7 Difficulties Project Managers Face When Adopting PM Tools

Even the simplest project, be it IT development, construction, or engineering, can be challenging to start and complete. Going through all project stages efficiently without proper management is even more demanding. As tedious as it may seem, having the right tools can simplify the required tasks and streamline your workflow.

In this post, we explain what the tools for project management are, why PMs should use them, and which tools for project management can help complete projects efficiently.

This article tackles 7 challenges, problems, and issues that project managers may face when using project management tools. By understanding these challenges and developing strategies to address them, project managers can maximize the benefits of these tools and enhance their team’s effectiveness.

What Are the Tools for Project Management?

A project management tool is an app or online service designed to help with the following:

Project planning and implementation
Resource allocation and distribution
Setting up and optimizing schedules

With such solutions, single-project managers or entire teams can monitor budgets, better manage quality, and exchange documents and other important data between departments or colleagues.

A product management solution is usually a unified collaboration platform that simplifies communication, task synchronization, and reporting between project teams.

The variety of metrics and activities that a project manager needs to track while completing a project goes from, for example, server hardware updates to the budget distribution. Therefore, when you compare different project management tools, consider the availability of the required monitoring and management functions in your tool of choice.

Considering the following functionality list can help you choose the most suitable project management tools available to use:

Task listing/to-do lists: The opportunity to set up and assign tasks and update every task status is critical to keep the team synced while proceeding with the project.
Communication: Project management tools that enable convenient, fast, and smooth communication between team members helps to keep track of tasks and ideas, as well as to solve problems appearing while working on the project.
Scheduling: A built-in customizable calendar, milestone table, or Gantt chart can help you monitor the current progress per task and the entire project and distribute the remaining time more efficiently.
Data sharing: Organizing quick access and sharing space for project documentation and other critical data can save much time and effort for your team.
Reporting: Regular updates on the progress of every department are critical for PMs to keep track of the available and working resources. Additionally, a project manager who wants to ensure the progress tempo is satisfying will benefit from the all-in-one reports functionality in the project management tool.

It goes without saying that a PM’s work can become more efficient with the right tool. When you have all the necessary functions, features, and metrics in one solution, along with reminders and automated reports, time saved, on data collection and paperwork can be invested in analytics and optimization for future projects.

But the project manager has to address and tackle challenges and issues when adopting project management tools.

We’ve outlined 7 challenges along with 7 tools one can resort to:

 

1. Overcoming Resistance to Change

One of the biggest challenges when introducing project management tools is getting team members to adopt and use them. Many people resist change, and some may feel threatened by the introduction of new tools. How can project managers overcome resistance and encourage buy-in from their team?

Case study: Paymo

Paymo is project management software that assists freelancers and managers in managing their projects through all stages, from planning and estimating a project to closing, which includes sending invoices to clients and receiving payments through online payment gateways.

Because resistance to change is linked to psychology and behavior, overcoming it is made all the more difficult because it does not involve concrete issues. Having said that, as a manager, you can initiate a behavioral change in your team by explaining the benefits of project management tools, time tracking, and task management.

 

2. Integration with Existing Systems

Many organizations have existing software and systems that they use for project management. Project managers must find tools to integrate with these systems to avoid duplication of effort and data entry errors. What are the challenges of integrating project management tools with existing systems, and how can these challenges be overcome?

Case study: MeisterTask

MeisterTask stands out among agile management tools due to its implementation of the Kanban board approach. A comprehensive set of teamwork optimization features aids the app in enabling smooth resource management and distribution.

You can collaborate with team members by scheduling tasks, assigning tags, monitoring progress, and mentioning each other to stay in touch when necessary. In addition, in this solution, a team member can have a task board with tasks attached to it. Tasks can then be organized and scheduled based on changes in project flow or personal timelines.

3. Complexity and Learning Curve:

Some project management tools can be complex and difficult to learn. This can be a significant barrier to adoption, especially for team members who are not technically savvy. How can project managers address the complexity and learning curve of project management tools?

Case study: Trello

Trello is another well-known and popular solution for entry-level or first-time project management adopters. With many cooperation features, coworkers can interact with each other within one task card, board, or list, comment on issues and share data inside the platform.

Trello’s learning curve is shallow: Trellos is easy to learn and use, and users can quickly become proficient with it, except maybe its automation features.

4. Customization and Flexibility:

Project management tools may not always fit the specific needs of a project or team. Project managers need customizable and flexible tools to adapt to their unique requirements. What are the challenges of customization and flexibility in project management tools, and how can project managers address them?

Case study: ClickUp

ClickUp aspires to be more than a project management tool. This solution combines various features into a unified platform for project managers.

ClickUp, among other features, combines project management functions, to-do lists for team members, shared spreadsheets, document storage, and display recording software in a single tool. The solution allows you to create detailed project visuals with calendars, lists, Gantt charts, and boards as a project management tool.

5. Compatibility and Interoperability

Different project management tools may use different file formats, communication protocols, and data structures. This can make it challenging to share data and collaborate across tools. What are the challenges of compatibility and interoperability, and how can project managers address them?

Case study: Jira

Jira, arguably the most well-known agile management tool, was created to speed up the creation of software applications and services. Continuous incremental software improvements rather than a single large release are the goal of agile development.

Jira has a variety of unique features because it was designed as a solution for development organizations. A core component of Jira is an issue, which represents the type of task that the team is working on at the moment—a bug fix, a project task, etc.

6. Cost

Many project management tools are expensive, especially those that are designed for large organizations or enterprise-level projects. This can be a challenge for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets. What are some cost-effective project management tools, and how can project managers balance costs with benefits?

Case study: nTask

A project management tool called nTask includes integrated time-tracking and meeting management features.

You can divide the total amount of work the team must complete into distinct workspaces with distinct tasks each using nTask. The solution makes it possible to set productivity features for tasks like predetermined deadlines, actual start and completion dates, task-specific to-do lists, and comment sections.

7. Data Security and Privacy

Project management tools often store sensitive data, such as project plans, budgets, and stakeholder information. This data must be kept secure and private, especially in regulated industries such as healthcare or finance. What are data security and privacy challenges in project management tools, and how can project managers ensure compliance with regulations and best practices?

Case study: Nakivo Backup & Replication

You can create automated workflows for incremental app-aware backup, recovery, and replication for various disaster scenarios using NAKIVO's all-in-one solution.

Project development is heavily dependent on the data that teams produce, process, and store, in addition to project management tools that facilitate and streamline team collaboration. The IT infrastructure that the team creates and uses to work conveniently, effectively, and quickly is another essential component of the project.

Conclusion

Project management tools like Paymo, MeisterTask, ClickUp, Jira, Trello, and nTask can help you organize work for your team to keep every member productive and finish tasks on time. Various features in various tools make them suitable for different projects, and all these help solve challenges project managers face.

Also, you might want to take care of the project’s data protection. With the disaster recovery solution from NAKIVO, you can configure regular data backup and smooth recovery of entire IT infrastructures regardless of their type and size.

Every tool presented in this post has a free version: use that opportunity to test them all and choose the tool that suits the needs of your team and current project the most.