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Resource Index > Organizational Resources > Project Management Tools
Project Management Tools
The huge variety of project management tools on the market can make tool selection overwhelming. If you've got the itch to try a new PM tool, the advice in these pages can help you get the most out of it, and keep you from getting in your own way. For more on implementing new Project Management processes or tools, see our Head of PMO Fast Track. (Scroll down to the section on Designing Methodologies.)
How can we help you with Project Management Tools?
Examples of Project Management Tool Implementation
How do project managers really use project software? What does a typical implementation look like? How do you ensure you're getting what you really need? The resources here will give you some ideas.
How do project managers really use project software? What does a typical implementation look like? How do you ensure you're getting what you really need? The resources here will give you some ideas.
For Guests
These resources are available to everyone, no login required.
- Don't Try This Alone!
Kimberly Wiefling reviews her experiences with a few of the 21st century collaboration tools you may want to consider for your project efforts.
For Members
These resources are free to registered members. Register or login for access.
- Implementing an Enterprise Portfolio Management System for IT and Beyond
Read our case study before you embark on a PPM tools initiative, to see how one large IT organization went about the process and what they think has contributed to their tool's success.
For Subscribers
These resources are for Premium subscribers. Subscribe to get access, or find out more about our free trial for new subscribers.
- New System Request for Proposal (RFP) Outline
A comprehensive RFP template for new systems proposal requests, along with guidelines for RFP success and detailed annotations. Customize this template to fit your software system or co-development project and shave weeks off your RFP selection time.
Guidelines and Suggestions for Selecting and Implementing Project Management Tools
The right buy-in and training when you select and implement a new PM tool can make or break your project. Use the resources on this page to find out what's out there and how to choose the tool that's right for your group.
The right buy-in and training when you select and implement a new PM tool can make or break your project. Use the resources on this page to find out what's out there and how to choose the tool that's right for your group.
For Guests
These resources are available to everyone, no login required.
- A newbie's notes on Agile tools and services
Here are some observations from the Agile 2008 conference, based on conversations with three different creators of Agile tools and services. These three snippets represent an interesting cross-section of the kinds of tools and services on display at the conference.
Check out our list of Project Management Software Vendors for possible tools and providers that may fit your team's needs.
See more articles about project management tools on the Project Practitioners blog.
For Members
These resources are free to registered members. Register or login for access.
- Tools for Teams: Beyond the Email Bottleneck
This paper by Tony Christopher proposes that the solution to typical project frustrations lies not just in the tools, but in how the organization goes about implementing them, and how seriously they take the tools management process. He outlines a five-step approach toward creating a Networked Tools System that will allow organizations to truly capitalize on networked tools, instead of ending up with a robust but unused server-based repository.
For Subscribers
These resources are for Premium subscribers. Subscribe to get access, or find out more about our free trial for new subscribers.
- PM Software Tool Evaluation
A checklist used during the evaluation of project management software to help get to the short list of evaluation candidates. Document what features are important to your PM process, and keep track of which software packages have which features. - Getting the Right Value from a Project Management Tool
A checklist with accompanying guidance on how to make sure that people are using a project management tool wisely.
Typical Tool Issues and Answers to Common Questions
Use your project tools -- don't let them use you.
Use your project tools -- don't let them use you.
For Guests
These resources are available to everyone, no login required.
- Announcing the Dumbbell Prize In Project Management
Are you depending on your tools to manage your projects? Stamp out totoolitarianism! - A Fool With a Tool?
A tool in the right hands is powerful. But if the users haven't been properly prepared, it may create more problems than it solves. - Do I Have To?
For many project managers, being asked to follow a common project management approach can produce a level of opposition eerily similar to our younger years. Sinikka Waugh shares four ways to calm the crowd when introducing project management processes. - You Project Managers Are Tools Crazy
Tools don't manage projects. You do. - Did That Process Change Work?
So you made some changes to the way you do your projects. Did those changes make a difference? How can you know? Alan Koch provides four steps to better project processes.
For Members
These resources are free to registered members. Register or login for access.
- Getting Process Skeptical Teams to Adapt and Use PM and Development Processes
How a company with process-skeptical team members made their project management and development process adaptable and used by all. (Really!)
For Subscribers
These resources are for Premium subscribers. Subscribe to get access, or find out more about our free trial for new subscribers.
- Project Process Philosophy Chart
Explaining why a project process exists and why it matters can be challenging, especially in process-averse organizations. This one-page chart can help you convey why the process is important, how it helps, and how specific deliverables support these goals during each project phase.
Other Options
- Getting Started with New PM Techniques
A mini-course with Cinda Voegtli - $24.95 - 1.25 PDU
You can make some fast, dramatic improvements to project processes without a huge, yearlong change initiative. This how-to course by Cinda Voegtli explains practical ways to get new and helpful project management techniques in use on new or existing projects. - Project Leadership and Change Management: What Really Counts
A webinar recorded by Sinikka Waugh - $39.95 - 1.5 PDU
Focused on time, scope, cost, and the specifics of the project itself, many project leaders forget to put the project in the context of the organization. Planning for change and transition will take the guesswork and panic out of communications down the road.
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