Since project management emerged as a distinct area of expertise during the middle of the 20th century, it has become a multi-faceted and refined art. In Australia, there will be an estimated 121,000 project management professionals by 2022, according to Upskilled, with 8,400 more roles opening up in the next five years. The Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) represents its members in more than 19 industries, and its 2020 Project Delivery Performance in Australia report states that 64% of the 492 professionals surveyed think that project management skills will be more important in the future.

Accompanying the growth in project management as a discipline is project management (PM) software, which has become a must-have for businesses across all industries. We surveyed nearly 500 managers from small businesses in Australia to find out about the benefits of project management software, what they think of it, and how it helps their company thrive. See the full methodology at the end of this page.

Project management software is widespread among Australian businesses. 65% of the people we surveyed use project management software of some kind. 37% use just one tool, while 29% use two or more. A further 13% do not use dedicated project management software yet, but are interested in it. 98% say project management software meets their needs

The people we spoke to are overwhelmingly happy with their project management tools. 69% say it meets their business needs and 28% say it does partially. Overall, whether happy or not, less than 1% of managers are actively looking for something new. 

Many of those managers who use project management software also had a good experience during implementation, although most saw some initial resistance from their staff:

• 44% said that their employees fully supported the rollout.
• 27% said employees were worried that it could mean more work for them.
• In 12% of cases, employees did not see the value of the new tool.
• For 11%, employees did not want to learn how to use the new tool.

Of those who have not implemented project management software, the most common reason is that they are ‘not familiar with PM software or what it can do for me’ (34%), followed by price (27%).

What do people look for in project management software?

Regardless of what industry they work in, project managers have to contend with the unexpected every day. Our survey participants cited a long list of project management challenges they face. The most common were:

• ‘Respond[ing] to changes that may arise during the course of the project’ (32%)
• ‘Not exceeding budget’ (32%)
• ’Having the necessary resources’ (31%)

Consequently, managers choose software with features that help them meet these challenges. The people we spoke to look for a range of features in their software, including:

• Time management, such as calendar, planning, and time tracking (62%)
• Task management (62%)
• Budget management and cost monitoring (48%)

Cloud used by one-third of companies

When it comes to deployment models, most of the managers in our survey (58%) use project management software that is installed on computers as opposed to the 33% who use cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

How has the pandemic affected project management?

The pandemic has put many of Australia’s projects on hold. According to the AIPM Project Delivery Performance in Australia report, 58% of respondents say that the COVID-19 shutdown has had a moderate or significant impact and caused the delay of projects and programs of work. Of the people we surveyed, one-third (33%) say that their employees are working completely remotely, while 21% are mixing remote work with work in the office.

A large majority (77%) of those we spoke to found their project management tools beneficial while employees were working remotely during the pandemic (41% said ‘beneficial’ and 36% said ‘very beneficial’). Indeed, 60% of respondents who use PM software have implemented a new project management tool since the pandemic began.

What are people willing to pay for project management software?

Project management software varies in cost between nothing and many hundreds —even thousands— of dollars. When we asked all survey participants what they would be prepared to pay for project management software per user per month, most people (44%) would pay between $11 and $50. 12% would only consider freeware, but 9% would be prepared to pay over $100.

Many of those who already use project management tools would be prepared to increase their budget for them. 36% would be prepared to pay an extra $10 per user per month, and 29% would pay up to $50 more.

In summary

Overall, managers at Australian small businesses make widespread use of project management tools and are happy with the outcomes and price of their investment. They have also particularly appreciated the benefits of their PM tools during the pandemic. Managing time, tasks, and budget are the most common features managers look for, and the most common price bracket for project management software is between $10 and $50 per user per month.