Project Management is an in-demand skill with companies offering a wide range of job roles for executing their projects. Project Managers with operational and leadership skills are required to deliver complex projects, whether a small one-time project for an SMB or large, transformational projects for enterprises. Employees are asked to work on specific tasks with deadlines and given resources to achieve the business outcome. Knowledge of project management and methodologies help to ensure the company’s requirements are met. Having the capability to manage projects as they occur gives you an edge in a competitive job market. Moreover, you can build a career in project management in any industry and choose to become a Consultant or a Senior Project Manager.
Whether you want to build a career in Project Management or learn project planning skills for success in your work, a certification will train you to manage a project from start to finish. Learn how to successfully manage a project with a professional Project Management Training and master an essential transferable skill for career success.
What is Project Management?
Although Project Management was always in practice, it only emerged as a profession in the mid-20th century when the need arose to bring a systemic order and standardization of tools. In 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was established to impart professionalism in the discipline of Project Management.
PMI uses global advocacy, collaboration, and research to make organizations and professionals aware of standardization in Project Management processes. It empowers professionals to manage projects and work smarter in a dynamic world within a given timescale and budget. It applies specific knowledge related to the project on hand and the necessary processes, methods, skills, and experience to attain the project objectives.
Role of a Project Manager
Across industries, the role of the Project Manager is almost the same – to define the project objectives, create quality controls and ensure the project team collaborates to meet the goals and deadlines.
A Project Manager is also responsible for creating a team that can work autonomously and collaborates seamlessly on projects. They need to address all possible constraints, such as resources, risks, costs, time, and team disputes. In addition to overseeing project planning and execution, they must have excellent leadership, coordination capabilities, and motivational skills.
Why have a Certification in Project Management
Research conducted by the PMI predicts the creation of nearly 2.2 million new project-oriented roles each year through 2027. With standardization in the Project Economy, the concept of Project Management has become very popular.
While the Project Management Professional (PMP) is the leading Project Management certification, there are various other certifications like Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Certified Project Manager (IAPM), and Master Project Manager (MPM).
A certification in Project Management validates a person’s Project Management skills and expertise. These certificates are globally recognized and ensure better career opportunities and income. Besides, as a PMP, you can work in any industry or location and register for a certification tailored to your work area or career goals. It provides you with the skills to spearhead projects, and your employer can look to you to deliver projects that align with business goals.
So consider getting trained on project methodologies, tools and apps, and earn a certification to meet the rising demands of hirers.
What is a Project Management Software
Project Management software is an app that helps Project Managers plan, implement and manage their projects through the different phases of the project lifecycle. It is essentially a suite of tools to help Project Managers work effectively with the team and stakeholders to deliver business value within given constraints. Project Management software has a wide range of functionalities focused on various aspects of project and business requirements. They include features to facilitate your project, from planning the proposal and identifying business objectives to reporting on the outcomes. This software gives you access to tools for collaborative documentation, internal messages, task assignment, identification of milestones, description of user stories, analytics reports, project portfolio management, and budget and timeline tracking. The best software supports most of these needs for speedy and efficient Project Management. What’s more, you don’t have to use multiple apps for your projects.
Some Project Management software is installed on-premise or offered as a software-as-a-service feature. Some platforms integrate with external software applications, such as storing documents in the cloud, sales reporting, and CRM (customer relationship management).
Such software is a collaborative online application where all project team members and stakeholders log in to see the tasks assigned, the timelines, and the status.
How to choose the right Project Management App?
Project Managers are selecting Project Management apps for managing their projects and teams. They often have strong views about what they want the software to do and how they will use it for desired outcomes.
So as a Project Manager, what should you be looking for?
Below are the top 10 considerations for choosing the right Project Management tools for you and your team.
1. Ease of use
2. Task Management
3. Capability for external sharing
4. Reporting in real-time
5. Dashboard and Graphical Reports
6. Security
7. Ability to be customized
8. Interface
9. Integrated Timesheets
10. Pricing
Best Project Management Software for 2022
The choice of the best Project Management software depends upon the business requirements, nature of the projects, and how much the company is willing to invest in tools that improve productivity and resource utilization.
The Project Management software listed below is based on business types, budgetary considerations, and large projects scaled out across office locations.
A. Best Project Management Software with free versions
Some software systems have free trial versions. Although they have limited features and allow you to manage only a couple of projects at a time or limited team log-ins, you can manage if you are working on one or two projects with small teams. Free accounts are offered by Jira, Zoho Projects, Wrike, Asana, Trello, Teamwork, AceProject.and TeamGantt.
B. Best Project Management Software for Small Businesses
Small businesses with budget constraints and fewer or smaller projects have different considerations. They want to track only a few projects at any point in time. Low-cost software from Zoho Projects, starting at $5 per person per month, is a great place to begin. It can scale up with ease to handle growing team members and cater to the need for additional features. GanttPRO is low-cost software, easy to use even for team members with limited experience in managing projects. Some other top software is Kintone, Zoho Projects, and Asaana.
C. Best Project Management Software for Large Organizations
Large organizations have different and specialized needs. They often have thousands of team members working on a single project from distant locations. Often, they work on hundreds of projects simultaneously. It would be impossible in the absence of Project Management apps that take care of task scheduling, resource use, collaborative idea exchange, budget-tracking, and time-tracking for invoicing and project completion.
A large company needs to manage individual team members for employee evaluation, entire project teams for performance scoring, and project monitoring for successful and timely deliveries. Some top picks used by large enterprises are Microsoft Projects, Clarizen, Monday.com, Workzone, Smartsheet, and Hive.
D. Best Project Management Apps with Special Features
Some projects are specialized, requiring dedicated features for their Project Management. Take your pick from a range of Project Management apps depending on your requirements.
Teamwork deserves special mention, as it is specialized to handle client work. Projects billed to clients based on resource-use best work on Teamwork. It includes billing and invoicing besides other features.
Another app Paymo has built-in billing and invoicing tools. Wrike or Celoxis is great for managing both project and non-project tasks.
LiquidPlanner is a good pick for large project teams. Where team members spend time brainstorming and require integration of visual assets, ProofHub is a great choice, while Smartsheet is for building automation into your Project Management.
Bottom line
Selecting the right Project Management software requires research and matching what’s best for your needs.
Ask yourself these questions: How big is your business? What tasks does your team do? How many team members and projects are in your organization? What are your budget considerations?
Addressing these questions helps you select a reliable Project Management app that can facilitate the functioning of your project and the seamless collaboration of team managers.
