5 Signs Your Project Management Software Is Outdated

In project management, it is easy to become bogged down with endless responsibilities and tasks. Unfortunately, the multitude of responsibilities you have may leave you working with an outdated project management software. However, you can know when it is time to upgrade your existing software platform by learning to recognize these signs.

1. Issues Going Unresolved Is a Top Sign of an Outdated Project Management Software

Your project management software should provide the tools necessary to close any disputes, problems or other issues quickly. If you notice problems are becoming an endless paper trail of unresolved issues, your project management software needs to be upgraded.

2. Stakeholders and Upper-Level Management Have Asked You to Research New Software Solutions

This is one of the most important signs of an outdated project management software. Stakeholders and upper-level management tend to only get involved in software issues when problems are impacting how the project is perceived by upper-level management. In other words, upper-level management is having a difficult time tracking and monitoring your project’s progress. As a result, they may ask you to begin researching new software or platforms for possible use.

3. Multiple Platforms Are Needed for Simple, Related Processes

Simple, related processes should be handled within the same platform. For example, the schedule and budget are closely related, and if you cannot automatically account for additional costs when adjusting the schedule, your software is likely to result in errors in managing your budget. Unfortunately, outdated systems may solely focus on one part of the project. In this example, the schedule may be independently contained in one system, and the budget would be contained in a separate, un-linked platform.

4. Your Team Members Must Share Logins

Before cloud computing became the gold standard of project management, legacy project management systems often came with a limited number of users. As your organization has grown, your team members may have started sharing logins. While this may be acceptable in some cases, it represents increased threats to the security of your operation. Therefore, the sharing of logins is an indicator of an outdated project management platform.

5. Budget Problems Seem to Be Occurring With Increased Frequency

Increased problems with managing the budget are the final indicators of an outdated project management platform. However, the budget problems may appear unrelated to the use of the software. For example, additional working hours for team members may allude to greater difficulty in performing actions within the software. On the surface, the problem appears to involve time management. In reality, the older software is causing unnecessary delays.

Available technologies and project management platforms have advanced significantly with the new century, and you need to learn how to recognize an outdated project management software by identifying these signs.

Key Takeaway

• Outdated project management software platforms result in incomplete resolutions for problems.
• Executives requesting research into new systems may indicate an executive-level need for better project controls.
• All related processes should be handled within the same system.
• The sharing of logins among team members threatens security.
• Unexplained problems with budget indicate the need for a newer project management software.