Review of project management systems. Corporate project management system. Project Management Tools

A project management system is a set of tools that ensure project management and their effective implementation. As a rule, these are various automated programs.

Goals and objectives of using control systems

Let's consider the main purposes of using control systems:

• Increasing the efficiency of workers within the project.
• Improving management efficiency on the part of the manager.
• Increasing overall management efficiency: delivering the project on time, minimizing associated costs.

Basic tasks set for control systems:

• Formation of tools for planning and monitoring the execution of assigned tasks.
• Creation of a platform through which employees gain access to the information needed to work on the project, as well as tools for solving current problems.
• The ability to check the workload of a particular employee in order to make a decision about involving him in additional work.
• Ensuring effective load redistribution.
• Creating a tool to automate work on routine tasks.
• "Transparency" of the status of all current projects.
• Ability to monitor changes.
• Control over project deadlines.
• Control over the compliance of executed projects with the company’s goals.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION! It is obvious that management systems are important both from the point of view of solving current problems and from the point of view of the company's strategy. They are indispensable if the company is involved in several projects at once. If one project can be fully controlled without automation, then in the case of multiple tasks, this is an unsolvable task.

IMPORTANT! Different industries require the use of control systems with their own specifics. For example, special systems are required for construction, investment, innovation, and organizational projects.

Advantages and disadvantages of project management systems

Knowledge of the benefits of control systems is necessary in order to justify their implementation. But when using them, you also need to keep in mind possible “weaknesses”.

Advantages

Management systems are used in most large organizations. This is explained by the following benefits:

1. Make it easier to track projects that don't align with the organization's strategy. This ensures a reduction in the company's costs.
2. Increasing the efficiency of resource use. Efficiency increases through proper allocation of resources.
3. Preventing cost overruns. This is achieved through control over all expenses. Having a plan also has a beneficial effect on spending.
4. Reducing the number of projects completed with low quality. Achieved through control over deadlines and current tasks. The manager gets the opportunity to monitor the quality of task completion.
5. Saving manager time. The manager may not do routine work (collecting information, creating reports) manually.
6. Interaction with project participants in real time. If an employee has a specific problem, he can immediately contact another employee.
7. Facilitation of document management. The system has a document flow function. It allows you to instantly edit information and update it.
8. Facilitate risk and forecast management. Systems help to timely identify risks and make forecasts regarding the success of project completion.

The control systems are extremely easy to use. This simplicity is necessary so that every employee can easily understand the operation of the system. No special training is required.

Disadvantages of control systems

When implementing control systems, the following disadvantages must be taken into account:

1. High cost of management programs with low effectiveness. The acquisition of management systems implies an increase in the company's income. However, the profit received in some cases does not cover the costs. You need to keep in mind that you will have to spend money not only on the program itself, but also on its regular updates and individual improvements.
2. The risk of complicating simple projects. When conducting simple projects, the use of a control system is not necessary. Moreover, it is even undesirable, since a simple task can become more complicated.
3. Spending large quantity time to make plans. The manager and employees have to spend a lot of time setting statuses, changing priority tasks, and updating information. Sometimes for similar work real cases are “lost.”

All these disadvantages are relative. At making the right choice and using the system, all the disadvantages are neutralized.

Proper implementation of the management system

The implementation of a management system is a separate project, the implementation of which requires a plan. It can be divided into the following stages:

1. Project initiation. At this stage, an implementation project manager is appointed and a working group is formed. An event plan is drawn up. It indicates in which departments the system is being implemented and the functions included in it.
2. Getting results. After the project has been implemented, you should immediately begin working with it. Quick positive results will help convince the manager that implementing the system was the right decision.
3. Working on a pilot project. The main tasks of this stage: the formation of a unified register of projects, a repository of related documentation, and automation of document flow.

The control system is quite simple, and therefore does not require the organization of additional training courses.

The project management system is selected in direct proportion to the specific needs of the organization. You should determine the system functions and tools that are exactly required. Only after this you can purchase the program. The selected system must provide solutions to the following tasks:

• Application of basic functionality. The possibility of its gradual improvement.
• Quick launch of all basic processes. The approximate launch time is 1-2 weeks.
• Ease of use, ease of learning to work with the system.
• User-friendly interface.

The system must be flexible enough: be able to reconfigure, adjust, and improve in accordance with current tasks.

Review of the most popular project management systems

Exists great amount SOUP. They can be basic or professional. Let's consider the most popular systems:

1. Wrike. Functionality: grouping tasks into projects, control over execution. The main advantage is professional functionality that provides convenience collaboration. Additions: reminders, setting task deadlines.
2. "Megaplan". Used in small and medium-sized organizations. Convenient for remote work. Functionality: task manager, invoicing, transaction control, local mail.
3. Basecamp. It is efficient and simple. Functionality: profiles, calendar, tasks. Provides remote access. Can be used not only by employees, but also by company clients.
4. Worksection. Functionality: time tracking, tags, file storage, task manager, software.
5. Asana. Mobile access. Possibility of integration with email.

Among the basic systems, it makes sense to mention MS Project (developed by Microsoft). As a rule, basic SUPs have standard set functions.

The reasons for constructing a ICS management system in companies that have reached a certain level of development are usually given as two expected effects. The first of them is saving the expensive time of project managers due to the created infrastructure. The second effect is to simplify control over project managers as their number in the business grows. It is quite natural that without an information system component (ISUP) it is difficult to imagine modern management projects. This is due to the requirement of efficiency achieved by the technological support of the CSUP.

Project Management Support Tools

Project management is gradually moving more and more into a virtual implementation environment. This is caused by the need to repeatedly increase the most important resource potential for solving unique problems - human ones. Even in Russia, in the coming years we will be faced with the fact that a qualified responsible resource for completing a project task will be the scarcest among many others. Therefore, the question of translation will arise project teams on a virtual basis of activity. And neither linguistic nor cultural restrictions will be able to significantly prevent this trend.

The first steps in this direction are already laying the foundation for the future business management model. They consist of a set of measures for the implementation and development of technical, software and information and communication means of PMIS (project management information systems). The costs of automation still seem incommensurate with the achieved effects; not all projects of this type end in success. But the overall process is gradually gaining momentum, interesting deeply integrated solutions are appearing, and support for project management processes is becoming more and more real.

From the perspective of project practice, companies actively use specialized software products (SP), including those aimed at creating a unified information space in the type of management activity under consideration. But PMIS is not only a set of software elements. An important role in it is played by the hardware, server component, specialized corporate systems and communication with them.

Project management information systems should be considered as integrated software and hardware solutions as part of the implementation of the company's general IT policy. At the same time, a key role for users of the system is played by its external and essential aspect, expressed in interaction interfaces, operating logic, communication and service convenience. Currently, there are a lot of specialized programs on the software market, among which the MS Project package dominates. Next, we present to your attention a model of the tools used to automate project management, taking into account their correspondence to process blocks.

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The model shows the division of PP into three main sectors.

1. Business planning and analysis economic efficiency, which solve the corresponding problems.
2. Project development in terms of its immediate implementation, risk minimization and actual work management. In this sector, work planning tasks are solved taking into account the pool of available and attracted resources. Control measures and correction of plans are carried out.
3. Communication support in terms of information, reporting and documentation support, including archiving.

Objectives and functions of the information system

The development and development of an PMIS pursues several goals that fit into the general target context of the corporate project management system. First of all, this is an increase in management efficiency due to increased speed, manufacturability and procedural completeness. Secondly, automation makes it possible to improve the rational use of all company resources in project activities: working time, finances, capacity, etc.

Among the main tasks of the ISMS are the following:

• translation of the plan into the planning model of the project;
• performing financial and economic calculations for projects, analyzing them, scenario forecasts and ensuring decision-making across the entire line of initiatives;
• creation and optimization adjustment of plans design work, starting from the portfolio, programs and ending with local project tasks;
• ensuring the functioning of a single information field collected from the results of batch work using specialized software of various types.

It should be noted that the functions of planning and control occupy a dominant place among the areas of automation based on software involved in the PMIS. However, recently solutions have begun to actively develop, where the emphasis is on reporting, assessment of labor costs, motivational models, efficiency in setting and executing tasks, and document flow. In this regard, the matrix of functions of the information system, based on the principles of detailing in the selection of projects and stages of the project cycle, is of interest. The matrix is ​​shown below and is based on functional blocks.

1. Schedule and network planning.
2. Resource management: personnel, finances, equipment, materials.
3. Reporting on work in terms of labor costs.
4. Documentation support for project management.

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As you know, automation should not develop spontaneously, although this is often what happens in many companies. In any case, this is how the first PPs in the field of project management arise. First, people appear who are partly or fully employed in projects. Then one of the project managers initiates the use of software, and finally the software is developed. But at a certain stage, the PMIS paradigm undergoes a change.

Management comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to apply an integrated, systematic approach, since project activities are becoming a fairly common practice and even more so. It begins to take up too much time and human resources to not care about its effectiveness, taking into account the synergies with the operational context of management. It is then that the need arises to answer a number of questions related to the organization of an integrated management system at a higher level.

1. According to project management methodology, in terms of importance and feasibility, which business processes should be prioritized?
2. How to rank the described business processes from the standpoint of their automation?
3. What “boxed” solutions does the IT market currently offer?
4. What integration measures will be required when introducing software into project practice?

Software in the information system

As we found out in previous sections, a holistic view of the existing model of the project business paradigm is required. It is necessary to rethink the financial, investment policy, and IT policy so that, having discovered areas for increasing the efficiency of projects at a qualitative level, we include the issue of development of an automated management system in the information and communication strategy.

This should be done by three managers: the development director or the person responsible for the investment direction, the financial director and the IT director. The basis for constructing a development plan for an information system is its structure in the ICS component. Structuring is carried out taking into account several reasons:

• stages life cycle projects;
• management and IT support functions;
• level of project and functional management;
• specialization and range of services of software products considered for use.

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Due to Russian specifics, for business planning and assessing the economic efficiency of projects, it is best to use one of the flagship domestic software companies Expert Systems or Alt Invest. These products have been successfully used for more than 20 years; they allow you to work in program and portfolio modes, working out the whole range of modeling issues at the pre-investment stage. For information support of the investment and post-investment stages, both Western-made software and domestic developments can be used. The market leader is Microsoft's product line.

MS Project Portfolio Server is designed to provide more high quality and service in the portfolio management of the organization, it has a modular design. The first module solves the problems of collecting projects into a single interface, checking them for compliance with the strategy, and initial selection for development. The second module allows you to optimize the portfolio, build ratings of project tasks in it, and helps to compile and approve a corporate portfolio. Monitoring projects against planned indicators to identify current problems is carried out in the third module, with its help management gains freedom of maneuver across the entire portfolio.

PP for scheduling and management of temporary project resources perform the following functions:

• planning of work according to the composition and sequence of execution;
• resource planning and allocation;
• working time budget analysis;
• calendar optimization;
• plan visualization;
• reporting on the implementation of the project schedule.

Programs for effective management of cost aspects and budgeting of a project provide:

• investment modeling and development of a fund raising program;
• development and scenario modeling of the project budget in dynamics;
• cost and value control activities;
• reporting and integration into the general corporate finance system.

PMIS software blocks related to risk management and project communications are actively developing, they have big potential. There are interesting prospects ahead for the development of integrated units or separate products related to the management of virtual teams. This is a very promising direction for business internationalization. True, Westerners are predicting even greater isolation and regression for us, but I don’t believe in it. Russian management, despite any challenges, retains chances for both resuscitation and expansion.

A project management system is a set of organizational and technological methods and tools that support project management in an organization and help improve the efficiency of their implementation. Often the term project management system is interpreted more narrowly as an automated or information system for project management, i.e. program. The organizational and methodological components are included in the term corporate project management system. Further we will adhere to such interpretations of terms.

Project management system goals

• Increasing the efficiency of company employees when working on projects.
• Improving the quality of project management by project managers.
• Increasing the efficiency of management of the company’s entire project portfolio - more projects on time and within budget with lower costs.

Project management system tasks

To achieve these goals, appropriate tools are needed. Without describing all the functionality in detail, project management systems are designed to solve the following tasks:

1. Provide the project manager with tools for project planning and monitoring the progress of its implementation.
2. Provide the project participant with a clear tool for performing project tasks and access to all the information necessary to complete them.
3. Provide the head of the department with a tool for monitoring the workload of employees on project and non-project tasks, provide information for making decisions on assigning employees to new projects, and redistributing the load between them.
4. To the director project office provide a convenient tool that will automate routine operations and establish full transparent control over the status of the entire project portfolio and the quality of work of specific project managers.
5. The head of the company will be provided with a single monitoring panel of all projects of the company with the ability to quickly analyze deviations and accept management decisions.
6. It is important for the company's shareholders to see the compliance of the portfolio of ongoing projects with the company's strategic goals.

Requirements for the functionality of project management information systems arise from the characteristics of project management processes in each specific organization.

Areas of application of project management systems

Depending on the industry and specifics, there are various areas of their application.

There are both specialized systems for these industries, as well as integrated project management systems that are designed to manage various types projects. Adjustment to the specifics of the industry is carried out through flexible settings for the project passport, industry directories and management methods. Such a product, in particular, is the Advanta online information system.

Benefits of using a project management system (ROI)

A project management system can and should pay off by increasing the efficiency of project activities - activities that operate with finances, resources and deadlines (which in turn are well converted into finances). To calculate the possible ROI (Return On Investment), it is necessary to take the financial and time characteristics of the company’s projects and apply to them the expected business benefits from implementing the system.

Possible business benefits from a project management information system according to Forrester Research:

• Reducing the number of projects that do not correspond to the company strategy

By eliminating projects that are not needed or do not align with strategy, you can reduce costs across your entire project portfolio.

• Improving resource efficiency

By improving the distribution of resources between projects and clearer control over employee workload.

• Reducing budget overruns

Can be achieved through improved planning and increased control over spending.

• Reducing the percentage of failed projects

Thanks to effective means of monitoring projects and implementing methodology through an information system, the project office can significantly reduce the percentage of projects that are unable to achieve their goals, meet deadlines and budget.

• Reducing the time costs of project offices and project managers

Reducing the time spent collecting data and manually generating reports on project status frees up time resources for higher priority tasks.

How to justify to management the need for a project management system?

This question is more from the field of psychology than from the field of economics. It is absolutely clear that if the head of the organization (or at least one of his deputies) is not interested in implementing a project management system, then such a project will be almost guaranteed to be unsuccessful.

You definitely need to talk about the economy with your manager, as well as about increasing the efficiency of project management. For this purpose, articles about the return on investment in creating a project office, project management information systems, examples of improvements from colleagues in the industry and a simple explanation of the benefits using cases of your own are suitable successful projects. But without taking responsibility (at least limited) for the results of changes, nothing will happen. So go for it!

Development of a project management system

Is it necessary to develop it?

Today there are a large number of modern systems project management that can be adapted to the needs of the company without programming. An example of such a system is Advanta. It is worth resorting to developing your own project management system only if the industry specifics and the organization’s project management tasks are very unique. To solve the problems of the project management department, you can adapt ready-made tools.

Are you ready to invest in development and support?

It should be borne in mind that in-house development, in addition to significant time and financial costs, is fraught with many risks associated with further development and support of the system. You should also think carefully about the risks of choosing boxed project management tools with limitations in customization and programming capabilities (for example, 1C, Microsoft Project Server + SharePoint). Such projects often turn into a format of constant improvements and programming, the project timeframe increases several times, and the project budget accordingly increases several times, the company “hooks on the needle” of quite unique programmers.

Types of project management information systems

By technical specifications Project management systems can be divided into the following types:

• Local/desktop (eg Microsoft Project).
• Client-server, when the main software components are installed on the server, and the client application is installed on the local computer (for example, Microsoft Project Server, Oracle Primavera).
• Web-based - to use such applications you only need an Internet browser (for example, Advanta).

Modern project management information systems are increasingly being created as web-based Internet applications. They have 2 distinctive features:

• By location of the software (systems based in the cloud or on an enterprise server).
• According to the pricing model (systems are purchased once for the entire period of use, or a rental fee is charged for use - SAAS).

Now on the project management tools market there is a lot of free or shareware (inexpensive) software sold under the SAAS scheme. As a rule, inexpensive software is suitable for small teams and mainly has the functionality of task managers (task management systems), maintaining a list of clients, etc. Such systems are mainly aimed at small businesses.

Average and big business in Russia, as a rule, they prefer to be able to store basic data on their own servers or in a rented data center (which also allows, if necessary, to quickly transfer data to themselves). SAAS software service providers (both Russian and Western) are still trusted with data mainly by small businesses due to existing security risks and data leaks, which have happened more than once in Russia. Needless to say, the effectiveness of project management in this case drops sharply.

Therefore, now the most justified solution is to choose an online project management system with the ability to store all information on your own or rented server equipment.

Choosing a project management system

If you decide to start choosing a project management system for your organization, then you, of course, can go the standard route and analyze a large number of comparisons, ratings and reviews, but no analytical articles will make a decision for you about which project management tools are best suited specifically your company.

Project Management Tools

When planning to create a project management department, you should understand that the mere presence of such a structure will not solve problems with optimizing work processes at all levels. In order for the employees of the new department to be able to successfully perform their duties, it is necessary to provide them with convenient and functionality project management. You should not think that this can be done not immediately, but later, already during the work of the new department. Without the right tools, it is impossible to obtain analytics on current projects, that is, to at least plan a set of measures to increase the efficiency of project management and monitor their implementation.

The presence of project management tools consistently solves the following problems:

• Collection of information about the company's current and planned projects.
• Analytical work and identifying deviations.
• Phased introduction of innovations aimed at standardizing project management.
• Control over the work of the new structure and its subsequent upgrade.

Formulate requirements

First of all, it is important to formulate the requirements for your future information system. No need to be afraid of words Technical task, and even more so, it takes months to develop such documents. It is important to collect the goals, business requirements of key managers and beneficiaries of the system in the company, summarize them and begin to carefully select solutions.

Develop a test case

A very smart approach is to develop a test case based on your existing project management process (since you manage projects, then you definitely have some kind of process, even if not on paper). Write it in simple text with a numbered list, write the list separately general requirements and attach a list of reports that you would like to receive. This test case You can use it to view and test the systems between which you will choose. The best thing to do is to send this example to the system developer/supplier and ask them to create a demo/prototype for you.

The speed, ease of setting up a prototype and the vendor's willingness to do it for your company is an excellent litmus test. This will show you the simplicity/complexity of the subsequent implementation of the system, the competence of the supplier’s specialists and the willingness of the future partner to work with you for your results.

Select an implementation partner

By the way, the quality of interaction with you by representatives of the software and service provider company at the stage of discussing your tasks, preparing a prototype, testing the system is decisive when choosing a reliable partner for such an important project as the implementation of a project management system. Neither additional functionality nor low price, nor the well-known brand of other systems and suppliers will be able to compensate you for possible economic and reputational damage from an unsuccessful implementation project. You will, of course, reduce your initial liability by offering management a choice of the most famous brands and giving the manager the opportunity to make this choice, while remaining in the shadows yourself. But will this give a significant result to you and your company?

Only an active, or rather proactive position of the initiator of the selection and implementation of the system, his concern for the results of the project will allow the project to become successful, regardless of the pitfalls that will come your way. After all, you will make an informed choice and you will have a reliable partner with you.

Implementation of a project management system

The implementation of a project management system in practice is a large independent organizational project that must be managed according to all the rules of project management and change management in the company.

Initiate the project competently

First, you need to competently initiate a project in the company. It is necessary to appoint a project manager, form a working group and develop your own internal plan for implementing a project management system. It is not necessary to make a detailed plan; it is important that you clearly define the organizational (in which departments) and functional (what functionality) framework of the project and divide the entire project into understandable and self-sufficient stages.

The system implementation plan must be agreed upon with your implementation project partner (if you plan to involve external specialists). An experienced partner, based on his practice, will tell you how best to build a system implementation project in order to quickly get results and avoid making common mistakes.

Get first results quickly

It is very important to quickly get the first positive results from the project. This will allow the company management to be convinced of the correctness of the chosen course, and the project participants and users of the system will be inspired and stock up on additional motivation to implement the entire project.

What should be included in the pilot project?

It is necessary to provide users and management with a convenient and simple single tool for enterprise project management, without complicating the management processes themselves.

Main objectives of the pilot project:

• Create single register projects, launch procedures for updating it at the top level.
• Create a unified repository of project documentation.
• Automate project document flow with basic processes for developing and approving documents.
• Provide all project participants with a unified working environment for discussing project issues and exchanging information.

In fact, at the first stage, it is important to obtain a project portal that will allow all interested parties from TOP managers to project participants to cover their basic needs for information during the implementation of projects in the company.

What system will allow this to be done?

It is important to choose a project management system that will allow you to:

• Start using basic functionality with the possibility of its gradual development (not a rigid system that needs to be immediately designed and programmed, taking into account all functions).
• Quickly (within 1-2 weeks) launch the main processes in the company.
• It is easy to train users during implementation (the user sees only the functionality he needs).
• Receive not resistance from the user, but gratitude for making the work easier (user-friendly interface).
• Have a wide range of functionality and flexible options for setting it up to automate new processes and adjust implemented processes as the company’s maturity level increases.

Throughout history, humanity has accumulated an impressive list of successfully implemented complex projects. From building the Pyramids of Giza to sending a man to the moon, the most daring human endeavors required the coordinated work of thousands of people. And this implies a complex project management system.

And although only a few of us will face tasks of this magnitude, the majority of readers of this blog are faced with project management in one way or another. PMI estimates 15 million new positions will be added by 2020 project specialists– and many other professionals often have to manage mini-projects, at least on a personal level.

In simple terms, Project Management is the management and organization of everything that is needed to achieve a goal - on time and within budget, of course. Whether up to developing new software, carrying out marketing company or landing a man on Mars - project management allows you to achieve success.

All projects are different. There is no perfect project management system that is suitable for every type of project. There is also no system that would suit every manager and be convenient for all team members. However, during the existence of project management, many effective methods that can be adopted. Today we will talk about the most popular of them.

(Not all of the following are “methods”. Agile is more of an approach or a family of methods; Scrum and Kanban are most often called frameworks – sets of practices. And PRINCE2 is a standard. However, for the sake of the convenience of the reader and proximity to the original, for the purposes of this article we will call all the mentioned standards, approaches and frameworks “methods.” - approx.)

The most popular project management systems:

• Agile
• Scrum

And before considering specific methods, let's answer the obvious question - “Why do we need project management systems and methods at all?” – let’s look, of course, briefly at the history of project management and define the basic terms of project management.

Why "project management"?

The names of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin will forever go down in history as symbols of one of mankind's greatest achievements - the landing of man on the moon. However, the major contributors to this event were the 400,000 NASA employees and the 20,000 companies and universities who worked together on the Apollo mission.

In 1961, John Kennedy set the task of landing a man on the Earth's satellite and returning him back - despite the fact that at that time NASA sent a man into space for only 15 minutes. Such an ambitious goal required an incredible amount of resources, cooperation, innovation and planning.

As NASA's book Managing the Moon Program says, the problem was not "what to do?" but "how to do so much in so little time?" According to Dr. Max Faget, head of engineering at The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA had no idea how to fit everything necessary actions at 10. Therefore, the first step was to “break the project into manageable stages.”

It was then important to accelerate each individual phase and ensure that the teams and companies working in each phase communicated effectively with each other and delivered results on time. This task was entrusted to Dr. George E. Muller, who managed every part of the Apollo project, from the White House to the supplier of the smallest part. To make it easier to control the project, he decided to break the project into 5 areas: Program Control, Systems Engineering, Testing, Reliability and Quality, and Flight Operations.

This 5-step system - called the "GEM Phases" after Dr. Mueller's initials - was designed "to focus on testing the product, and designing it to be tested," as Mueller himself notes. Program Control determined what needed to be done, managed budgets and requirements, and managed the interrelationships of program elements. The Systems Engineering area was responsible for developing new devices and components, Testing was responsible for ensuring that these new items worked, Reliability and Quality checked the developed items to ensure compliance with requirements and standards, and Flight Operations was responsible for ensuring that these the nodes will work during the flight.

Many were initially skeptical about the method proposed by Muller, but in the end he managed to convince the program members of the need to follow this algorithm. This system has shown its effectiveness - the project was completed successfully, and, one might even say, triumphantly, ahead of the stated deadlines. This was only possible by breaking down a large-scale project into manageable, repeatable steps, allowing many individual companies and specialists to work at the same pace. This is how project management proved its effectiveness in the Space Race.

A Brief History of Project Management

Project management was not invented by NASA or Dr. Mueller. The Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China are products of project management from prehistoric eras. Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence of how these projects were implemented and managed, and current project management is divorced from the knowledge of past centuries.

The most obvious way to implement a project is to break it down into phases or individual tasks. Like a culinary recipe - you buy the ingredients, mix them correctly, cook and serve. The simplest project management tool is a checklist of actions that need to be taken to achieve a goal. Simple and effective.

However, if you are a chef and you are preparing not one dish, but several, for example, a salad (the preparation of which consists of 3 stages) and a dessert (which only needs to be served), then you will need a tool that allows you to track the time spent on each of them. items and the time when they should be ready. And here one of the first modern project management tools comes to the rescue - the Gantt chart.

Invented independently by Korol Adamecki and Henry L. Gantt in the early 20th century, the Gantt chart shows a project schedule based on task completion and end dates. Tasks, their durations and relationships are entered into it, and then the critical path is calculated - the longest chain of interrelated tasks that determine the duration of the project. The relationships between the beginning and end of different tasks are very important - you can't serve soup to your guests until you've cooked it, can you?

So, a typical project is very similar to a project of preparing and serving dinner, only it has many more tasks, relationships, deadlines and types of resources. For projects with tight deadlines, the Gantt chart helps decide when it is best to start certain tasks in order to reduce implementation time. And for projects with strong resource constraints, the Gantt chart provides the opportunity to build a diagram in the form of an event-driven process chain for resource planning.

Different projects require different levels of control. For example, if you publish a series of blog articles, then strict deadlines are not so important. Much more important is a clear process in which it is possible to structure each article, make an outline of each of them, get feedback, make edits, finish the article, proofread and publish. Instead of managing time and resources, you manage the process.

For such projects, Agile project management methods and related approaches such as Lean, Kanban and others are better suited. There are also methods that allow you to manage both work flow, time, and resources - 6 Sigma and Scrum.

Popular project management systems

Throughout the history of project management, many different project management methods have been created to suit almost any need. Even if you are not going to send a man to the moon and do not have the same amount of resources, you will still find a suitable tool for you. The main thing is to understand what is most important for your project - deadlines, resources, compliance with the process, or several factors at once - and then choose a project management method focused on achieving this indicator.

Before we look at the most popular methods, let's define some key terms.

Basic terms of project management

• Agile: A flexible iterative-incremental approach to project and product management, focused on the dynamic formation of requirements and ensuring their implementation as a result of constant interaction within self-organizing working groups consisting of specialists in various fields. There are many methods based on Agile ideas, the most popular of which are Scrum and Kanban.
• Critical path: A continuous sequence of activities and events from the beginning to the end event, requiring the greatest amount of time to complete it.
• Event Process Chain (EPC Diagram): a diagram showing the sequence of project work implementation based on the availability and workload of resources
• Time reserve: The amount of time that the start of work can be delayed without affecting the overall duration of the project. Thus, work on the critical path will have a float of zero.
• Milestone (checkpoint, milestone): A key event, marking, for example, the end of a stage. On a Gantt chart, a task with a duration of zero is indicated.
• Project manager (project manager, project manager, PM): Project team leader responsible for project management (planning, implementation and closure of the project).
• Resources: Elements necessary for the implementation of the project. Resources include time, equipment, materials, employees, etc.
• Project Contents (Scope): Description of the work that must be performed to obtain the product.
• Sprint: An iteration (work cycle) in Scrum, lasting from a week to a month, during which a working version of a product or an element of it that is of value to the customer is created.
• "Traditional" project management: The most widely used method of project management, based on the so-called “Waterfall” or waterfall cycle, in which tasks are transferred sequentially in stages, reminiscent of a flow.

The most obvious way to make your project more manageable is to break the process of its execution into sequential stages. It is on this linear structure that traditional project management is based. In this sense it resembles computer game– you cannot go to the next level without completing the previous one.

This approach is focused on projects in which there are strict restrictions on the sequence of tasks. For example, building a house - you cannot build walls without a foundation. There are usually 5 stages of traditional project management, but additional stages can be added if the project requires it.

• Initiation. The project manager and team define the project requirements. At this stage, meetings and brainstorming sessions are often held to determine what the project product should be.
• Planning and development. At this stage, the team decides how it will achieve the goal set in the previous stage. This stage is often divided into two stages - high-level planning and detailed planning. At the top level, the general aspects of project execution are determined; for example, in IT projects, at this level the programming language that will be used to create the product is selected. Detailed planning is then carried out, during which final plans for the implementation of the project are drawn up.
• Implementation and testing. At this phase, the actual main work on the project occurs - writing code, erecting a building, and the like. Following the developed plans, the content of the project, defined earlier, begins to be created, and control is carried out according to the selected metrics. In the second part of this phase, the product is tested, it is checked for compliance with the requirements of the Customer and interested parties. The testing part identifies and corrects product shortcomings.
• Monitoring and completion of the project. Depending on the project, this phase may consist of a simple transfer of project results to the Customer, or a long process of interaction with clients to improve the project and increase their satisfaction, and support the project results. The latter applies to projects in the field of customer service and software.

What is described above is the basis on which various project management methods are built. Different projects require different phases of implementation - some require three phases, others much more. Sometimes the so-called “iterative waterfall” is used, in which each stage is a subproject, during which tasks are implemented in fixed iterations. But the essence remains the same - the project is divided into stages that are executed in a strictly defined sequence.

Due to the fact that classical project management is strictly tied to the execution time of tasks, usually predetermined at the planning stage, calendar and network planning tools are excellent for implementing projects within this approach. The most common tool for scheduling and network planning is the previously mentioned Gantt chart. There are many tools for building it - from simple spreadsheets like Excel and Smartsheet to professional software packages like Microsoft Project and Primavera.

Strengths of classical project management

Today it is often said that the classic waterfall approach is outdated, but it does not think of losing ground. The big advantage of this approach is that it requires the Customer and the company management to determine what they want to receive already at the first stage of the project. Early inclusion brings a certain stability to the project, and planning allows you to streamline the implementation of the project. In addition, this approach involves performance monitoring and testing, which is absolutely necessary for real projects of various sizes.

Potentially, the classical approach allows you to avoid stress due to the presence of spare time at each stage, built in in case of any complications and risks. In addition, with a properly executed planning phase, the project manager always knows what resources he has. Even if this estimate is not always accurate.

Weaknesses of classical project management

The main weakness of the classic project management– intolerance to change. The management of Toyota, famous for creating such systems as Lean and Kanban, is often criticized for the fact that they apply the classical approach to developing software for their company, and precisely for the lack of flexibility.

The mainstay of the classical approach now is construction and engineering projects, in which the content of the project remains virtually unchanged throughout the entire project. But if in your project resources and time are not key constraints, and the content of the project is subject to change, perhaps you should take a closer look at other project management systems.

Agile

As mentioned earlier, not all projects can be structured in such a way as to be implemented using the classic project approach. Returning to our example with the chef: preparing one dish fits perfectly into the classic approach, but preparing and serving a four-course dinner on time will be almost impossible if you have to wait until each time the preparation of one dish is completed before starting to prepare another.

And this is where Agile comes into play - a family of flexible iterative-incremental methods for project and product management. According to this approach, the project is not divided into sequential phases, but into small subprojects, which are then “assembled” into a finished product.

Thus, initiation and top-level planning are carried out for the entire project, and subsequent stages: development, testing and others are carried out for each mini-project separately. This allows the results of these mini-projects, so-called increments, to be transferred faster, and when starting a new subproject, changes can be made to it without large costs or impact on the rest of the project.

Despite the fact that Agile has come into fashion relatively recently, the idea of ​​iterative development is not new. The family of flexible methodologies received its current name in 2001 with the publication of the Agile Manifesto, which established the core values ​​and principles of flexible software development, which are based on teamwork and adaptation, even “love” for change.

Agile itself is not a project management method. It is rather a set of ideas and principles of how projects should be implemented. Already on the basis of these principles and best practices, individual flexible methods or, as they are sometimes called, frameworks, have been developed: Scrum, Kanban, Crystal, Lean and many others. These methods may be quite different from each other, but they follow the same principles.

Strengths of Agile

The most important advantage of Agile is its flexibility and adaptability. It can adapt to almost any conditions and processes of the organization. This is what determines its current popularity and how many systems for various fields have been created on its basis.

One of the main ideas of Agile is: “Reacting to change is more important than following a plan.” It is this quick and relatively painless response to change that is the reason that many large companies are completely rebuilding their project management systems. In addition, Agile is great for open-ended projects, such as launching a service or blog.

Weaknesses of Agile

As often happens, weak sides are a reflection of the strong. In the case of Agile, flexibility can lead to loss of focus. The lack of a clear process and procedures, the division of the project into subprojects and frequent changes, in the absence of clear direction from management, can lead to a loss of direction and understanding of what is important and what is secondary.

To avoid this, you can create and consolidate your own method based on Agile and write clear processes and procedures in it. Or you can use ready-made frameworks - such as Scrum, Kanban or Lean.

Scrum

Created in 1986, the Agile framework is considered the most structured of the Agile family. Created in 1986, it combines elements of the classical process and the ideas of an agile approach to project management. The result was a very balanced combination of flexibility and structure.

Following the precepts of Agile, Scrum breaks the project into parts that can be immediately used by the Customer to obtain value, called product backlog. And despite the fact that “product backlog” is a fairly correct translation and is used in professional literature, in Russian practice simply “backlog” is most often used. Then these parts are prioritized by the Product Owner - the Customer's representative on the team. The most important “pieces” are the first to be selected for execution in a Sprint - this is what iterations in Scrum are called, lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. At the end of the Sprint, the Customer is presented with a working increment of the product - those very important “pieces” that can already be used. For example, a website with part of the functionality or a program that is already working, albeit partially. After this, the project team begins the next Sprint. The duration of the Sprint is fixed, but the team chooses it independently at the beginning of the project, based on the project and its own performance.

To ensure that the project meets the Customer's requirements, which tend to change over time, before the start of each Sprint, the unfulfilled project content is re-evaluated and changes are made to it. Everyone participates in this process - the project team, the Scrum Master (Scrum Master, project team leader) and the Product Owner. And responsibility for this process lies with everyone.

As already mentioned, the Product Owner is the Customer’s representative in the project, or represents all clients of the future project if there is no Customer. To do this, he must thoroughly know their needs and way of thinking, as well as understand the product and its manufacturing technology. The Scrum Master is designed to help project participants better understand and accept the values, principles and norms of Scrum practice. He is a leader and mediator between the outside world and the team. His task is to ensure that no one interferes with the team’s ability to independently and comfortably work on the assigned tasks. The team is responsible for ensuring that at the end of the sprint all the necessary tasks are completed and deliveries are completed.

The basic structure of Scrum processes revolves around 5 main meetings: backlog alignment, Sprint planning, daily stand-up meetings, Sprint wrap-up and Sprint retrospective.

For many, Scrum may seem difficult to implement - a new process, new roles, a lot of delegation and a completely new organizational structure. But it is a flexible yet structured approach to project implementation, which, unlike the vague and general principles of Agile, will not allow work to go in the wrong direction.

Strengths of Scrum

Scrum was developed for projects that require "quick wins" combined with tolerance for change. In addition, this framework is suitable for situations where not all team members have sufficient experience in the area in which the project is being implemented - constant communication between team members allows the lack of experience or qualifications of some employees to benefit from information and help from colleagues.

The online TV channel Netflix is ​​an excellent example of fast delivery of results. The resource website is updated every two weeks thanks to Scrum, which not only allows you to work with high speed, but also accumulates user experience and makes it possible to identify what is most important for customers.

During each iteration, developers add and test new site features and remove those that were not used by customers. According to the Netflix team, the main benefit of Scrum is that it allows you to “fail fast.” Instead of taking a long time and at great expense to prepare a large release, Scrum biweekly deliveries are small in size. They are easy to track and, if something goes wrong, correct quickly.

Weaknesses of Scrum

Netflix also experienced the weaknesses of Scrum. For example, frustrated and demotivated developers whose code and features were deemed unnecessary or of poor quality. Many believe that this will become clear only over time. In addition, teams accustomed to long work cycles will find it difficult to adapt to new mode work. There is also a danger of getting caught up in Scrum meetings and artifacts at the expense of actually working on the project.

Lean

Agile tells us to break down work into small, manageable packages, but it doesn't tell us how to manage the development of that package. Scrum offers us its processes and procedures. Lean, in turn, adds a workflow diagram to the Agile principles to ensure that each iteration is completed with the same quality.

In Lean, as in Scrum, work is broken down into small delivery packages that are implemented separately and independently. But in Lean, there is a workflow for developing each delivery package, with steps similar to those created for Project Apollo. As in classical project management, these can be the stages of planning, development, production, testing and delivery - or any other stages necessary for the high-quality implementation of projects.

Lean phases and their flexibility allow you to be sure that every part of the project is implemented as required. Lean does not have clear boundaries of stages, as Scrum does not have Sprint boundaries. In addition, unlike classical project management, Lean allows you to perform several tasks in parallel at different stages, which increases flexibility and increases the speed of project execution.

Like Agile, Lean is more of a concept, a way of thinking, rather than something set in stone. Using Lean ideas, you can independently create a system that meets your project management requirements.

Lean Strengths

If you like the ideas of Agile, but the project requires very consistent quality and precise execution, Lean provides a set of tools to meet these requirements. Lean combines flexibility and structure like Scrum, but in a slightly different way.

Weaknesses of Lean

Not every part of the project requires equally detailed and meticulous study and attention. But Lean assumes exactly this approach to each task and stage. This is the main disadvantage of using Lean for large and heterogeneous projects.

Also, unlike Scrum, Lean does not offer a clear workflow for implementing “pieces” of the project, which contributes to the extension of the project timeline. This problem can be solved with effective leadership and clear communication - the main thing to remember is this.

Lean looks a little abstract on its own, but when combined with Kanban it becomes much easier to use to build your own project management system. Created by Toyota engineer Taiichi Ono in 1953, Kanban is very similar to the diagram industrial production. At the input to this process, a piece of metal enters, and at the output, a finished part is obtained. Also in Kanban, an increment of a product is passed forward from stage to stage, and at the end there is a ready-to-deliver item.

In addition, the creator of Kanban was inspired by supermarkets, namely their principle - “keep on the shelves only what the customer needs.” Therefore, Kanban allows you to leave an unfinished task at one of the stages if its priority has changed and there are other urgent tasks. An unedited article for a blog, a post without a publication date, or a piece of code for a feature that may not be included in the product are all normal for Kanban work.

Kanban is much less strict than Scrum - it does not limit the time of sprints, there are no roles, with the exception of the product owner. Kanban even allows a team member to manage multiple tasks at once, which Scrum does not allow. Also, meetings on the status of the project are not regulated in any way - you can do it at your convenience, or you can not do it at all.

To work with Kanban, you need to define the stages of the workflow. In Kanban, they are depicted as columns, and tasks are represented by special cards. The card moves through stages, like a part in a factory moving from machine to machine, and at each stage the completion rate becomes higher. As a result, we receive a product element ready for delivery to the customer. A board with columns and cards can be either real or electronic - even here Kanban does not impose any restrictions on users.

Your own Kanban system can be as flexible as you want it to be - in many ways, Kanban is a visualization of the idea of ​​Agile. But Kanban has 4 pillars on which the entire system rests:

1. Cards: For each task, an individual card is created, in which all the necessary information about the task is entered. Thus, all the necessary information about the task is always at hand.
2. Limit on the number of tasks per stage: The number of cards at one stage is strictly regulated. Thanks to this, it becomes immediately clear when a “jam” occurs in the flow of operations, which is promptly eliminated.
3. Continuous flow: Tasks from the backlog go into the flow in order of priority. So the work never stops.
4. Continuous improvement (“kaizen”): The concept of continuous improvement originated in Japan at the end of the 20th century. Its essence is constant analysis production process and finding ways to improve productivity.

Strengths of Kanban

Like Scrum, Kanban is well suited for fairly cohesive teams with good communication. But unlike Scrum, Kanban does not have strict deadlines, which is good for motivated and experienced teams.

When set up and managed correctly, Kanban can greatly benefit a project team. Accurate calculation of the workload on the team, correct placement of restrictions and concentration on continuous improvement - all this allows Kanban to seriously save resources and meet deadlines and budgets. And all this combined with flexibility.

Weaknesses of Kanban

You can often hear that Kanban, unlike Scrum, allows you to work with almost any team. But it is not so. Kanban is best suited for teams whose members' skills overlap with each other. In this way, they can help each other overcome difficulties in solving problems. Without this, Kanban will not be as effective as it could be. Also, as already mentioned, Kanban is better suited in cases where there are no hard deadlines. For tight deadlines, the classic approach or Scrum is better.

Motorola, along with Toyota, also contributed to the development of global project management. The company's engineer Bill Smith created the concept of 6 Sigma in 1986. This is a more structured version of Lean than Kanban, which adds more planning to save resources, improve quality, and reduce the number of defects and problems.

Final goal Six Sigma– customer satisfaction with the quality of the product, which can be achieved through a continuous process of improvement of all aspects of the project, based on a thorough analysis of indicators. The 6 Sigma concept pays special attention to eliminating emerging problems.

A 5-step process known as DMEDI has been proposed for this:

• Define: The first stage is very similar to the early stages of other project management systems. It determines the content of the project, collects information about the prerequisites of the project, and sets goals.
• Measurement: 6 Sigma is focused on collecting and analyzing quantitative data about a project. At this stage, it is determined what indicators will determine the success of the project and what data needs to be collected and analyzed.
• Explore: During the exploration stage, the project manager decides how the team can achieve its goals and meet all requirements on time and within budget. At this stage, it is very important for the project manager to think outside the box when solving problems that arise.
• Development: At this stage, plans and decisions made at previous stages are implemented. It is important to understand that at this stage you need a detailed plan that describes all the actions necessary to achieve your goals. Also at this stage the progress of the project is measured.
• Control: Key stage in the 6 Sigma methodology. Its main task is long-term improvement of project implementation processes. This stage requires careful documentation of lessons learned, analysis of collected data, and application of acquired knowledge both in projects and throughout the company as a whole.

6 Sigma is very similar to Kanban, only with established stages of task implementation - planning, goal setting and quality testing. Most likely, there will be significantly more team meetings when using 6 Sigma than when using Kanban, but the project implementation process is more structured and it is more difficult for the team to go astray. And, like Kanban, 6 Sigma can be relatively easily adapted to the needs of a specific company or team. A strict requirement is only careful measurement and control of project indicators at the implementation stages - without this, continuous long-term improvement of project implementation processes is impossible.

Strengths of 6 Sigma

The 6 Sigma concept provides a clear framework for project implementation and continuous process improvement. By defining goals, then carefully analyzing and revising them, you gain quantitative data to better understand the project and make better decisions. Although collecting, analyzing data and drawing lessons may take some time, it will improve and optimize project implementation processes and thus save resources in the future.

6 Sigma is suitable for difficult projects that involve many new and complex activities. This approach allows you to implement project elements, learn from mistakes and improve quality in the future.

Weaknesses of 6 Sigma

The problem with 6 Sigma is that although the main declared goal is to reduce costs and increase efficiency, customer satisfaction often comes to the fore. Given some differences in goals at different stages of a project, teams often end up with confusion about priorities, and this is not easy to avoid.

In addition, the main leitmotif of 6 Sigma is: “Everything can always be done even better.” This can demotivate employees who do not feel satisfied with their work. In addition, if the project is a one-off project and the company does not plan to implement similar projects in the future, all the costs of analysis and learning lessons may be in vain.

NASA is not the only one state organization, which contributed to the development of project management. The British Government has long appreciated the effectiveness of project management, and in 1989 a body of knowledge and best practices in British project management, PRINCE2, was created. The name comes from the acronym " PR ojects IN C controlled E environments version 2 ”, which translates to “Projects in a controlled environment version 2”. Unlike agile methods, PRINCE2 does not take an iterative approach to a project. If we compare PRINCE2 with other products, it can be compared to a hybrid of the classical approach to project management and a focus on 6 Sigma quality.

PRINCE2 focuses more on the goals rather than the means to achieve them. Expectations from the final product in this approach are determined by the content of the project and the form of its planning.

At the beginning of a project, PRINCE2 asks us to define 3 main aspects of the project:

• Business aspect (Will this project bring benefits?)
• Consumer aspect (Will it be of interest to users?)
• Resource aspect (Do we have enough to achieve our goal?)

PRINCE2 has a more clearly defined workforce structure than most project management approaches. This is due to the fact that PRINCE2 is focused on large-scale government projects and large organizations. According to PRINCE2, each team member has a clear role at each of the 7 stages:

• Start of the project (Startup): At this stage, a project manager is appointed and all product performance requirements are determined. The Project Manager, whose primary responsibility is attention to detail, reports to the Project Steering Committee, which is responsible for the overall management of the project. It is the Steering Committee that ensures that the project stays on track and is ultimately responsible for the success of the project.
• Project Initiation: At this stage, the project manager draws up a “initiation document” in which he describes the top-level plan to achieve the goal. Once it is signed by the Steering Committee, the project management phase begins. The phases can last for different amounts of time, but, as in the classical approach, they follow strictly one after another.
• Project Management (Direction): This phase establishes the project management structure, how each phase should proceed, and what to do if changes are made to the project.
• Project control (Control): During the implementation of the project, even under ideal conditions, certain changes will be made. And here the phased structure of PRINCE2 comes in handy. After all, the roadmap for each subsequent phase is created after analyzing the progress of the previous phase. Thus, if any circumstances change, these changes are taken into account during the planning phase and the project baseline is adjusted. Naturally, changes to the project plan are made only with the consent of the Management Committee.
• Project implementation (Delivery): The main phase of the project in which the implementation of project activities occurs. At this stage, the main task of the project manager is to ensure that all team members are completing their tasks, and that these tasks correspond to the set goals. In addition, he must monitor the acceptance of parts of the project.
• Project Boundary Management: At this stage, special attention is paid to the progress of the project. Questions are resolved about how the project is progressing, what happens during its implementation and, most importantly, whether what the business needs is achieved.
• Completion of the project (Closing): After all has been said and done, the last stage remains - the project closure stage. At this stage, an in-depth analysis of how the project went and how it was implemented is carried out. A project progress report is also submitted to the Project Steering Committee.

Perhaps some projects will not require so many stages - in this case, you can get rid of unnecessary stages. The main thing is to preserve the basic idea of ​​the PRINCE2 structure, namely: continuous planning and reporting to the highest governing body - the Project Steering Committee. Just as Scrum is a more structured version of Agile, PRINCE2 is a more structured version of the classic project approach.

Strengths of PRINCE2

PRINCE2 is suitable for projects where the stakes are high and more control is required than usual. This system will allow you to achieve success in the implementation of large projects that are under the watchful eye of management. If you are willing to work with a lot of feedback, and your project is characterized by a low level of uncertainty, then PRINCE2 is definitely for you.

Thanks to all of the above, PRINCE2 is very popular among government agencies and projects. It has been used for a long time to control large government projects Great Britain, as well as in projects of large companies. His domain is exclusively important projects with a low tolerance for mistakes and an emphasis on communication.

Weaknesses of PRINCE2

Despite its success in the public sector, PRINCE2 has its shortcomings. If applied in the wrong environment, the approach may not perform well, creating opportunities for political delays and unnecessary bureaucratization. Due to excessive supervision and inspections, work may come down to a struggle for control and collection of signatures from those approving. And clearly defined roles can impose restrictions on teams and kill true teamwork.

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Today, the term “Project Management” has already become firmly established in the everyday life of managers. Russian organizations. Every year there is an increasing need to introduce modern project management methods. In the modern business environment, with the ever-increasing complexity of projects, when organizations are tasked with achieving their goals in a short time and at minimal cost, it is impossible to consider project management methodology in isolation from modern information technologies. As a result, there was a need to create corporate project management systems (PMS), providing project management with end-to-end control of all projects, work, as well as labor, logistics and financial resources within one or a group of companies (financial or industrial holding).

But before defining the elements of a corporate project management system, let’s trace the entire chain of development of project management software. Project planning software has been around for over 30 years. First there were applications on mainframes, then on minicomputers, and then on personal computers. For the most part, these were isolated, single-project applications with disabilities and functionality. They lacked the ability to collaborate with other applications in the organization; all projects were conducted and stored separately from each other; most systems could only handle a limited number of jobs, resources, etc.

The “technological breakthrough” in project management software occurred in the second half of the nineties. Most organizations are faced with the issue of reducing costs and strict cost control, which is only possible with “end-to-end” control of all projects of the organization in a single system. In modern project management software, functions such as personnel management, supply management, and budgeting have become available. These functions no longer apply to individual projects, but to the entire totality of the organization's projects - both internal and external. The main components of corporate project management processes are presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Corporate Project Management Processes

Corporate Project Management is a methodology for organizing, planning, directing, coordinating and controlling human and material resources the entire set of projects of the organization, aimed at effectively achieving project goals by applying a system of modern methods, techniques and management technologies to achieve the results defined in the project in terms of the composition and scope of work, cost, time and quality.

The market for modern project management software is presented wide range products that differ in the degree to which they meet the requirements for corporate project management. They are presented as primitive desktop applications that do not support networking, on which it is possible to maintain a small number of simple projects and programs, and modern software built on web technologies that support multi-user work with project data and with the help of which it is possible to build an integral corporate project management system.

Enterprise project management software should have the following properties:

1. Scalability to manage all projects of organizations of different sizes;
2. Possibility of integration with other information systems of the organization;
3. Support organizational structure;
4. Management of risks;
5. Support for various methods of planning and monitoring project work;
6. Support for multiple purposes;
7. Analysis of project portfolios;
8. Multi-user work;
9. Distributed work;
10. Spread of information

and perform the following functions:

• • Correlating the actions taken with the strategic goals of the organization, determining the priorities of the organization based on the strategic goals;
  • Determining the optimal combination of “goals-time-costs-risk-quality”;
  • Analysis of the impact of the initiation of new projects on the project portfolio as a whole;
  • Monitoring key project milestones to make informed management decisions;
• Resource management
  • Resolving resource conflicts, identifying “common” resources that can be used in all departments of the organization;
  • Allocation of resources based on their professional skills and qualifications across a portfolio of projects or the organization as a whole;
  • Situational and “what-if” analysis to determine the impact of changes on projects;
  • Forecasting the needs of labor and non-labor resources;
• Communications
  • Improved communications, both external and internal, between multiple project teams, regions, resources, contractors, partners, suppliers and distributed teams;
  • Improving the organization's information flows;
  • Ensuring security and determining access rights to project information in real time;
  • Creation of “virtual” project teams throughout the organization;
• Project management
  • Managing intra-project dependencies and dependencies between all projects of the organization;
  • Supporting geographically distributed complex projects with geographically distributed teams;
  • Operational forecasting of project risks, implementation of “what-if” analysis;
  • Prompt identification of problems and deviations;
  • Providing project managers and team members with only the information they need;
• Process management
  • Preservation and analysis of already completed projects to improve the organization’s business processes;
  • Identification and categorization of risks and problems that may arise during the implementation of future projects;
  • Integration of project information with external information systems and applications of the organization;
  • Reuse plans and templates for successfully implemented projects.

Criteria for corporate project management:

• Ease of use and administration of multi-user, multi-project applications, scalability and customization throughout the organization for all project participants.
• Maintain large volumes of project data and information throughout the organization.
• The ability to distribute tasks typical for project management: scheduling, resource leveling, reporting on individual projects, the organization as a whole, and project portfolios.
• Providing each project participant with the appropriate tools sufficient to perform their functions - both project team members who only need to report on the status of the work they are performing, and project and department managers.

Why Primavera?

In each modern organization there is a huge amount of ongoing work that is not documented or tracked in any way, like work on a particular project. However, such work often takes up 70% of working time, so it should be taken into account in the corporate system for its further analysis and search for possible ways to optimize such work. In many cases, project work is documented as results, documents, knowledge, instructions and processes. Accounting for and managing the entire volume of data on an organization's projects and resources requires an architecture that will not only be aimed at storing a large amount of information, but also organized to facilitate navigation through projects and all related data.

Primavera Systems has developed a series of Primavera Enterprise software products that allow you to create a corporate project management system. Primavera Enterprise meets all of the above requirements for enterprise project management software, plus a number of additional special features.

Unlike other modern project management tools, Primavera Enterprise's architecture is designed to support and store large amounts of standard and additional project and resource information. Specialized structures - Enterprise Project Structure (EPS), Organizational Structure (OBS), Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Project Portfolios, Coding Breakdown Structure, Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS), Resource Role and Skills Structure - provide additional storage capabilities for project information, improving processes for accessing and managing large volumes of data across projects, work packages and resources.

The key structure in organizing a corporate system is the enterprise project structure (EPS). EPS is a hierarchical project database structure. Each node (level) of EPS is decomposed into programs and projects that must be completed within the organization. EPS is used for project budgeting, multi-project management, and determining access rights to information.

Next, projects are further decomposed into individual phases and stages - this hierarchy is called a work breakdown structure (WBS). Each project has its own WBS hierarchy with the top level equivalent to the project. Each WBS package (item) may contain more detailed WBS packages, work packages, or both.

A WBS is a hierarchy of work that must be completed to complete a project. It defines the product or services to be produced within a particular project.

Building a holistic corporate project management system is impossible without describing the organizational structure (OBS) and determining the correspondence between its elements and the elements of the EPS and WBS structure. OBS is a global hierarchical structure that describes the structure of those responsible for an organization's projects. Typically, OBS displays the management structure of an organization, from the top management level to various levels of management.

Responsible executors can be associated with their areas of responsibility from the EPS - nodes or individual projects.

OBS is also used to assign specific privileges to users when accessing projects and work packages (WBS) of projects.

The connection between the EPS, WBS and OBS structures within the corporate project management system is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Enterprise Project Management System Structures

Primavera Enterprise supports the following features:

According to Surgency, Inc. Using the Primavera Enterprise package significantly increases the efficiency of the organization. Below is a table of performance indicators from using Primavera Enterprise:

Multi-project management is an integral part of the corporate project management system. Coordinated work on a project is only possible if all its participants - both directly involved in the implementation of the project and indirectly related to it - have joint access to the entire pool of projects and the necessary additional information. When changes are made to projects, these updates should be immediately reflected in the central database. This centralized, multi-user interaction provides real-time access to project information for timely and informed decisions by all project participants.

The architecture of the Primavera Enterprise package is aimed at maintaining constant communication between all project participants and providing them with all the necessary information.

Architecture and composition of the Primavera Enterprise package

Primavera Enterprise is a complete enterprise project management system.

The complete composition of the Primavera Enterprise 3.0 package is:

• Two (2) databases on Oracle or MS SQL Server. (Project Database, Methodology Database)
• Three (3) windows applications. ( Project Manager, Methodology Manager, Portfolio Analyst)
• Two (2) role-playing web applications developed using Java 2 technology (Progress Reporter, Primavision)
• Two (2) web servers to support Progress Reporter and Primavision
• One (1) ODBC interface for database access (Primavera Enterprise SDK)
• One (1) NT/2000 service (Task Service)

Figure 3: Primavera Enterprise Suite Architecture

The core of the Primavera Enterprise series is the module Primavera Project Planner. This is a client-server application running on Oracle and MS SQL Server databases for multi-project planning, control and management. It can be used either standalone or as part of the Primavera Enterprise package.

Primavera Project Planner provides project managers and planners with all the tools they need to plan and control projects. Using the advanced capabilities of the Primavera Project Planner module for modeling resources and projects, the most optimal project plans can be created. Project managers can analyze the impact of changing resource consumption limits, work priorities, and assigning constraints on achieving their goals. With advanced line graph and PERT views and a report wizard, project managers can quickly determine the impact of changes on a project, a portfolio of projects, or the organization as a whole.

The Primavera Project Planner module contains easy-to-use analytical tools for project scenario analysis. In Primavera Project Planner, users can assign calendars at the global, project and resource levels, and control the duration of work down to the minute. Project managers can customize the level of reporting detail, view project data including notes, work steps, budgets, resource assignments, and links to working documentation. Figure 4 shows the form for presenting project data in the Primavera Project Planner module.

Figure 4: Project Manager Data View

Using the risk analysis and assessment functions available in Project Manager, project team members can identify and measure risks and plan activities to reduce the impact of risks on the project. In Project Manager, risks can be categorized and risk control and management plans can be documented as part of general plan project. With Project Manager, project teams are always prepared for any eventuality.

Portfolio Analyst is a powerful interactive tool for analyzing and generating reports on project portfolios. Organizational management, program and project managers can form project portfolios according to parameters that interest them and analyze them in various vertical and horizontal sections. For example, Portfolio Analyst can be configured to show only projects that have budget overruns. With Primavera Portfolio Analyst, negative trends can be identified at the earliest stages of project implementation. Based on the results of the analysis carried out in Portfolio Analyst, management makes decisions on the necessary corrective actions for specific project or the program as a whole. Using a number of special features, Portfolio Analyst users can analyze large volumes of information across projects and portfolios at various levels of detail. Figure 5 shows the form for presenting project data in the Primavera Portfolio Analyst module.

Figure 5: Portfolio Analyst Data View Option

Methodology Manager is a separate module of the Primavera Enterprise series that works with its own database. Methodology Manager is a repository of standard project templates, proprietary developments and industry standards called methodologies. Their use greatly simplifies the planning process, since project managers and the planning team do not start from scratch when initiating projects. Creating a new project is possible based on one or more methodologies, which can be adjusted by the user depending on the specifics of a particular project. Working with the Methodology Manager module is greatly facilitated by the presence of a Project Architect wizard, which guides the user through all the steps necessary to create a project plan based on existing methodologies.

Primavision is an external web application of the Primavera Enterprise series. It can be launched in a standard web browser from any workstation connected to the Intranet or Internet. Primavision has the functionality required by all project participants. Each Primavision user, depending on the role they perform in the project, has access to only the necessary information.

In Primavision it is possible to form the most optimal project teams and build detailed reports on the participants assigned to each work. Using indicators of resource overexpenditure, department heads focus their attention on those areas of the project where it is most needed at a given time.

Special tables and histograms from Primavision detail the needs for certain roles, indicating which specialists are needed in a particular area of ​​work, and help predict and eliminate unforeseen resource conflicts.

Using Primavision, organizational leadership can analyze resource needs and define teams in accordance with incoming requests and organizational priorities.

With the help of Primavision, the degree of influence of each project activity on the total load of the organization's resources can be determined. Using a simple Web interface, project team or department managers can quickly add new work to the system and determine the resources needed to complete it.

The projects section displays up-to-date statistics to help managers make informed decisions. Using current information about the status of the project at a certain point in time, a list of strategically important milestones and critical work that is behind schedule, allows you to focus on the most pressing problems that may negatively affect the results of the project.

It should be noted that most project management software products built on web technologies do not have critical path analysis methods, while in Primavision they are fully available.

In Primavision, users can calculate schedules, assign work restrictions, define delays based on work dependencies, define calendars and work types. Figure 6 shows the form of data presentation in the Primavera Primavision module.

Figure 6: Example of data presentation in the Primavision application

Progress Reporter is a web-based report card, accessible via a standard browser and designed to generate reports on the status of work. Using it, team members can receive assignments, report work status, and enter expected completion dates into a central database. When assigning executors, the project manager can attach notes to the work, which will be accessible through the Progress Reporter, and executors, in turn, can send brief reports on the completion of assignments to the project manager. Once timesheets are approved by the project manager, the central database is updated with actual work data.

Figure 7: Example of data presentation in the Progress Reporter application

OSIRIS— The OSIRIS application is aimed at maintaining prompt and effective interaction between project management and performers. Using the modules that make up the OSIRIS application, project participants can carry out detailed site planning, enter actual data and update information on the status of their work, and provide suggestions and comments as the project progresses. To work with OSIRIS, users do not need to purchase additional software or undergo training - data exchange on the project is carried out via e-mail in a form that is intuitive to each project participant. The OSIRIS application is connected to the central corporate database of Primavera Enterprise projects, from which tasks are sent to project performers for detailed work planning (OSIRIS module) and updating information on field status (OSIRIS Status module). Next, the updated information is sent back to the main OSIRIS Administrator module, where it is approved by the project management team. If the management group is satisfied with the results obtained, then they update the information in the corporate database, otherwise the received data is sent for revision.

Figure 8: OSIRIS Application Diagram

Thus, project executors receive assignments for work on time and a constant exchange of data is maintained between them. Also, it should be noted that the OSIRIS application fully complies with all modern software requirements - it has a convenient graphical interface and is compatible with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus mail systems Notes.

Primavera Mobile Manager is an application for portable devices such as Palm. By using Primavera Mobile Manager, companies benefit from the benefits of today's mobile handheld devices. Users of Primavera Mobile Manager have the ability to quickly access and update project information. Using portable devices, project managers and administrators can view and update project status information at any time and from anywhere - from the worksite, shop floor or meeting location. With Primavera Mobile Manager, users have access to the most up-to-date information on the project schedule.

When project information is loaded into Primavera Mobile Manager, it becomes available for review and updating directly from the work site. Upon return, simply connect the portable device to the computer on which the P3e module is installed and directly update the work information in the central project database.

Integration solutions

The listed modules work with calendar-network schedules of work on projects, however, no matter how rich the schedule is, no matter how many parameters it contains, it cannot and should not reflect all the information on the project - there are other systems that are designed for solving relevant special problems of project support. Proper positioning of such software products and their integration into a corporate project management system can significantly reduce labor costs for working with software, as well as reduce the cost of purchasing it.

The Primavera Expedition system is designed to track contractual obligations and maintain all project-related documentation. Today many Russian companies do not have professional document management systems. Although Primavera Expedition is not a document management system, one of its main functions is electronic document recording. By recording incoming and outgoing correspondence and documents that require execution control, the Expedition system systematizes all documents of the organization. The delay in reviewing and approving documents is reflected in the project schedule, since the condition for the start or completion of a number of works is approved licenses, permits, specifications, etc.

In addition to document accounting, the Expedition system significantly helps to monitor the execution of instructions based on minutes of meetings, orders, instructions and other documents. With the help of Expedition, responsible executors learn in a timely manner about assigned responsibilities, and the manager learns about the status of assignments. In this case, information about execution becomes available to the manager before the start of the meeting. This allows you not to waste time discussing completed tasks during the meeting, but to focus on what has not been completed. The Expedition system allows you to keep a record of each event in terms of monitoring the execution of orders. At the same time, unfulfilled instructions from the previous meeting automatically appear in the next one, which allows you to take into account everything unfinished. This functionality of the Expedition system order execution control module reduces the time of meetings and makes them more effective.

The Primavera Expedition series of software products is compatible with the Primavera Enterprise series and allows you to expand the capabilities of the corporate project management system in terms of monitoring the fulfillment of contractual obligations, monitoring releases and approvals design and estimate documentation and support of negotiations on projects. In addition, work with the Oracle DBMS is supported, which facilitates the solution of integration problems.

Figure 9: Example of data presentation in the Primavera Expedition application

Soup based on Primavera products is flexible information system. The combination of various applications running on a single database and with a single system of access rights allows for optimal distribution of functions between all members of project teams. But for the effective functioning of a corporate project management system, one purchase of software is not enough: to build an optimal system architecture, it is advisable to complete the full development cycle (conduct a survey of the organization, prescribe the functions of each participant in the system, configure the interface and reports, competently develop coding structures and train specialists in working with the software collateral). Only in this case will a system be built that will improve the efficiency of the organization.

The basis for accelerating this process can be standard solutions developed by PMSOFT for various vertical markets (construction, nuclear energy, oil and gas industry, mechanical engineering, etc.). Within this standard solution there is only a need to detail the roles at the stage of setting up the lower levels of the system, specific to a particular organization and the vertical market in which it operates.

Certified PMSOFT employees implement this cycle of creating EMSs built on the basis of Primavera products, adapt them to specific requirements, conduct personnel training and provide support for the created system after implementation. At the same time, you can start working with the system within the first weeks of implementation.

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