7 Reasons Why SMBs Prefer All in One Project Management Software

7 Reasons Why Small and Medium Businesses Prefer All in One Project Management Software

If we look back in the history, we realize that productivity software applications were introduced/added as a need basis, incrementally. The evolution in productivity and project management tools has followed the footsteps of project management processes. Project management processes, as they stand today, have evolved from project scheduling, resource assignment, time tracking, to resource capacity planning to project portfolio management to project management office (PMO).

As businesses started implementing and using different tools for managing projects, such as project planning (like MS Project®), another time tracking software (custom apps), project budgeting, financial management software, resource planning and capacity tracking (MS Excel®), issue tracking system (MS Excel®, Mentis, BugTracker, Jira), Change Management (MS Excel®), project communication (email), collaboration (shared document folder, email), etc.

Eventually business owners, and project management professionals have realized the need of integrated or all-in-one project management software. Let’s look at ‘what are those reasons, for which companies have turned to integrated or all in one project management software.

1. It is Integrated Solution Not Discrete Tools
2. It increases productivity
3. It gives better clarity, better picture
4. It is consistent, coherent
5. It makes life easier for every stakeholder
6. It is modular, get started with easier modules first
7. It is cost effective

All In One Project Management Solution and Not Separate Tools

If one uses integrated or all in one project management software, following are integrated tools businesses can use

• Project Scheduling Software with Gantt Chart, Kanban Board
• Resource Management Software with Capacity Planning, Assignment
• Project Budgeting and Cost Tracking Software
• Issue Tracking Software
• Risk Management Software
• Time Tracking Tool
• Change Request Management Software
• Project Meeting Management Software
• Project Collaboration Software
• Stakeholder Management Software
• Project Communication Software
• Project Reporting, Dashboard Software

With integrated project management software employees do not have to access and login to different tools to know/update their status. They can simply login to one project management tool and know everything about projects, access exactly “the information”, they should know about. They can update the desired/expected information at one place.

Improve Teams Productivity

Let’s take a simple case. You have separate tool for project scheduling, tracking time, project communication, issue tracking, etc. If you are making your team members use different web app or even mobile apps for tracking time, Gantt chart, assignment, budgeting costing; it is no-less-than testing their patience. It is a sure way to bring down their productivity. Forcing team to use separate tools for managing tasks, staff members, timesheet will prevent them from doing their project business. Project teams should be focusing on delivering projects and they should not be struggling with different project management tools.

Using integrated project management tool, team members can easily know all pending activities (tasks, issues, risks, change requests, documents, comments, time, expenses, etc.) across all projects at one central place. Glancing through one page in the morning is enough for them to plan for the day and prioritize their activities. This will surely save their time and improve their productivity.

Better Clarity, Better Picture

The other reason all in one project management software helps greatly in increasing productivity, is better team collaboration. When team member access, comments/share talks about tasks, issues, risks, change requests, meetings, documents, etc., it certainly avoids delays in communication. With integrated PM tool, not only team members get clear picture of the activities they are responsible, project manager also gets better and holistic view of the overall project: whether project schedule is on track or not, are we overshooting budget or have comfortable position in project cost/ spending, does project have enough resource time or team members are over-allocated, does this project going to/ is generating enough billing, how many high priority issues are still open, how many customers issues are still unresolved, what are the major risks, opportunities project has, will a given change request impact project timeline, etc.

Standardized Project Management across Projects

The success of project management depends on consistent and predictable project management processes. Haphazard or broken project management processes cannot deliver successful projects, consistently. Having all-in-one project management software helps organization in standardizing project management approach. In absence of a common integrated tool, when teams use different, discrete tools for managing project activities, management cannot expect even automated reporting in a standard format, leave alone teams following standard project management process.

It Makes Life Easier for Every Project Stakeholder

Just imagine if you were to provide access to different tools for clients or executive management for different tools for project schedule, project issues, project change request, project documents, project dashboard, etc. It will be hell of activity to provide such access and even manage it subsequently. This complexity will be multi-fold as number of projects and number of stakeholders increase over the years.

With all in one project management tool, you have only one place to control stakeholder’s access. Of course stakeholder’s such as customer, partner, vendors, executive management will be relieved from remembering another set of applications and corresponding user name & password.

Big Bang Approach? Nah, As Business Gets Ready

Integrated project management software shouldn’t force companies go for a big-bang-approach. Launching all project management modules at once, is more likely to fail. Even though all in one project management tools have all project management functionality, there has to be provision to launch project management process/tool module by module e.g. your company may not be ready for change request management or risk management, right on the day one. That doesn’t mean that you have to overwhelm or confuse project manager, team members and customers with these functionalities. Hence as and when your company gets ready, gets mature in terms of project management processes, you can enable specific project management module step by step/ one by one.

Save Cost

When integrated project management software is implemented successfully, without a doubt, it saves cost immensely. It saves cost in terms of

• Not having to procure separate tools (procurement cost)
• Not having to train users for separate tools (training cost)
• Not having to force users to use discrete tools and then to see RoI going down (adoption cost)

ZilicusPM is one of the finest, robust all in one project management software. It has been successfully implemented by leading companies across 90 countries in the world, because ZilicusPM offers practically useful features, easy adoption with a minimum learning curve. Most importantly, it helps team members to know exactly what they should be working on, when they should complete activities. In short ZilicusPM keeps them on top of their project activities.

Your life can be become easier with the right project management system. ZilicusPM is the right PM tool for you and your team. Get started now.

Additional readings about project management, leadership

• Case Study: What Happens When Project Team Has Dual Reporting
• Avoid These 10 Most Common Mistakes That Leads to Project Failure
• Back2Basics: Ultimate Project Management Guide: Project Planning
• 8 Reasons to Decide Whether Your Organization Needs Project Management Office
• Compare the best project management software 
• All in one project management software
• Guide to selecting best project management software

Do you know ZilicusPM project management software offers comprehensive project planning, project tracking, project collaboration capabilities such as

• Gantt Chart
• Time Tracking
• Budgeting and Cost Management
• Resource Planning and Management
• Issue Tracking
• Risk Management
• Change Management
• Meeting Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Project Portfolio Management
• Project Reporting
• Document Management to help you manage and deliver projects better?

About Zilicus

Zilicus offers the best project portfolio management tool ZilicusPM, with robust project management tools capabilities and easy ways to track project management KPI,

Know more about project portfolio management, Gantt chart, best project management tool, project management office, project management tips, project planning guide, project risk management, project scope management, effective project management, project manager guides and know more about Project Portfolio Management Software, Project Management Software Guide.