There’s no Project Management without Software

It’s the second millennium decade, and with technology ever so evolving, you can no longer do project management without software.

Project management involves dealing with many tasks at once, and it can be difficult if one area of your project needs your full attention. While it is possible to manage projects without software, the limitations of manual methods make it difficult to manage complex projects and large teams.

The fact that project management software is essential for effective project management is already an axiom in 2023. But how does software fit in with project management?

Businesses opt for software in their projects to keep a handle on all the tasks and project variables. Project management software provides features for schedule, transparency, and progress monitoring, which are necessary for successful project management.

Leaving project methodologies aside, this article argues the intrinsic role of software in project management.

What is project management software?

Project management software is a ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) used to plan, organize, and monitor one or multiple projects.

It could be a project management app or tool a manager uses from a project’s planning stages to completion. But it could also be as simple as using Excel to create a project timeline, although keeping all your sheets updated could be time-consuming.

Project management software usually provide an all-in-one solution, but there are also tailor-made project management tools for specific business sectors. An example of this would be family law firm software. It works the same as the usual project management software but also has features that would be useful to a law firm. For instance, lawyers create and handle a lot of paperwork. They would find it helpful for their software to include form templates and document management.

There are project management tools for creative teams and agencies, project management software for architects, pm tools for IT and web developers, project management tools with time-tracking at their core, employee monitoring, invoicing and billing software, accounting software, and a ton others.

All these can sound overwhelming, but let’s break them down into categories. The main types of project management software are:

• Individual. This single desktop application, such as a calendar or spreadsheet, is used to manage a project.
• Collaborative. This software lets users access stored information, data, and documents. A project manager uses it, giving team members limited access only when needed. Anyone with access can edit these resources.
• Integrated. This is similar to collaborative software, except it has a central platform for users who can use and edit documents simultaneously. It also usually has features such as instant messaging, email, and a group calendar.
• Cloud-based. These cloud-based management apps contain all the tools needed to manage a project. As they are hosted by the cloud, they can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

The Many Hats of Software in Project Management

Here are eight roles that software plays in project management.

Actually, it is you, as the manager or business owner, who wears these hats. But without software, you’d have to weave your own fabric and make your own hat. Nowadays, you cannot afford not using software in terms of time and efficiency.

1. The Planner

For Initial planning

Software can be used in the initial stages of a project to create a more efficient plan. With project planning software, you can map a project timeline based on your objectives and deadlines.

This will allow you to visualize the whole project from start to finish. The software can then track the project’s progress, using the timeline as a baseline. Learn how to manage a project from start to finish with examples and steps to take.

There’s also the Kanban method to visualize tasks and projects on a board with columns describing the project phases or statuses. There are so many Kanban software helping managers and teams stay on track with the tasks at hand.

2. The Scheduler

For Tasks and Resources

Scheduling software can be anything from a simple calendar to a detailed Gantt Chart. From scheduling tasks and due dates to scheduling people, automated scheduling gives you the most logical and practical schedule for your project based on your team, resources, and deadlines.

This type of software can also use information from previous projects to tailor its scheduling to the team and assess workloads. Read this list if you’re looking for software with Gantt chart capabilities.

As a project evolves, there may be some unforeseen scheduling changes. For example, a deadline could be moved up, or the team could lose a colleague. With software, it can be easier to see how this would affect the project overall.

Scheduling software can make necessary changes and predict how they will affect deadlines and other objectives. For example, scheduling work hours of your team across projects ensures they aren’t overbooked, overwhelmed, or burnt out:

In Paymo’s Team Scheduler, you may plan workloads around users or projects

With this insight into your team’s workload, you can decide whether they can take on more work or if you need to delegate some of their tasks to someone else.

3. The Organizer

For Tasks and Initiatives

One of the most challenging roles in project management is assigning tasks. With deadlines coming up, you need to ensure work is completed on time, but you don’t want to overload your team. Proper task management can, in fact, lessen your team’s mental load, not overwhelm them.

You can easily manage tasks using software by looking at individual workloads to assign work fairly.

After assigning tasks, you want to add all the project details so there’s transparency and clear expectations of goals and objectives.

Task management software can also automate repetitive tasks that take up a lot of time, leaving you more time to focus on the deep work.

You may need management software created specifically for your business sector. An example is personal injury law software, which is tailor-made for personal injury law firms. It allows you to automate tasks such as client intake and document management.

4. The Monitor

For Team and Project Progress

Monitoring a project’s progress is vital to ensure it stays on track. But this can be difficult when you have your own tasks to complete while managing your team.

Project development software has features such as active timers, timesheet tracking, or productivity evaluations. They allow you to monitor your team’s progress without feeling like you must always check in. You only need to step in when there is a possible problem or praise your team for their hard work.

For example, if you were managing a call center team, monitoring their progress may look at how many calls they pick up a day, what percentage of issues they manage to solve, and customer feedback from automated surveys at the end of a call.

I argue that the simplest and most efficient way to monitor a project is through time tracking (read more on the benefits of time tracking). Paymo’s project management software has automated time-tracking functionality, which boasts reliability.

Time tracking allows you to see how long your team members spend on each task. This works great as proof of work when charging by the hour or simply for personal productivity. Knowing how much time you spend or waste can be insightful in the long run, especially when planning future projects.

5. The Budget Manager

For Costs and Margins

It can be so easy for a project to go over budget – tasks can take longer than planned, there can be unforeseen costs, or the project could grow faster than you initially thought it would. Finance management software can help you create a simple budget, allocate funds, and monitor costs.

Project profitability and cost tracking are some niche features of advanced project management software. Some real-time tracking features of many project management apps also mean you can manage your money as the project progresses. This could be reallocating funds to areas that need them more or finding ways to cut costs before your costs spiral.

With the help of Paymo’s system of invoices and timesheet management, businesses can accurately track time costs and billable hours. Look for PM software with advanced invoicing capabilities.

6. The Facilitator

For Collaboration

All projects require collaboration, either with team members or external stakeholders. This is where software becomes useful. Project management apps have a centralized storage system that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

Cloud-based project management software also provides a team with any tools they need to complete their project.

With remote working, cloud-based file sharing is the most secure way to work on a project with multiple collaborators. Also, as everything involving the project is stored together, it is easier to monitor the progress, communicate with team members, and share information.

For example, a team working with Machine Learning Operations, MLOps for short, will be used to store all information on this project. Project manager software lets a manager decide who gets access to what data. This means that data is kept secure but can be accessed by those who need it.

Another example is sharing project progress with external stakeholders via a client or guest portal. If you’re an architecture firm and would like your client to review sketches, designs, or proposals, that’s possible through the client portal.

Additionally, leveraging SEO tools can enhance the project’s visibility and online presence, ensuring it reaches the intended audience and achieves optimal results.

7. The Troubleshooter

For Issue Tracking

Project management software can track bugs and loopholes, meaning any issues can be found and resolved faster than would be possible for a human. The automated tracking and monitoring functions also give you the information needed to foresee any risks, allowing you to make changes or move resources around to minimize any risk to your project.

Also, project planning software stores information from past projects and uses it to predict issues you may come across in future projects. This means it can create schedules and monitor projects more efficiently, learning from any problems you have had in the past.

8. The Coach

For Productivity

The overall benefit of using project management software is that it increases productivity within your whole team. Access to the calendar or project schedule means that each team member can see their role and how it affects the overall project. Also, a centralized storage system allows everyone to access the necessary resources.

Project management software also uses automation, which takes all those tedious, repetitive tasks away from you and your team. This could be automated time tracking to track your employees’ progress or using automated customer service software for tasks such as call management and live chats.

Testimonials and customer stories

Again, project management software is instrumental in project success and profitable businesses. Don’t take my word for it, but do trust the hundreds and thousands of happy users worldwide.

Many PM tools boast happy clients, and so does Paymo. Paymo’s customers have been vocal about how Paymo helps businesses increase transparency towards retainer clients, make accurate project estimates, and create an open communication culture.

Paymo has been instrumental in remote-first companies, where typical challenges include communicating project and company information, resolving issues remotely, and monitoring workflow. There are plenty of testimonials also on reputable sites like G2 and Capterra.

We have been using Paymo for two years and it has become an essential tool for our business: we control our database of clients, projects, budgets, time entries, while offering a professional image with invoicing. –Olga Robles, Hiru Estudio

Does your business need Project Management Software?

100% yes. It’s clear that project management software has a role to play in any business. Without it, you can’t effectively set a project timeline, manage tasks effectively, or monitor your progress. The choice comes down to what level of software you want to use.

Either working solo or managing a small team, look at project planning with time-tracking software. You should look at a complete project management package with invoicing if you manage a larger team or multiple projects simultaneously. Hint: Paymo is a complete PM solution.

So much of your business activity can be automated using project management software, leaving you to focus on the project objectives and manage your team effectively.