Have you ever wondered how it is like to not have any framework while carrying out a task? There will be no integrity between the project team, delay in the deadline, no scheduling, ambiguity during execution.
Its total chaos.
That is why certain framework is necessary for every project that takes place in an organization, to initiate, plan, execute, control, and close it.
This is called Project Management.
What is a Project Management Software?
A Project Management Software helps organize the processes of a certain Project in a company.
Companies use Project Management Software because they are constantly working on different projects and they most necessarily need a reliable source to streamline their tasks.
It contributes in planning, organizing, scheduling, managing resources, decision-making and documentation process of a Project.
Why do we need Project Management Software?
1) Eases Planning
Planning is the initial and important step for any project to move forward.
Project Management Software provides a tool to create a hierarchy of tasks to inform which task is independent and which tasks are dependent on each other.
As long as the Planning continues, the time lag increases. Hence, the Project Management Software strives to decrease the time taken for Planning.
2) Assigns Tasks
In a project, there are various tasks to carry out and complete. Each team member is assigned each task.
Sometimes, documenting every move a team member takes can be really cumbersome, especially ongoing projects which take a lot of time to complete.
That is why, a Project Management Tool assigns every task to each person in the team and also monitors their work.
3) Team Management
For a project to be successful, it is necessary that the whole project team must work as a single entity.
Project Management Tool enables the Team Leader to go through all the tasks performed by the Team Members.
Sometimes, few tasks need more team members while others don’t. This Software also allows the Team Leader to assign more people to bigger tasks while others working on smaller tasks simultaneously.
The Team Leader can also monitor the progress and pace of the tasks.
4) Documentation Process
The most important part of Project Management is documenting the whole process of executing the Project.
Few projects may have less number of documents while others might have so many. Filing all these documents together can take a lot of time.
A Project Management Toll provides a centralized platform to every member of the team. Here, they can post and edit the documents together.
Everyone can contribute to the process of documentation by mentioning the tasks they performed.
5) Tracking
A team leader assigns various tasks to each person in the team based on their. And through Project Management Tools, the team leader can track the time invested in every task.
By doing so, a team leader can get an idea about his team members and their performances. This will help in planning future tasks with ideal members.
What are different types of Project Management Software?
Not all fingers on our hands are in same length.
Similarly, not all projects in a Business require same kind of Project Management Software.
Therefore, Project Management Software is classified into various categories based on:
1) Deployment
2) End Users
3) Specialization
Based on Deployment
Desktop: A Project Management Software is generally installed on your computer desktop. These are usually Licensed Versions and companies need a proprietary license to use these Software.
In this type, your files always stay with you so there is minimal chance of theft. Also, you need not renew the license of the software most of the times.
Example for such software model is Microsoft Project.
Web-Based: A web-based Project Management Software is usually accessed over internet. This is installed in the vendor server and the company can access it by paying a monthly subscription fee.
This doesn’t require installing any additional software and can be accessed easily through intranet or extranet.
A good example for web-based project management system is Wrike.
Based on End Users
Personal or Single-user: Personal Project Management Systems are usually designed for home or personal uses.
It is Single-User Project Management System because it assumes only single user accesses the System.
It includes simpler interfaces since it only works for small top-down projects with clear skeleton.
Asana is a good example for Personal Project Management Tool.
Collaborative: Collaborative Project Management System is designed for multiple users to simultaneously need to read, edit and contribute to the project at hand.
These types of Software can used in large companies with complex projects with project teams working on various tasks but with integrity. Such Systems help the Project leader to estimate the performance of each member of his team and monitor all the activities.
One of the examples for Collaboration tools is Smartsheet.
Integrated: These are Project Management tools integrated with other components of business like CRM.
This is useful for Projects that overlap with other Business activities.
Based on Specialization
Sometimes, Project Management Systems are used to concentrate on a feature more than other features. In such cases, Project Management Systems with certain specializations are used.
For Scheduling: Here, the project management systems are designed to concentrate more on Scheduling process rather than other features.
This is best for managing events like charity events, concerts, movie events, and others which are schedule oriented.
For Handling Multiple Projects: Sometimes,organizations are forced to handle multiple projects simultaneously and in such cases these Project management System will be of great use.
This totally depends on the dashboard contain all the necessary requirements.
Organizations that organize multiple events generally are suitable for using such Project Management Systems.
For Tracking Glitches: These Project Management Systems are mostly used to track the glitches and issues in the project’s progression.
This will be useful in projects where a single issue can cause a vast amount of effects on the whole course of Project.
Organizations that require a software which can track issues and fix them should use such type of Project Management Software.
