Tasks of project management software

Scheduling

One of the most common tasks is to schedule a series of events, and the complexity of this task can vary considerably depending on how the tool is used. Some common challenges include:

• Events which depend on one another in different ways or dependencies

• Scheduling people to work on, and resources required by, the various tasks commonly termed resource scheduling

• Dealing with uncertainties in the estimates of the duration of each task

• Arranging tasks to meet a plethora of deadlines

• Juggling multiple projects simultaneously to meet a variety of requirements

Calculating critical path

In many complex schedules, there will be a critical path, or series of events which depend on each other, and whose durations directly determine the length of the whole project (see also critical chain). Some software applications (for example, Dependency Structure Matrix solutions) can highlight these tasks, which are often a good candidate for any optimisation effort.

Providing information

Project planning software needs to provide a lot of information to various people, to justify the time spent using it. Typical requirements might include:

• Tasks lists for people, and allocation schedules for resources

• Overview information on how long tasks will take to complete

• Early warning of any risks to the project

• Information on workload, for planning holidays

• Evidence

• Historical information on how projects have progressed, and in particular, how actual and planned performance are related.

Approaches to project management software

Desktop

Project management software can be implemented as a program which runs on the desktop of each user. This typically gives the most responsive and graphically-intense style of interface.

Desktop applications typically store their data in a file, although some have the ability to collaborate with other users (see below), or to store their data in a central database. Even a file-based project plan can be shared between users if it's on a networked drive, and no two people want to access it at once.

Desktop applications can be written to run in a heterogeneous environment of multiple operating systems, although it's unusual. Many such programs only run on a particular system, typically Microsoft Windows or KDE.

Web based

Project management software can be implemented as a Web application, accessed through an intranet or extranet using a web browser.

This has all the usual advantages and disadvantages of web applications

• Can be accessed from any type of computer without installing software

• Ease of access-control

• Naturally multi-user

• Only one software installation/version to maintain

• Typically slower to respond than desktop applications

• More limited graphic capability than desktop applications

• Project information not available when the user (or server) is offline

Personal

A personal project management application is one used at home, typically to manage a lifestyle or home projects. There is considerable overlap with single user systems, although personal project management software typically involves simpler interfaces. See also non-specialised tools below.

Single user

A single-user system is programmed with the assumption that only one person will ever need to edit the project plan at once. This may be used in small companies, or ones where only a few people are involved in top-down project planning. Desktop applications generally fall into this category.

Collaborative

A collaborative system is designed to support multiple users modifying different sections of the plan at once, for example, updating the areas they personally are responsible for such that those estimates get integrated into the overall plan. Web-based tools, including extranets, generally fall into this category, but have the limitation that they can only be used when the user has live Internet access. To address this limitation, client-server-based software tools exist that provide a Rich Client that runs on users' desktop computer and replicate project and task information to other project team members through a central server when users connect periodically to the network.

Integrated

An integrated system combines project management or project planning, with many other aspects of company life. For example, PHProjekt projects have bug tracking issues assigned to each project, the list of project customers becomes a customer relationship management module, and each person on the project plan has their own task lists, calendars, and messaging functionality associated with their projects.

Similarly, specialised tools like SourceForge integrate project management software with source control (CVS) software and bug-tracking software, so that each piece of information can be integrated into the same system.

Non-specialised tools

While specialised software may be common, and heavily promoted by each vendor, there are a vast range of other software (and non-software) tools used to plan and schedule projects.

• Calendaring software can often handle scheduling as easily as dedicated software

• Spreadsheets are very versatile, and can be used to calculate things not anticipated by the designers