Tools

How many IT tools are used daily by Project Managers and project teams?

With the rapid pace of automation and digitization of processes, we increasingly rely on tools to support our daily tasks, especially in managing and coordinating multiple project elements. This raises important questions: Is using all available tools efficient? Does the number of systems used by Project Managers improve work outcomes? Or would one comprehensive project management tool with key functions suffice? Let’s explore the available options and how they are utilized.

Using Various Tools

The following reflections are directed at both project managers using specialized, dedicated project management systems and those relying on scattered IT tools supporting project management.

Many companies managing multiple projects of varying importance to the enterprise use several dispersed and unintegrated IT tools. These tools primarily include Excel, MS Project, PowerPoint, Word, SharePoint, Outlook or another email system, Teams or Zoom, MS Planner, and others.

When starting any complex project, it is essential to begin with a foundation: creating a project schedule. The primary tool companies use for this purpose isn’t MS Project but Excel. This program offers many possibilities with formulas, and with some proficiency, it can be used to create basic or moderately complex project schedules. However, Excel requires users to know specialized functions that are not intuitive, often making it underutilized by all project team members. Additionally, in projects involving several team members, Excel offers limited opportunities for effective group collaboration. Still, Excel proves highly effective for creating project budgets, which many companies rely on.

SharePoint, on the other hand, is often used as a document repository, and this is a fairly effective solution.

When it comes to reporting project statuses, Excel also plays a significant role, supported by PowerPoint presentations. The Project Management Office (PMO) prepares reports in Excel and summary statuses in PowerPoint presentations, which are then sent to company management. Information exchange occurs via email, and increasingly, tools like Teams or Zoom are used for communication.

Choosing a dedicated tool

The system described above is functional but highly inefficient in modern times. With such a dispersed set of tools, information often becomes distorted, fails to reach its destination on time, and project teams and PMO staff spend significant time on manual tasks that add little value—tasks that could easily be automated.

The best solution, of course, is implementing a dedicated tool that comprehensively supports project and portfolio management while serving as a reliable tool for reporting and verifying project statuses.

Some may argue that the problem lies not in the tools but in people’s approach to project management, and I would agree. However, it’s crucial to simultaneously change people’s behavior—fostering a project management culture—and digitize the company by introducing IT tools to support work. The term “Digital PMO” is increasingly common and refers to Project Management Offices that work effectively using robust IT tools. In my view, this is the only direction worth pursuing in the 21st century.