If you're like me, you've probably seen about a dozen or more new software products that claim to have revolutionized and simplified the business of project management (gee, thanks for those 15 emails this week guys!). Maybe you’ve even churned through a half dozen of them yourself already – Asana, Monday, Trello, ProjectManager, Wrike, Hive… -- you get it, we could go on forever!

This is literally, the "Me Too!" SaaS segment of the market. And basically, they all do the same thing. In fact, you can use any number of these tools (some free) and obtain nearly the same results.

1. Track tasks
2. Track resources
3. Track milestones and dates
4. Track issues, risks, budgets…yada yada yada

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used some of these tools and they all do a pretty good job of tracking stuff – they just don’t “help you manage a project better”. The fact is, these are incredibly easy things for any software to do (see Excel and Google Sheets) and they add little to no value for you as a project manager. They simply automate administrative tasks for project managers. (Remember the adage “A fool with a tool is still a fool”?)

MOST PROJECT MANAGERS DON’T STRUGGLE WITH TRACKING TASKS!
 

We’ve observed the corporate landscape littered with scores of productivity tools that never really measure up the expectations of their customers because they are targeting low-value objectives like collaboration and information sharing – problems largely addressed and solved already by dozens of software products. There is no shortage of collaboration tools – and some of our customers tell us that too many tools lead to confusion (Rohan: I sent you a Slack with the requirements yesterday. Justin: thanks, but can you just drop them in my Teams folder). Anyone who’s had to drop out of their Zoom meeting to join the team on Skype knows what I’m talking about here!

That’s why Method123 has always been focused on the discipline of project management – the methodology. To be successful at project management it is imperative to understand why you are doing something as well as how to do it. The heart of the Project Management discipline is adherence to a best-practice, proven methodology.
  

Without a solid understanding of the project management lifecycle -- and all the steps that go into each phase, it is very difficult to successfully deliver projects in a consistent and reliable manner.

Common pitfalls typically involve pumping a series of tasks into a task management tool without having properly developed a work breakdown structure (WBS)

It is tempting because it gives people a sense of immediate satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.-- look Ma, my "project plan" is 100 lines long!  Not to mention, it keeps that micro-managing boss off your back who keeps asking you "How's that project plan coming along; when do you think we can show it to the client"? 

By now, most of you realize that projects aren't going to get any easier because you got a shiny new collaboration tool. That's where MPMM comes in.  It can add real value to your project management capabilities by guiding you every step of the way throughout the complete lifecycle of your project. It's tool-agnostic -- it doesn't matter if you're using MS Project, Smartsheets, or any of the other tools out there.

So, start separating yourself from the pack of project managers still fooling around with task-based tools and elevate your PM game with MPMM.  Download our Free 14-Day Trial and take your PM game to the next level.  Purchase MPMM within the trial period and receive a 50% discount using checkout code My50Off.

Wishing you much project success!

The Method123 Team