Management software is a general phrase used to describe a category of computersoftware designed to help streamline the complexity of large projects and tasks as well as facilitate team collaboration and project reporting. Most management software solutions can also handle resource and employee management, schedule coordination, task assignment, budgeting, time and risk analysis, and more.
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Features of Management Software
Not surprisingly, management software vendors have developed a staggering array of features, integrations, and support plans to meet the needs of businesses of every size. At their core, however, these solutions share four key features.
Scope Definition
Before undertaking any new initiative, the outcome must be clearly defined. Management software gathers project requirements, customer deadlines, budgets, resources, and all other elements need for the team to act.
Scheduling
Management software solutions rely on a robust, calendar-based scheduling system to ensure the right resources are being used at the right time. Centralized scheduling keeps in-office and remote teams aligned and delivering their parts of the project at pace.
Resource Allocation
Management software streamlines projects by giving leadership visibility on current and projected workloads. Gaps in personpower and expertise are identified and filled before they disrupt workflow to keep the entire team moving toward its common goal.
Collaboration
Bringing context to multiple conversations is crucial to an initiative’s success. Management software relies on integration with email platforms, chat, video conferencing tools, review and approval tools, file sharing, and document storage to keep team members connected with each other and with the information they need to keep going.
Remote work tools include collaborative whiteboards, document imbeds, multiple cloud platform intergrations, file and video proofing supports 30+ formats
Time tracking, customized forms
Analytics & reporting
Support via self-serve knowledge base, available 24/7 customer support, ticketing system, designated support agent
#3 – Smartsheet
Features
Interactive sheets and dashboards, multiple views (Gantt, card, calendar)
Web application, desktop, iOS and Android apps
Storage up to 10 GB per user
Remote work tools include collaborative whiteboards, document imbeds, Jira, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics integrations, file proofing
Time tracking, customized forms, templates
Analytics & reporting
Support via self-serve knowledge base, available 24/7 customer support, ticketing system, designated support agent
Note that these solutions include trial and individual plans, along with tiered or per-seat pricing based on the organization’s needs.
Benefits of Management Software
Designed to streamline the “work of doing work,” management software’s benefits impact multiple areas of small and medium sized businesses as significantly as they do in an enterprise setting. But five key benefits stand out regardless of company size.
Merges multiple systems
From moving project management away from spreadsheets to harmonizing resources, requirements, and project parameters, management software typically shows rapid ROI by eliminating overlapping systems or software packages. Where scheduling, collaboration, resource allocation, communications, and work approval used to require team members to access multiple platforms, a comprehensive management software solution eliminates the friction of sharing and acting on information.
Enhances visibility across the company
Management software provides access to the right information to the right people at the right time. Time and effort saved from tracking down documents, verifying schedules and coordinating effort is time and effort that can be spent on more important, revenue-generating work.
Clarifies dates, deliverables, and responsibilities
By using a single, unified system and a commonly understood tracking and accountability structure, all team members have the same understanding of expectations throughout the project.
Facilitates clearer, quicker reporting
Because management software captures and reports data in real time, company and project leadership can respond to changing conditions as they occur. Endless post-mortem meetings that re-hash “What happened and why did it happen?” are replaced by quicker, more actionable checkins that ask “What is happening now and what can we adjust to positively impact the outcome?
Mitigates the risk of failure
Only 19% of organizations deliver successful projects “at least most of the time,” according to a 2019 global survey by KPMG, AIPM and IPMA. Cost and time over-runs, mission creep, and ultimately dissatisfied stakeholders are typical outcomes cited. While management software can’t eliminate the possibility of project failure, the right solution creates a center of gravity around which the project’s elements can orbit productively.
Learn More about Project Management Software
Choosing the correct management software solution can be a daunting task. To learn more about your options, of dig deeper into project management best practices, visit Project-Management.com, the ultimate reference for project managers.
