Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software such as Hadrone PPM, is not for every organization. In this article, we present arguments worth considering if you are thinking about implementing software to support management of projects, programs, and portfolios.

When NOT to use PPM software?

PPM software is designed to manage multiple projects being implemented at the same time. The number of projects is even more important than the size of a single project, including the project’s budget.

If your organization is handling only a few projects, even multimillion-dollar ones, PPM software might be excessive. In such cases, tools that focus on managing individual projects would be more suitable. There are many such tools, and some of them are even free.

When do I need PPM software?

If your organization meets the following criteria, you most likely need PPM software:

  • the number of projects being executed concurrently exceeds 20-30.
  • the scope of managing projects and the project portfolio includes areas beyond project schedules and tasks.

PPM solutions work well for organizations that manage a larger number of concurrent projects. Based on our observations, the threshold for justifying the implementation of PPM software is around 20-30 projects being executed simultaneously. The more projects being run concurrently (regardless of their size), the greater the benefits this type of software will provide.

Why is this the case?

With many projects running simultaneously, monitoring their progress and deviations from established assumptions (such as deadlines, budgets, resources, and effects) becomes a critical issue. The advantages of using PPM software result from the ability to quickly access information about project progress without having to review each project individually — which would be too time-consuming with a larger number of projects.

Our clients who use Hadrone PPM typically manage anywhere from dozens to hundreds of projects concurrently, with some clients managing up to 3,000 projects in their portfolios. With this scale of project activity, PPM software can significantly reduce the labor intensity of managing projects, leading to a rapid return on investment in such systems.

If you would like to delve deeper into calculating the return on investment (ROI) for implementing PPM software, we encourage you to read our article, „How to calculate ROI from Hadrone PPM Implementation?”.

A second factor to consider when deciding on PPM software is the scope of managing projects, programs and portfolios. If your organization focuses only on project schedules and managing project team tasks, PPM software might be excessive. In this case, a simpler tool for task management might be enough. This type of software would focus on project communication and could aggregate tasks to display a simplified project portfolio (roadmap).

A good example of such software is JIRA. If you are wondering whether JIRA will be sufficient for your organization, we recommend reading the article „Do I need Hadrone PPM, or will JIRA be enough with add-ons?”.

However, if your organization’s project, program, and portfolio management includes additional areas such as budgets, resources, effects, decisions, risks, issues, changes in the baseline plan, periodic reporting, etc., this is when a more advanced and comprehensive solution like PPM software comes into play. With such software, you will be able to manage the entire project portfolio in one place, without relying on additional spreadsheets or other office tools. As a result, you will reduce labor intensity, minimize the risk of errors, and improve the timeliness and reliability of project progress data. More ideas for identifying benefits from implementing PPM software can be found in our article, „How to calculate ROI from Hadrone PPM Implementation?”

Does the sector matter?

Not really, with a few exceptions. Hadrone PPM software is used by clients from a wide range of sectors, including:

  • central and local government administration
  • banking
  • shared services centers
  • energy
  • FMCG
  • media
  • chemical industry
  • pharmaceutical industry
  • furniture industry
  • automotive industry
  • food industry
  • insurance
  • universities
  • IT services / software houses
  • medical services

Even though Hadrone PPM is a ready-made (off-the-shelf) product, it is highly adaptable to the needs of companies from various industries.

Is there something that connects these organizations? Definitely:

  • they often manage diversified project portfolios (strategic, IT, R&D, investment, construction, organizational, procurement projects) and want to control the entire portfolio of projects in one tool.
  • they primarily manage projects for themselves (or for companies within their capital groups), rather than for external clients (they are not in the so-called professional services sector).
  • projects are managed by people with varying levels of project knowledge and experience (often, they are not professional project managers), so they expect a tool that is intuitive and easy to use, without the need for extensive methodological and tool-based training.

This is not a coincidence. We intentionally develop Hadrone PPM software to meet the needs of these types of organizations. :)

If you need PPM software, which one should you choose?

If you have already determined that you need PPM software, it is worth checking (preferably through a pilot project) what each solution offers.

On the surface, different PPM systems may seem similar, but in practice, they often have different specific functionalities and ergonomics. Therefore, it is worthwhile to test them "in action" before making a decision. Implementing PPM software is not just a technical change, but primarily an organizational one, so it is important to prepare well. If you are curious about how a PPM software pilot might proceed, we encourage you to read the article „Can I test Hadrone PPM before purchasing (Pilot)?”.

While developing Hadrone PPM software, we continue to strive to combine two seemingly difficult-to-reconcile needs: a broad range of functionalities and high ergonomics and ease of use for users.

Hadrone PPM comprehensively addresses the needs of organizations in terms of managing projects, programs and the entire project portfolio (including sub-portfolios). At the same time, the individual functionalities are visible in the interface only when they have been configured (so the implementation of specific areas of the software can be phased over time, depending on when the organization is ready for them). Additionally, at the project level, you can enable/disable specific functionalities, tailoring them to the size and complexity of the project.

If your organization meets the conditions for using PPM software and you would like to check whether Hadrone PPM is the right solution for you, contact us: https://hadrone.com/pl/contact/. We can provide a demonstration of the Hadrone PPM software capabilities using an example project portfolio. This is a substantive and inspiring meeting where we share best practices for managing projects, programs, and portfolios.

We can also run a pilot project for you so that you can see what we can do “in action.” We have described how such a pilot works in the article, „Can I test Hadrone PPM before purchasing (Pilot)?”. Contact us if you are interested in conducting a free pilot: https://hadrone.com/pl/contact/.