PMIS and Project Management Software

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About this lesson

The Project Management Information System (PMIS) is the method that the project manager and core team use to share and disseminate project information.  It often is based upon the use of a project management software application.

Quick reference

PMIS and Project Management Software

The Project Management Information System (PMIS) is the method that the project manager and core team use to share and disseminate project information.  It often is based upon the use of a project management software application.

When to use

The PMIS is used to coordinate and disseminate the baseline plan and it is used throughout project execution for tracking progress.  If the project pulsing meetings are virtual meetings, the PMIS is often the focal point during those meetings for status updates and issue identification.

Instructions

A PMIS is at the heart of the project knowledge management approach.  It is a major and crucial element of project communication on large complex projects.  On these projects, you cannot rely on “hallway meetings” and emails to keep track of all the project communication and information.  Even on small projects with only two or three team members, if they are not co-located, a PMIS is often needed. The characteristics of a PMIS are unique to each organization.  The PMIS must be acceptable to the organizational culture and compatible with the project management approach of the core team and the stakeholders.  PMIS systems can be categorized into three types.  In some cases, I have seen hybrids used effectively.

Project management software

There are many different project management software applications available.  In a recent study I did for a client, I reviewed 74 different commercially available applications.  Each application had strengths and weaknesses.  Generally, software is at its most useful when the project is complex and has many interactions that must be managed.  Some applications manage the scheduled interactions well, and some manage the resource interactions well.  Some applications focus on document sharing and storage, others on project analytics.  However, in all cases, I found that project team members need to be trained how to use the software – the applications were typically not intuitive.  Without proper training, the team members do not use the software as it is designed and the team soon has the problems of the project software is not current, or correct; which results in the classic software problem of “garbage in – garbage out.”

Spreadsheet

Yes, I know that spreadsheet applications are also software.  However, spreadsheets are not designed to be project management software applications; they are designed to manage and manipulate numeric data; which they generally do very well.  Many of the project management planning and tracking tools lend themselves to a spreadsheet format (WBS Dictionary, Responsibility Matrix, Risk Register, Task List Schedule, Issue Log, Stakeholder Register, and Budget Baseline).  In my experience, managing small projects using a shared spreadsheet is more efficient and just as effective as using project management software.  The important point is that it is a small project.  Large projects have many interconnections between tasks, dates, and resources.  It is very difficult to create a spreadsheet that will automatically update all those interactions.  When that is the case on your project, use project management software.

Notes on the whiteboard

Another approach that is often used with small co-located teams is to manage the projects with notes on a whiteboard that is maintained in some central meetings area.  The advantages of this approach are that it is visual, easy to understand, easy to update, and doesn’t require special training.  This is often the approach used with project teams that are managing a crisis project.  It is also the way many AGILE/Scrum teams manage their scrum board and burndown chart.  I have often used this approach with small co-located teams where we plan the project on the whiteboard and then update the project status with notes on the board.  The biggest limitation of this approach has been that the team had to be co-located.  There are now some virtual team software applications that allow virtual teams to use this approach.

Definitions

Manage Project Knowledge: “The process of using existing knowledge and creating new knowledge to achieve the project's objectives and contribute to organizational learning.” PMBOK® Guide

Project Management Information System (PMIS): “An information system consisting of the tools and techniques used to gather, integrate, and disseminate the outputs of project management processes.” PMBOK® Guide

These definitions are taken from the Glossary of the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2017.

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  • 00:04 Hi, this is Ray Sheen.
  • 00:05 The final thing I want to discuss as part of project governance is the use of
  • 00:10 project management information system and project management software.
  • 00:14 These are aids to a project leader and
  • 00:17 core team to assist them to manage the methodology and
  • 00:20 the project information, including communicating decisions.
  • 00:25 The project management body of knowledge, the PMBOK Guide, defines a project
  • 00:29 management knowledge as the process using existing knowledge and creating new
  • 00:34 knowledge to achieve project objectives and contribute to organizational learning.
  • 00:39 The project team will be constantly learning about the project and
  • 00:42 the task that they are accomplishing.
  • 00:44 They find out what works and what does not.
  • 00:47 And as they gain this experience, they can create more accurate estimates for
  • 00:50 the remaining work.
  • 00:51 The project team should use this knowledge to improve and update the project plan.
  • 00:57 There is nothing like firsthand experience to improve performance.
  • 01:01 In addition, the knowledge should be captured in the project lessons learned,
  • 01:05 so that it can be used on other projects.
  • 01:07 We don't want each project to reinvent the wheel.
  • 01:12 One of the things that will help the project team do this
  • 01:15 is a project management information system, or PMIS.
  • 01:18 The project management body of knowledge, the PMBOK Guide, defines a PMIS as
  • 01:23 an information system consisting of the tools and techniques used to gather,
  • 01:27 integrate, and disseminate the output of the project management processes.
  • 01:31 The project leader normally is in charge of implementing the PMIS on the project.
  • 01:36 And when used well, all the core team will be actively working with it.
  • 01:40 Complex projects often have lots of information and
  • 01:44 lots of knowledge being created at any given time.
  • 01:47 Therefore, on these projects,
  • 01:49 a software-based PMIS is often best that will be scalable and accessible.
  • 01:54 And projects with virtual team members, or at least team members who are not
  • 01:58 co-located, rely on a PMIS to integrate project management information,
  • 02:02 both planning and control.
  • 02:04 Let's look at how different types of PMISs operate.
  • 02:08 The first type of PMIS is a project management software.
  • 02:11 In the era of digital transformation,
  • 02:13 this has become the predominant method of a PMIS.
  • 02:16 There are many different project software applications available.
  • 02:19 A few years ago, I did a quick report for a client on the different applications.
  • 02:23 And at that time, there were 74 different commercial applications that advertise
  • 02:28 themselves as project management software.
  • 02:31 The advantage of most PMIS software applications is that it manages
  • 02:35 the complexity well.
  • 02:36 The difficulty is that that usually takes some special training to
  • 02:40 manage the software features needed to handle all that complexity.
  • 02:45 Another approach which I find still used frequently for the team is to work
  • 02:49 with a shared spreadsheet or a single shared database like a Google Docs.
  • 02:54 In this case, everyone's able to put their data into the spreadsheet or documents,
  • 02:59 and they can see the information other team members have created.
  • 03:02 This approach is easy to manage data through simple tables and charts.
  • 03:06 However, the disadvantage is that it's difficult to manage
  • 03:10 complex interactions between tasks and activities within the project.
  • 03:15 The third approach is often used by a co-located team.
  • 03:18 In this case, the project team has a dedicated meeting space, and
  • 03:22 the project plan and issues are posted on the wall.
  • 03:24 This is the approach that is often used with Agile Scrum projects.
  • 03:28 Its advantages that it's quick, simple, and visual.
  • 03:31 Of course, the disadvantage is that you need to have the entire team in one place,
  • 03:35 so it's difficult for
  • 03:36 virtual team members to participate in this form of communication.
  • 03:40 Although, with the advent of the virtual meetings, it's becoming more prevalent.
  • 03:46 I want to take a few minutes now to talk about the use of project management
  • 03:51 software.
  • 03:51 Software is a tool to help the project team.
  • 03:54 You don't want to become a slave to your software.
  • 03:57 The software provides information about the impact of decisions and
  • 04:01 risks on the project.
  • 04:03 Some software applications put rules in for how the project should be planned and
  • 04:06 managed.
  • 04:07 And therefore, they, in essence, take the management out of your hands.
  • 04:11 Don't do that.
  • 04:12 You are responsible for the project success or failure, not the software.
  • 04:17 The more complex the project, the more value you get from software.
  • 04:21 It can tell you the impact of project change or risk levers in seconds.
  • 04:25 So, when I have a complex project,
  • 04:27 I will definitely be using project management software.
  • 04:31 However, creating the initial baseline and
  • 04:34 maintaining the project status on many software programs is burdensome.
  • 04:38 It can easily take hours or days just to create a good baseline.
  • 04:42 A few other comments on software.
  • 04:44 Most of the project management software applications are great for
  • 04:47 analyzing interdependencies between tasks and activities.
  • 04:50 If you have complex projects, you will have lots of these.
  • 04:54 Again, most of the applications will allow you to integrate multiple projects
  • 04:58 from multiple sources.
  • 04:59 And finally, most applications have created some powerful reporting
  • 05:03 capabilities and dashboards.
  • 05:05 Some focus on schedule, others on budget or resources.
  • 05:08 They will ease the process of creating project reports.
  • 05:12 But there are also some limitations.
  • 05:14 Each application has something that they are good at,
  • 05:17 but very few are able to manage all three sides of the project management
  • 05:21 Triple Constraint triangle well, and those are very complex.
  • 05:25 Further, each software application focuses on a type of methodology,
  • 05:29 such as sequential or adaptive, and doesn't work well with the others.
  • 05:34 As we know, those are very different.
  • 05:36 So, as with any software program, you must be aware of garbage in and garbage out.
  • 05:42 If there are omissions and errors, if the information's not up to date, or if it
  • 05:46 doesn't align with the way you're running the project, you will have problems.
  • 05:50 If you want to use a full functioning project management software application
  • 05:55 that is appropriate for your type of project,
  • 05:57 you will need to invest in training for the whole team.
  • 06:00 One final reminder.
  • 06:01 You are the project manager, don't let the software make your decisions.
  • 06:06 It's a tool, it's not the boss.
  • 06:09 As your organization moves into the digital age,
  • 06:11 knowledge management has become more important.
  • 06:14 Use the tools that fit your project and your project team.

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PMI, PMP, CAPM and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

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