[ITW] Erick Athier, co-founder of IQar, publisher of the SuiteProG PPM solution

When choosing a PPM tool becomes a real headache... Do you feel lost when faced with the plethora of PPM (Portfolio Project Management) solutions available on the market? You don't know whether or not you should acquire such a tool? Or which one to choose?

Don't panic, Erick Athier, co-director of IQar and a recognized expert in project portfolio governance, reveals his "roadmap" to guide you through the process.

Erick Athier:

In recent years, the need for a project management tool has become a reflex response to companies' lack of project management maturity.

The reasons cited for this include: Too many or too many projects, difficulties in reporting, lack of a common language, the search for cross-functional mobilization around transformations, professionalization of framing and planning... In short, there are so many reasons why today's high-performance companies are undeniably equipped with project management tools.

See all software Project Portfolio Management (PPM)

When should a PPM tool be used? Are all tools suitable for different organizations?

Erick Athier:

A PPM tool is an invaluable aid in supporting the project governance cycle: we're talking about planning, monitoring and steering projects in terms of costs, quality and deadlines, within the overall perspective of the organization's strategy.

The need for a PPM generally corresponds to two well-established organizational profiles:

▶︎ That of the so-called mature company, which already has a management toolkit (made up of several more or less homemade, but heterogeneous tools) and which wishes to switch to a target software package to manage its projects and portfolio.

This company is often quite large in size, manages high-impact transformations, has project processes that are already well established, and, more often than not, conducts its day-to-day operations "on a project basis" (R&D, IT services, ESN, civil engineering, etc.). In fact, these companies are looking both to install "business software" and to reinforce or even professionalize already well-established processes. Rather than a PPM, it wanted an EPM (Enterprise Portfolio Management).

▶︎ The company's main need is to align its organization with a transformation process, to create a common language and dynamic around its (often internal) projects, and to understand that the volume of requests and projects, and the efforts involved in both project and portfolio management, require professionalization and a collaborative tool.

This company is looking for a PPM that is not intended to be business software, but rather a tool to facilitate scoping, planning, project management and multi-project decision-making. The company wants the tool to "carry" the method, which it has already formalized!

To help you in this reflection, IQar, Pure Project Player, has created and made available to all
IQar, the Pure Project Player, has created an e-quizz to help all project players take a step back and identify their organization's level of maturity.

What are the key criteria to consider when choosing a tool?

Erick Athier:

A golden rule: remember that the primary objective of your project management tool is to enable you to monitor and manage your organization's projects!

Based on my 25 years' experience in deploying PPM methods and tools for organizations of all sizes and in all sectors, I would advise you not to neglect, but above all to pay close attention to the following points:

▶︎ For the first category of company, called Mature (level 3), the criteria are often precise and can be summed up in three salient points:

• Ergonomics and user experience.
• Broad functional coverage of projects and portfolios (simulation, advanced budget management, roadmap control, elaborate workload planning, time management, etc.).
• Interoperability with other key IS applications (CRM, Budget Commitment, ERP, EDM, etc.).

▶︎ For the second category (levels 1 and 2), who are looking for a PPM, the criteria are a little more flexible, but still precise. They can also be summed up in three points:

• A modern, collaborative and pragmatic interface.
• Intuitive project management with a simple method and common language.
• Accessible reporting tools that allow you to develop your skills in workload and budget management.

As you can see, it's a question of translating the needs identified in relation to the desired objectives into selection criteria that will enable you to make an initial selection of PPM solutions that match your organization's level of maturity.

See all software Project Portfolio Management (PPM)

Once the criteria have been clearly defined, what are the pitfalls to avoid? What success factors need to be established?

Erick Athier:

In both of the above cases, PPM deployment is first and foremost a project. It is absolutely essential to consider it as such, i.e. with the appropriate framing, planning and management.

Just as the PPMs available to the first type of company are similar, so there is diversity for the second. The 500 or so PPM tools available for the latter category can be grouped into three families:

Challengers

These are relatively mature PPM tools that are challengers for the first category of business, but which continue to try to expand into the second category.

These tools are generally very good, but complex to deploy , even if publishers will minimize this risk!

Collaborative tools

These are tools that approach the project through the "task" and its "social provision" within the company. They anchor tasks in the individual's calendar, make actions visible inside and outside projects, and promote a "bounce-back" or task-sharing approach.

They are based on agile approaches, but generally lack depth in scoping and planning processes, and in multi-project tools. These tools are modern and seductive, and may lead you to mistakenly believe that your organization can suddenly become "social, agile and collaborative"!

Hybrids

These are tools that are closer to the challengers in terms of functional coverage, but which try to put forward a pedagogical approach to make the tool a support for the implementation of a "project method".

They are not as functionally "rich" as the challengers. They are not as accomplished in terms of social and collaborative functionalities as the collaboratives. They focus on the project and its place in the company's management and decision-making system.

In summary, here are the success factors to be established for the deployment of a PPM:

In conclusion, the best PPM tool is...
The one that meets your needs and objectives, and best adapts to your organization's constraints. However, don't neglect the impact of the PPM solution on your organization's processes, and before embarking on the acquisition of a solution, dare to take stock of your organization's maturity.

Sponsored article. Expert contributors are authors independent of the appvizer editorial team. Their comments and positions are their own.