I am often asked my thoughts on what is the best PPM tool. While this seems like a straightforward question, the answer isn't so simple. How can one know which PPM tool is best without knowing the circumstances of your PMO, organization, team, budget, requirements, etc.
There are many factors which need to be considered and budget is always a factor. There are several no cost/low cost options on the market for completing simple task based activities for smaller organizations. There are high-end systems in the $100,000+ category that are usually a better fit for larger organizations trying to satisfy many requirements. Rather than me digging into the details on PPM cost I suggest reading this article from my friends at the Kolme Group. They have done a fantastic job examining PPM Cost and this article can answer most, if not all, your PPM cost questions. For those who are visual, Kolme also offers the blog as a webinar – check out the replay here.
What is the primary purpose of the PPM tool? Will you be using it for Portfolio Management? Resource Management? Team Collaboration? Managing Schedule, Risks, Issues? Reporting? Integrations with other systems? There is a long list of possible requirements that should be considered.
Are you using the tool for internal purposes within the PMO or for leadership to report projet or PMO performance? Are you allowing external customers access to monitor progress and report issues? Are you hosting the tool yourself or do you want to use a tool in the cloud? How will you train users on all the system features?
How many users for managing projects? How many users for viewing status or entering time tracking? What duration do you want to commit to a vendor and system? Is the PPM tool one of several tools being used within the PMO? Are you using data from the tool to bill customers? Are you making resource decisions within the PMO or functional departments from PPM data?
There are so many variables to explore that a simple answer isn't possible. We'd love to help you make a decision which PPM tool is best for you and your PMO. Contact us to learn more about our PPM tool selection process and getting your PMO running with the power of the proper PPM solution.
