Focus and Modules of Project Management Software

Project management software focuses on all key functions that help you complete projects by target dates and without cost overruns. This means that it focuses on such things as scheduling activities, allocating resources, facilitating collaborative working, and monitoring progress and costs. Additionally, there is also a focus on quality. The focus is expressed by providing action-facilitating deliverables.

Project Management Software Modules

Good project management software will have modules to facilitate results in all key focus areas.

• SCHEDULES not only list all the activities involved in executing a project but also identifies the interdependencies among them and schedules them in a feasible sequence. Thus you would not schedule roof construction before the scheduled completion of foundation and walls. Each activity will have a target completion date, selected in a manner that the whole sequence is completed by targeted project completion date.
• CRITICAL PATH identification involves finding the shortest time by which the project can be completed. Many activities can be carried out simultaneously while others can be completed only in sequence. Critical path is the shortest sequence of core activities. Any delay in completing these core activities would mean delay in completing the whole project. Management focus is thus directed to these key activities
• Activities are completed using RESOURCES, such as manpower, tools, equipment, utilities, materials and consumables. Project management thus has to allocate resources to scheduled activities to complete them as scheduled. Identifying the resources needed for each activity and indicating their allocation to the activity is thus an essential task.
• FINANCIAL CONTROL is exercised through estimating the money needed to arrange all the resources by the time each lot is required, and ensuring their availability in time through negotiations with funds suppliers. Project management software can help by facilitating creation of cash flow projections and funding applications.
• VENDOR CONTROL is another essential task to ensure that tools, equipment, materials and supplies of acceptable quality are received in time to enable scheduled completion of different project tasks. Project management software can track delivery due dates, vendor performance and such key indicators.
• COST CONTROL seeks to ensure that the project execution costs do not exceed estimated levels. This involves creating realistic estimates, and then comparing actual costs with these estimates as the costs are incurred. A software can enhance the effectiveness of this exercise immensely by providing accurate control reports in time, and by highlighting the factors that caused any cost increases.
• COLLABORATION FACILITIES make it easy to work as a team, an essential requirement in project management. Workflow applications, emails, voice chats, fax, and audio and video conferencing over the network are examples of facilities that can aid discussion and collaboration.
• Administrative systems attend to the incidental but essential tasks of documentation, tracking and resolving issues, accounting, and ensuring that people get the resources they need to complete their tasks in time. Project management software can actively support administration by incorporating facilities to attend to these responsibilities.

While the above modules help attend to the routines involved in project management, it is the inputs from people that go into successful execution of projects. In particular, attention is needed to understand and comply with the quality expectations of the project clients. Otherwise, you are unlikely to build a long-term business. It is also important that project managers focus and insist upon specific deliverables and milestones, instead of just holding discussions. In particular, project progress reports, quality test reports, cost variance analysis reports, budgetary control reports and such action oriented reports should be the focus of discussion and action. Project management software can come in Desktop, Network-enabled and Web-based formats. Desktop versions are suited for small projects under the control of one individual. Network versions are for managing larger projects with the involvement of many persons. Web-based versions not only help manage large global projects, but are also advantageous as they are typically fee-based and you don't have to buy expensive software and install it on your computer.