Project managers are accountable for countless responsibilities, starting from planning and scheduling critical operations to managing budgets and resources. But most importantly, they are responsible for keeping the entire project on track concerning cost and timeline. Without centralized control over the distributed project operations, it can be overwhelming for the project manager to maintain their project delivery timelines effectively. That’s why successful project managers rely on project management information systems software.
The importance of project management information systems (PMIS) is too prominent to ignore. It’s one of the significant reasons why project managers are always looking for the best PMIS to automate time-consuming tasks, effectively run different teams, and ensure that manual processes are kept to a minimum. It helps to keep the project within the budget and on time.
Though it would be easier to choose a tool that would offer all these functionalities without much hassle, finding the best project management information system software can be a daunting task. You must ensure the software you choose offers you the essential features of PMIS you need to manage your capital project. But how to find the best PMIS from the plethora of options currently present in the market? The answer is looking for the suitable advantages of PMIS that suit your team’s own style of process management.
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Here are 10 essential features of PMIS that every project manager must know
Scheduling and Task Management
The PMIS you choose must offer ways to manage your team’s current workflow. Visual tools like dashboards, calendars, and Gantt charts can effectively reduce organizational and maintenance tasks. They can give a transparent and accessible view of all the processes that various team members have completed, those that are currently in progress, and those that are still pending.
Organizing tasks and scheduling capabilities are the most coveted advantages of PMIS. It allows for easy adoption, as they allow project managers to get the latest information, helping them assess the outputs and assign further tasks. These features should allow you to divide projects into tasks, estimate task duration, understand dependencies, develop Gannt charts and network diagrams, and resource-leveling.
Collaboration and Communication
The communication and collaboration features of PMIS help to have transparent, real-time, and error-free communication within the teams. They also enable easy sharing of the latest information, task updates, and documents. These features benefit a large freelance team and on-site workforce, offering them a digital space to share documents and ideas to discuss ideas. When you look for the best project management information system software, make sure you look for these features like file sharing, messaging, discussion boards, and dashboards.
Real-time Reporting
When it comes to capital programs, every stakeholder, contractor, and on-site worker must be accountable for their responsibilities and stay up to date with their tasks. The PMIS should have features to send instant notifications regarding the project progress, missing deadlines, and alterations to the current ongoing project. It helps to address the issues before they turn into severe problems that demand attention. Real-time reporting also helps avoid reworks and resource losses caused by the lack of the latest information. Customized Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports and various reporting templates that convert real-time data into dashboards and visual graphs are some of the most sought-after advantages of PMIS.
Data Analytics
Data analytics in PMIS offers various tools to project managers to examine the data patterns and trends in their capital projects. The insights in these analytics help them understand the team’s productivity and workflow so that they can effectively make the necessary changes. The analytics can also help to determine the progress trajectory over time and ensure the project stays on track.
Invoicing
Capital programs are notorious for their razor-thin profit margins. Therefore, project leaders must ensure their project stays within a predefined budget to maintain the original profit margins. That’s why invoicing should be a must-have feature in the PMIS. You can use the invoicing tools to communicate with the clients regarding the pricing and billable hours and calculate various costs. It also gives you access to budget reports and finances.
Time Tracking
Time tracking can help you identify which teams and individuals require additional time management assistance. This feature offers various tools to set milestones regarding project timeline and completion.
Project Documentation
Capital projects involve vast amounts of essential data and countless documents. Therefore, project documentation is one of the crucial features of PMIS that you must check. Project documentation ensures all the vital project documents like RFIs, submittals, compliance, and design documents are safely stored and easily accessible to individuals with access rights.
System Integration
No matter which PMIS you choose to go with, you must ensure that it can be seamlessly integrated into your current legacy system. These system integrations help to streamline workflows, so you don’t have to switch between multiple systems every time there is a need to get an overview of all ongoing tasks. A centralized system helps save time and keeps everything connected and organized without relying on multiple disparate systems that don’t “talk” to each other.
Resource Management
One of the many essential features of PMIS software is that it can offer more clarity regarding which resources are being used and which are idle. Resource management feature can help you deploy the right people and resources to a particular task without overestimating the requirement and budget. It also helps to improve productivity, expedite projects, and avoid overwork.
Proofing and Feedback Management
The proofing and feedback management feature offer tools to automate content review processes with shorter feedback cycles and faster approval times. It can help you find the top project management information system software for your capital project. So, make sure you clearly understand your project needs and preferences to find the ideal match of PMIS with your capital project.
OnIndus can help you evaluate your current process, analyze the gaps, and then find the best PMIS for your capital project to enhance and improve your team’s potential output. Contact us via email (connect@onindus.com) or set up a free consultation by calling us at +1 786 472 4840.
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