Global Project Management.org

Collaborative project management software is the technology platform that provides global project managers and project office administrators with the automated tools to create the project management plan, to monitor the execution of the deliverables, to control the issues, risks, quality, cost and time and to obtain approval for the project closure. Project management software is an important tool for traditional projects during processes that include calculations and diagramming techniques, such as ‘activity sequencing’, ‘activity resource estimating’, ‘schedule development’, ‘schedule control’, ‘cost estimating’ and ‘cost control’ (PMI, 2004).

For global projects, the implementation of collaborative project management software is also essential for all processes that require effective collaboration between the project manager and the team members in different locations when defining activities, identifying and analysing risks, directing and managing project execution, monitoring progress and controlling project work. This chapter considers the collaborative project management software as the subset of the Project Management Information System (PMIS), which is composed of the essential tools, methods and processes that ensure successful management of global projects.

Collaborative project management software can also help to satisfy the organisational governance requirements, by providing program managers, portfolio managers, project managers and executive stakeholders with summarised project performance measurements and consolidated metrics, simplifying the reporting preparation and information distribution activities

The chapter 20 of the Global Project Management book makes recommendations for the evaluation, implementation and documentation of project management software solutions.

Sources: 

PMI (2004) ‘A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide) third edition’ (PMI, USA).