The checklist for better EPM Approach

Implementing an Enterprise Project Management tool and getting used to its culture may be a huge task for bigger companies.

It would be a major change in the way they run projects today.

It also brings the risk of transactional errors. However, it should not have to be a painful process.

Considering the company’s strategy, objective and values would perhaps be the best starting point.

The best practice guidelines and the governance also need to be put in place together.

Same way, it is important to get senior management approval for these changes.

Enterprise project management culture is the way to bring all the business projects under one big umbrella and make them run efficiently.

It ensures there is no repetition of effort and that each project works together properly.

So, it gives a more reliable approach, including other benefits like reduced delivery risks, a lower impact of skills shortage, etc.

Before digging more into the EPM approach, let's know how it is different from traditional project management.

Difference between Traditional Project Management & EPM

A project from any niche can be defined as a set of different tasks that you need to carry out in a certain order to achieve the objectives within a specified time.

It could be the addition of a new piece of software, improvement to a process, or any other type of change that you want to make.

All these projects that are undertaken with this typical approach can also be carried out using enterprise project management methodology.

But what is the difference?

The difference appears once you start looking more closely at the overall execution of a real-life project.

●        Lack of detailed reports & analytics

●        Mis-managed communication

●        Lack of access to information in real time

●        Lack of timely collaboration

●        No clarity around tasks and deadlines

●        Task assignment isn’t optimized

 These may lead to low productivity levels,  reduced efficiency, and also increase the overall project expense.

At the same time it is difficult for the project manager to get a clear view of project & resource status and budget when all aspects of project management aren’t integrated.

But with EPM, it ties the strategic & tactical viewpoints well.

Choosing the right EPM tool that supports your work culture:

The software and tool will always have a huge posture to make the successful switch to EPM.

Understanding the way the teams work today and how much of a change the new tool would bring must be assessed thoroughly.

Making an overnight shift or a big bang approach may set you for failure. Identify teams that can easily shift to the new tool and analyze the benefits and challenges. 

More importantly, do pay attention to your existing toolset and how the new tool would complement them. Revamping things that work well today is not a good idea either.

Main Article Source:  OrangeScrum Community Article