Project Management Software For Engineering

A project management system for engineering projects needs to be nothing less than a superhero. It must have the robust special powers needed to let users plan for long-term projects, and yet should be “soft" at the core, offering flexibility to adapt to user changes.

It’s not easy to narrow down what tools can do this for you. Users handling engineering projects need a good project management tool to be able to perform core project management functions such as task, budget, and resource management as well as track bug, resolve issues, and manage risks.

This guide will provide necessary information to help potential buyers choose the right project management solution for the engineering projects they’ll be managing at their business.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is project management software for engineering projects?
• Common features of project management software for engineering projects
• What type of buyer are you?
• Benefits and potential issues
• Market trends to understand

What is project management software for engineering projects?

A project management solution for engineering projects helps users define the scope and path for long-term engineering projects, and communicate and collaborate with team members and stakeholders.

Users can streamline workflows, break down projects into smaller tasks, assign those to team members, and add due dates. They can monitor budget and time to make sure that projects don't fail due to budget and time overrun. Contemporary tools include features such as Gantt charts and Kanban boards for creating dynamic, visual project paths.

Tracking bugs in Asana (Source)

 

 

Common features of project management software for engineering software

The first step towards selecting the right engineering project management system is to understand the features that the software offers. Here's a list of some important features to look into:

Visual project planning	Create project plans with tasks, timelines, and workflows using visual and interactive elements such as Gantt charts and Kanban boards. Track who is working on what and move project requirements accordingly.
Bug tracking	Create custom workflows to track and log bugs, feature requests, specs, etc. Make updates and stay informed about changes made to resolve issues and bugs.
Dependency management	Create critical paths and baselines for your engineering projects to keep track of dependencies and avoid any kind of delays.
Resource management	Know what your team members are working on. Edit, balance, and manage your team's workload from a central dashboard. Keep a track of who is working on what.
Real-time dashboards	Get live updates about project progress, logged in hours, and project budget. Focus on issues in your engineering project to deliver projects successfully.
Reporting	Generate reports about project progress, time taken, expense incurred, etc. Print and share them with stakeholders to help them make informed decisions about future projects.
Communication and collaboration	Communicate and collaborate on iterations. Use activity streams, real-time chat, forums, etc. to stay updated about product development, issue reporting, and feedback implementation.

What type of buyer are you?

Now that you know about the features and capabilities of project management software for engineering, it is important that you know what type of buyer you are. Here are a few helpful points for each type of buyer:

Startups: You would want to have a project management tool that offers collaboration, task management, and project planning features. You would also need features such as time tracking and budget management, but it’ll likely be a few years before you need advanced reporting features in the tool. You may not need too many software integrations either.

Midsize businesses and enterprises: If you have a midsize or enterprise-level organization, you would need a solution that scales as your business grows. Look for tools that offer resource management, budget management, and advanced reporting (such as bug reports) features.

Benefits of project management software for engineering software

Deploying a project management solution for engineering has many benefits, some of which are listed below:

• Easier collaboration and communication: All team members can collaborate and communicate at a centralized place in real time using the software. This helps everybody on the team stay updated on a project's progress.
• Better time and budget management: Tracking time and budget manually can be next to impossible, especially when handling big or multiple projects. A PM tool helps users track time and budget for engineering projects in a simpler, error-free way.
• Workflow automation: Workflow automation saves time for users when they are dealing with repetitive/redundant tasks. They are able to invest their time strategizing and ensuring the quality of their projects.
• Faster bug tracking and reporting: With a good project management tool for engineering, users can track, report, and resolve bugs in a timely manner. Catching bugs sooner and more efficiently means a healthier product and higher customer satisfaction.

Despite these benefits, users might also face some problems with project management software for engineering. One of them could be:

• Return on investment can be low if the training cost goes up: If project managers and team members find it difficult to use project management software or they feel negative about switching over from another tool, the cost of training and time taken for complete implementation will increase. This would result in a mismatch between the investment and ROI.

Market trends to understand

Based on our research, the following is the key trend in the project management software market for engineering projects:

Use of hybrid project management approach in engineering projects: More and more project managers are turning to hybrid project management approaches, combining the best of traditional approaches and agile project management. This trend is sure to crop up in engineering projects as well. Consider that some projects come with clear requirements and can benefit from a traditional project management method, while other engineering assignments can spill over and balloon in scale, making the agile approach more suitable for them.

Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.