Project management, like many other business activities, may be efficiently managed through an automated
system—assuming that automation does, in fact, save time and increase your effectiveness.
Automation is a suitable alternative to manual control when a large body of information needs to be managed
more efficiently. But, remember, to achieve the desired level of useful results, the information must be input;
it must then be verified; as changes occur, it must be modified; and finally, it must be arranged in such a way
that you can use it to control the project.
In too many instances, a project’s nature as a one-time effort does not lend itself well to many programs
advertised as project manager systems. Remember, a computer is designed to manage consistently processed
information; it does not work as well for exceptions.
Before automating the project management task, consider the problems you may face in these areas:
1. Cost and time—input time versus the value of results. If it takes too long to input information, verify
and modify it, and get results out of the automated system, ask yourself whether the cost of the system
is justified. Would it be faster to coordinate the project by hand? If so, you’re better off avoiding
automation.
2. Learning curve. How much time will it take for you and your team to learn the system? With the
great emphasis placed on hardware and software, the need for training and support is too often
overlooked. It may be that the energy and investment in training will not justify what could be a
marginal benefit from automated project management.
3. Investment. You will need to convince management that its investment in hardware, software, and
training will be justified by benefits. Considering that projects—unlike departmental tasks—involve
exceptions to the usual processing methods, this may be hard to do.
4. Software. Remember, the software package you buy for project management should provide the
reports, organizational output, and information formats you want. If you do not find software that fits
your special requirements, you may be tempted to alter your project management system to suit the
existing or affordable software. This is a mistake! Why give up a proven system of control just to
automate?
The answer to whether or not the right software exists will vary with each case. Even with a system that is
satisfactory for this month’s project, you may achieve greater efficiency with the system in a different project
in the future. The system you apply in managing a project should be modified according to its complexity,
scheduling and budget demands, team size, and other attributes. Thus, no one software package will be suited
exactly to every project you execute.
Extremely sophisticated systems, designed along the lines of PERT/CPM, are more suited to much larger
projects than those you are likely to encounter. They will probably also be far beyond your budget. On the
other hand the affordable programs come with limitations and tend to be less flexible.
For example, software programs advertised for project management and offering a wide range of applications
cost between $300 and $900. Some imitate the PERT/CPM networking methods, using a rather simplified
format, and are of questionable practical value for short-term projects. Other programs in this range—perhaps
titled “Project Management”—are, in fact really programs for organizational activity: time management,
address files, personal scheduling, word processing, basic reporting and graphics, or combinations of these
facilities. While these routines are connected to project management, they are not project management
programs. You may use them for parts of the overall management function, but not as a replacement for the
budgeting and schedule controls you need to apply within projects.
Automation is not a substitute for direct and practical management of your team’s schedule, nor does it
eliminate the actions you will need to take in correcting time and budget variances. A common error is to
automate a function that has presented problems in the past, in the mistaken belief that “the computer will
solve the problem.”
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