Piers McLeishIn the following article, Piers McLeish, a guest contributor, explains the data behind his latest survey.
A recent survey revealed areas that need improvement and where data visibility is causing problems. We also identified the most important features and key factors key stakeholders should be looking for in new business software and vendors. We also identified 5 lessons learned from the research and provided five project suggestions for 2014.
The survey identifies three main areas that are limiting the success of project-based organizations.
1. 62% of project-based organizations identified that ‘capturing time/costs for projects’ was their greatest challenge.
You’re not the only one struggling to manage time and costs for projects. 62% of the organisations surveyed admitted to having the same problem and could benefit from reevaluating their integrated project management system.
2. 55% of project-based organizations admit that paper-based approvals were difficult processes.
This is the second most frequent problem if you are currently sharing manual information to approve expenses, proposals, and projects. More than half of respondents agreed that paper-based approval processes are harmful to their project processes. They also admit that they create an administrative burden.
3. 45% of project-based organizations agree that’rekeying data’ is another challenge.
Project-based organisations face the third most difficult statistic: rekeying data proves to be a challenge, creating unnecessary tasks that could be automated.
These statistics show that project-based challenges are not uncommon. What is rare is the knowledge and awareness of how to solve these problems. These problems can be beneficial for efficiency and financial reasons as well as project hand-overs. These challenges can be reduced, and ownership transfer of projects can be seamless, with features like visibility of data, reports, and documents. Integrated project software can automate and manage time.
Integrated project software not only streamlines the process of projects but also provides a centralised hub where all data can be accessed. This makes data sharing and handling much easier than spreadsheet printing, invoices, and reports.
If cost capture is difficult or time-consuming, or if paper-based processes are overwhelming your desk, or re-keying data has become an integral part of project management, it might be a good idea to have a consultant review your processes to recommend the best steps to take to ensure a guaranteed ROI and increased efficiencies.
Only 30% of the businesses surveyed said they would review their software and project processes in the next 12 month. Do you need to get a head start?
About the authorPiers MacLeish is the director for consulting services. He is responsible for all pre-sales, pre-contract scoping, and business analysis work. This includes larger clients and more complex implementations. Piers has worked for well-known companies like Accenture and MBNA International Bank before Access.