It is hard to count the times I have been asked, “what is the best project management software?” with the implied belief that the right software will ensure project success. Project management software is a very powerful tool helping to manage the team’s tasks, to manage changes, and to monitor the progress towards deliverables. The key idea here is tool. A project manager should be able to determine what type of software tool they need, and/or the features within an existing tool, to support the work.
Interestingly, international research firm Gartner’s Use Social Tools to Manage Projects Without Project Management research shows a trend away from project management software and towards social collaboration tools. Employees leverage the software they use daily, Slack for example, to “…facilitate the requirements of single place and collaboration, but do so in ways that employees have already adopted...”
It is important to note that it is the type of work and the team collaboration that drives the software choice. Again, no one software will guarantee project success.
Rather than Google search “project management software” and hoping it works out, identify the key features you need based on: type of project management in use (Waterfall, Agile, Disciplined Agile), size of the team, the available software budget, the ramp up or training to use the software, type of project work (IT, software, creative, manufacturing, etc.), and team collaboration needs. Consider functionality such as:
Analytics |
Document Management |
Mobile capabilities |
Project Management |
Portfolio Management |
Time Tracking |
Notifications |
Resource and Skill Matching |
Resource Forecasting |
Scheduling |
Reporting |
Budgeting |
Project, Task, Resource Views |
Workflow Status |
Progress / Status Tracking |
Use software review sites to help narrow in on which software would address your needs.
The project management software should support your work. As Project Manager Ralph Kliem shares in his PMI.org article “Project Management Software: Friend or Foe?”, it is not what software you use that will get you to success, it is how you use it to plan, organize, control, and lead a project that matters.
Successful project managers have a combination of skills which can be bolstered by software but not replaced by it. No software will build trust among the team, maintain your client relationship, or help you negotiate changes in budget, schedule, or deliverables. However, using project management software wisely and to fit the type of environment in which you are working, can increase your project’s success.