Any business needs some management solutions to get organized and stay on the floating line. Unfortunately, many organizations are forced to rely on paper trails and email-chains. These outdated methods were replaced by newer project management solutions.

There are different types of such solutions for a wide range of working domains and for many kinds of needs. The access to accurate, real-time data regarding projects and resources is crucial to making strategic business decisions. Companies must keep up with the changes that impact the day-to-day running of their business. Managers are expected to deliver more than ever – but with fewer resources, within a shorter period of time and to produce maximum returns for the business.

Many times all this work gets externalized to other specialized entities. This covers either the use of project management tools or even more the delegation of entire work to management and consulting companies. In all cases appropriate methodologies and processes are necessary to be applied.

Project management solutions

In order to make the best decisions to support your organization’s long-term goals you have to decide and choose the right management solution:

• Resource management – if you have a resource oriented activity this is the solution on which you should insist on. In most cases it is strongly connected with work management software
• Project portfolio – this type of solution is the most used in any domain. Any company has multiple projects that needs to be managed. It also covers almost entirely resource management software
• Issue tracking – best suited for software development companies
• Task management – many small and medium organizations resort to this kind of solution; task management software is used mainly because of the ease of use, simplicity and light collaboration features

These are just some of the most encountered and known types. However as domains overlap a single type of product is not enough. This is why huge companies reached the need to use ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems that incorporate all the above and much more beyond the project management area.

Project management methodologies and processes

The definition for terms like methodology and process and what it clearly represents is under debate and there is no unique agreement in the project management domain. However they are successfully used and many project management solutions try to map on a certain methodology.

Here is a list with the most used ones:

• traditional project management respecting the project’s five stages – initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and completion
• the Critical Path Method
• Critical Chain Project Management
• Event Chain Methodology

Other newer methodologies, processes and frameworks more specific to the IT industry:

• Agile
• Six Sigma
• Scrum
• Extreme Programming (XP)
• Crystal
• Feature Driven Development (FDD)
• Dynamic Systems Development (DSDM)
• Adaptive Software Development
• Rational Unified Process (RUP)
• PRINCE2

It is imperative to select the right project management solution in order to meet your organization’s needs and to maximize the return on investment. A well defined methodology and process applied on a project management software might be the key to your business success.