The Essential Guide to Choosing the Right Project Management Software
Project management is complex and tricky, and challenges arise in multiple stages of each project. Therefore, selecting the right project management software for your business can be a difficult decision. The proper software for your business can help manage a project’s timeline, set budget goals, track progress and changes, control risk and nothing less than help you get a better view of the big picture of the project.Questions to consider
Before selecting the right project management software, knowing what your team needs it is essential. You should ask these questions to evaluate which software is right for your team and needs:
- What specific needs do you and your team need to manage your project? Consider how details like budget, timeline, project reporting, task tracking, and task assignment are handled outside of just projects and tasks.
- How complex are the project and task goals? For a specific project, think about all the complexities involved in having the goals met and staying efficient.
- What features does your team need? Think about features like task hierarchy and notes/ mails notifications formilatories for keeping everyone in the loop and engagement in a project.
- Do you need an app that works on multiple platforms? It is important to understand what type of mobile app you require to keep track of your project and tasks, and how it can be scaled up or down.
- Does your team need additional support? Think about additional support like tech support and customer service, aside from your internal staff contributions.
- Are your team members tech-savvy? Go to an evaluation that is user-friendly, since members of your team may not be as tech-savvy or familiar with the software.
- Can the project management app be adjusted and customized? It is good to know the degree to which you can add custom process and projects.
Free and open-source project management software
There are plenty of free and open-source software options for managing your projects that allow for quick installation, testing, and integration of project management processes into your existing team environment. For more people-centric projects, there are purpose-built tools like ProjectLibre, which offers a graphical view, deadline scheduling, and budget tracking. For large-scale projects, WSO2 facilitates integration with external systems, APIs, and communications protocols; while Bluestacks offers a cloud-based environment and unlimited user accounts.Project management software with customization
Customizable project management software offer an advantage since you can tailor the solution to meet your exact needs. Nucleus One Cloud, for example, offers a wide range of customization options including dashboards, reports, action items, task hierarchy, journal entries, labels, and project templates. Nucleus One also provides a mobile app as well as support for multiple platforms and standard MS office applications. There is also an advanced feature that allows for instant messaging, in-app commenting, and file sharing. It also includes tools for both structured and semistructured processes, such as project planning boards and pre-set rules.Business process management software
For its capacity to model complex business processes, this type of software helps teams of different sizes to design, operationalize, and monitor a wide range of project methods and processes. Business Process Management (BPM) software is also user friendly and enables users to quickly access updated project data as well as manage project related tasks in a more organized approach. Popular systems include ProcessManager, BizAgi, and AgileBPM.Cloud-Based Collaboration
Cloud-based collaboration platforms allow project members to monitor and manage the project activities in real-time. Many times this is a middle pipe between the customer and organization to ease communication and share their perspectives. A modern and user-friendly platform like Slack can handle these project tasks with an organized approach for comprehensive project results.Other Considerations
It is also important to note other important variables such as scalability and cost. Software with a range of enterprise-grade features can be quickly and conveniently scaled up or down depending on the project’s size, complexity, and need.
It’s also important to consider the cost associated with opting for a scalable project management software. Some powerful online project management software can easily top the entry-level subscription cost of a company’s existing systems. Do some research on the project management software available and select the one that closely fits your budget.
Conclusion
Managing a project isn’t an easy task. Evaluating and selecting the right software for your team is a crucial decision that could be the difference between success and failure.
No matter the project, there are dozens of products out there to pick from depending on your requirement. Having a clearly defined set of goals and understanding all the options helps in choosing the right project management software.
The software you select should depend on the complexity, the features needed, support and budget. Project Management Software from Nucleus One can help you get all of these job done and then some. So, if you’re looking for one, consider giving Nucleus One a try.