The Advantages of Using PM Software For Project Management

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1 Building a Business Case for CRM Integrated Project Management Software Comprehensive Management of Project Delivery After the Sale is Made

2 Customer relationship management (CRM) software systems are invaluable at doing what the name suggests: managing an organization s relationship with its customers from when they become leads to when they make their first purchase. CRM is vital also in after-sales follow-up and in nurturing future sales opportunities. Yet, when an individual sale is completed, the value of the CRM system is limited when it comes to managing sales-related deliverables. That vital part of a company s operations requires the coordinated input of many people and departments, which is why the way businesses manage it is crucial. Common Solutions Most organizations use some form of project management (PM) system to ensure that each task of the deliverables cycle begins and ends on schedule and within budget. Methods vary greatly. Often they include an assortment of software aids from spreadsheets like Excel, or the calendar feature of applications like Outlook, to any number of physical aids like whiteboards and paper documentation. More structured methods may use similar aids, but adhere more rigidly to the methodologies of the project management industry. Both of those solutions, however, are fraught with problems, which range from data duplication and human error to the logistic difficulties of keeping independent monitoring and recording methods updated and synchronized. To overcome those problems, many organizations manage their projects with the help of dedicated stand-alone project management software. Using PM Software provides significant advantages; three of those advantages stand out. Dedicated Project Management Software Using PM software provides significant advantages since even apparently simple projects have numerous interdependent elements, each of which is critical to the project s outcome. Three of those advantages stand out. First, because of its logical structure, the software streamlines otherwise complex processes leading to numerous efficiencies, which together reduce the project s overall duration and cost. Second, and of enormous importance, PM software considerably lessens the risk of human error, especially errors related to scheduling. It provides the team with extensive information about the project s progress at every stage and flags potential problems like delays or cost overruns well in advance. Such ongoing, tightly structured management of a project creates a third advantage that s less Page 2

3 tangible, but no less important: Because PM software provides real-time and detailed project status visibility, it increases the team s confidence and reduces stress levels, which together contribute to even more efficient project implementation. Downsides of Stand-Alone Solutions Not all project management software is suitable for all businesses; many stand-alone systems are overly complicated. The terminology used in the interface and the methodologies employed presuppose that users have specific project management qualifications and responsibility for the supervision of very complex projects, like highway construction, aircraft assembly or large-scale domestic appliance manufacture. For most businesses, however, this over complicatedness is unnecessary. It delivers no significant additional benefits and is likely to generate confusion within a project team rather than make the team more efficient. Indeed, the software s very complexity can demotivate team members resulting in reduced job-satisfaction and lower productivity. Not all project management software is suitable for all businesses. Advantages of Integrated Solutions How well any PM software does its job greatly depends on many factors, but one in particular is crucial: that the correct information is input by the user. That is one reason PM software that s integrated into a CRM system makes so much sense. It has all the main advantages of stand-alone PM software plus an important additional one: Unlike independent PM software, where all the data has to be input anew, with a CRM integrated PM system, much of that information is already there when the PM cycle begins. By leveraging this CRM system data, the integrated PM software further increases efficiency and greatly reduces the risk of errors. one reason PM software that s integrated into a CRM system makes so much sense Page 3

4 In practice, that leveraging means that once a sale is confirmed, the related implementation project can be initiated immediately, using the same software suite and the same data that was gathered during the sales cycle. The only new information that has to be input is the particular project s unique data. That data, and any updating of it, is usually input by the designated project team leader in consultation with the key team members. That maintains data integrity while ensuring that the whole team is always fully aware of customer expectations, as well as the project s progress in term of tasks, scope, milestones, budget estimates, and fulfillment dates. Another important advantage of an integrated PM system is that throughout the project cycle when the deliverables are being worked on the project team can obtain much of the nitty-gritty information it needs by directly consulting the data that was recorded in the CRM system during the sales cycle. That usually includes notes made by the sales people, s exchanged with the customer, records of phone calls and meetings, and quotes provided prior to the sale. That direct access to customer-contact history increases the project team s efficiency by reducing how often the project team needs to directly contact the sales team or the customer. CRM Integrated PM is of value to a broad range of businesses one system manages the whole customer relationship from first lead contact to completion of deliverables Integrated Solution Suits Many Types of Businesses CRM integrated PM is of value to a broad range of businesses. Their common characteristic is that they sell services or products the delivery of which is project based. That means services or products with an overall budget, which are produced separately or as individual blocks, whose production has a definite start and end time and which can be broken down into related but discrete tasks. The software ensures that deliverables are produced within those parameters and that the entire project is completed on schedule. In addition to keeping the project and the individual tasks on schedule and within budget, the software s time-entry component keeps track of hours for billing and cost accounting purposes. The CRM integrated PM system works because it s an easy to use, highly efficient end-to-end solution one system manages the whole customer relationship from first lead contact to completion of deliverables. It doesn t require a project management qualification to use it a new user becomes proficient after just a few days because of its uncluttered, intuitive interface and its timesaving inline editing. Inline editing enables a user to quickly edit data while checking the project s tasks and milestones in the data grid view, without having to open individual records. Page 4

5 Significant Benefits after Projects are Completed The benefits of an integrated solution extend beyond the end of a project. There are three principal reasons for this. First, the data in the CRM system and the PM module, which concerns every stage of the customer relationship from first contact to project completion, is easily accessible to both the sales and the project teams. So, if that customer instigates a new project, it can be set in motion very quickly since the sales and project teams already have much of the pertinent information to hand. Indeed some systems allow a project to be saved as a template, so that a new project, which uses most of the parameters of the completed project, apart from project-specific data, can be started very quickly. Second (and a variation of the previous point), the integrated system gives the company a potential competitive advantage because one customer s project often serves as a useful template for the project of another customer in a similar business, enabling faster completion of a new customer s sales cycle and faster initiation of the project cycle. Finally, the integrated system gives a business full visibility of all its customers projects, both current and completed, enabling the company to fine-tune its practices and procedures, which leads to higher efficiencies and lower costs. The benefits of an integrated solution extend beyond the end of a project full visibility of projects, both current and completed AbleBridge s Integrated Project Management Solution for Microsoft Dynamic CRM For any business to maintain a competitive edge, it must give its key employees the right software tools. Yet, those tools must do more than solve a problem; they must inspire the users. AbleBridge is a committed thought leader in CRM and Project Management. The company s project management module Project Management for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, is an innovative solution with broad functionality, yet is easy to use, and requires little training. By leveraging the customer data in the CRM system, Able- Bridge s integrated real-time PM module provides clear, linked visibility across the sales and project functions, and its intuitive interface elicits user satisfaction that delivers increased productivity and reduced overheads. those tools must do more than solve a problem; they must inspire the users Page 5

6 For more information on AbleBridge Project Management for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, contact AbleBridge at: AbleBridge, Inc