Evaluation Checklist For PM Tools
Evaluation Checklist For PM Tools
Criteria Category 1:
Database Management and Other General Considerations
OpenAir Score Total
1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Data Management
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Easy to create, change, delete, and view projects and project data. Accommodates all project types and project information Supports entry of annotative comments and appending documents, images, and links for project documentation Accommodates hundreds/thousands of projects Supports data import from your existing systems and databases (e.g., planning, financial systems) Supports data export to your existing systems and databases Supports dependency links among projects Provides data cut-and-paste, project cloning, and data roll-over Provides completeness/error checks and data warnings
Weight
E
10 Allows multiple portfolios and portfolio hierarchies (parent-child links) 11 Allows dynamic portfolios (portfolios defined based on latest project data)
12 Provides search, filter, and sort 13 Provides data archiving 14 Provides statistical analysis of historical data (e.g., trend analysis)
Weight
Weight
19
0 0 0 0 0
20 Provides dashboard views plus ability to drill down 21 Allows users to configure/customize/format views, graphs, and reports 22 Provides document management (document storage, read, save-as, check-in, check-out, version control, history, etc.)
Weight
Weight
Delivery
Provides desired delivery platform (on-demand service, desktop installation, web-based, etc.) Supports your server and workstation operating systems and database 30 environment 29
Weight
Vendor
31 Vendor has expertise (in PPM, your industry, etc.) 32 Vendor can be counted on to provide on-going support (maintenance, enhancements, warranties, escrow policy, etc.)
Weight
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
Reject
Reject
Reject
Reject
Decision Aid
1 2 3 4 5 Evaluates real project choices (e.g., choice among alternative project versions, do project now vs. do next year) Accommodates mandated projects (including requirement that at least one project version be funded) Accounts for choice dependencies (e.g., project B may be selected only if version 2 of project A is selected) Able to evaluate alternative spending levels for pooled projects (e.g., what fraction of similar tasks to complete) Able to evaluate and optimize multi-year plans and scenarios
Weight
Financial Analysis 6
7 Allows business-case cash-flow analysis over project/asset life-cycle with summary metrics (e.g., NPV, IRR, payback period) Supports after-tax financial analysis, including forecasting using pro forma statements
Weight
Risk Analysis
8 9 Quantifies project risk Quantifies project deferral risk (risks if the project is not conducted)
Weight
Project Evaluation
11 Provides "out of box" project evaluation metrics 12 Supports customizable/user-defined metrics, scales, models, logic Able to support sophisticated computations/simulations (more than rateand-weight scoring) Able to address non-financial project benefits (e.g., impacts on 14 corporate image, service quality, learning, safety) Able to capture and model alignment with strategy and/or strategic 15 objectives Able to provide/utilize default data/uncertainty ranges & turn off 16 measures if data is unavailable or too time-consuming to acquire 13
Project Valuation
Weight
Tool # 1
Project Valuation
Able to quantify project value in dollar units (to allow direct comparison 17 with project cost) Value estimation based on comparing doing vs. not doing project (not 18 doing project can produce negative value) Able to adjust project value based on risk and risk tolerance (risk19 adjusted project value)
Weight
Score
Total
0 0 0
Weight
25
26 27 28
29 Allows setting performance goals/targets for a subset of portfolios 30 Provides "sand box analysis" (local data entry/analysis prior to saving to central database)
31 Able to provides real-time feedback to users on impact of project inputs 32 Provides mechanisms for preventing/minimizing input "gaming" Totals (this category):
Tool # 2
Tool # 3
Tool # 4
Tool # 5
Score
Total
0 0 0
Score
Total
0 0 0
Score
Total
0 0 0
Score
Total
0 0 0
Reject
Reject
Reject
Reject
Project Planning
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Supports workplan development (via templates, etc.), controls plan creation/modification/deletion, and provides plan storage Provides project baseline tracking, version control, audit trail, and plan history Allows linking mult--level project and task plans Able to compute total project costs (e.g., via labor hours, rates, burden, materials and other expenses) Allows defining projct-specific phases, gating processes, and milestones Supports timing and scheduling (e.g., via Gantt charts and Pert charts Provide compliance-based processes (e.g., PMBOK, SDLC, ISO 9000, Sarbanes-Oxley, CMMI) Supports project risk assessment and risk mitigation planning
Weight
3 3
Workflow Management
Supports workflow management (generates individual task lists, reports status, routes action notifications, supports approvals, etc.) Provides template library for project tasks (charter, issues log, request 10 forms, etc.) with ability to add, modify & save templates 9 11 Provides meeting schedule with automated invites Supports issue tracking and management (e.g., issue definition, assigning to issue owners, converting issues to tasks) Provides change management (change reporting, approvals, change 13 impact analysis) Povides analytics and project trade-offs for supporting task level 14 decisions Provides analytics/models for project performance assessment, benefits 15 measurement, and value realization management 12
Weight
Weight
19
Able to calculate performance ratios manually or automatically at secified points in time or at project milestones
0 0 0 0 0 0
20 Provides dashboard view of status of all projects with ability to drill down Computes/displays estimates of remaining work (hours to completion, percent of wok completed, end-date forecasting, etc.) Provides comparison of acutal vs. planned progress with variance 22 analysis, alerts, and rule-based notification Supports project reporting/forecasting according to government 23 contracting requirements (e.g., earned value analysis - EVA) 21 24 Supports risk monitoring and on-going multi-project risk management
Weight
Weight
31 Supports post-implementation reviews and lessons learned 32 Supports project management knowledge database for storage and mining Totals (this category):
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
Reject
Reject
Reject
Reject
Resource Management
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Captures all people resource categories and allows segmentation based on geography, organizationl unit, resource pool, etc. Captures necessary information for characterizing individual resources (e.g., skills, certifications, education, rates, interests) Provides dashboard view with drill down to individual resource availability (eg., by time, skill, location, assignments) Tracks evolution and development of individual resources (e.g., experiences, skill growth) Includes non-human resources (normal, consumable, perishable) for non-human resource management Supports resource queries (e.g., chargeable/non-chargeable hours) Provides automated, rule-based routing of updates regarding individual resources (e.g., change in availability, rate) Supports obtaining time-to-complete estimates directly from individuals (which may provide more accurate availability estimates)
Weight
Demand Management
9 10 11 12 13 Allows specifying resource demand categories (e.g.,projects, organization units, applications) Supports formal resource request system (preparation of requests, aggregate views by demand categories and over time, etc.) Reports resource request and application status per your demand management workflow process Able to schedule requests based on priority, date, contribution, or other criteria Provides statistical analysis of requests (e.g., trend analysis of request types, resonse times, escalations)
Weight
Resource Assignment
14 15 16 17 18 19 Supports top-down resource assignment (e.g., provides search and sort based on roll, skill, location) Supports bottom-up resource assignment (e.g., by allowing individuals to review and select from availability assignments) Supports time-phased resource booking to projects (by manually loading resource assignments). Support resource booking to organizational requests (for subsequent assignment to projects) Includes operational and administrative resource assignment (in addition to project resource assignment) Provides automated resource assignment (based on availability and user defined criteria)
Weight
19
Provides automated resource assignment (based on availability and user defined criteria)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
20 Provides scheduling engine for assigning and scheduling resources 21 Allows viewing resource assignments by individual and project 22 Allows manual changes to resource assignments for individual projects after project initiation
23 Supports approval processes for the assignment of resources 24 Synchronization of availability schedules with personal calendars (to incorporte non-project commitments, planned absences)
Supply-Demand
26 Summarizes utilization levels by resource category and over time Compares resource supply-demand by resource category, identifies gaps, bottlenecks, and over-allocated resources Provides analytics to support planning for acquiring additional 28 internal/external resources 27
Weight
Time Tracking
29 Exports project data to timesheet systems (e.g., ability to load time sheet with allocated activities)
Weight
30 Includes employee timesheet system 31 Includes electronic time clock 32 Exports accepted time data to payroll and billing systems Totals (this category):
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reject
Reject
Reject
Reject