Project portfolio management (PPM) software allows the project community, including the executives and management within an organisation, the ability to maintain a centralised view of the portfolio, which assists in making key financial and business decisions for the projects. Most PPM software is designed to facilitate, support or enable existing project processes and knowledge, but no modern organisation uses just one application.

A stand-alone PPM tool may not be enough to address the diverse needs of most businesses, and it never will be. It is an inevitable business reality therefore, that an organisation’s applications frequently need to talk to one another and must be interconnected in various ways. The question to ask though, is whether this means that application integration is a requirement for the successful adoption of your organisation’s PPM software?

Integrating applications and automating end-to-end business processes require planning and maintenance. Planning needs to identify exactly which data points will travel between the systems to meet requirements, and then decide how often the passing of data takes place and what to do when there is a discrepancy – so which source is authoritative or source of the truth?

Myth five: Integrating PPM software is the only way to get the best value from the tool

Best practice has shown that any integration of your PPM software should be a subsequent phase and not a part of initial rollout – biting off more than you can chew will confuse adoption and draw out the implementation. After using the PPM software for a period of time, the organisation will have learnt a lot and be better prepared for future requirements.

When a requirement is identified, the following two questions should be put forward: Does the requirement to bring data in from another system, impact the ability to manage or report on the progress of the project? And, is the benefit of integration going to be increased productivity with less time being spent on manually entering data in multiple systems? If the answer to both of these questions is no, then careful consideration must be given to the reasons for undertaking the integration path. It is a good idea to integrate only when the end-to-end business process is well understood and entrenched.

Through experience, the team at Project Portfolio Office has found that keeping the initial PPM implementation simple is best for greater adoption, which, in turn, allows more time to properly plan and validate any future integration requirements. Start getting the most value from the PPM software by ensuring that no other mechanisms exist for managing projects and reporting on their progress. Agreeing reporting cycles and using the PPM software as the single source of information for reporting purposes is another way for the organisation to gain quick adoption and in turn greater value.

Are you looking for a project portfolio management (PPM) and collaboration tool that provides immediate value and has the ability to integrate with other systems? If so, try a free 30-day trial of Project Portfolio Office today at: www.go2ppo.com/try.php.