Struggling to implement PM software? You’re not alone

GetApp’s survey of over 1,000 managers, decision-makers, and SME owners has revealed that despite the proven benefits project management software brings to businesses, more than half of employees opposed their managers’ suggestion to implement PM software.

 A whopping 55% of employees were against the implementation of project management software in their company.

• 25% of employees believed that PM software would give them too much work and would therefore not be worth it
• 14% didn’t see the value of it
• 11% didn’t want to have to learn to use a new tool
• 5% didn’t find it user-friendly.

 I wonder how many of them were project managers!

Of the 15% of business leaders who said they were not interested in incorporating project management software, the main argument as to why (at 31%) was due to them not feeling familiar with what it is and what it could do for their business. The second most common response was due to budget issues at 27% and following that was the lack of need for the software at 22%.

The main reason given by the 15% of business leaders who said they were not interested in using PM software was they weren’t familiar with what it could do and how it would help their business.

The next most common reason was ‘budget reasons’ (haven’t we heard that before?), followed by ‘we don’t need it’. Hmm.

Given the change in working practices during 2020, 2021, and beyond due to the coronavirus pandemic, more companies have had to shift task management to online tools. I would have thought that now, more than ever, companies could appreciate the value in having something to track work and ensure projects are delivered efficiently.

The survey points out that 56% of companies surveyed have implemented new project management tools since the beginning of the pandemic, so I guess some firms are seeing the value – even if employees are reticent about the changes.

“Working remotely has brought about many obstacles for employees regarding collaboration and communication between tasks,” says Sonia Navarrete, content analyst at GetApp, the firm that did the survey. “However, project management software solves these problems and enables for a more integrated and coordinated team.” 

Project management tools support team collaboration

Over half of the companies surveyed use at least one or more project management software products to organize their time, resources, and tasks.

Of that group, 72% of managers believed that investing in project management tools would help improve collaboration within their teams.

And surprise, surprise, it does.

• 79% of managers confirmed that it helped them meet their goals
• 73% found the software beneficial or very beneficial when it comes to supporting their employees through remote working
• 79% claimed to be willing to pay up to £50 per user per month (so that hesitancy about budget goes away when they see what it can do).

“Project management software proves incremental when it comes to the organization of tasks and time management,” says Sonia.

However, the tools aren’t brilliant.

36% of respondents said that the PM tools they are using do not fully meet their business needs. That’s quite a lot of people who are having to go outside the tool to do the things that the tool can’t do. Perhaps they need a different product, or perhaps they need to look at internal processes to improve cognitive blind spots in team collaboration, for example.

Regardless, the survey is interesting in that it shows we still have a long way to go with making sure that project management software tools gain the adoption and support they need in order to really deliver business value.

Notes

Study Methodology: Data for the GetApp Biometric Technology and Password Management UK Survey 2021 was collected in January 2021 in which 1,011 UK-based respondents within the age groups of 18-25, 26-34, 35-49, 50-64, 65, and above responded.

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