Business Minded with Project Management Software

project management Business Minded with Project Management SoftwareReal-Time Collaboration Project Management Software

You do not have to know what any of the following phrases mean to get value from real-time collaboration and project management software:

Project Portfolio Management

Project Selection Decision Matrix

Risk Analysis Template

Project Planning Phase Exit Review

Issues and Action Items Management Database

If those phrases sound like mumbo-jumbo jargon, then you probably aren’t a project manager by trade, but if you are reading this article, then you may have had the duty recently thrust upon you.

Graphic design shops, temp agencies, web designers, freelancers; these are all types of businesses that can benefit from an experienced project manager, but are not likely to have a single employee with a project management degree.  What often happens in smaller businesses is that the role of the project manager is taken up by the sole proprietor or an enthusiastic employee that soon realizes that they have bitten off more than they can chew.  This is where project management software can be incredibly useful.

Project management software gives businesses like small to medium-sized graphic design shops, a means to collaborate on larger team-projects by sharing proofs, files, timelines as well as a way to keep those projects on schedule.  Project management software is a much better utility for organizing projects than jotting down notes and yelling questions about tasks over the cubicle wall.

Freelancers, especially freelance writers with a lot on their plate, benefit the most from project management software.  In fact, most freelancers see project management as a sound investment as it is usually the first thing they purchase when deciding to go full time as a freelancer.  Because freelancers are typically one-person operations, it becomes an absolute necessity to have software that can keep the freelancer on schedule and able to keep track of projects with a quick glance.  There’s nothing worse than over-booking assignments and failing to meet deadlines, for a freelancer that can quickly end a career.

The problem that many smaller companies face when purchasing project management software is that most of the big named developers, are more focused on collaboration, than single –user. What smaller companies need to look for is project management software that works for the single-user, but also has collaboration features built in for when expansion or sub contracting becomes a necessity.

 

projectmanagementsoftware Business Minded with Project Management SoftwareProject Management Templates

Another issue that the smaller business runs into with some project management software is that the templates are not included.  This becomes a major problem for most, because if one is not trained as a project manager, finding templates that have value to the business can be difficult without having to do some research.  Project management software that has templates (free project management templates) built in, is the way to go, but there are very few companies that provide that.

Project Milestones

Project milestones are one of the most efficient ways to keep a small or medium sized business on track and project management software is the best way to do it.  Milestones keep the stakeholders of the project informed about every aspect of the project.  This is where, after project is created, that objective goals are created.  As objectives are met, the project continues on to the next milestone.   By breaking up tasks into milestones, especially for a single-user, the project can be reviewed quickly and clients can be notified very rapidly also.

Medium-Sized Businesses and Project Management Software

In the medium-sized business, projects will have multiple contributors and that’s where versatile project management software can keep everything organized. When deciding on which software to eventually purchase, in consideration of larger projects, project ownership and task management tools should be the top selling points.  Time tracking and a robust reporting system will also be a must-have.

Purchasing Project Management Software

If you or your company is now in the market for project management software, then you’ll immediately find that there is a lot to choose from.  Narrowing it down to the right software won’t be too difficult if you keep in mind everything that you will want from the software.  To start with, go with software that has a free trial.  Project management software ProTasker, has a sixty day free trial.  Free trial software is a good place to start and really the only way to kick the tires and put the software through its paces.  Here are some other things to look for when choosing project management software:

  • Easy to use
  • Assign tasks and create projects in less than a few clicks
  • Template creation
  • Reporting features for clients and project team members
  • Customer support
  • No Contract (can’t emphasis this enough)
  • Email notification system
  • Calendar task scheduling

Project collaboration tools are essential for businesses that outsource segments of projects so project management software that offers simplified online collaboration is something to jump on.  You will also want to find a product that doesn’t require micro-management for every little thing; the more automated, the better.  In freelancing businesses, one area that project management software rarely addresses is quick creation of tasks.  Look for software that has a way to create templates so that as new projects arise, new project types and tasks can be created.  This can also be a great help in reducing turnaround time for estimates.

smallbusinessmanagement Business Minded with Project Management SoftwareComparing Prices for Project Management Software

A quick comparison of the top project management software companies shows some interesting information.

Basecamp, popular software, offers a thirty day trial and charges $49 a month.  During the trial, users of Basecamp are limited to 35 projects, 15 GB of storage, but allows for unlimited users.  (basecamp website)

ProTasker, is a project management software company that delivers a sixty day free trial, unlimited projects, unlimited storage and unlimited users.  After the sixty day free trial, ProTasker is only $47.97 a month.

No matter if your business is medium or small, you will eventually have a need for better organization and project management software is going to be the most viable solution for that.  This type of software is easy to use, more affordable for the smaller business than hiring a project manager and can be run by anyone in the company.  Securing project management software before setting up your business would be ideal, but so many new businesses have started up over the past few months.  For those businesses that are already in full-swing, look at the free trials that are offered and put the software into a production environment.  This is a good way to discover the benefits of the software with no risk.