Computerized Project Management Information System (PMIS)

A project management information system (PMIS) is the logical organization of the information required for an organization to execute projects successfully. A PMIS is typically one or more software applications and a methodical process for collecting and using project information. These electronic systems “Help to plan, execute, and close project management goals.”PMIS systems differ in scope, design and features depending upon an organisation’s operational requirements.

Project Management Information System (PMIS) help plan, execute and close project management goals. During the planning process, project managers use PMIS for budget framework such as estimating costs. The Project Management Information System is also used to create a specific schedule and define the scope baseline. At the execution of the project management goals, the project management team collects information into one database. The PMIS is used to compare the baseline with the actual accomplishment of each activity, manage materials, collect financial data, and keep a record for reporting purposes. During the close of the project, the Project Management Information System is used to review the goals to check if the tasks were accomplished. Then, it is used to create a final report of the project close.

To conclude, the project management information system (PMIS) is used to plan schedules, budget and execute work to be accomplished in project management.

Characteristics of a PMIS

The methodological process used to collect and organize project information can match normalized methodologies such as PRINCE2.

A PMIS Software supports all Project management knowledge areas such as Integration Management, Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Quality Management, Project Human Resource Management, Project Communications Management, Project Risk Management, Project Procurement Management, and Project Stakeholder Management. A PMIS Software is a multi-user application, and can be cloud based or hosted on-premises.

Relationship between a PMS and PMIS

A project management system (PMS) could be a part of a PMIS or sometimes an external tool beside project management information system. PMS is basically an aggregation of the processes, tools, techniques, methodologies, resources, and procedures to manage a project. What a PMIS does is to manage all stakeholders in a project such as the project owner, client, contractors, sub-contractors, in-house staff, workers, managers etc.

Strategies:

Scheduling

Because schedules are such a core component of project management as a whole, almost all project management information systems contain scheduling tools. The project schedule is communicated to stakeholders and forms the baseline for project control, that is, the project is continuously measured on the basis of its adherence to the schedule.

Estimating the task duration

The duration of each task must be estimated to determine a realistic project schedule.

Determining the task dependencies

Each task is related to at least one other task, else it would not be part of the project.

Developing the Network Diagram and Gantt chart

Once the durations and dependencies are known, the network diagram is used to determine the critical path, that is, the tasks which must complete on time or they will affect the overall project completion date. Once the critical path is determined, the gantt chart is the most useful and intuitive tool to the project manager.

Resource levelling

The network diagram and gantt chart do not take into account resource usage.  In this last step, resources are assigned to each task and the schedule is adjusted to accommodate the availability or cost of resources.

Estimating

Project estimating involves assigning a price to each of the project tasks.  Each task is then rolled up into an overall project estimate. In a perfect world, the actual project cost will always fall within the estimate, but we know that is only an ideal to be strived for.

Resources

Almost all tasks require resources for their completion. The simplest tasks often have only a project team member for a specified period of time, but that is still a resource that needs to be available and managed in order to complete the task.

Hence, a good project management information system will allow the assignment of resources to tasks. These resources should also come with meta data such as their cost per unit, efficiency rate, or maintenance requirements.

Project Documents and Data

Virtually all projects produce documents as part of their scope, for example design reports or product documentation. Most projects also import documents and data for use in project work, for example databases. Still other projects have a reference library data set that is consulted by the project. For these reasons, project document control has become a specialty in and of itself.

Every document tracked by the project is cataloged and the requirements are defined. Variables used to track documents include:

• Owner
• Storage location
• Format
• Scheduled dates: Creation, approval, and submission
• Actual dates
• Review / Approval team members
• Status