The 3 types of project management software
There are 3 types of project management software and each ‘type’ has pros and cons for project management offices, depending on what you need from your PMO software. As such, within this blog, we’ll explore the 3 types of project management software, the benefits of each, and where Sycamore Gap’s PMO fits in.
What are the 3 types of project management software?
Individual software: as the name suggests, individual software is meant for individuals, usually the Project Manager. Individual software is usually locally-saved – onto a desktop or phone, for example – and will often take the form of a spreadsheet or single-user planning document and, although this software may be used by several users, their work is not connected.
The benefit of this type of software is simplicity but also privacy & confidentiality. If there is sensitive data held within that spreadsheet or document that’s meant to be seen only by one person, using individual software will help to ensure no-one else sees it, unless invited or provided with it directly.
The downside of this approach is that, should you wish to collaborate with other team members, you will not be able to do so in real time and each ‘collaborator’ will need to make and edit their own copy. This can become both time consuming and confusing, and lead to duplication!
Collaborative software: collaborative software enables teams of individuals to edit the same, single document – creating ‘one version of the truth’ that everyone involved in the project views, amends, and works to.
Collaborative tools are often cloud-based and offer multi-user access to ensure users are connected and can view documents and data in realtime. However, these tools are often single-project focused.
The benefits of this type of PMO tool are that multiple versions of the same document won’t land in individual emails or live on people’s desktops, and everyone who needs it has access to project data whenever is appropriate without having to ask someone for the information.
Integrated software: this type of software has all the benefits of collaboration with the added benefit of being integrated into your processes and providing key metrics from multiple projects.
Integrated software is often housed on a server so you can control who has access to them and, within this, who has access to what data.
This can be a great option for large teams of project managers where there are multiple individuals working on multiple projects, at varying levels.
What does Sycamore Gap’s PMO software offer?
Sycamore Gap’s PMO is a pre-built, app-based PMO solution that provides project management and project management office teams with:
- A consistent look’n’feel with very little training needed
- Flexible, low-code configuration
- Quick and easy productive of professional, consistent reports
- One login for your users + simplified admin & governance with role based access
- Simple one-click dashboards/reports, mail merge to Word, and export to Excel and Power BI
- Automatic notifications, audit logs, and workflows
Providing you with all the benefits of collaborative software and integrated software combined, plus the flexibility of multi-user access and multi-device access; our PMO suitable for use across desktops & laptops, tablets and mobiles.
To find out more about the benefits of Sycamore Gap’s PMO, book a demo or contact us.
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