What's the difference between project and portfolio management in education?

Project management focuses on individual initiatives like a website redesign or a research grant. Portfolio management provides a bird’s-eye view of all projects, helping institutions balance resources and decide what to prioritize. Most organizations need both once they manage multiple projects at the same time.

Do education teams need resource management or just task tracking?

Small teams running only a few projects can often rely on task tracking. When multiple projects share the same staff, resource management becomes essential. It replaces guesswork with clear visibility into availability and workloads.

How should schools consider data residency and privacy requirements?

Start by identifying the regulations that apply to your institution and any grant-specific requirements. Then ask vendors where data is stored, how it is protected, and which compliance certifications they maintain.

What integrations matter most for education project management software?

Single sign-on is important to reduce password fatigue. Integration with productivity suites like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 improves collaboration. HR and finance integrations matter when resource availability or budget data needs to sync automatically.

How do you drive adoption across departments?

Identify champions in each department and involve them early. Offer real training rather than just documentation. Highlight quick wins that solve everyday problems, and allow time for change, which often moves slowly in academic environments.

What should pilots measure to make confident decisions?

Measure user adoption and the time saved on reporting or resource planning. Collect honest feedback on usability. Make sure dashboards support real decision-making and test how responsive vendor support is during the pilot.