Introduction to Project Management

Unit 15

Unit 15

Project Management Software

Structure 15.1 Introduction Objectives 15.2 Features of Project Management Software 15.3 Different Approaches in Project Management Software Criticisms of Project Management Software 15.4 Different Types of Software Management Tools Types of Project Management Software 15.5 Management of Multi-Project Environments Managing a Multi-Project Organisation Organising for Success Examples of Tools/Software for Multi Project Environments 15.6 Summary 15.7 Terminal Questions 15.8 Answers 15.9 Glossary

15.1 Introduction
Project Management software consists of many types of software which help in scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration software, communication, quality management and documentation or administration systems. These software are used to deal with large, complex projects and help in smooth management of projects. Scheduling involves setting up a series of events or tasks. Complexity of the schedule can differ considerably depending on how the tool is used. The Project Management software can also be implemented as a Web application which can be accessed through an intranet or an extranet using a web browser. An integrated system aggregates project management or project planning, with many other aspects of the company life. This unit discusses project management software available in the market today.

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Learning Objectives After studying this unit, you will be able to: Identify the features of Project Management software. Evaluate various approaches in Project Management software. Analyse the various types of software management tools available in the market. Identify tools/software for multi-project environments.

15.2 Features of Project Management Software

The features of Project Management software are scheduling, calculating critical path, and providing information which are discussed in detail below: Scheduling This is one of the most common requirements of managing any project. This involves scheduling a series of events or tasks. The complexity of the schedule can differ considerably depending on how the tool is used. Some common challenges include: Events can depend on one another in different ways or dependencies. Tasks can be scheduled to various resources this is commonly termed resource scheduling. Uncertainties and estimation of the duration of each task will have to be dealt. Calculating the critical path When there are complex schedules, there is bound to be a critical path. There can also be a series of events that depend on each other and whose durations directly determine the length of the whole project. Some software applications, for example Dependency Structure Matrix solutions, highlight these tasks, which are often considered as a good choice for any optimisation effort. Providing the information The Project Management Software is expected to provide information to various people and stakeholders. It can be used to measure and justify the level of effort required from various resources to complete the project. The essential requirements include: Task lists for people, and the allocation of schedules for resources.
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Overview of information on the time taken to complete the task. Early warning of any risks the project might face. Information on workload and holiday planning Historical information on progress of projects, and the deviation between the planned and actual performance. Optimum utilisation of the available resource.

Self Assessment Questions 1. Scheduling the task to various resources is termed as _________. 2. _______ are used to highlight the tasks in critical path.

15.3 Different Approaches in Project Management Software

The purpose of Project Management software is to apply the skills, knowledge, tools and techniques which will help meet the needs and expectations of the stakeholders of a project. Any Project Management software should help to predict and prevent possible problems and not to recognise and react. There are different approaches in Project Management software. They include: Desktop The project management software can be used as a program that runs on the desktop of each user. This basically gives the most responsive and graphically-intense style of interface. The desktop applications typically store data in a file, although some have the power to collaborate with other users, or store their data in a central database. On a networked drive even the file-based project can be shared between users and only one user can access it at a time. Although it is unusual, the desktop applications can be written to run in a heterogeneous environment of multiple operating systems. Web-based The Project Management software can be applied as a Web application and can be accessed through the intranet or the extranet using a web browser. All the regular advantages and disadvantages of web applications are applicable.

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The advantages of the web applications are as follows: Without installing software on users computer, the web application can be accessed from any type of computer. Easy access-control can be obtained. Many-users can use it. Centralised data repository can be achieved. Solutions offered allows user to go offline with a copy of the data. The disadvantages of the web applications are as follows: Provides only one software version and installation to maintain it Responds slower than desktop applications Project information is not available when user or server goes offline. Client - Server There are Server-based combined Project Management applications which are available. These are designed to help multiple users who are working on different parts of a project. The Server-based Project Management systems hold the data centrally and also incorporate collaboration tools so that the users can share knowledge and expertise. Personal The personal Project Management application is one which is used at home, basically to manage lifestyle or home projects. There is also considerable overlap with single user systems, although personal Project Management software typically involves simple interfaces. For example a to-do list application is a personal project management. Single user The single-user system is programmed with the presumption that only one person will ever be required to edit the project plan at once. This can be used in small companies or can be used where only a few people are involved in top-down project planning. The desktop applications generally fall into this category. Collaborative The collaborative system is designed to support multiple users and can help in modifying different sections of the plan at once. For example, updating
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the areas they personally are responsible in order that the estimates get incorporated into the overall plan. Generally Web-based tools including extranets fall into this category, but with the limitations they can only be used when the user has live Internet access. To address this limitation, there must be some software tools which use the client server architecture. This will give a client that run on users desktop computer to duplicate project and task information to other project team members through a central server where the users can connect periodically to the network. There are tools available which allow team members to check their schedules so that they can work on them and not on the network. While reconnecting to the database, all changes have to be synchronised with the other schedules. Integrated An integrated system aggregates Project Management or project planning, with many other aspects of the company life. For example, projects can have bug tracking issues given to each project, the list of project customers will become a customer relationship management module, and each person on the project plan has their own task lists, calendars, and messaging functionality related with their projects. In the same way, specialised tools like Source Forge combines Project Management software with source control software and bug-tracking software, so that each piece of information can be combined into the same system. 15.3.1 Criticisms of Project Management Software There are many criticisms of Project Management software which vary from concentrating on the schedules rather than on the project objectives, diverting from a sound project management philosophy, unable to differentiate between the pre-planning and post-planning phases and unable to keep up with the project progress. The following are some criticisms of Project Management software: May not be obtained from a sound Project Management method. For example, displaying the Gantt chart1 view, by default allows the users to

Peter W. G. Morris, The Management of Projects, Thomas Telford

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focus on timed task scheduling at an early stage, rather than identifying objectives, deliverables and the imposed logical progress of events May not be consistent with the type of Project Management method. For example, traditional (Waterfall method) vs. agile (Scrum method). Focus is primarily on the planning phase and does not offer enough functionality for project tracking, control and in particular planadjustment. High dependency on the first draft of a project plan, which can simply be a snapshot at one moment in time. Good management software will not only facilitate this, but assists with the impact assessment and communication of plan changes. No clear distinction between the planning phase and the post planning phase, leading to user confusion and frustration when the software does not behave as expected. For example, shortening the duration of a task when an extra human resource is assigned to it while the project is still being planned. Complicated features unable to meet the needs of Project Management or project scheduling professionals effectively and often of no use. Prioritisation of complex task and resource levelling algorithms, for example, can produce results that will not make intuitive sense, and the overallocation is often solved manually. Better results can be achieved using simpler technique, (example. pen and paper), and yet feel the pressure in using project management software by company policy. Project Management software may shield the manager from important interpersonal contact as it is similar to PowerPoint. New software is challenging the conventional definition of Project Management. Often users of Project Management software are not actually managing a discrete project. Project Management software is helpful in multiple large projects but cannot be used if only a single small project is involved Project Management software attains a larger time-overhead than is worthwhile. Activity 1: SFX Software Solutions is a reputed company which delivers projects on time. It uses desktop project management software. List the essential requirements necessary for project planning software.

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Self Assessment Questions 3. ______________ can be used as a program that runs on desktop. 4. In web-based application, Project management software is used as _____________.

15.4 Different Types of Software Management Tools

Project Management products help the organisation manage projects from the beginning to the end and also allow employees at different levels to contribute into the process. Multiple Functions Project management software has been in use for a number of years now and offers far more than just manage the projects themselves. Project Management applications also help in carrying out scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration, communication, quality management and documentation or administration. The main goal is to handle all the aspects and complexities of larger projects and help in reducing the costs. Target Audience The target audience in project management software are the people involved in controlling and monitoring the project. For example in software projects the software measurement and metrics specialists, project managers, functional managers, testers, developers and other software project stakeholders who are involved in estimating and planning the software projects become the target audience. 15.4.1 Types of Project Management Software Many types of project management software and tools are available in the market. Some are provided by well known companies like Microsoft while some are provided by small firms. There are even free and open source Project Management tools available which can be downloaded or used through a web browser. The Project Management software helps determine events that depend on one another what is the exact dependency level and the repercussions of things change or go wrong.

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Further, scheduling people to work on various tasks, and detailing the resources physical, financial, etc is required, and is known as resource scheduling. There are different types of Project Management software applications available. Microsoft Project, Primavera are some of the popular tools. Project Management Software is used to deal with uncertainties in the estimation and duration of each task, arrangement of tasks to meet various deadlines and juggling of multiple projects simultaneously, as part of an overall objective. The different types of Project Management software are as follows: Microsoft Project: This is the project management software developed and sold by Microsoft. It is one of the most accepted packages and offers a web interface and deep Office, Outlook and also Share point integration. It allows the project managers to develop plans, assign resources to tasks, track progress, manage budgets and also analyse workloads. Matchware MindView: This project management software is developed by MatchWare Company. It is easy-to-use spreadsheet-like layout and its mind map option allows the project in visuals, significant of brainstorming bubbles. This helps in taking notes, organising ideas, planning reports and proposals, managing tasks, managing time, solving problem, meeting agendas and so on. Project Kickstart: This project management software is desktop software developed by Experience in Software, Inc. This is an easy-touse Project Management package that communicates with other applications like PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Word, and Microsoft Project. This tells the users to identify the phases, aims, obstacles and also the personnel assignments for projects and also use a calendar to generate a Gantt chart which will feature the projects phases and the goals. Rational Plan Multi Project: This is a Project Management Software developed by StandBySoft.It has features that help manage resources and budgets as well as multiple projects. It has an interactive Gantt chart which is normally available only in higher-end suites. This also helps the

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managers to manage the companys projects and resources in a centralised manner. Basecamp: This is a Project management Software developed by 37 signals. It is a low-cost web-based Project Management and collaboration package which is gaining momentum. This provides to-do lists, wiki style web-based text documents, milestone management, file sharing, time tracking and messaging system.

Self Assessment Questions 5. Project Management Software is used by people to deal with_______. 6. Microsoft Project offers _____________.

15.5 Management of Multi-Project Environments

In the previous section we have discussed about different Project Management applications available, now let us discuss about the successful management principles in multi-project environment. The successful management principle in multi-project environment involves firstly focusing on organisational structures and management models in multiple projects organisations, and secondly studying the success factors in multiple project management. 15.5.1 Managing a Multi-Project Organisation There are different models and approaches to project organisations structure and management. The main point of interest is to find out what is the most appropriate environment structure in different business environments and business contexts of companies. The Matrix organisational viewpoint to management in multi-project environment was found in the 1960s as a solution to manage complex and exceptional cross-functional efforts in the conventional hierarchical organisation. The common characteristics of the matrix organisation are vertical hierarchy overlaid by lateral power, influence/communication and dual authority, responsibility, and accountability. There are many general approaches to manage the organisations. Though this approach is rather general it gives important rules about managing project based organisations. The main organisational elements to be managed come into five categories. They are: Strategy: This refers to the organisational strategy.
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Structure: This determines the placement of power and authority in the organisation. Processes: This includes information and decision processes cutting vertically and horizontally across organisations structure. Rewards: This refers to the system that provides motivation and incentives for the completion of the strategic direction People: This refers to management of human resources to create talent and skills necessary for the organisation. There is a new customerbased approach to project-based organisations. The foundation of the approach depends on managing relationships between customers and suppliers.

The management of project-oriented corporation includes: The company or business-level administrative components such as general administration, sales and marketing, project financing, new product development, organisational and process development, research, training and education. Balancing the resources as well as the risk aspects across the projects. Providing guidelines and instructions about general business practices in projects. The term project portfolio management is conceptualised and referred to as the set-up of managing projects and project business. The project portfolio management focuses on the management of the project environment by aligning projects to business objectives. Project portfolio management refers to the dynamic management process of portfolio correlated to strategic planning, portfolio evaluation and selection, resource allocation and monitoring, as they are included in organisational management context. Therefore, the project portfolio management is a process used to manage organisations in multi-project environment. 15.5.2 Organising for Success Project success plays a crucial role in managing the overall business of a project based company. A project reflects the overall business processes, especially from the point of effectiveness. Managing project-businesses successfully requires successful management of projects. The companys business objectives and goals should be interrelated. Different approaches and factors affect the project success and the success of different types of
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projects has been the main point of interest and there are success domains by which the success is assessed. These success domains are connected to: The strategy, example, development of new competitive advantage or attainment of reference value for the clients. The project implementation, for example cost and schedule related factors. The product, for example, product quality and commercial success. The stakeholder relationships, for example, client (or customer) satisfaction, clients (or customers) present and future value, and team relationships. The learning situation, example, learning-by-doing. Thus, the success and success measures may relate to the wide interpretation of the results of a project, the processes related to the project or the resources related to the project. Also, the evaluation of success depends on the viewpoint or the stakeholder. For example, the customer and the supplier organisations have different viewpoint, and a company executives viewpoint differs from those of the individual project managers. The results reveal that the success can be grouped into four areas such as: Project performance, for example time, cost, and quality related information. Project results, for example system maintainability, reliability, validity and information-quality use. Benefits for the organisation, for example improved efficiency, improved effectiveness, increased profits, strategic goals, organisational learning and reduced waste. Benefits for the stakeholders, for example satisfied users, social and environmental impact, personal development, professional learning, content project team, and economic impact on the surrounding community. The projects success is defined using four success domains, they are: Commercial success of the project, for example, commercial benefit for the project service providers. Technical success, for example, the client satisfaction on a product and the competitiveness of the product.
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Project management success, for example project management on budget, on schedule, and on technical specifications. Learning of project stakeholders.

The study on product development projects show that successful projects are usually characterised by: Cross-functional teams consisting of members from more than one functional area. Effective internal and external communication. Powerful project leaders. Senior management support. Many studies have focused only on the effective and the successful management of a single project, without considering the relation of project success to the success of the project-based organisation, and on how to integrate the success of the corporation with the project success. The project success has an effect on the success of project-based organisation in two different forms. The first form is the instant and commercial success of the project, and the second form relates the future business possibilities created by the project. These are responsible for the project success and the success of the corporation emphasise the difference between the short term and the long term profits of the company. The Balanced Scorecard2 is aimed to achieve the objectives and the measures from the companys vision and strategy which can finally be obtained further to the projectspecific objectives related to the business strategy. The four different perspectives for translating the organisations strategy in operational terms are financial, customer, internal business-process and also learning and growth. The challenges and characteristics of management of project-oriented organisation are related to the issues such as linking projects to strategy and business objectives, determining the placement of power and authority within the organisation, managing risks and resources (both tangible and intangible), sharing information, and enhancing organisational learning. Furthermore, the management of project-based organisation is extended to

"The Balanced Scorecard - Measures that Drive Performance", Harvard Business Review

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cover external perspective to organisation, management of customer relations in projects, and in complex project networks. Moreover, we can conclude that there are three different success areas related to management in multi-project environment, these areas are: Results, which includes both financial and customer perspectives. The results can be measured by the terms of strategy, benefits for stakeholders and company, and project product related quantities. Project performance and resources aspects such as projects costs, time, quality, and scope, and managements support and commitment; Learning and communicating at individual and organisational levels. Material and methods Data gathering The participating organisations have a long-term objective of implementing systematic project portfolio management with their projects across the whole corporation. Moreover, the organisations ultimate aim is to improve the capability to manage successfully the project-oriented organisation as a whole. The investigated portfolios include organisations unit specific portfolios, program development specific portfolios, and cross-functional IT project portfolios. In the participating organisations, the project portfolio management issue is focused mostly on business units specific projects, but, however, many projects and portfolios are cross-functional, as it is typical that the projects in the specific business unit portfolios cross the boundaries of several business units. The empirical data is gathered using group discussions in well-planned systematic development workshops. Several individuals participate in each workshop. Their job assignments are related directly or indirectly to the project process. Thus, the individuals represent the different functions and roles which give a cross-functional view to projects. Data analysis The data from the workshops and from the group discussions are analysed. The idea is to recognise the main characteristics necessary for the successfully managing multi-project environment. The empirical data is continuously linked to the existing theory and the body of knowledge of

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project portfolio management, and to a larger theoretical context of management of project-oriented activities in an organisation as a whole. Results The analysis shows that the organisational solution to manage multi project environment consists of management by project portfolios. The organisational structure should consist of several project portfolios and the individuals responsible for their follow-up. The decision-making should be organised in both organisation unit specific and also in cross-functional project portfolio groups. However, in case of companies it is essential to organise for project portfolio specific responsibilities and roles for effective multi-project management. Such responsibilities and roles consist of a project portfolio board, a portfolio manager, and a support providing party for example a project support office. Also the responsibilities should be integrated to the existing organisational bodies and structures to ensure top management involvement by managing transparency across projects. The required information should be delivered to support decision-making. An analysis has revealed the following general observation as important determinants while managing multi-project environment which are: The planned placement of projects along with the business objectives is important from the starting phases. The companies should consider the functional effectiveness of the project product (deliverable) in the operation phase as the first important issue to be evaluated is already in the ideation phase. The organisational ownership of the project and its deliverable is important, along with careful planning or the production start by ensuring user involvement. The continuation in the production or operation phase must be ensured by further developing plans already in the execution. The alternative solutions are essential to be considered simultaneously for potential alternative decisions. The time and resources is very important to be considered in all the organisations The evaluation and supervision of the changes in the external factors and in the environment is important throughout the project. This occurs
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as changes in the environment might put pressure on making new changed decisions. The follow-up of the effectiveness of the project product in the operations phase is essential for feedback and learning. The learning from the operations phase links to new project ideas. The new projects should be carefully matched against the existing systems and the products in the operations phase, which makes it advisable to include considerations of portfolios of already executed projects. The need to bring new ideas to become transparent throughout the organisation as early as possible. This happens because it becomes impossible to kill or change the content of ideas that have been prepared in the organisational units for months or years, thus gaining commitment locally.

Table 15.1 shows the techniques required for managing multiple projects, using project categorisation, a scaleable methodology, baseline reporting, and exception management.
Table 15.1: Managing Multiple Projects Priority 4 3 2 1 Description Less Than 3 Large projects with less than 12 projects overall. Less than 8 projects, with less than 40 projects overall. Less than 20 large projects, with less than 100 projects overall. Very large complex multi-project environment with substantial organisational reliance on project success. Priority 4 Require Project Management principles be applied to all the projects and also participate in project selection, approval, milestone reviews, and re-plan approvals. This involves tracking baseline data for all projects. 3 Require Project Management disciplines to be applied and maintained for all projects along with oversee baseline controls, metrics tracking. Involves organisational level Project Management tracking.

Area Management Leadership

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2 Maintain Project Management principles and disciplines from the top management down and also requires implementation of Project Management policy and practices. This helps in building Project Management support infrastructure. 1 Supporting project management as a core competency and show senior leadership and commitment in words and deeds. This helps to build infrastructure of policies, systems, organisation and management practices. Organisation and staffing 4 Include project management in organisational priorities and align organisation to support Project Management objectives. This helps Project Management in budgets for staffing, training, and support systems. 3 Define explicit Project Management functions defined in the organisation to provide staffing to support metrics, methodologies, and tools. 2 Identifying and managing the sponsors for all Project Managements. This helps to maintain dedicated Project Management support functions. Assigning senior management POC for oversight of project methodologies, systems, and results. 1 Dedicate the senior leadership to project management oversight where strong matrix for Project Management organisation. Helps to build project control and support staff; expect Project Management budget at 6% - 10% of project efforts. Policies and Procedures 4 Insist on the application of project management principles and techniques such as documented requirements, realistic plans, periodic reviews, and baseline management for cost, schedule, and technical goals. 3 Document Project Management methodology for flexible application to all projects along with establishment of policies for project selection, approval, definition, baseline control, milestone reviews, and metrics. 2 Document Project Management methodology explicitly for each project. Also prioritise approval levels, summary metrics and exception reporting. 1 Establishing a baseline exception management process. This can be used to classify projects and revoke scalable Project Management requirements. This provides administrative infrastructure for reviews, tracking, and trend analysis.

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Systems and Tools

4 Provide software for integrated schedule and resource estimate. The tracking of project budget, schedule and staff requirements. It seeks ways to summarise data and share support systems. 3 Provide software tools capable of exchanging data and rolling up multi-project summaries and resource levelling. Sharing support tools for administration and controls. 2 Provide automated Project Management tools and methodology templates. The repository of systems, methods, and tools has to be maintained along with track user requirement requests. 1 Establish enterprise-wide cost and resource tracking which provides family of tools for schedule tracking, data management, action item tracking, cost estimating, historical data bases, etc.

15.5.3 Examples of Tools/Software for Multi Project Environments There are many tools available for multi-project environment. PSNext, Genius inside, CredAbility, AceProject are some of the tools available. We will go through some major features of two of these tools/software. PSNext: It is a full-featured and a very easy to use enterprise Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) solution which gives wide insight into all the projects and resources across the enterprise. The tool has four main functional areas, they are: Project portfolio management Projects and Resources planning Tracking time Collaboration around the projects PSNexts rich graphical interface is multi-lingual in nature, with strong project management functionality. It has high degree of configurability, flexible licensing, and simple automatic deployment to allow a smooth startup and a rewarding journey to the project management success. PSNext is a web-based, and can be used from any computer which is connected to internet irrespective of the geographical location, the operating system or the browser, making it an ideal choice for the organisations with single or mixed IT environments.

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It is easy to configure, integrate, and deploy. It helps the global organisation by giving a user interface adapted to each role. Genius inside: It is Web-based Project Management software which provides all the functionality of desktop software. The features of this software are that it provides portfolio management, Gnatt chart, project tracking, cost and budget tracking, resource management, invoicing, timesheets, document management, team collaboration and dashboard and reporting. Activity 2: CSC Software company has been into web-development. It now wants to do multiple projects. What are the steps to be followed by the project manager to make the project a success? Self Assessment Question 7. _____ factors are used to categorise the success associated with multiproject environment. 8. Matrix organisational viewpoint in multi-project environment was found in _______. 9. Main organisational elements can be managed into_____ categories. 10. Project portfolio management refers to _________________.

15.6 Summary
In Project Management the features are scheduling, calculating critical path and providing information. The purpose of project management is to predict and prevent and not to recognise and react. The Project Management software has been in use for a number of years now and therefore it does far more than just manage the projects themselves. The Project Management applications also help in carrying out scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration, communication, quality management and documentation or administration. There are five popular project management applications. There are three different areas related to the success of management of multi-project environment. These are: results-related success factors and process- and resource-related success factors. The results-related success
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factors contribute directly to the project business success, while t he processes- and resources-related success factors are more enabler like success determinants.

15.7 Terminal Questions

1. What are the features of project management software? 2. Explain the different approaches in project management. 3. Name the different type of software management tools 4. How to manage multi-project organisation? 5. List the related success domains.

15.8 Answers
Answers to Self Assessment Questions 1. Resource scheduling 2. Dependency Structure Matrix Solutions 3. Project Management software 4. Web-application 5. Uncertainties 6. Web interface 7. Two 8. 1960s 9. Five 10. Dynamic management process Answers to Terminal Questions 1. Refer section 15.2 2. Refer section 15.3 3. Refer section 15.4 4. Refer section 15.5 5. Refer section 15.5

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15.9 Glossary
Term Collaboration Description The act of working with another or others on a joint project where multiple users can join together to modify different sections. The series of activities that must be completed on schedule for the entire project to be completed on schedule. This is the longest duration path available through the workplan. It is a strategic planning and management system which is used widely in business and industry, government, and non-profit organisations worldwide to align the business activities to the vision and the plan of the organisation, to improve the internal and the external communications, and also monitor the organisation performance against the strategic goals. Something having actual physical existence, as real estate or chattels, and therefore capable of being assigned a value in monetary terms.

Critical path

Balanced scorecard

Tangible

References 1. Peter W. G. Morris, The Management of Projects, Thomas Telford 2. "The Balanced Scorecard Measures that Drive Performance", Harvard Business Review 3. Eric Uyttewaal: Dynamic Scheduling With Microsoft(r) Project 2000: The Book By and For Professionals.

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