Choosing the Right Project Management Software

The cost range of project management software is huge. From under $50 to over $20,000. Extensive reviews have been written about all the different software packages and it is far too complex to summarize in a short article, but following are some general guidelines to help you narrow down the decision making process.

Start by determining the size of the expected project(s) and number of projects. Quite simply, the larger number and more complex projects will justify more complex and expensive software.

Small Projects

Smaller, infrequent projects often can be handled with no specialized software. Gantt charts can even be constructed with Excel. Remember though that even if your projects are small at this point, if there is a possibility that your business will grow, it may make more sense to invest the time and money in a more advanced software tool.

Suggested packages at this level include Milestones line of packages. Prices range from around $50 up to $240. Turboproject has versions under $50 up to $300. For somewhat more complex packages consider Microsoft Project at $200 to $600 or Primavera Suretrak at $400 to $600.

Medium Sized Projects

Budget becomes more of an issue as project size increases. This requires software with greater flexibility and more complex relationships. The other elements of resources, time, and scope grow substantially in medium sized projects. The previously mentioned Microsoft and Primavera packages are good choices at this level.

Large Multiple Projects

With multiple large projects resources need to be carefully allocated and prioritized. Several layers of management will be involved and the entire project management process will often need to be integrated into various departments of the organization including payroll, human relations, accounting, etc. In order to accomplish this, the project management software will need a great deal of flexibility and possibly even some customization.
Choices at this level start with the medium sized packages and go up to the highest versions of Primavera. Often network versions are used which enable multiple users contributing to the projects.

Article By: Neal Williams

Deloitte Implements SkillSoft portals

Skillsoft has launched two new online portals designed to provide staff with information about leadership and project management. The consulting company Deloitte is one of the first to adopt one of these KnowledgeCentres. Skillsoft hopes to have 14 KnowledgeCentres in place by the end of 2006

For more information visit www.skillsoft .com

Five Reasons Why Companies Fail At Project Management

Organisations today recognise the value of effective project management, but many are still failing in this field. Most companies and organisations are trying to improve in the art of project management. Though they may not be able to articulate it, organisations recognise that there is value associated with being able to manage projects more effectively.
Why then, are so many organisations still so bad at project management? What is keeping most organisations from being able to effectively manage projects?

1. Senior managers think project management is a software tool

When project management is introduced to managers, they can initially think that you are trying to implement a tool that allows you to be a better project manager. Even though some aspects of project management, such as the creation and management of the work plan, may utilise a tool, that is not where the value of project management lies. Instead, project management is about skills and discipline. It's about applying proactive processes and best practices. It's about using common and understood templates.

2. Organisations don’t value the upfront investment of time

Many people consider themselves to be "doers", and organisations can also be that way. If you're going to be good at project management, you have to understand that the upfront planning process has value. You need to know that if you plan the project well, you'll be able to manage the work more effectively. No-one wants to take the time to plan. Instead, everyone wants to start executing immediately and then redo all the work later to get it right.

3. You may have been burned in the past

A common criticism of project-management methodology is that it is cumbersome, paper intensive, and takes too much focus away from the work at hand. Sometimes this is a legitimate concern, caused by not scaling the methodology appropriately to the size of your project. However, project management was not the problem. The problem was a misguided attempt at implementation of project management. If you implement project-management methodology correctly, the results will be outstanding.

4. Your organisation is not committed

Many organisations say they want good project management, but do the actions back up the words? For instance, the first time you try to define the work, does everyone say "just get on with it"? If you try to enforce scope change management, does your manager say "just do the work"? Does your sponsor say you are wasting time identifying risks? This disconnection is very common. The words say one thing but the actions say another.

5. Organisations don't know how to implement culture change

Most organisations don’t know how to manage culture change in general, and project management in particular. You can’t just train people and turn them loose. You can’t just buy MS Project and turn people loose. You have to have a long-term, multi-faceted approach to managing culture change. It takes hard work and resources. Most organisations aren’t committed to focusing on the culture change in the long-term, and they don’t want to spend any resources to do it. Is it any wonder then that six months later, project-management deployment ends up in the rubbish pile of culture-change initiatives that have all failed in the past?