There are some excellent project management tools out there, both in the traditional licenced applications space and in the already crowded Project Management software as a service (SaaS) or 'cloud applications' arena.
At ProjExc Project Management Consultants we are often asked what is the best tool. As is often the case this little question deserves a bigger answer. We have experienced that it is critically important to first define how project management is (or should be) done in a business. At that stage it is appropriate to search the market for the right tool to support what makes the business special and successful. Sadly all too often we are invited in after the business has already been committed to buying the tool, despite what it needs to do not having been identified.
We are constantly watching what is new on the market, and a new SaaS application has come to our attention this week. Project Minder from IRIS looks good. It has a nice interface, we like the look of the GANTT chart (this matters to a lot of people) and applaud their attention has also considered resource utilisation. Sadly to the best of our abilities we have not yet found the pricing on the website (without unleashing their sales team), and in our experience that means that there is some bad news to hide.
As mentioned it is launching in a busy space occupied by the likes of BaseCamp, Huddle, Liquid Planner, Pelotonics, Wizehive, Wrike, and a whole lot more. Many of these are going through significant updates at present so in the next few months there may be a lot more option open to those who want to use some straightforward tools to improve the success of their projects. We are working though an article for our Project Management Portal reviewing many of these tools in more detail, and if you would like us to include your favourite tool, do drop us a line with some details.
If you are looking at systemising your project management in order to improve visibility and success rates, then call us now on 0845 527 9971 and arrange a free, no obligation, discussion on what you need and how best you might achieve it in the most cost effective way.
At ProjExc, we often meet clients who have previously fallen into the trap of believing that ‘anyone can manage a project’ (more on that in a separate post). It’s interesting to observe that learning this in all-too-painful a way is often followed by another trap. That is believing that ‘we can’t afford a proper project manager’. Generally we find this just isn’t the case, but it’s any easy and dangerous assumption to make.
Firstly, let’s consider the costs of not managing a project properly (see the list* below for what we think of as a project in this context). Firstly we know that UK business projects fail (to meet their objectives) at a rate of around 70%. Generically, 70% of UK business projects are late, over budget and/or don’t deliver the anticipated outcomes. At a headline level this means that:
Of course there will be other significant costs relevant to your organisation/industry.
With decades of focused attention on project management and leading, or sitting in on, hundreds of project reviews there are very few instances where the cost of failure was less that it would have cost to manage the project professionally.
So how do our clients manage their projects cost effectively? A priority is to get the right person. Someone who is highly competent (skilled and experienced) at managing projects to success and comes with a toolkit which they understand how to use. Next consider how much they are actually needed, and balance that with the budget. Often a part-time project manager is much more effective that a full timer. At ProjExc we support a number of clients on a part-time basis. This normally starts with a burst of effort in preparing a useful project management plan. Effort reduces to periodic interventions for control & reporting during project execution and then there is often another burst during project closure.
If you would like to explore how ProjExc could help you deliver your projects successfully contact us in whatever way works best for you. Initial consultations are free and without obligation. Call now 0845 527 9971, email us, or find out more about our part-time project managers on our website
*By a ‘project’ we are thinking about:
If you use something and would like to tell us a little about it, we'd love to hear from you. Ideally please provide a rating (1-5, 1 poor, 5 amazing). Similarly, if you provide a tool/service/template for project management, do let us know. If we think it's worth listing we'll take a look and may provide a rating and link.
The Challenge. ProjExc PM Consulting work with business leaders who are frustrated because their projects fail to meet their objectives*2, are anxious about the risks that they are taking in their projects, concerned about cash-flow, or just desperate to get a competitive edge. Most SME business owners/leaders recognise that project management is the pre-eminent business capability of the 21st Century. They may even offer project management as part of their service, but are put-off from bringing proven techniques into their business either by concerns about cost or a fear of additional administrative overhead/burden.
The Good News. ProjExc have techniques, which not only work for big businesses like BP, Tesco & Nokia (to name but a few) but are also proven to be totally scalable to the SME market, regardless of whether they are looking at business change, new product development or client delivery projects. What's more, ProjExc have found a way of packaging this capability for SME owners for just £1,000. That buys true competence development for a director in the form of skill acquisition and experiential learning, meaning that the benefits are more quickly and sustainably recognised quickly.
A Unique Opportunity. This innovative development package includes:
For your peace of mind, ProjExc are so confident of their methods that they provide a 1,000% return on investment guarantee, and amazingly, you may even be eligible to gain funding through business link under their director training programme.
Benefits to your Business.
Find Out More. To take advantage of this unique opportunity for you and your business contact John Williams directly by calling 0845 527 9971 or email info@projexc.com.
For more information about ProjExc visit our website: www.projexc.com.
Notes
Fresher Look
Our websites have just been updated by our friends at NetSecrets, and are not just looking fresher, but now provide even more information about how we can help business leaders who will not accept project failure any longer.
Video
We have added some short videos of our founder John Williams, to help explain how we can help, quickly and easily. Sincere thanks to the ever professional Chris Weaver at FreeSpirit Video Production - Birmingham for making the whole filming-to-live-online process much simpler than we hoped. See the results for yourself at www.projexc.com
PM Portal
Our Project Management Portal has also been fully updated. We have added some more free project management information and templates, with even more to come soon. Visit www.projexc.info for more information, and do bookmark the site so that you can easily get back to it again when you need to!
There is also more information on both sites about our exciting new Resource Planning and Scheduling tool - ProjExc Utilise. If you want to get more out of what you already have take a look. It's amazing how much easier this pay as you go tool makes scheduling & re-scheduling of resources, and at the same time saves huge amounts of money. For a quick online demo or to arrange a meeting to understand how much you could add to your bottom line whilst better satisfying your clients, contact the utilise team at our office now 0845 527 9971.
Do let us know what you think, as we're great believers in continuous improvement and value all feedback.
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