What came first, the PM or the system?

07/11/2024

If you've ever Googled 'project management in agencies', you're faced with a long list of project management software tools. All the usual suspects are there – along with some that you'll inevitably have never heard of before.

Now, I'd be kidding myself if I sat here and said that a good project management tool isn't a requirement for businesses who want to deliver profitable projects. Can there be any real sense of 'how good we are at delivering on time and on budget' when you're relying on spreadsheets and emails to track resource bookings and revenue recognition?

But, unless you have a team who understands and values the rigour that good project management as a skill brings, that tool may well do more harm than good.

I'm a firm believer that 'good' project management must come from the people within the business. If you don't understand the 'why' behind your pricing, resourcing and delivery models, then a system simply won't help you.


"Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master." Stephen Covey

Project management – the workflows, the processes, the templates, the tools – is and will always be foundational to profitable business growth. 

We need to get back to the days where project management is encouraged, enabled and expected, to the point where it comes as second nature to all within the business.

At Mission: Purple, we can help agencies and businesses develop their own unique project lifecycles – the starting point for the creation of workflows that will empower teams to drive efficiencies, save time and allow for continuous improvement in the quest for profit margins.

Get in touch if your business could benefit from a fractional PMO.


Continuous improvement. What every business should be striving for.