I would like to ask about today's ever expanding project management technology, namely that of web-based PM software. Will a degree in project management even matter in the years to come when project management is more and more automated? The automobile industry is a perfect example. Cars went from being made in the shop, to being shuffled through assembly lines, to being assembled by robotics in a factory. It seems jobs have always been threatened by technology, but today, with the web, the business world is evolving faster than ever.
A company I work for uses a web-based project management tool called AtTask (http://www.attask.com/topics/project-management-online), and managing projects becomes easier and easier. What happens when project management software renders an education useless, when anyone with common sense can do it? Of course, there is still a need for project managers currently, but for how long?
Nearly finished with my undergrad education, I am concerned with growing tech.
Feedback anyone? Saving Changes...
Sandeep ThoppilChief Technology Officer| CBS BotswanaGaborone, South East, Botswana
There are plenty of web based project management solutons like the one you said, and many other project portfolio management solutions like Microsoft Project Server. However the importance a Project Manger comes into play on how effectvely one can utilize these systems, the driving factor of these tools again will be a Project WBS, schedule, budget and aligning strategic objectives and many more.
In this example you have rasied here you havent touched the actual job profile of a PM. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Project management is always about people. The tool, no doubt, will make certain tasks more efficient but you still need someone to use and apply it correctly to make it effective. Tools will only help but not replacing the role of a project manager. Saving Changes...
Sunando ChaudhuriDirector - PMO & Governance| ModonDist: Burdwan, West Bengal, India
Hi Robert, as you point out definitely there are tools and you will see there are more and more tools within every organization for managing projects, programs and portfolios. Unfortunately I don't think it in anyway should be a risk to the Project Manager's profile as the role that a PM does, the tools cannot. They are enablers only. At the end of the day it is a people role and tools will have their limitations. The example that you put up about the automotive industry is not project, it is a typical case of operation and there in lies the difference between operation and project. Saving Changes...
Robert:
What is your goal and vision for where you want to be in 5 - 10 years? Tools will always be available but project success or failure depends on human resources - Vijay Verma.
People influence a project's success or failure.
Project's problems can only be solved by people.
Project Management an art and science and tools are there to assist you to manage and control.
You will need both hard and today increasingly a demand for soft skills in any job. Consider your options and choices. Innovative tools will make any job easier but it will not replace the human interfaces required to manage projects.
~Naomi Saving Changes...
Jiju NairSenior Manager| Fannie MaeReston, Va, United States
Project Management tools, especially those enabling remote collaboration is a boon to project teams who are dispersed geographically as well as remote.
While such take collaboration to a higher level, the ultimate responsibility on project budget, scope, schedule and quality falls on one single individual - the project manager. in A Project Manager's role in risk assessments and issue resolutions are also a valuable asset for any project team. Saving Changes...
Kenneth KatzRelease Train Engineer/IT Project Manager| UnitedHealth GroupEnfield, Ct, United States
A project management tool cannot replace project management knowledge and skills, although it can make a practioner more effective and productive.
Confusing an _operation_ such as manufacturing with a _project_ (by definition each project is unique) is a fundamental mistake. They are not comparable, although of course certain tasks can be automated. Saving Changes...
Michael SchubertSenior Manager Employee Portal Development| McKessonCumming, Ga, United States
Software is great at automating the repeatable and sometimes complicated processes around scheduling and budgeting. However, it can't readily measure the quality of work, know that one of your resources is pregnant and will go on leave during a critical stage of the project, nor analyze the reasons a project is running late / over budget. I am thankful for tools like MS Project to manage my project schedule so I can deal with all of the externalities that impact it. Saving Changes...
Kenneth KatzRelease Train Engineer/IT Project Manager| UnitedHealth GroupEnfield, Ct, United States
No tool can determine what tasks go in the WBS/schedule/budget and what are the dependencies between them, and what risks those tasks and dependencies entail. Saving Changes...
Please don't get confused between the tool and the discipline. Whilst the better the tool the easier it is to manage the administrivia of project management but this is not project management. To use an analogy you still need a carpenter even if they now have power tools.
The analogy of automated car manufacturing falls down when you ask those robots to build bespoke cars and not the same car all the time. Remember projects are delivering unique products or services not the same make and model of the car each time, doing the same thing over and over is a process not a project.
Don't get me wrong there are processes within project management and that is where the tools help, but project management is not a process, hence the need for project managers Saving Changes...
