Project portfolio management (PPM) software allows employees to use digital tools to complete jobs, distribute tasks, and track progress. However, PPM software will only be as successful as your ability to effectively train workers on how to use it. Once all teams are on the same page about your software’s daily functions and benefits – like being able to quickly view project data and activities – you’ll be one step closer to aligning their actions with your strategic goals. We’ve got you covered with PPM software training tips to help you get the ball rolling.
5 Tips to Help Lead PPM Software Training Like a Pro
As a project management professional or team tasked with training staff to use PPM software, your job is to make things simple, understandable, and applicable. These five tips can ensure your training hits all the important points and sets your teams up for success.
1. Do Your Homework
Before you start training anyone else, make sure you understand your PPM software like the back of your hand. If you haven’t already done a demo, try out all of its features yourself. Experiment with different tools, navigate through the menus or programs, and consult any support materials that come with your platform.
If you choose a PPM software like Sciforma, you can take advantage of eLearning and training modules designed to help you understand how to successfully incorporate your new tools into your routine.
2. Overview All Relevant Features
Once it’s time to kick off your PPM software training, start with the basics. Walk your staff through each piece of the puzzle, explaining core features and tools that they’ll be expected to use. While the features discussed will vary for your needs, you can expect to talk about any of the examples below.
Time Tracking
Time tracking might bore employees, but it gives everyone a far better idea of how long certain tasks take. This, in turn, will help you organize your workday in a way that does not overburden your teammates. And further, it gives better insight into the task’s overall value, as well as future planning. When workers track their own efforts, they can work to reduce their time while remaining productive, especially if it’s presented in a visual way.
Task Management
If your PPM software has task management capabilities, your workers can check off activities, as well as assign the task to another employee (where appropriate). This way, project bottlenecks become visible (and fixable), and there’s no ambiguity over responsibilities.
Progress Reports
Progress reports are key when you need to complete and manage any projects, no matter their size or nature. You can train team members to utilize them by creating milestones in your PPM software for certain projects and allowing users to feel a sense of accomplishment after every completed task.
3. Take it Slow
The more activities you plan to use your PPM software for, the more time you should allot to training. Don’t assume that anything is obvious or intuitive, even if your software is easy to use. While a user-friendly platform is certainly ideal, it still might seem confusing to team members who aren’t the most tech-savvy or who are generally resistant to digitizing their workflow.
It might help to break your PPM training into multiple sessions, each with a focus on a different feature, department, or stage of the project lifecycle. Tailor your training to the way your team will use the software.
Above all else, take your time with training; leave extra minutes to answer questions, and remember that it might take a few tries to get everyone on the same page.
4. Make PPM Software Training Accessible at All Times
You may want to consider recording your PPM training sessions so that they’re accessible in the future. Whether you take a video, make a presentation, or simply jot down information on a document, it helps to have something to turn to when questions pop up down the line.
The goal is not to replace traditional training sessions or modules but to provide supplementary material that staff can use afterward to jog their memories and address specific concerns.
This is another area where having access to established training materials is helpful. Instead of creating your own, look for the guides, explanations, and information your software vendor provides to see if there’s anything you can pass on to your teams.
5. Choose the Right Software
Even the best training in the world can’t counteract confusing, overly-convoluted, or just plain incompatible PPM software. As you choose the right platform for your organization, prioritize those that are user-friendly, adaptable to your needs, and built by vendors that offer consistent customer support.
Sciforma’s visual features and user-friendly interface make project management an enjoyable process for all stakeholders in your team. No matter your organization’s goals, scope, or current experience with PPM, Sciforma’s software solutions are here to help. You can also count on Sciforma to provide all the information you need to get your PPM software off the ground quickly and efficiently.
Learn more about selecting a PPM tool and what makes Sciforma the right PPM partner in our free ebook. Or, to see our software yourself, take a product tour today.
