Selecting The Right Project Management Tool
Define Your Needs
To begin, ensure that your team is willing to explore a new approach. Choosing the best project management tool begins with a clear, honest evaluation of your needs.
Your Present Circumstances
Where does it go wrong if you already have a project management tool in place? Is it making things more difficult for you? If you’re having trouble planning and scheduling, you’ll need a project management application that can help you organize activities and allocate resources more efficiently. By making it simpler to manage, assign, and estimate resources, the correct project management technology may also assist boost resource efficiency.
What would you like to change?
“Must-haves,” “should haves,” and “could haves” are all things that you should have. Make a list of everything your team needs. Consider how you’ll put the answer to use. Do you require reporting capabilities? Do you require features like customization and access levels? Will you solely use it for planning and scheduling purposes? Make a detailed list of everything you’ll need in a project management application. Also, see whether there are any standards for compliance.
Compatibility with Your Project Management Process
A project can be managed in a variety of ways. Your present technique should be supported rather than changed by the new solution.
Putting The Tool To Work
The tool’s user is equally as crucial as the functions it should have. If you’re dealing with a variety of clientele, you must present yourself in a professional manner. In-house project management, on the other hand, can benefit from a less formal approach. It’s also a good idea to make a preliminary estimate of the team size. Smaller groups will most likely require a simpler solution.
Research Best Project Management Tools/Alternatives
Make team feedback a top priority. It will be easier for the organization to accept new tools if they know what they loved about earlier tools. Compare each option’s feature list and cost to your list of requirements. Some suppliers may be clearly out of your pricing range, while others may not be a good fit for your team’s personality. Furthermore, alternative vendors may not be compatible with your product management style or maybe a cultural mismatch. It’s worth devoting a little additional effort to finding the ideal fit. Once you’ve narrowed down your alternatives, invite team members to vote on their preferences as well.
Testing The Project Management Tool
This might be the most difficult aspect. This is where you put project management solutions to the test to discover how well they fit your requirements.
Many suppliers provide free trials, either with a limited account (freemiums) or for a limited amount of time. You can start one immediately away or ask your provider for one if one isn’t provided straight away.
It’s critical at this point to try to replicate the genuine procedure as closely as possible. You should invite all of your team members and clients to this event. Their input is important since they will be utilizing the product. Maintain open lines of communication to avoid difficulties and keep on top of things. The importance of accurate appraisal cannot be overstated. You may devise a grading system to aid you in making your decision. It’s also a good idea to put customer service to the test at this stage.
Don’t forget to double-check the security of your data. This is especially important if you’re working with outside clients. Data breaches may result in a loss of confidence with stakeholders or clients, in addition to the negative impact on project execution. It’s also crucial to keep the trial going long enough to evaluate if it’s a good fit. Make sure the new solution is a good fit for your working style, habits, and requirements. Also, be sure you’re not just trying out a new solution for the sake of trying it out.
Team Feedback
After you’ve completed the trial, it’s time to get feedback from everyone on your team. Would using a project management tool improve their productivity? How long would it take to update it? What did they enjoy the most and dislike the most about the tool? What was the length of time it took them to get started? How likely are they to suggest the software?
Examine how effectively each solution addresses your primary concerns. It’s also crucial to consider how the project management application interacts with third parties in order to avoid your team doing redundant work. If you’re a marketing firm, for example, you might want your application to allow you to simply discuss project progress with your clients. Otherwise, in order to keep clients informed, your staff would have to duplicate work.
You should also think about how simple it is to collaborate with other departments. Assume your customer care team needs alerts from your customer relationship management (CRM) system in order to begin the implementation process. Everything will be slowed down if the project management tool does not integrate with it.
Evaluate Costs
Consider the pricing of several project management companies before making your ultimate pick.
The cost of project management software varies depending on the source. Some solutions may cost tens of dollars, while others may cost thousands of dollars. You should also think about which payment option is most convenient for you. Do you prefer a monthly or annual subscription? Do you want to make a three-month commitment and then reevaluate? This is a financial commitment. Determine the most efficient use of your company’s resources.
Consider not only the price per user but also the time it would take to install the technology when considering expenses. Compare it to the expense of continuing to work in the same manner. Consider the time you’re wasting, the chances you’re missing out on, and the issues your present process is causing. What impact may this new tool have on that? You’ve identified an excellent alternative if you can see long-term savings.
Last but not least, see if it meshes with the communication and cooperation style of your team. Anything that does this will benefit them. Internal communication and cooperation can be harmed by tools that don’t.
Get Executive Support
When planning to adopt a project management technology, it’s vital to acquire support from the executive team (or at least a portion of it). Because you’ll be asking hundreds of employees to adjust their daily routines, it’s vital to have leadership support.
Purchase
After you’ve completed the preceding steps, it’s time to purchase the tool. Because most project management solutions are purchased by seat count, you could make a purchase that equips 2-3 teams and use them as a test to see how the rest of the business would react.
Implementation
The procedure isn’t complete until you’ve chosen and signed up with a project management software vendor. You must also put it into practice. Project management software is for the entire team, not just the project manager. Outline a strategy for your team to begin implementing the new solutions. If required, scheduling training sessions could be a good idea. Also, double-check that you have all of the essential tools, that all integrations are complete, and that all of the relevant papers are accessible in the new solution.
Furthermore, remember to lead by example as a project manager. Make the most of the new solution and respond to any queries you may have about it. In order to incorporate it as quickly as possible, promote it to both team members and stakeholders.
Reconsideration, Re-evaluation, and Retrospection
Regular check-ins with your team are also necessary to discover how they’re utilizing the project management tool, where modifications may be made, and how to better apply it in the long term. It’s useful to reflect back on the process once the tool has been implemented. Were there any places where you would have done things differently? Things that didn’t go as planned during the implementation? Understanding performance necessitates the use of feedback.
Conclusion
Despite the enormous number of project management solutions available, PM software has proven indispensable for all sorts of enterprises. It also means that you have the best chance of finding software that exactly suits your requirements.
Finding the correct fit, on the other hand, is not straightforward. That’s why we built Projectly.com, a user-friendly and dynamic project management platform. Project.ly allows you to arrange your projects precisely as you want them to be organized, reorganize your workplace, and manage projects all in one spot.