonable in a scenario where long-term benefits are properly evaluated and no ready-to-implement solution is readily available in the market. Nevertheless, tailored solutions are widely used in niche markets, where no standard software is applicable.
Utilising available resources to the maximum is the major function of all and every project management software, therefore project management systems have to feature analytical and estimation capabilities that have nothing to do with customisability but configurability. In fact, project management mostly deals with tasks dependent on each other while providing resource planning and allocation capabilities that are not determined by the type of business activity being analysed and the projects under development. Of course, the specifics of a heavy industry project are not the same as the details of a project in the field of apparel industry, but the underlying resource analysing and resource allocation technology and functionality is virtually the same.
Hence, a fair number of organisations invest in custom project management solutions that do not offer markedly better functionality while their price is far more expensive. Selecting a proper software solution is a matter of thorough due diligence and careful assessment of specific business processes that may or may not require implementation of costly tailor-made solutions. Actually, most enterprises whose core activity is in the field of information technology can take advantage of non-custom yet highly configurable and fully functional project management solutions instead of deploying expensive tailored IT project management software.
