Software we use at work
A short list, taken from our own write-ups. Each one says what we use it for and where it falls short. None of these are paid placements.
For running portfolios and programmes
monday.com
The portfolio tool we keep coming back to. One board per portfolio with status, phase and milestones, programme boards underneath, and automations that flag a red milestone or an overdue action.
Watch out: resource planning is weak, finance tracking is basic, and it gets expensive at scale. Try it on real work, not a test project.
AI in our working week
Model and feature names change every few months. What we describe is the job each tool does, which has stayed the same.
ChatGPT
Our main thinking tool: structuring reports and governance papers, rewriting dense text in plain English, sense-checking risk registers and generating options.
Watch out: it does not replace knowing what good looks like. You still have to judge what it gives you.
Notion AI
Ask plain-language questions of your notes, documents and meeting records instead of hunting through folders. Very useful when you manage a complex portfolio.
Watch out: the feature names keep changing. What is worth paying for is a knowledge base you can ask questions of.
Otter.ai
Joins your video calls, transcribes as you talk and writes a summary afterwards. Being able to search what was decided three weeks later is the real value.
Watch out: summary quality is uneven. Rely on the transcript, not the summary.
Perplexity
Our replacement for a search engine on most research tasks: a cited answer that pulls sources together, for regulatory changes, vendor research or a new technical area.
Note: this area is moving fast. Research tools are starting to work inside documents and spreadsheets too, so expect the details to keep changing.