People Lead Projects, Not Software

Society is becoming ever more reliant on digital solutions – even delivering anesthesia.  This is certainly evident in project management; although Microsoft Project leads the top 20, there are literally hundreds of others available.

PSI trainers often hear of enterprises looking for the “silver bullet” software solution, but our mantra is “Software doesn’t lead projects, people do.”  The human element is what drives project success; even the most powerful and sophisticated software will fail if:

• Project managers can’t strike the right balance of project oversight and either micromanage or under-manage.
• Project managers lack soft skills in people management, consensus building and communication.
• The people who will actually do the work have insufficient input into planning.
• The project charter and schedule are not updated, monitored or committed to by the teams and the project leader regularly (preferably every two weeks or less).

A company with the same problems no matter what software it uses may need a more comprehensive solution that goes beneath the surface.   But no matter what software option you choose, people will still be a decisive factor in the success of your project…at least until Skynet takes over.