Jason WestlandIn this article, Jason Westland (CEO of ProjectManager.com) shares his predictions about the future of online project management software.
As the old saying goes, we live in exciting times. Online project management software has advanced to a point that is almost unrecognizable in the past 10 years. It is still evolving. These are the trends that I am noticing and where I see the industry going.
More mobility
Computing found that 29% of companies have completely blocked mobile work. This means that key staff members are not able to access the internet, use tablets or work on the road. The two largest groups of staff that make up the mobile workforce are senior and middle managers, and that’s where project mangers fit. If they are unable to access their essential tools and applications while on the road or at home, productivity drops.
It’s vital that project managers and their teams have mobile access for constant status information. More project management tools will offer apps and mobile-friendly sites for tablets. These products are very popular and companies who use standalone or hosted project management software will need to reconsider how they make these tools available to their project teams (or change the tools).
Mobile solutions also include the Bring Your Own Device trend. Younger members of the project team expect to be able use their smartphones and tablets at work. This is how they live outside of work, so having another device to use at work is not an option. Companies must recognize that employees of any age are tech-savvy enough to install apps on their devices and get around corporate policies. This could be done by project team members in your company to ensure that they have access to the tasks, risks, and resource assignments they need while on the move – even if that means ‘bending’ company guidelines.
More security
Online project management tools can be secured. As companies are under greater pressure to ensure that their corporate information remains secure and is properly managed, security will be a key focus.
Online project management companies will be more open about the security measures they have in place. This will lead to large corporations, which have historically been cautious about this type of product, starting to look at online tools differently. ProjectManager.com already counts NASA and Thomson Reuters as customers.
More interoperability
There are many project management tools available. These include applications that help manage tasks, schedules, and timesheets.
As project work moves from notebooks to online apps, we are more dependent on remembering many passwords. Project teams often work with contractors and suppliers who don’t use the exact same project management tools.
Interoperability is a key word that allows tools to interact with one another or interfaces that allow you to access multiple tools from one location. This is possible only if vendors use common formats and standards. Other vendors will also need to be involved in order to provide integration options. ProjectManager.com is not the only product compatible with Microsoft products. However, we are happy that we can at minimum make it easy for virtual team members to share files. To make everyone’s life easier, more vendors will offer integration and sharing options.
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