Last year, more than half of all projects missed their deadlines, according to Panorama Consulting Solutions' 2012 ERP Report, a survey of 246 organizations from 64 countries.
One way to keep projects on track is by using a task management solution. Think of it as the electronic equivalent of a handwritten to-do list. Today's offerings enable project managers to update team members in real time—something your notebook can't do.
“Because projects with globally distributed resources are common-place and often those team members are in the field, mobility is surfacing as a key component,” says Margo Visitacion, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. “Team members need to be able to rapidly see their assignments and act.”
Usability also plays a significant role: Is the software easy to learn? How efficient is it? Is it visually pleasing?
“Project leaders need to think long and hard about how their people work and select an application based upon how team members need access,” Ms. Visitacion says. “This may be the deciding factor in whether or not you select a cloud solution and what type of functionality the organization needs to deploy.”
If a task management tool is difficult to use, no one will see its benefit.
“Focus on simplicity for team members to interact or collaborate with the project leader as well as coworkers,” she adds.
Data integration into existing project portfolio management solutions is a consideration for some organizations. But don't try to find a tool that's all-encompassing.
“Task management should not focus on integrating all the potential information you can gather,” Ms. Visitacion says. “This can make adoption counterintuitive. Instead, the thought should be around what is enough information to get the job done.”