The document discusses features that project management software programs should have. It describes how programs vary in their capabilities from simple scheduling to complex programs that integrate with other business systems. The key features that a competent program should have include: tracking interrelated project variables, resources, schedules, costs and tasks; enhancing communication between project managers and teams; and facilitating problem solving and collaboration. It also provides a "punch list" of desired specific features that programs should allow, such as graphing and reporting capabilities, resource and project calendaring, schedule changes, and virtual project management tools.

1. What Project Management
Software Programs Do--or
Should Do
If you're in the market for a new
project management program,
what should you look for?

2. About Project Management
Programs-1
• Project management software programs
vary widely in their capabilities.
– Some are simple scheduling programs.
– Others are complex programs that integrate
with a company’s marketing, budgeting,
human resources, manufacturing and
management information systems.

3. About Project Management
Programs-2
• The premise behind most project management
programs:
– You enter resources, task sequences, dates and
costs.
– The program calculates or modifies budget,
schedules and resource utilization. (Some program do
even more, drawing networks or converting one
network form into another.)
– In most cases, you can enter project data into a
spreadsheet format.
– In many cases, project management software also
allows you to produce reports.

4. About Project Management
Programs-3
• What no project management software
program can do:
– It cannot substitute for competent decisionmaking on the part of the project manager.
– It cannot provide leadership skills.
– It cannot produce miracles.

5. About Project Management
Programs-4
• What a competent project management
software program should do:
– Can help the project manager track
interrelated variables, resources, schedules,
costs and tasks.
– Enhance communication between the project
manager and the project team.
– Can facilitate problem solving and project
collaboration.

6. Punch List of Desired Features-1
• Ability to graph costs, resource utilization
and project schedules using histograms,
line diagrams, Gantt and other kinds of
charts.
• Ability to create standard and custom
reports, including standard accounting and
tracking reports. (Note: Some programs
can produce special report formats
required by government agencies.)

7. Punch List of Desired Features-2
• Ability to maintain resource and project
calendars that record the availability of
both equipment and staff.
– Use these to create optimum schedules.
– Use these to establish workweeks based on
actual workdays and to specify non-work
periods, such as holidays, vacations and
weekends.
– The project calendar should be able to be
printed out in summary or in calendar format.

8. Punch List of Desired Features-3
• Ability to make schedule changes based
on any number of resource-leveling
parameters and priority scheduling
attributes.
• Ability to maintain skills inventories to
match resources to task requirements.
• Ability to allow multiple users to access,
input and report on project data
simultaneously.

9. Punch List of Desired Features-4
• Ability to track and schedule multiple
projects at the same time.
– Some programs feature a comprehensive,
single database that enables cross-project
analysis and reporting.
– Some programs feature cost and schedule
modules that share common data files that
allow integration among projects and that
minimize schedule inconsistencies and
redundancies.

10. Punch List of Desired Features-5
• Ability to collapse the view of projects by work
breakdown structure or organization structure,
milestone or sub-project.
• Ability to calculate and then display the critical
path for a network.
• Ability to display alternative schedules, task
assignments and cost criteria so that the
immediate impact of schedule, resource
changes and sequence can be evaluated on the
spot.

11. Punch List of Desired Features-6
• Ability to assign early-warning parameters so the
project manager can be informed of potential
trouble regarding resource conflicts with other
projects, cost overruns and schedule problems.
• Ability to integrate with material management,
accounting and purchasing systems to help
order materials, equipment, supplies and
contractor services.
• Ability to produce presentation graphics for
making reports to management and customers
about the project’s plans and status.

12. Punch List of Desired Features-7
• Ability to display actual and planned data
simultaneously.
• Ability to summarize data in a variety of ways,
including expenditures, timing and activity data.
• Ability to produce complete cost analyses, cost
accounting and variance analyses.
• Ability to create free-format reports with other
report generators or word processing programs
for incorporating personalized project
annotations.

13. Punch List of Desired Features-8
• Ability to display relevant information on
the Internet or corporate intranet so that
project team members can view the status
and schedule of the project and their
assigned tasks.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate
with the project management team across
project locations (virtual project
management).

14. Web-Based Collaboration Tools
for Virtual Project Management-1
• Elements of virtual project management:
– Communication and collaboration with the project
team across project locations worldwide.
– Collaboration that goes beyond basic messaging to
share information.
– Multimedia communication that incorporates phone
calls, e-mail, e-mail attachments and other media.
– Leveling and tracking resources across world-wide
projects.

15. Web-Based Collaboration Tools
for Virtual Project Management-2
• Elements of virtual project management
(cont’d):
– Methodologies and standards to maintain
complete configuration control over all project
deliverables, including all iterations of same.
– Access to project-related information systems
and corporate databases, data warehouses,
computer-aided design programs, CASE tools
and simulation software.