Choosing project management software: 9-step plan to the right decision

Before you even begin to look at what is on offer and the available selection of project management solutions, you should first look inwards, analyze your own needs and determine your current position. As part of an audit, record the current state of project management in your organization as concretely and specifically as possible.

As part of such a status quo analysis, clarify the following questions, for example:

• Which project management methods and frameworks have you been using to date?
• How complex are the projects you are implementing?
• How many team members and departments are involved in the implementation?
• Do you regularly involve external employees or external stakeholders?
• Do you primarily manage single projects or multiple projects (multi-project management) simultaneously?
• Which other applications do you already use to map parts of your project management? Do you want to continue using these applications or should the new PM software replace the previous solutions?
• Which processes would you like to improve?

In order to determine the desired scope of functions in more detail, the next step should be to interview all team members, project managers and stakeholders who will be working with the software in the future. Based on their previous experience, each stakeholder should recapitulate which processes should be mapped and automated. The users can contribute these requirements as a user story.

Questions such as the following need to be clarified:

• Which functions for agile project management should be included (e.g., Scrum including sprint planning tools, Kanban board)?
• How far-reaching are the requirements for an integrated document management system?
• Should billing and invoicing be done from the PMS?
• What time tracking capabilities should the product include?
• Does project portfolio management (PPM) make sense?
• Which integrations and interfaces to other programs are necessary?
• To what extent should customers or external employees be involved in the project work and thus also in the software usage?

Now it finally gets practical: Arrange one software presentation each with the manufacturers and have the software products demonstrated. It is advisable to attend a presentation as a team and formulate questions in advance. During each software presentation, specifically address the points in your requirements catalog that

• you were not able to clarify perfectly using the information on the website.
• are particularly important to you.
• are interesting in terms of navigation or usability.

Then sift through the list and cross out the products that did not convince you in terms of design, usability or navigation. The selection of project management solutions should now have shrunk to two or three products.

Do not make the mistake of rashly selecting project management software that you have only become acquainted with on the basis of the functional description and in the context of a presentation. Of course, the sales staff of the manufacturers know exactly the weaknesses of their products and focus on highlighting only the strengths of their software in every presentation.

In order to really judge the user-friendliness of a software, you have to do it yourself: Let's go to the project management software test! Insist that as many of your employees as possible are given the opportunity to test the software in all areas. The longer the test period, the better. Each test user should repeatedly perform all the actions that he or she would later perform in daily use.

Have each test user rate the usability at the end of the test period according to a previously defined, standardized rating system. A rating scale in the range of -3 to +3 or -5 to +5, in each case with supplementary comments, is suitable. Scales extending into the minus range allow testers to actively express disagreement or abstention regarding an aspect, which a school grading system of 1-6 or a point scale of 1-10 does not allow. If individual employees or entire departments cannot come to terms with the operation of individual modules or functional areas at all, the software will meet with lasting resistance.

Evaluate the results afterwards and do not forget to give them an appropriate weighting. If a software leads in the overall average of the evaluations, but at the same time a key function was rated in the minus range by all testers, you should still delete it from the list. If none of the PMSs on the shortlist passes the usability test, you should return to step 4.

Parallel to step 6, you can already request quotations from the various suppliers. Play with open cards and calmly let the sales staff know that you are still testing other products and which products you are testing. Due to the wide range of products on offer, the providers will probably want to get to know you and also get to know your requirements and needs better. This way, you can certainly dust off one or the other goodie or additional module at a reduced price.

Ask for information about how long the implementation of the project management software and training of all employees will take and when the project team can start working with the software.

In the final decision, involve the people who will be working most intensively with the software - most likely the project managers - and don't just look at the introductory price. Seemingly low-priced providers sometimes offer hidden additional and support costs.

Depending on whether you have opted for a license purchase or a SaaS model, you will enter into a purchase contract or a lease agreement. Take enough time to study the contract and have it reviewed. Record detailed technical requirements such as availabilities, responsibilities, service times, response times, support accessibility, etc. in a separate service level agreement (SLA).

Seek and maintain contact with the user consultants of your new project management software provider. Ideally, you will work closely together to design an implementation strategy tailored to your company and thus create further acceptance for the new software.