Do you need a formal Project Management Software Plan? If so, take the time to create a plan before launching your project. That way you’ll have a better understanding of the type of software you need; the features that are most important to your business; who will use the software; and how it will be used. We’ve created an 11-step process for developing a plan that works for small or large project management software needs.
How to Develop a Project Management Software Plan: 11 Easy Steps to Success
Do you need a formal Project Management Software Plan? If so, take the time to create a plan before launching your project. That way you’ll have a better understanding of the type of software you need; the features that are most important to your business; who will use the software; and how it will be used. We’ve created an 11-step process for developing a plan that works for small or large project management software needs.
Project management is an essential part of forming successful organizations and efficient companies. Organizing operations and strategic planning are key to business success, but this is just one part of the puzzle. Project management software also plays a vital role as it allows firms to effectively manage their projects. It serves as an information portal for all your projects to better coordinate and track all the processes that are involved. With software, everything is transparent, which helps the company avoid any possible issues in the future.
How to Select Software for your Project Management?
The selection of suitable software solutions is a vital element of project management. Ideally, the selection should be based on the following factors:
- The justified business needs of the organization
- The scope and nature of the project
- The structure, size, and culture of the organization
- The skills and experience of the project managers and users
- The financial and other resources available to the organization
First, you need to figure out what kind of work you need to do to manage a project. Different types of software are used for different types of projects.
For example, if you need to manage a project that involves several people, you will need something more complex than simple software and vice versa.
To make it easy for you, many software vendors offer demonstration versions of their programs, which can be very useful in identifying the most suitable software for your project management.
In general, demonstration versions of the software are fully functional and allow you to figure out if it suits your requirements or not.
Project Management Software Plan: 11 Easy Steps to Success
I am sure you are aware of how beneficial project management software can be even for small businesses. So, have you also heard how difficult it can be to get started?
Maybe It doesn’t have to be, with the right steps. Here are 11 steps to take to get started with your project management software for your business.
1. Engage the Planning Team
The first step to success is getting everyone on the same page. Which includes your project team, executive team, and leadership team.
Start by engaging with the project team and getting their input on what you want your project management software to do for them. They will get you started on how to configure and use the software.
Next, engage the executive team. Show them how the project management software will help them achieve the goals of the organization.
And finally, engage the leadership team. They will start to see the value of the project management software and it will help you get buy-in for the project management software.
2. Collect Data
Before you jump into project management software, you will want to collect data. Data on the project, organization, and client.
Since collecting data on the project is a good way to get a better understanding of what you want the software to do for you.
And don’t just focus on your project tasks. Also focus on your project processes such as how you get buy-in for a project, review change requests, and how to create your project schedule.
3. Identify Project Requirements
With the data collected, review it, and identify what project requirements you want the software to fulfill.
As with project requirements, it’s not just about features. It’s also about how you want to work with the software.
Do you want to be able to upload your project tasks from other software? Do you want to be able to create a project schedule that looks similar to Gantt Chart project schedules? Do you want to create a project plan with a specific set of task fields?
Make sure you consider everything that you want in your project software, to manage your project as you desire.
4. Compatibility with Available Software
There are several project management software available, some general and some industry-specific.
If you are working with clients in a specific industry, it would be good to check if there is software in your industry that is known for its usability.
For example, if your clients are in the education industry, you can use project management software created specifically for education management, such as SchoolDesk.
5. Package Types
Different project management software options are available as packages. While you have the option to host a self-hosted project management solution, it is usually more cost-effective to purchase the software and have it hosted for you.
Some project management software, like Basecamp, can be purchased and hosted by anyone, while others, such as Projectplace, can be purchased as a service and hosted by the provider.
Examine the different packages and choose the one that is right for you.
6. Installation and Setup Costs
Some project management software is a digital download, while others require servers to be installed in your office.
Setup costs could be a deal-breaker for some companies, but for others, the flexibility of having a project management solution hosted on multiple servers with disparate backup procedures could help improve the efficiency of their business.
Before you purchase project management software, determine if the installation and setup costs are going to be a problem for your company.
Moreover, few packages, like Basecamp and Redbooth, have a free trial that allows you to test out the software before making a purchase.
7. Maintenance Fees
Most project management software will require a monthly maintenance fee.
Depending on the software you’re using and how many users you have, these fees can be anywhere from $5 to $50 per month per user.
If you have a lot of users and need to have updates to the software on hand, you might be paying a hefty monthly fee for maintenance.
However, you want to make sure the software you’re purchasing monthly fees for is actually improving the workflow in your office.
8. User Training Costs & Recurring Monthly Costs
You might find that you get a lot of power and capabilities with your project management software, but to use it efficiently, you’re going to need to spend some time training your employees on how it works.
These training sessions can become costly, especially if you’re working with a lot of people.
You’ll end up paying for a lot of one-on-one time with each employee.
9. Defining Metrics for Success
As said earlier too, every project management software is different, and because of that, it’s going to have its own set of metrics for what is considered a “successful project.”
This could include metrics for time, costs, and quality. You need to define what a successful project is for you and your organization before you start using project management software.
This will help you determine whether or not the software is a good fit.
10. Create a Project Timeline
This is probably the most important thing that you need to do if you haven’t done it already if you want to be successful with project management software.
Once you’ve defined what a successful project is, you need to create a timeline for your project to make sure that you can get to the end goal and still be successful.
Try and make it a timeline that is flexible and can be adjusted as needed.
11. Accounts/Logins
Now that you have your own project management software, you need to figure out who is going to have access to it.
You will more than likely want to be able to log in as yourself, but you also need to think about others that might need to access it as well.
At last, by following the above steps you could definitely develop a project management software for your project with all the desired features.
Importance of Project Management Software
As we all know, project management is a tedious and time-consuming process, wherein a number of people are involved to assess the idea and plan to work accordingly and meet the expectations of the client, which makes it a complex task.
However, the Project management software is the solution to your project management needs, where you can make the plan and then iteratively update the progress.
Along with it, the project management software comes with several features, primarily designed to make your work easier and manage your team’s workflow.
So, when you have a project to be done, think of using project management software to make your job and the team’s job easier. Following are the features.
Project management software is useful for:
- Tracking the progress of a project
- Getting notifications regarding progress, issues, and upcoming dates
- Identify the details of the project
- Setting up teams and delegating work
- Setting up deadlines and to-do lists
- Synchronizing tasks with other members
- Planning of action to meet deadlines
- Identifying the weaknesses and strengths of the project and making corrections
Hence, project management software is a relief for project managers, as they can make effective plans, and keep track of what is going on in the entire project.
Moreover, it increases the effectiveness of employees and reduces the time to complete the project as it reduces major complexities of the project management.
Conclusion
Project management software is essential to any business, especially a creative art business. With it, you can easily organize your projects, manage tasks, and track deadlines.
A lot of people think that using project management software is only for large businesses, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You can use project management software to help you manage any type of creative art or complex corporate business.
The main thing is that you need to have a clear vision of how you want your business to be organized and structured. Once you have that vision, you can begin implementing the steps outlined in this article to make sure that you get the right software for the job and plan it in the right way.
So, are you ready to start using project management software? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.