# Project Management Information Systems (PMISs):
## 2 Literature Review  
Nowadays, PMISs have been increasingly used by PMs as decision-aiding support tools. With this recognition, several contributions deal with the application of PMISs and the evaluation of their usefulness and performance, also focusing on the determination of basic features required by PMIS users. In [11], the impact of PMISs on PMs and projects performance is assessed. In particular, responses to questionnaires administered to thirty-nine PMs are analyzed to highlight the positive influence of PMIS on planning, scheduling, monitoring and controlling. In addition, the authors emphasize how important the reporting feature of PMISs is in providing project information and progress over time. In order to design a PMIS software, a REFerence information MODEL for enterprise-wide Project Management (Ref-ModPM) is proposed by [12]. The model includes all project management processes (e.g., planning, controlling and coordinating), and it is suitable for both single and multi-project management to find out the basic requirements that a commercial software should have. In [13], the author demonstrates the successful contribution of PMIS use in every phase of the project life cycle by a conceptual model tested by means of data acquired from 170 experienced respondents. Referring to a multi-project environment, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [14] report PMIS features that facilitate the decision-making process, and point out relationships between PMIS information quality and PMs' satisfaction with PMISs. Results arising from a survey are used to test the hypotheses using a Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression analysis. Referring to construction projects, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [15] propose a model that considers different aspects such as the system, information and service quality, intention of PMIS use, and user satisfaction to assess the impact of PMISs on project management. In [16], the authors claim that the choice of PMISs depends on both the sector in which the company operates and the type of project to be managed. With reference to the shipbuilding industry, this paper proposes an integrated approach constituted by a PMIS to plan and schedule the project activities, Project Data Management (PDM) to deal with documents and to share know-how, and a Control Tower (CT) to monitor and manage events and to broadcast messages among the different actors. Referring to an Indian construction project, [PERSON] et al. [17] compare results obtained by Microsoft Excel with those arising from the use of Microsoft Project, thus highlighting the higher expense in terms of the times and costs of Excel. By the distribution of questionnaires to contractors, consultants, engineers and academic researchers, [PERSON] et al. [18] analyze the impact of PMISs on project failure rates in the Nigerian construction industry. Frequency analysis and the Chi-Squared test are used on collected data to demonstrate the positive contribution of PMISs on to the project success. With relation to ERP projects, [PERSON] et al. [19] perform Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and regression analysis to demonstrate that users' satisfaction is strongly influenced by friendliness, functional information, and support-service quality. On the other hand, few contributions specifically focus on determining the basic features required by PMISs software users. In [20], the definition and the conceptual development of a Smart Project Management Information System (SPMIS) are given. The authors report an overview on principal commercial PMISs software at a worldwide level and describe the main 25 features they should have (e.g., initiation, planning and scheduling, resource management, control, risk and documents management). In the authors' opinion, most of the analyzed software does not meet the requirements of today's PMs. Referring to the construction sector, [PERSON] et al. [21] highlight that interviewed professionals are mainly interested in activities/resources scheduling, resources levelling and net present value tools.