Project Management For Enterprise Software Deployment | How To Make It Successful
Just imagine how a modern enterprise runs for a moment. Employees are scattered across the country (sometimes even around the world); even before the onset of COVID-19, employees working on company projects in different cities and countries around the world were a growing trend.
One also has to consider that when it comes to software development, employees often have specialized skills; thus, for any project to be successful, one must find solutions to complete these projects successfully.
How can one manage these projects? How does one ensure that teams’ efforts are harmonized and synthesized ( and that their tasks are completed) to ensure the best results for the enterprise? How does one manage the activities of 1000s of employees? And, indeed, how can we best support modern business processes in the first place?
Well, one such technique to facilitate all this has been the deployment of enterprise project management software.
What is project Deployment in project management?
Let’s break down these two terms further to arrive at an understanding of this. ‘Project deployment,’ as the phrase suggests, is the action of moving something where an action can be performed; or, put, the deployment/completion of something deliverable.
Breaking down ‘project management’ (or enterprise project management), one will use project management software to help complete the deployment of the project (as well as having hands-on project managers). The important thing here is that enterprise project management (pm) focuses on integrating project data to help employees complete the deployment.
In other words, enterprise project management involves integrating and sharing data across a business that is necessary to the deployment of projects. A full discussion of various types and examples of project management software that a business can use will come soon!
But, deploying pm software in the first place will itself require careful planning and execution. In other words, the development of epm software is a project in itself; once the epm software is completed, we say it is ready for ‘deployment.’ Once the deployment is complete, the business will use the software to assist with the management of future projects and tasks.
So, to recap, ‘project deployment’ in project management refers to the deployment of project management software for the use of a business. The objective of deploying this software is to help a business complete projects and tasks, whether complex projects or simple projects, as efficiently as possible. Once this initial deployment is complete, ‘project deployment’ in the future will mean completing a project that a business has been tasked with.
Do DevOps use project management software?
While ‘DevOps’ may sound like the newest iteration of some government spy organization, it is simply a combination/merger of two teams – the development team and operations management – into one team. Within the DevOps model, the two teams are no longer separate entities; they will work together to ensure the best results for the company.
The underlying purpose of combining the two formerly separate teams is to shorten the deployment process – in other words, to ensure that a project task is completed quicker.
As DevOps now work as a combined team, the objective of such a team is the successful deployment of software. But, for team members to know which tasks need working on or which aspect of the project requires tracking, some management system (as well as a project manager) is required to oversee the project’s progress.
This is where DevOps will use project management software. As team members will be focused on both the development and management of the project, project management tools will be essential to the eventual deployment of the software. Let us now discuss some examples of project management software and how they support the deployment of software.
What is some helpful project management software for deployment?
There are many project management tools currently in use; in fact, there are so many currently in use that selecting a project management tool might seem a daunting undertaking. Whether Easy Projects with its sophisticated resource planning system or Clarizen with a collaborative management solution, selecting the correct rpm software is an important task.
In fact, many organizations report that the technology they use often fails to provide the benefits they intended for. This is why selecting the appropriate technology is so important.
What follows is a review of some project management tools which can help with software deployment.
Monday.com
One of the most recognizable pm software is Monday.com (see image below). This project management tool features include assisting the development team with resource management and project management; it is also equipped with collaboration, time tracking, and reporting features.
More helpful features on Monday.com include workflow tools that automate some processes (thereby saving time); Monday.com can also track team members’ progress in completing their specific times. Essentially, what this project management tool helps to do is ensure a stable and harmonious deployment process.
Celoxis
If your team happens to be distributed across a country (or around the world), the best enterprise project management solution is Celoxis, a web-based platform.
The most prominent feature this platform has is a project portfolio management system; in addition to portfolio management, Celoxis can also help teams account for part-time resources, resource availability, project finances, and track projects in real-time.
Regardless of the management solution that an organization selects, most enterprise project management solutions will also allow integration with other software – such as Microsoft Office or Google Drive. Such integration will allow teams to deploy their software efficiently.
In addition, enterprise management solutions will also have data visualization features – such as charts and dashboards; this will help the team assess the progress of the project (as well as its overall status) and highlight which tasks need additional attention.
A phased approach to deploying enterprise project management
While deploying pm sounds simple, it is not! The implementation of epm is not simply the deployment of new features or technology; rather it also involves taking account of the people using this technology and the deployment strategy.
To ensure the best uptake of new pm software, there has to be a phased approach so that the user community can manage the changes accordingly.
Thus, creating beneficial EPM requires a deployment plan – the best of which is known as the ‘phased approach.’ The important thing here is that phased deployment means that technical challenges will be solved in small chunks rather than once (this contrasts with the big-bang approach).
So, the phased approach will only deal with a few management systems at a large business rather than the whole system itself. Even in deploying a new system, this will be done in phases rather than all at once.
1) Set out objectives/planning
To get started, a project manager will create an outline of what the deployment must achieve and what the benefits will be; a project schedule and timeline will also be developed here. During this stage, one will also have to create a budget and communicate the tasks that team members will complete throughout the deployment cycle.
Project managers must also consider the impact this deployment will have. In other words, assessing impact will include what benefits the user community can expect and what resources a business will expand.
2) Deployment Plan
After the deployment team and user community are consulted, one can make a timeline for the deployment of the pm. Here, communication with the deployment team is essential; one can use existing project management tools to help facilitate this.
A key part of managing this part of the progress in ensuring that the team has the required skills to deploy the EPM; otherwise, staff training can be organized. Throughout this phase, the application will be developed through the development and operations team (or DevOps).
3) Deployment exercise
Before the deployment of epm software, multiple tests will need to be completed to see the overall performance of the software. These tests will include security tests and scaling performance tests (in other words, to see that the system manages as more people from the user community join).
4) Deployment and maintenance of the system
Once the system is deployed, the organization will need to create a new deployment plan to devote resources to maintaining and updating the system once feedback is being received.
Benefits and Potential Issues
As EPM deployment depends on employee uptake, one potential issue is that the system is not used to its full potential. Moreover, if the selected deployment strategy is not appropriate for the enterprise, the deployment might have to be abandoned, costing the company resources.
However, these issues pale in comparison to the benefits of deploying EPM systems. Such benefits include quicker project completion time and monitoring the overall status of various projects more easily.
Principles for Success
To successfully develop and deploy EPM systems, there are at least two principles that should be followed:
Communication: We’re often told that communication is the key to success – and it is no different here. Project managers need to clearly communicate to the group working on the project to make it a success. Where communication is absent, people will not use the newly developed software.
Have a proper plan: For successful project deployment, having a solid plan is a must. Such a plan should include a budget, the resources required for deployment, which employees are needed, and how long it will take.
