Project Management Software: Uses, Advantages and Limitations

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Categories of Project Management Software
Advantages of Project management software
Limitations of Project Management Software
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

In yester years, project management was a manual, documented, and tedious affair. Notes pertaining to a project required execution and tracking by human physical effort rather than a machine or computer.

Today, “project-management software as Microsoft Office Project 2007 and Microsoft Office Visio 2007 exist to help plan, track, and manage projects effectively” (Magal and Word 21). Advances in technology have also upgraded from single user, desktop- oriented software to online software management programs. For instance, Open Source Project Management Tools in Java have created programs like Memoranda, which can manage diaries and plan for individual projects and Open Workbench a program that enables large scale project planning and effective management through free distribution within an organization (Sholla and Nazari 56).

Categories of Project Management Software

Personal

These are Programs with simple user interface used at home to manage personal.

Single user

Commonly used by small companies, this system is programmed to be used by only one person working on a project at a time.

Collaborative

This system is programmed to be accessed by several users editing various sections of the project simultaneously, for example, incorporating the data that each person is assigned so that the information gets integrated into the entire project. These systems are often web based (Lee and Xia 89).

Integrated

This system links project management features to the day-to-day running of the company, for example, tracking devices for all tasks. This can be done by combining with other software of different functionality.

Non-specialized tools

In addition to custom-made project management software, there are other non-software tools such as calendars and spreadsheets, which can be of use.

Uses of project management software

Scheduling – this enables the planning of events or responsibilities with the intricacy of the schedule depending on how the system or program is designed and used. Possible challenges may include intertwined or interdependent events, resources, and people required by various tasks, and unpredictable interruptions in the estimated duration of a task.

Providing reports and updates – project management software can provide information to all concerned parties, and this includes, assessing, and substantiating the input required in finishing the project. These reports can comprise of the following:

Past records on how projects were advanced, and especially, how precise the planned performance was actualized.
The workload at hand and how to plan for vacations
How to achieve maximum benefits from available resources
Alerts to risks that might jeopardize the project
How much time a task requires to complete
Expected expenditure and resource allocation

Collaboration – this entails easier communication among the concerned parties. Tools of communication such as emails, and video-conferencing, usually incorporated in project management software, relay information constantly through intranet or internet, thus enhancing flexibility. This communication flow also provides a platform where the team and the clients can converge for updates and reviews (Margea and Margea 198).

Management of resources – it is easier to keep track and manage human resource, individual aptitude, capital, and time. It also makes it easier to prioritize and improve efficacy in task accomplishment (Ali, Anbari and Money 5).

Monitoring Projects – for accountability and expenditure tracking purposes, project management programs are easier and more accurate to use as compared to pen and paper. This uses graphs and timesheets. Timesheets help track the time taken by each employee to accomplish a task.

Provision of Planners – the availability of a capacity planner enables planning of diverse projects simultaneously, while ensuring that all resources remain balanced and not overloaded.

Specific Reports – Such a program also has the ability to generate specified reports and allow automatic testing of data rather than making manual tests that incur high costs.

Organization of assignments – with the use of tools like A PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) chart, it is easy to plan, categorize, and synchronize tasks to accomplish the mission as required. PERT was created in the 1950’s by the United States Navy to control their submarine missile agenda. The Critical Path Method (CPM) is akin to PERT and was created for use by the private sector around the same time.

Advantages of Project management software

Whether desktop or online, project management software has the following benefits.

Before commencing on any task, the project management software must prompt the user to define the scope of the project, which helps determine the most suitable methods to use in the project. This step is crucial in assisting to breakdown the work structure and the diagrams used help identify the paths or steps to follow. Duration of the assignment and individual or team responsibilities are registered, and it assists to view the relationship between various tasks, which are crucial to the project (McKenna 21).

It teaches and guides in project planning and introduces one to new aspects and its consistency in training methods lays good foundations by retaining all innovative ideas; unlike when a resourceful worker leaves the company.

It is considered more thorough than manual planning. Project-management software ensures that no vital aspect of the project is overlooked by alerting the user on forgotten details.

It offers assessment that is objective based on reasonable and accurate calculations. This is because of using tools like timesheets and cost evaluators, which clearly illustrate where the hitches are.

The use of well-detailed systems provided by the software illustrates competence to the clients, and provides an edge in marketing strategies (Lawlor 427).

It enables real-time communication among all interested and involved parties.

Updated documentation is readily available upon request, or for impromptu meetings to deliberate on project progress.

It can be used to manage varied technology projects concurrently. This in the manual method would be confusing, time consuming and would require more people and resources.

Auditing such a project is easier and transparent to all interested parties.

Information that is centralized is easier to access, update, and manage, and this is enabled by project management software especially if it is web-based.

Because it is easy to adjust the project as it advances through the software, it is possible to use tools like goal seek and solver, which can be integrated in custom-made software so as to automatically adjust desired goals.

Use of project management software makes it possible to control and foresee risks and consequently sufficient budgeting done.

The software can help administer efficiently work-related expenditure, and even expected profits, for proper allocation.

The software developers, whether web-based or desktop-oriented do assist in providing competent and insightful support based on their experience in providing solutions to other users. Most companies do provide tools or drivers online to help their clients using the software (Feeney and Sult 745).

The fact that online or networked project management software makes sharing and editing of documents easier thus collapsing geographical barriers and the need to travel to meet for briefs and updates is relieved. Feedback is also availed to the project managers on the completed and pending tasks.

Limitations of Project Management Software

It can be expensive to buy, implement, and maintain. This can be because of additional compulsory accessories like modules or shared server. Most software can only be trouble-shoot by its developers therefore a company must have adequate funds to cater for emergency invoices. In the event that the software developer cannot be reached, the project could stall and precious resources put at risk (Iversen, Mathiassen and Nielsen 396). In addition, online software mandates monthly subscription, which might incur more costs especially to a small project.

The user interface may be unappealing, tiresome, congested, and full of program bugs that keep popping error messages with every command issued thus leading to dissatisfaction (Ji, Mookerjee and Sethi 293).

Some people might not be able to understand the program. This can lead to incorrect data entry by staff and inappropriate use of tools and production of erroneous and misleading results. The difficult commands might not be helpful to users and might not even make sense.

Over-reliance on this software can complicate simple office tasks and projects that do not require sophisticated but basic methods to accomplish.

Prior training of staff and other users is compulsory before using the software and this might incur more costs in the budget of the project (Gökşen, Erdem and Öztürk 1064).

Project management software might not meet the needs of that particular project and might take a long time to adjust to the project at hand.

Any software can crash at any time and without warning. A network could be hacked into and data distorted probably by a rival service or product provider. In either case, unless there is data backup or enough time to re-strategize it could mean disaster for the concerned parties (Karim and Adeli 381).

Staff who prefer to use pen and paper might feel pressured to use software thus give poor performance.

Conclusion

There are no reservations in admitting that project management software offers immense and varied solutions in the implementation of projects therefore saving on time and resources. “However, the tremendous power of project management software can lull young project manager into a false sense of security” (Verzuh 138). Just like any other software, programs such as MS Project are just aids and not a replacement of project managers. It is improper to assume that a computer will supervise the project; it just serves to direct and provide guidelines in handling the large amounts of data that a project will utilize. Project management software therefore, is unqualified to create and maintain the objectives of the project and should be used as a supplement.

A meticulous project leader ensures that in the initial steps there is adequate planning which includes the proposal of the ideas. It is also his or her responsibility to formulate the guidelines to be followed in the input and output since a computer, no matter the software sophistication, will give results based on the data fed (Zrymiak 56).

Project management software advances the ideologies of a modern world to enhance efficiency and innovation. It cannot replace the input of a brilliant leader who steers the direction of the project to success.

Works Cited

Ali, Abdullah, Frank Anbari and William Money. “Impact of Organizational and Project Factors on Acceptance and Usage of Project Management Software and Perceived Project Success.” Project Management Journal 39.2 (2008): 5–33. Print.

Feeney, Mary, and Leslie Sult. “Uses Project Management in Practice: Implementing a Process to Ensure Accountability and Success.” Journal of Library Administration 51.7 (2011): 744-763. Print.

Gökşen, Yılmaz, Sabri Erdem and Bilgehan Öztürk. “Investigation of Variations in the Software Development Process: A Case Study.” Ege Academic Review 9.4 (2009): 1063-1077.

Iversen, Jakob, Lars Mathiassen and Axel Nielsen. “Managing Risk in Software Process Improvement: An Action Research Approach.” MIS Quarterly 28.3 (2004): 395- 433. Print.

Ji, Yonghua, Vijay Mookerjee and Suresh Sethi. “Optimal Software Development: A Control Theoretic Approach.” Information Systems Research 16.3 (2005): 292- 306.

Karim, Asim, and Hojjat Adeli. “A new generation software for construction scheduling and management.” Engineering Construction & Architectural Management (Blackwell Publishing Limited) 6.4 (1999): 380-390.

Lawlor, John. “Use of project management software on the increase but sophistication of usage is low.” Engineers Journal 60.7 (2006): 427-431. Print.

Lee, Gwanhoo, and Weidong Xia. “Toward Agile: An Integrated Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Field Data on Software Development Agility.” MIS Quarterly 34.1 (2010): 87-114.

Magal, Simha, and Jeffrey Word. Integrated business process with ERP systems. New York: Wiley, 2011. Print.

Margea, Romeo, and Camelia Margea. “Open Source Approach to Project Management Tools.” Informatica Economica 15.1(2011): 196-206. Print.

McKenna, Lindsay. “Lessons from the Wild.” Engineering Management 13.3 (2003): 20- 23. Print.

Sholla, Altin, and Elona Nazari. “Knowledge Management and Factors that Influence the Success of Codification Strategies in Medium-sized Companies that Develop Software: The model, Strategies and Tools.” Journal of Information Technology & Economic Development 2.1 (2011): 54-63.

Verzuh, Eric. The fast forward MBA in project management. New Jersey: John Wiley & sons , inc., 2005. Print.

Zrymiak, Dan. “Quality Software Project Management (Book).” Project Management Journal 34.1 (2003):56.

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