ON THE SPOT

EPM

THIS MONTH, BRAINSTORM LOOKS AT ENTERPRISE PROJECT MANAGEMENT (EPM), AND ASKS WHETHER OR NOT EPM TOOLS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD, OR MANUAL METHODS ARE STILL BEING USED.

words by SAMANTHA PERRY

Project management tends to be a dirty word in most corporate. Project Managers are despised, the tools are hated, projects run over time and over budget, and everyone knows why, provided the finger they’re pointing isn’t in their direction.

This month’s question on enterprise project management (EPM) appears to be relative self-explanatory. The answers received from some quarters indicate that members of the industry either cannot read or they have a very limited grasp of what project management is. Brainstorm has decided to protect the guilty and not publish those submissions. Instead, we’re sure you’ll find the comments below of significantly more use.

• Project management tools occupy an uncomfortable space between the two extremes of world domination and manual methods. World domination occurs when the project management tool is new and touted with fanfare as the new standard. But often, due to a lack of in-depth training after the initial acquisition, companies find the new flavor is only as good as its weakest link – the user. As non-standard methods of use erode the efficacy of the product, unless there’s strong leadership to motivate for, and enforce further training and standardized usage, supported by budget, the company backslides to manual project planning and scheduling.

- Sue Ellenbogen, project manager, Dynamic Technology Holdings

• Companies will continue to return to manual EPM techniques and processes unless EPM tools are shifted away from their engineering roots. EPM tools evolved from static engineering projects, where they were used to design static entities: bridges, roads, buildings and plant – entities that don’t change often, if at all, through their lifetime. IT projects, on the other hand, are dynamic, evolving, shifting and constantly changing. Until EPM tools reflect this, and embrace architectural concepts, which allow them to embrace ongoing change, users will revert to the manual way of delivering projects. – Paul van der Merwe, consulting and training manager, Real IRM

• Project management tools, from project scheduling to portfolio management tools, should be taking over the world, but they’re often ignored because organizations, especially in South Africa, aren’t mature enough to realize their benefits. As a result, organizations fail to manage their project portfolios effectively. Project management tools are beneficial because they provide real-time information about projects and can assist management to effectively manage a portfolio of projects, and to deal with issues and risks promptly. Information provided through manual methods isn’t always up to date or accurate, and the preparation process is very labour-intensive. These tools are, therefore, essential to effectively manage large projects as well as portfolios of projects. – Lisa-Mari Kreusch, project management specialist, the IQ Business Group

• Factors such as costs, education and experience are driving a tendency to use manual methods, rather than tools. Additionally, the cumbersome integration of tools, to some extent, forces project teams to create their own tools, which often include manual methods. No matter how we look at it, tools are required to deliver successful projects. Methods are an integral part of the application of tools; the one cannot survive without the other. Tools, no matter how sophisticated or comprehensive, contribute partially to the success of projects. Success lies in the effective utilization of a combination of tools, methods, good management and proper resourcing. – Hennie de Villiers, delivery management, PBT Group

• The old adage of a “fool with a tool is still a fool” is no different with project management tools. Human abilities to skillfully plan, co-ordinate and drive teams to deliver artifacts or projects, simply cannot be replaced with tools today. Key skills, such as the ability to communicate among team members and clients, are required of project managers. Additionally, they need an understanding of technology to challenge work delivery dates. Only once this has been done can a project management tool be successfully used to capture, create and optimize the necessary charts for project progress visibility. – Malcolm Rabson, managing director, Dariel Solutions

• Project management tools were created for the complex and highly consequential task of scheduling. Each scheduled task is affected by a number of other tasks, all are inter-linked and outcomes depend on many factors, not least of which is staff time management. Is there any point in arguing the efficiency of the tools? These tools, when used correctly by the manual human, exclude instances of duplicated tasks, billing headaches, incorrect capacity planning and creative time-sheeting. Updates to large multiple projects require efficient project planning from the manager, yet could turn into an administrative nightmare when simple manual input is depended on. – Frances Jordaan, channel manager, Edge ChannelB