Sep 23 2009
Cognitive Technologies – a consulting firm specializing in project management, collaborative processes, and organizational effectiveness for the federal government and Fortune 1000 companies – today released the findings of its 2009 Project Resource Management Survey®, which reveals how resource management tools and processes are being used in organizations across the United States.
The 2009 Project Resource Management Survey points to a surprising lack of tool and process usage dedicated to resource management, an area the Center for Business Practices has recently classified as the number one challenge to organizations practicing project management.
The survey found Microsoft® an overwhelmingly popular provider in project resource management tools, with 67 percent of respondents stating that they use Microsoft® Project–Desktop for managing project resources while 60 percent use Microsoft Excel.
“What is interesting in these findings is that while Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel are the most popular programs among organizations, neither program allows for mature resource management,” explained Bruce A. McGraw, PMP and executive vice president of Cognitive Technologies.
Organizations using the more mature tools Microsoft Project Server and Oracle Primavera show they are better able to track and status their projects at the task level, and are more likely to agree that their resource management tools supply sufficient information for making project-related decisions. Furthermore, organizations using MS Project Server and Primavera are also more likely to undertake greater numbers of projects each year, and employ greater numbers of people on each project in their organizations.
When looking at the current challenges that organizations face regarding resource management, Cognitive Technologies found that many organizations face severe challenges in project resource allocation. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of respondents agreed that their organizations‘ key project resources are consistently over allocated. And an overwhelming 71 percent of respondents indicated that internal competition exists between managers for project resources.
“Our data reveals that not only do many organizations face resource management problems, but that senior management is often failing to recognize it,” McGraw said. “Many senior level managers are simply unaware of the resource management problems within their organizations.”
The 2009 Project Resource Management Survey sponsored by Cognitive Technologies surveyed both C-level executives and senior project management professionals within the United States. The top industries represented were: Insurance, IT/Technology, Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services, Energy & Utilities and Consulting.
http://www.cognitive-technologies.com/