Hello everyone. I am just getting started on my Project Management journey and really could use some help getting organized using the best tools I can.

Primarily, sales and projects are housed in Maximizer CRM and is expected to be used for both project tracking and task assignment. If anyone has used Maximizer CRM, you may agree that using it in this fashion can be a bit clunky, mostly with the note system. I run into the most trouble with Max trying to categorize each note, followup, project issue, and task in a meaningful manor, but also making it easy to find. By the time the project starts there is already a very long list of individual notes where their importance can get lost in the mix. With this, I'm having a hard time finding a balance between providing enough details on whats going on with the project or everyone to see, but not including too much such that the important details get lost. Combine this with e-mail communications and contacts spread across multiple address book entries and it starts to get really scary.

Additionally, sub-tasks tasks for these projects can be programming projects that need their own specifications where a separate bug/task management software is used. Issues have arisen with this since those threads have turned into conversation threads instead of bug trackers again leading to almost too much information.

There are 30+ projects happening, but all of them require the same milestones over its life cycle. At a recent PM seminar, both OneNote and Concept Draw were highly suggested as tools to try out, but I'm having trouble asking the right questions to see if they will work for me. We are a small office of 5, two of which are programmers.

I hope I have provided enough of an outlook to get some help, though I'm lost and confused myself. It seems most of the software out there offers too much or too little for what I need.

 

In big companies, we only use Microsoft Office plus Microsoft Project (or Open Workbench).

I really can't imagine why you would need all these other tools people keep coming up with.

What sort of things are you trying to do?

Agree with BNPMike.  We use MS Project, MS Office (plus Visio), MS Sharepoint, and Planview, which is a corporate-mandated portfolio tool used for time reporting and whatever else the PMO and corporate get out of it.  The "field" PM's find that Planview is not helpful and only use it because it's required by the Executives.

For project templates, you can use some of the free ones from online, or use the online ones for ideas and customize your own.  Don't accidentally or intentionally make the PM process more difficult than it needs to be, or you may regret it in the future.






 

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

Hi there PMTech. You say "There are 30+ projects happening, but all of them require the same milestones over its life cycle". If you use Maximizer CRM's Opportunity Management Module, you should be able to break down those milestones into Steps and Activities, and keep track of them that way...

HTH,

John

John Marrett
Crystal Reports Trainer & Consultant
Maximizer CRM Trainer & Consultant
www.e-reporting.ca