company advertising that its tool allowed team members to
send electronic project status updates to the project manager,
thus eliminating the need to get together (as if that were a bad
thing). This company was not necessarily targeting the situation
of virtual teams—where it’s not easy to get together on a regu-
lar basis. I think that this is an appalling feature to promote as a
benefit for typical project teams.
Selecting the Right Project Management Software
People often ask me the same question: “What’s the best project
management software?” By now, you should know the standard
answer in project management is ...it depends. The topic of
software selection is no different. It depends upon a number of
factors. Here are some of the factors you should consider, exam-
ine, and compare before selecting the “right” software for you.
Cost vs. Functionality. The costs and capabilities of project
management software vary considerably. Systems can cost
anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of
dollars. Consider how much power you need with respect to the
size of project the software can handle, the features you’re likely
to need or benefit from. Make sure you keep an eye to the
future: consider functionality not only in terms of what you need
now, but for the near term as well.
Capability vs. Ease of Use. There’s a general relationship
between the capability of project management software and its
ease of use. I once knew a company whose need for computing
Preparing a Detailed Project Plan: Step by Step 137Learn the Basics of Project
Management First!
Be sure you understand project management before try-
ing to use project management software. If you don’t, you could end
up in trouble. Remember that using project management software is
notthe same as doing project management; it’s just a small extension
of it. I once heard a funny but true anecdote:“Using scheduling soft-
ware without understanding project management only allows you to
create bad schedules—faster.”