
The growth of organizations increases the number and size of the projects that they are running, creating challenges for their delivery. While having project managers is essential, by itself, it is not efficient. That is where having the right project portfolio management software comes into play.
Having project portfolio management software will enable your team to make decisions based on data. It provides data that is reliable, real-time, and one that comprehensively captures all the required dimensions. Groundbreaking decisions can only be made in the presence of accurate and objective data.
Besides, having a project portfolio management software lays the framework for an efficient risk management strategy. Since tracing the current project portfolio is made easier, you can smoothly adapt to any strategic or environmental changes. In this way, project portfolio management software ensures that your organization is prepared with contingency plans that foster flawless delivery of the project.
When one you have an in-depth understanding of past project metrics, you are best positioned to plan for future occurrences and factors like resource allocation. You can tell the sort of resources that are required to deliver a project and find the right ones for the given project. A project portfolio management software will, therefore, enable you to plan for the available resources prudently.
Having a project portfolio management software facilitates the establishment of performance thresholds. A portfolio management software combines the regulatory indicators, the standard expected indicators, and identifies the discrepancies that should be eliminated for the concerns of all stakeholders to be addressed. Through the use of the portfolio management software, you will be well-positioned to identify the requirements of the project and the expectations of the stakeholders, which you can then use to evaluate the performance of all the concerned parties.
Humans are prone to errors that can be avoided by having a project portfolio management software. There is an inherent risk in project management that are associated with erroneous data that is collected manually. Having a project portfolio management software will significantly reduce these errors and the associated costs, thus saving you resources and time.
However, it is crucial to have the right project portfolio management software for your project. If you were to begin the search for a project portfolio management software, you would come across a wide array of these software, all tagged as “best.” In this case, the term is subjective, and hence, it is crucial to evaluate your needs and the situation. Some of the factors that you should consider before settling on a project portfolio management software are:
- The purpose of the project portfolio management software
- The number of people who will be using the software
- Whether it should be web-based or preinstalled
- Whether it will be used internally by employees or externally by clients or both
The complexity of the software; most powerful software have a steep learning curve, while the reverse is true for those that are less powerful.
Finally, you can go through the free trials and demos that are offered by the majority of the software providers. This step will enable you to identify one that is suited to your needs and ease or complexity of use.