Learn How To Save Time With Project Management Software
Within the business community, project work is still a key effort that must be completed on time and within the budget in order for a company to be successful. Whatever the size or complexity of the effort, Project Managers must still orchestrate three critical elements of any project: Time, Resources, and Budget.
Current project management software helps the project manager and team to see relevant information and make quick decisions that affect the direction of a project. This information might include how quickly resources will be needed for various stages of the project, what dependencies various tasks have on other tasks being completed, and how time frames may shift due to delays.
Project management software allows a project manager to easily define the tasks needed to be accomplished to have a successful project. Some tasks will be dependent upon other tasks starting, finishing or being worked on before they can begin. By creating links between these tasks, project management can see the flow of the project on a timeline. Assigning durations to each task then creates a calendar of the overall project work.
Once the tasks are defined as such, the project management software allows management to see the impact on the timeline when tasks are moved around to different start and completion times.
The project manager can now assign people to do the tasks. Project management software allows them to define different types of people working on the project, the amount of time they can spend on the project and when they are available (as well as when they are NOT available).
The project timeline will usually be affected by this step as there will be a dependency on people who are not available when we would like a task to be done. This could simply be due to the person not being physically present (i.e., on holiday) or perhaps they are already working on another task and cannot be freed up.
People are a highly variable resource and the project manager will use the software to track progress and identify problem areas. How many tasks can a person do and stay on schedule? What is the impact of putting more people on one task or removing people from a task? What happens to the schedule when people are out with an illness, on maternity leave or a family emergency?
The reporting tools within project management software show the health of the project and bring to light the impact of challenges as mentioned above. These tools also allow the project manager to try different scenarios and see the results before actually implementing them in the project.
Finally, project management software tracks the budget of the project very effectively. It will show how quickly money is being spent in one area and highlight what will be needed in another. Or when certain supplies or materials may be ordered to support the project.
This information is also critical in keeping the company management informed as to the status of the project.
As the complexity of projects increases, so does the need for efficient project management software to help the team manage all of the various components of a project.
About the Author
For more information about project management software, please visit: http://project-solutions.iris.co.uk/
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