Project Management Software > Reporting Software

Assuming we have decent software, the essential strategy for making it work well is deciding how we want to work with it. In this article, we explore the considerations behind what we need to do to develop a good workflow for using software. What are the things we need to think about in using the software? What are the critical steps that actually enable us to define a useful software workflow? And why should we care?

Agile and earned value are inherently different approaches to managing projects, but they can complement each other in support of flexibility and bottom-line value. Here are three practical tips to help you bridge the gap between an agile approach and the earned value reports and measurements many organizations require.

Gartner’s new report on the state of the PPM market evaluates 30 technology providers and identifies important trends, including the infiltration of the SaaS deployment model and increasing support of Agile.

Instead of measuring quality, Agile enterprises commit to it by investing in integration and testing, developing a common language around quality, and nurturing motivated, disciplined teams. Ultimately, quality reigns when organizations value it as much as profitability and protect the agile processes that support it.

Does your organization provide the WBS as a key deliverable in your systems lifecycle? The work breakdown structure doesn't have to be as scary as the reaper--and mind mapping software makes them even more useful.

It's important to clarify the purpose and status reporting expectations early in the project. Here, we share a sample integration management cadence for a large project or program that effectively balances the time with the administrative overhead.

CollabNet updates its TeamForge platform and ScrumWorks project management application, focusing on scaling agile to the enterprise through flexible reporting, ease of use and other enhancements.

It's easy to find a million ways that software managers can fail with their teams and their projects. This article prioritizes seven practical leadership tips and techniques that can help build great teams that consistently deliver great projects. And these habits are so simple, you can put them into practice immediately!

Collaboration software provider Daptiv predicts that the role of project management offices will expand into business strategy, social software will be used even more to engage project teams and stakeholders, and PPM systems will play a greater role as a business intelligence source.

A project management office can operate on a continuum, from providing project management support functions in the form of training, software, standardized policies and procedures to actual direct management and responsibility for achieving the project objectives. Here, we look at some of the key responsibilities and features of a typical PMO.

Last month we looked at how agile methods provide multiple opportunities for embracing proactive risk management. This month’s article extends risk management beyond the project manager role and introduces the benefits of making it more of a collaborative team exercise.

Gartner’s 2010 Magic Quadrant report surveys the state of PPM in a challenging economy, evaluating 31 technology providers, naming six “leaders” and identifying two important market trends.

The adoption of CMMI is growing among smaller working groups as the process itself evolves.

LiquidPlanner has revised its online project management software, with a focus on app-style planning features and cross-project scheduling and prioritization. This, along with a “social project management” approach, allows for a truly collaborative vibe on project teams.

While a few project circumstances deserve special treatment, most don’t. Your workload is large enough and you don’t want team members manipulating data for a “one-off” report unless it’s absolutely necessary. Here are five ways to limit--or even eliminate--special reports.

This cloud thing’s just not working...the silver bullet seems to have misfired. So what went wrong? A tool won't solve all of your problems; in reality, it's a combination of the tool, training, process re-engineering and integration with other corporate functions that will keep you up to speed.

Is a mechanism really needed to provide structure for making key project decisions? Yes. Being in a leadership role, you’ll be pressured by people wanting decisions made for the best interests of the company, the employee or the customer--and they typically conflict. Let’s look at the three categories of influences.

The entire purpose of the status report is to inform the project stakeholders of project progress and have a conversation about scope, resource and timeline concerns. Visual formats help make this easier, so to address different communication needs you can use the following one-page formats to improve status reporting.

A new survey finds that more software development professionals and executives see IT budgets increasing, but project scope and estimation are still concerns.

Here’s our December 2010 roundup of the latest technology solutions and services for project leaders, teams and organizations, including an application to leverage SharePoint … Agile offerings for distributed environments and portfolio-level planning … mobile capabilities for PPM … a free project management tool for small teams ... and more.

Frustrated with the perennially elusive value of enterprise project management software? So are we. So seldom is nirvana actually attained. So what’s the problem, and what can we do about it? Can we bridge the gap? Read on.

We know, we know...it's a jungle out there in software land. These stories should introduce you to the unfortunate trials and tribulations of software development management--and the ways to overcome or avert them And all of these apply to project management, too! (You won't get too depressed, we promise!)

Welcome to IT Strategist's annual roundup of IT surveys. Here are the trends you need to know about to wind up 2009 and head into 2010.

Is there any advantage to using Cloud-based project management tools to manage projects? Is it cheaper and more effective? Are the tools more feature-rich? And what about the disadvantages? Here is what some research has revealed…

A new federal report outlines 25 ways to reform the government’s IT programs, including creating a career path for program managers and building greater transparency into project portfolios. Essential elements transfer private-sector wisdom to the public agencies struggling to realize benefit for the billions expended. Industry supporters laud the plan and its clear accountability.

Gartner’s 2009 Magic Quadrant report surveys the state of PPM in a challenging economy, evaluating 19 technology providers, naming six “leaders” and addressing some emerging market trends.

Is your organization redefining the project manager role to prepare for the future? Are you for your own professional development? A new Forrester Research report makes the case for doing so, and offers recommendations.

A wide variety of technology solutions and services are available to help organizations implement, customize and improve their project portfolio management processes. Here is our April roundup of recent announcements from Daptiv, HP, Oracle, Planview and PowerSteering.

What are the business drivers for enterprise project portfolio management, what are the consolidation challenges and what is the solution?

By adopting PPM solutions, organizations will be positioned to manage successful cloud initiatives, increase business agility and innovation, and provide visibility and control over their cloud services portfolio, a global survey concludes.

For anyone thinking about or faced with implementing a PPM tool, here are some tips to keep in mind to help you wade through the sometimes problematic process.

Successful business execution is dependent upon having timely and accurate financial information. But too often, little thought is put into how to present the data in a meaningful way. From a project or portfolio perspective, what does a C-Level executive expect to see from the PMO for actionable decision-making?

This writer has seen some truly atrocious project communications where the PMO seems at a loss to be able to assist. In this article, he looks at a few ways that the PMO may be able to assist in building a communications model that brings consistency without burying the PM in “dashboard hell”.

Diverse, distributed teams add risk and complexity to projects. Here are five tips — culled from a new report by Forrester Research senior analyst Mary Gerush — to help project managers bridge cultural, geographic and organizational gaps among team members.

Portfolio managers don’t always need a full-feature package with all the bells and whistles. Reviewing the variety of solutions available led this writer to generate a basic list of PPM requirements as well as a few nice-to-have features--leading him to a recommendation.

The Agile2011 Conference drew more than 1,600 attendees to Salt Lake City, where dozens of companies showcased new technology solutions and training offerings. Here is a recap from the busy exhibition floor.

A survey finds 70 percent of information workers don’t believe status meetings help them accomplish work tasks, and 40 percent view status meetings as a waste of time.

A wide variety of technology solutions and services are available to help organizations implement, customize and improve their project portfolio management processes. Here is our August roundup of recent updates and announcements from CA, Daptiv, Innotas, Oracle Primavera, Planview, PowerSteering, Rally and others.

Software is built on a variety of assumptions, and we need to understand what those assumptions are--and work around them in defining how we use the software. With so many options in the marketplace, how do you decide what’s good and what’s not? How do you navigate the promises of software vendors to know what you should be looking for, and how do you decide what will actually work for you?

An overwhelming majority of nonprofit organizations report that IT is integrated into many aspects of their operations, but budget pressures pose challenges.