PM3 Reviews

PM3 in NHS Northumberland

Comments: PM3 has enabled us to move away from our previous PMO processes which were spreadsheet (MS Excel) based and cumbersome. PM3 provides us with the 'single version of the truth' in terms of the development and delivery of our operational plan and progress towards achieving our strategic objectives. PM3 is now the 'golden thread' which runs through all of our operational delivery of projects, change, and major transformation and the flexibility of reporting means that we can generate numerous reports and monitoring documents for operational and strategic delivery groups and corporate decision-making committees with ease and the touch of a button. The overall experience with PM3 has been excellent and we have quickly built excellent relationships with the team at Bestoutcome who have been very supportive and responsive to our needs. We look forward to further developing our use of PM3 as the CCG transitions into the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System and hope to be able to use the work we have already done as an exemplar to colleagues from other CCGs/ICSs.

Pros:

Simplicity, ease of use, interface, flexibility of reporting, innovative approach to management of multiple portfolios. Scalability and the ability to turn on/off various modules to suit the maturity and development of our PMO.

Cons:

There are no features, of those we currently utilise, that we are unhappy with and we have ample opportunity to discuss developments and improvements with colleagues at PM3.

Highly configurable and user friendly

Comments: Very positive. The Bestoutcome team have been very supportive through the initial trial to implementation and training. Looking forward to building on the current configuration and putting the system to the test fully.

Pros:

Easy to get to grips with. Particularly like how you can select which functions you can switch on/off so you can start small and build on that as maturity and familiarity with the system grows.

Cons:

Although you can configure some fields and change them to what you want, it would be useful if you could create additional fields to be able to capture more variety of information in the system.

A decent system but could be enhanced with some minor changes

Comments: The system has allowed us to start recording all projects in a central system and allowed us to standardise our reporting. However, the system could be much more slick and efficient and it takes a bit of time to get used to navigating. Also the Planning / Scheduling functionality requires improvement in terms of ease of use.

Pros:

- Wide range of reporting features and styles- Creating portfolios is straight forward- Integrated action log (pulls in actions from benefits & risks logs)- Easy to access due to being based in the cloud - Simple license management

Cons:

- Training features and content could be improved - Look and feel could be more slick- Planning and scheduling is fiddly and difficult to navigate- Administrator terminology and functions are difficult to interpret- System not as smooth as envisaged

Use of PM3 at Thomas Miller (IT Change)

Comments: Overall experience is excellent. Adoption of PM3 was welcomed and usage now aligns to company's project management delivery methodology, processes and guidelines

Pros:

Excellent product suite for small to mid-tier organisations. Easily implemented and configured. Stage Gates is a powerful capability.PM3 is easy to use.Resource Management module works well.

Cons:

Some standard out of the box reporting is a little cumbersome but workarounds were provided by Best Outcome. Customised reporting not always easy to setup.Help / Search facilities need improving.

Introduction of PM3

Pros:

We are in the first few months of rolling out PM3 to the wider department. We have found PM3 to be highly configurable, intuitive and user friendly. End users are fully supported by relevant training modules, internal administrators and BestOutcome are always a call away. Users and senior management have easily identified time savings in using PM3 contrary to applying a more traditional clerical method. BestOutcome are highly receptive and constructive in conversations relating to best practice, organisational structure and transformational change initiatives. PM3 is anticipated to be a game changer for this department.

Cons:

The option to design reports would be useful.

Great product in almost all respects

Pros:

Reporting is effective and straightforward, saving us time and increasing accessibility and visibility compared to previous manual processes.

Cons:

I'd like to see enhancements to the way data imported from PM3Time timesheets might be used to automatically update financials with actuals for resource costs as we're currently using a workaround to achieve what we need here. Overall, the timesheet functionality is great and definitely a step forward for us though for sure.

PM3 helped us to track our portfolio more efficiently

Comments: Our team have taken to PM3 really well. It has helped us to standardise our documentation, have one true source, allows visibility of work and has helped us to keep track of each plan. Customising gateways has been a great addition.

Pros:

Easy to useEasy to manage portfolios and plansEasy to customisePM3 BI/Datamart - really useful

Cons:

Reporting needs improvementNo dashboard that summarises data over multiple portfolios, but PM3 BI/Datamart allows us to do some data comparison

Easy to use and one version of the truth

Pros:

There is one version of the truth and projects could be shown in more than one portfolio, so that when a project moves through the project lifecycle it can be passed from one team to another without having to duplicate information. From drafting the business case, through to delivering the benefits and lessons learnt.The ability to have different gateways for different types of projects.The ability to have everything in one place including impact assessments.

Cons:

There are so many standard reports, it can be overwhelming initially, but the team are reducing some of these and making it easy to see the report style without having to run the report.

PM3 review

Comments: By implementing PM3, the immediate benefits realised were standardising the data, gaining the visibility of all projects, and allowing pipeline building and planning.

Pros:

Cloud solutions made it easy for the users. PM3 being on the G-Cloud framework made it easy in the procurement process. Account manager was helpful and knowledgeable.

Cons:

No easy way to update multiple projects at once.

Flexible, versatile solution to managing portfolios, programmes & projects

Comments: Helping us to standardise our project practices, particularly the reporting process.

Pros:

I liked the flexible structure of portfolio, programme and project which was easy to set up and adapt to our various departmental approaches. Lots of reporting options offered as standard, and easy to tweak these to suit our needs. All our portfolio of projects are now in one place where all the PMs can access them – it’s also an advantage that you can access them from anywhere rather than needing to be in the office. Helping us to standardise our project practices and particularly the reporting process. Support and training from Bestoutcome is excellent.

Cons:

Because the range of functions and options is huge, it's sometimes easy to forget where the option you need is... however, I'd sooner have the options than a simpler product without them

PPM Software

Comments: The implementation and ongoing support from BestOutcome has been really good.

Pros:

As the project portfolio grew in the organisation the management started to become unwieldy and we needed a system to help prioritise, manage, report and standardise ways of working. The PM3 system ticked all the boxes in what we were looking for.

Cons:

Task management/team member access didn't really work for us, so we abandoned that fairly quickly. We stuck to using Microsoft Project for task scheduling and use PM3 for reporting on milestones only.

Best Outcome- Forward thinking supplier with ease to adapt to changing needs

Comments: My overall experience has been positive, our customer support [sensitive content hidden] has always been extremely helpful and worked in conjunction with us in terms of developments. He is friendly and approachable and goes the extra miles to ensure customer satisfaction. We have made huge development in the system and continue to develop and roll out to the trust and it is a pleasure to work alongside a supplier that is prepared to listen to suggestions.

Pros:

The software is easy to use and provides an environment in which projects can be managed successfully. It is self explanatory in terms of use and provides accurate reporting in various reports . I use this software daily in terms of the project plan and actions and i like how it allows for everything to be recorded in one place.

Cons:

Programme Management, milestones cannot be added to a plan unless a project is created and how linked dependencies cannot be moved as a series and each date needs to be amended individually. More work is required on the programme aspect of PM3

pm3

Comments: We have had great support from [sensitive content hidden] to get us set up and assisting quickly and clearly with any issues or queries.

Pros:

Has a lot of great functions, which allow Project Managers to implement a lot of detail for their projects

Cons:

Some of the functionality of it isn't very straightforward or easy

A simple tool when setting up a new PMO

Comments: It has give the leadership team to have a visibility of overall portfolio progress

Pros:

Ease of portfolio management and easy to create custom reports with Datamart on PowerBi

Cons:

Project management functionalities are not that great compare to other project management tool in the market

pm3

Pros:

Another project management application that was quite successful. Thanks to the cloud implementation, the integration was seamless. The business priority matrix is an advantage over other applications. The filter based on risk, value or benefit is very useful and I appreciate this processing. The app is user friendly, nice to use, quite intuitive. Groups of users can be created, so that task management does not have to be on one person, but also on the group. Dashboards and charts are very clear and nicely processed.

Cons:

I didn't find any feature that I didn't like or had a problem with. Integration fine, controls fine, clear, I recommend it.

PM3 Review

Pros:

From an administration POV the system works great, we can manage who has access to what live partitions and monitor their training before granting access.

Cons:

PM3 can feel confusing when first logging into the system however when accompanied with the training this is not an issue.

Great Tool, excellent support and lots more to come.

Pros:

This is an excellent tool that enables us to provide consistency and collaborative reporting across the organisation. The bespoke configuration options enable us to make this tool work in the way we need it to. The plethora of report options provides us with the ability to create reporting, from Project to Portfolio. The ease of Dashboard creation gives all PM's and Project Sponsors the ability to create their own key metrics report. We have already commenced with rolling out the next stage of resource management and have plans to expand this further to the other modules PM3 provide. The support we received throughout rollout and continue to receive post-implementation was & is exceptional

Cons:

We are new to the system and are still learning about all the full value this will provide but, initial thoughts are the ability to drill down into the detail showing on the Dashboard would be very beneficial.

PM3 in a healthcare setting

Comments: I would highly recommend PM3 for any organisation serious about having a single oversight of all their change work and for those who want to manage delivery in a consistent way. Implementation was painless and relatively simple with good support from the supplier who continue to provide first-class ongoing support and engagement.

Pros:

Easy to use, quick to implement and more used than competitor software previously deployed in the organisation. Customer support is first class and BestOutcome work hard at customer relations and ongoing product development

Cons:

Gateway management is a bit "clunky" but is on the development roadmap for improvement in 2022. The ability to develop customised reports within the software would be a great asset. Portfolio dashboards for executive use on an app version would really engage executives in the system and its capabilities

Procurement, implementation and deployment of PM3 in an NHS environment.

Comments: Great overall first-hand personable support from the whole PM3 team including at [SENSITIVE CONTENT]. Responsive and understanding in procurement negotiations. Vastly experienced practitioners on hand to support the implementation of the tool. Flexibility shown with short notice changes in training requirements during deployment. Data is entered into PM3 once where oversight can then be sought through a suite of over 100 ready to use configurable reports, saving time at all levels from project teams to the PMO to Director level committees and boards. Project documentation can be uploaded onto the tool, again helping to ensure golden source data and information. Can be used for Agile projects along with the more traditional waterfall projects. The PM3 mobile app helps with being able to access information while on the move. For NHS users: The partitioning function allow for multiple organisations such as Integrated Care providers (ICP) and Integrated Care Systems to capture appropriate related programmes and projects therefore avoiding duplication of effort and misreporting. The Cost Improvement Plan (CIP) functionality allows for the planning, capturing, measuring and monitoring of CIP projects and schemes with a suite of reports built specifically for the NHS and financial savings programme.

Pros:

The easy-to-use, intuitive and ISO27001 certified (information security) PM3 tool plays an important part in the planning, governance and reporting of portfolios, business change programmes, programmes and projects. The tool provides a valuable golden single source, providing consistency and visibility across the organisation at all levels. It’s obvious that this award-winning tool has been developed by practitioners for practitioners and that the provider understands what success looks like for the client.

Cons:

Not all parts of the PM3 tool can be configured to local requirements but the benefits of a genuine long-term lasting partnership with the client and access to forums such as the Power User Group means that appropriate changes can be considered for future releases.

Simple to use, yet powerful to report

Comments: PM3 allows you to manage ever changing portfolios in a fast paced world - I was able to split my portfolio between Agile and Waterfall depending on my business segments. This often gets overlooked and you are usually forced to choose between the two - not with PM3. It allows you to slice the cake in many different ways.

Pros:

The simplicity of the tool allows users to be quickly trained and ensures the speed at which PM3 can be deployed is lightening fast. Don't confuse simplicity with inadequate - the tool is incredibly powerful to plan and manage a complex Portfolio and the reporting modules allow you to extract the data in clear format for Senior Leadership reporting.

Cons:

I have used many PPM tools and most fail due to highly inefficient methods of doing simple tasks. PM3 is not one of those tools.

Brilliant experience of PM3 - perfect project management software!

Comments: We have around 104 projects in total on PM3, around 30-40 of them are live ones. I have had a very positive experience with PM3 and I do really enjoy using it. I think the Best Outcome Team are also very responsive and useful and are always happy to deal with any requests, which also adds to my PM3 experience. We have many projects which are completed and finished, and over the past year there has been an increase in the uptake of staff on PM3. I think there are many useful tabs/functions in PM3 which definitely support staff in completing their projects.

Pros:

I really like how PM3 is very methodical and logical and a very easy software to navigate round. You can capture all aspects of your project and it can keep track of all your actions/tasks/milestones as well as notifying users with email reminders. PM3 definitely ensures that your project remains on track and is fantastic in generating a wide range of reports that can be printed/emailed very easily. The layout is very clear and simple and when I first started my role in PMO, it did not take very long for me to come to grips with the system, there are also brilliant user help guides and videos that are available which provide you with lots of new information.

Cons:

The only thing I like least about this software is that unfortunately the milestone and task pages are not linked to the actions page which causes users to duplicate information (i.e. milestones that have been completed and closed do not appear as closed on the actions page). However, I understand that these are 2 separate and independent pages and it would not be feasible to join them together, this is only a minor issue and does not cause users problems. Apart from that I see no other fault with the software.

Straightforward, comprehensive and clear

Comments: Driving consistency in reporting across the change community provides a balanced view of progress and challenges providing clear insight at multiple levels from delivery through to senior management enabling focus on prioritisation for dependencies and support for challenges.
From a Project management perspective you don't spend hours feeding information into the system and from a Programme, Portfolio or PMO perspective the output provides clear information regarding progress, trends, dependencies and issue management

Pros:

Focus on on top down visibility of core P3 metrics via dashboards that can be shared, without customisation, to senior stakeholders. From a delivery perspective updating is intuitive and efficient and drives consistency from all project and programme managers. Especially like the governance dashboard, an excellent tool to provide a clear presentation of change health and compliance

Cons:

PM3 isn't a one for all solution, still requiring planning tools such as MS Project for detailed scheduling, however I've not found a P3 product that does both effectively and efficiently. This is a minor gripe as most PMs are used to using separate planning and reporting toolsets

Great intuitive tool.Enables us to drive best practice and consistency across the portfolio.

Comments: PM3 has helped drive consistency and standards across our portfolio. Following our upgrade to PM3 Cloud, we have also been able to drive efficiencies through the removal of duplication (e.g. Excel RAIDD) and manual reporting.

Pros:

Great intuitive tool that enables us to drive best practice and consistency across the portfolio. We use it as the single source for our portfolio of change. It helps our project and programme management teams manage end to end delivery, as well as providing our stakeholders with timely status reporting. The ‘out of the box’ reports have been designed with stakeholders at all levels in mind and the choice is far greater than other project management tool that I have used. The inbuilt governance features are a great fit with our project governance framework and hep provide additional assurance of project control. The Bestoutome team are great to work with. They not only listen, but bring a considerable amount of practical PPM and technical knowledge, experience and expertise. Their support has been invaluable not only in preparing for the PM3 cloud upgrade and on boarding our users, but also the on-going embedding and service support. PM3 is a great tool for any organisation, regardless of maturity.

Cons:

Plan lock is a common issue when users finish their session. However, Bestoutcome have built in a flag that tells the user that the plan is locked and who to. Despite training and reminders, some users forget to do this correctly. It will be great if we could have a message appear telling the user that they have not logged out of their session, when exiting said session or logging out of the tool.

Refinement

Comments: As a business we are still in the very early stages of using the tool. Initial observations are that it is excellent on some things and other areas need much more work to make the tool intuitive to use. This can be resolved via more updates I'm sure.
Support via the help desk and via my account managers has been first class and Best Outcome have shown great flexibility around changes in Licence application during the Covid 19 period when our Programme was put on hold.
Management of updates is clear and very thorough with release notes easy to follow.

Pros:

The ability to draw a no.of projects together into a Programme and/or Portfolio and to draw in reports form all in selected views. The ability to hold all major project governance in one place e.g risks/issues/ dependencies. Reporting flexibility and range across plans/projects/programmes/portfolio Ease of user control and self configurable access controls

Cons:

Plans - Gantt Chart usage - This is clunky at best and not intuitive. Convincing users of Microsoft Project to switch to using the tool has been an on going challenge. An easier import function may help resolve this. Using X to exit the plan. Many users forget and has caused frustrations in plans with joint PM use. Inconsistency of areas with auto save functionality and those where it requires manual save.

PM3 PPM Tool

Comments: PM3 is a very user intuitive tool. It is very easy to coach people how to use. There is new functionality which means that you can customise the experience for every different type of user that may require access to the tool, hiding the information they are not required to update and showing that they are.

Pros:

PM3 has recently moved to a new cloud based version and it has made the tool even more intuitive for the users. It is a great tool for users and administrators alike as you can make many setting amendments as an Administrator that will apply to the users in real-time. Customisable fields mean that you have the flexibility to build the tool to fit the needs of your business. The way the tool is structured means that the information captured by your Project managers can be easily sliced using the portfolios structure and reported either immediately or at specified times for your recipients.

Cons:

You need to think about the structure in tool when planning how you want to report as there are three levels within the reporting structure. This works well for a Project > Programme > Portfolio structure but needs amendment if you need to capture lots of detail around workstreams. However, there is always a work around within the tool that means it can work if you shift everything up a level or consider the levels you want to report at when structuring your tiers in the tool.