Integrated project management system for small and medium businesses

What is this topic

In recent years, Russian companies representing the sphere of small and medium-sized businesses have experienced problems associated with the organization and management of project management in their enterprises.

Problem 1: choice

The existing software products on the market are mainly designed for medium and large companies that are able to acquire and maintain integrated project management systems (CPMS) in the required number of licenses (client connections).
Small and medium-sized companies have to choose from a huge number of cheaper systems designed to organize project management in a particular department or several departments, in one or several lines of business (accounting, logistics, customer service, personnel management, and so on).
The use of several such systems, which often do not fully cover the business processes of a particular enterprise, creates problems in the interaction of departments in the process of implementing a common project and significantly increases the cost of ownership of the system. Moreover, the lack of a single information center for project management in the enterprise in most cases is the main cause of such negative consequences as: time lag, excess of the allocated budget, improper fulfillment of the tasks set.

Problem 2: adaptation

Another important problem of organizing and maintaining project management in Russian companies is the difficulty of adapting to the project methodologies of various EMS. The problem of adaptation is caused by a complex of external and internal factors.
Among the external reasons that complicate the introduction of project methodology in the activities of a modern Russian company, we can highlight the orientation on the western experience of project management, the Western business model underlying modern CSEA, the vast majority of which are developed abroad. In some cases, these systems are quite far from the domestic practice of project management and can only be used in parts, modules, individual tools.
Among the internal reasons, we can single out the insufficient qualifications of managers of small companies who do not use even half the capabilities of the project management system installed in the enterprise. Add to this the lack of experience and, as a result, the culture of project management in firms focused on the functional model of business management and get a classic example of the inefficient use of resources.

Problem 3: integration

Another serious problem faced by companies when choosing software for project management is the correlation of goals and objectives of a particular company with the functions and capabilities of a specific EMS.
Professional (industry) systems provide a wide range of specialized functions and capabilities, but they require more time for implementation and training, more maintenance costs and require higher user skills.
On the other hand, less complex universal systems provide relatively modest basic functionality for project management, but at the same time do not require large time and financial costs for implementation and maintenance, as well as extensive experience and special user skills.
The search for a golden mean in these and other aspects is relevant both for enterprises conducting a relatively small number of parallel core projects in one or two areas of activity, and for companies that are part of corporate structures and leading simultaneously many of the most diverse projects.
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Problem 4: technical support

The situation is complicated by the fact that small enterprises often simply do not have enough money to develop their own IT-structure (dedicated IT-department). In this regard, it is difficult for them to provide maintenance for internal control systems intended for organizing joint work in developing and supporting products, planning and controlling work, managing settlements with counterparties and managing other business processes.

Questions to readers

What, in your opinion, should be a project management system for small and medium businesses? Try to characterize it, describe the main modules, functions, features. I invite to discuss this topic project managers, users of project management systems and other bloggers who want to express their opinions.