“Using this tools is a waste of time, it makes us work slowly”, “Using spreadsheets is enough”, “Expensive, only spending our budget”, “These tools can only be used by people who have been certified by PMI”. Have you ever heard of these myths of project management software?

Until now, there are probably many people who believe in the myths of project management softwares above. Then, they still choose the traditional way that requires a lot of Human Resources (HR) to operationalize the project. Printed document and spreadsheet tools also still be a favorite selection because they think it’s cheaper and more efficient. But did you know, the fact is that project management software comes with short and long term benefits in streamlining project budgets, not the other way around. 

Unlike online spreadsheets that are not specific, software project management is superior because it is designed for operational needs and project mobility real-time. Therefore, consider these 5 project management myths that may be wrong and the explanations that Tomps have been summarized below.

1st Myth: Use Project Management Software Is A Waste Of Time

“Using project management software only adds new tasks to an already busy team workflow. Everyone has to update the status of their job reports all the time and forget to do their main job. “

The fact:

The solution decision certainly comes from a perceived problem. Therefore, the decision to use this tools is certainly based on management and individuals in the team identifying problems when running the project. Perhaps problems with convoluted reporting lines, unknown work due dates, suspicion of management transparency, poor communication within the team, messy inventory management, and many more. 

Without a project management software that suits the business process of your project, it will be very difficult to solve the mistakes that happened, or even just detect them. Because of that, the project management software is used as a tool that will capture all information, store and group it, to share it easily and smoothly with team and executive stakeholders.

2nd Myth: Spreadsheet Is Just Enough, Right?

“Why should we buy project management software? It seems like using a spreadsheet for processing project data is sufficient. If you want to get quick approval, we just have to contact our boss to review the team’s work. Even though it may take a long time to reply, they will definitely respond later after we follow up again. For document storage, spreadsheets also provide a cloud. Even though sometimes when it’s full we have to pay more. If you want a detailed report, there will be a person who combines all field data information and processes it into informative charts. “

The fact:

Indeed, you can process some document logging functions using spreadsheets. However, spreadsheets are not a collaborative work tool. It can be used to track project data lists, but not in identifying risks, viewing team workloads, conducting approvals automatically, storing evidence of large amounts of project, identifying initiations and realizations in the field as planned, to getting charts and project progress curve real-time. One thing to remember, you cannot do these various activities above the same platform of spreadsheet. 

3rd Myth: If you want to use a project management Software, you must be Certified by PMI

“This tools was created for people who are already certified by PMI. So, it will be difficult for those of us who don’t have it. Because of that, maybe we should manage projects with simpler data processing and communication tools, which may not be able to do the whole project management in an integrated manner in one place. “

The fact:

Indeed, having a PMP certificate from the PMI (Project Management Institute) officially proves that you are good at managing projects and certainly opens up great career opportunities across the industry. However, that is not the reason that project management software can only be operated by certified people. 

There is no software that wants users to be compartmentalized and have difficulty operating them. This tools are certainly designed in such a way as to make it easier for everyone to experience being a reliable project manager. For example, Tomps project management software provides customization features that make it user-friendly for the entire team to use. So, you will not be confused about accessing menus to display the project completion dashboard, S Curve, Gantt Chart, Project Cost Control, and others.

4th Myth: Project Management Softwares Are Expensive, Totally Wasting Our Budget

“Project management software is expensive. Small companies that are still developing are likely to be in trouble because of this. So, isn’t it better to use the traditional system to run the project so as not to spend the budget?”

The Fact:

If you look at it in the short term, then this kind of opinion thing might arise. However, you should likely start to realize how much efficiency a project management software offers you. With a project management software, you will need less human resources, efficient project operational costs, reduce unexpected costs due to repetitive work, and save project costs because work can be completed faster. For detailed information, let’s pay attention to Tomps project management software benefits on this page!

5th Myth: Project Management Software Never Proven Effectiveness

“Project management software companies always emphasize cost and time efficiency. But we’ve never heard of any independent research showing these devices can actually increase productivity, save us project costs and speed up work. That’s just a lie, right?”

The Fact: 

According to the Wellington report, 35% of projects run without a clear plan for schedules, costs and a clear division of tasks. So, how is it possible for a project like this to measure the progress of its own project?

Additionally, according to PMI, $ 122 million (approx. IDR 1.7 trillion) is lost for every $ 1 billion (around IDR 14 trillion) a project spends due to inadequate initial planning. An enormous figure overhead , right? Not only that, in the software industry there is a known percentage of up to 75% for projects that are late, overhead, and fail completely (Ganeca). Sadly, only 33% of the projects run on time and within budget (Standish Group Study). So, how is it possible that a project management Software that comes with a solution to the problem of planning, controlling, and evaluating this project work is not effective in reducing the cost and time efficiency of the project? This could be because your team hasn’t used it optimally or maybe it’s still half-hearted to use it because you still trapped in these myths above.