Seven Tips for New Users of Project Management Software
I have a handful of tips for new users of project management software. Some of my ideas about pretty basic, but I assure you the ideas are ALL based on my real-life experiences in using project management software.
Project management software tip #1:
Invest time up front in learning how the project management software works. "Duh," you're maybe thinking, "that's pretty obvious." I agree. But I've observed that many project managers are too busy getting a project started or getting a project back on track to take a few hours or maybe even a day or two to learn the project management software. That's a mistake because project management software--while not terribly complex--takes some effort to figure out. Especially if you'll be using more than just the software's most basic features.
Project management software tip #2:
Use the project management software to organize your projects. In other words, don't organize on paper or a whiteboard or (as I've seen more than once) using stickie notes on a bulletin board. Take advantage of the project management software's features, whistles and bells to more quickly and accurately organize project tasks, identify predecessor/successor task relationships, allocate resources, and calculate durations, critical paths and milestone dates.
Project management software tip #3:
Use a project management software template if you're managing the same sort of project again and again. Two benefits accrue from using a template in my experience. The obvious benefit is that organizing a new project becomes easier and faster. The less obvious but perhaps more significant benefit is you'll teach project team members how a particular sort of project is "always" organized. Project team members will learn that step A comes first, then step B, then step C and so on.
By the way, what you really don't want to do is have a particular sort of project you do repeatedly, but always do differently. In other words, you don't want to sometimes do the project's tasks in this order: A, B, C and D. But then other times in this order: A, D, C, and B.
Project management software tip #4:
Systematize your use of the project management software so that you really use the project management software to manage your projects. In one project manager role, for example, I managed simultaneously the publication of about a dozen computer books. To keep on top of who was supposed to be doing what and assure that tasks were being completed on time, I used the project management software on a weekly basis an hour or two at a time to find out what was supposed to happen that week and in the next week. (I would then of course check with project team members--especially the less dependable project team members--to make sure they knew what they were supposed to doing.)
Note that all project management software makes it easy to see what tasks are supposed to accomplished in a particular time interval and what work has been assigned to particular people.
Project management software tip #5:
A tip for managers of project managers: I have noticed that some people don't "get" project management techniques and, as a result, can't become effective users of project management software. You don't want to have such people attempting to organize a project's tasks or allocating resources--even though the project management software almost seems to promise that's possible...
Project management software tip #6:
Find a way to share the project management software's schedule and resource allocation information with project team members. Obviously, you don't want to overload project team members with extra work (such as learning new project management software) or with vast quantities of paper or online project management reports. But you do want to find a way to share the wonderful information the project management software so expertly creates.
Some project management software includes a project management software server which makes project management information available. Some project management software uses peer-to-peer networking technology to make project information available. However...
Project management software tip #7:
I have noticed that for many of the projects I managed, the project team included a member or members who freely used up slack in the schedule if the project slack was obvious. With such "slack-eater" project team members, you may need to find a way to camouflage slack in the reports that the project management software produces.
More tips on using project management software