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Essential Project Management Design Tools

Storyboards, site maps, and flowcharts are project planning and design tools. Storyboards illustrate scenes in a sequence to describe motion or animation. Site maps show the hierarchical structure and navigation of a website. Flowcharts use symbols and lines to visually represent processes and workflows, showing the relationships between steps. Gantt charts are used to schedule project tasks and activities, displaying start and completion times to track progress.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
10 views5 pages

Essential Project Management Design Tools

Storyboards, site maps, and flowcharts are project planning and design tools. Storyboards illustrate scenes in a sequence to describe motion or animation. Site maps show the hierarchical structure and navigation of a website. Flowcharts use symbols and lines to visually represent processes and workflows, showing the relationships between steps. Gantt charts are used to schedule project tasks and activities, displaying start and completion times to track progress.

Uploaded by

Tariq Adani
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Project Management:Design Tools

StoryBoards:

- A storyboard is a Planning tool. It has a sequence of pictures showing


details for a product.

- displays images in a chronological sequence, usually to describe a motion


picture

- illustrates what each page, scene or screen will look like in an animation
sequence

- Help a design team and clients (users) arrive at the same understanding
of what the page will do

- can be hand drawn or made on a computer


> online versions also exist (with limited options)

SiteMaps:

- planning tool that allows users to visualize the hierarchical pages of a


website and the number of clicks required to access each page

>shows all web-pages of a website


>diagram showing the whole structure of a website

-can give a planar view of all the structures and the hierarchy of how they
link up

Can be used for two purposes:

1. In planning for a website

> allows designers to plan the layout of content of a product


2. On the finished website, which is hyperlinked to show hierarchy

> table of contents page that contain links to all web-pages on the
website

Flowcharts:

-Diagram used to explain a process or workflow

-shows a series of chronological steps and relationship between each step

- Visual/graphical representation of the flow of logic in a problem solution

>Series of a shape joined by lines that show the flow


>lines show the flow of data
. data flow can go both ways

-can assist in designing a navigation system based on pair user decision


and options whilst using the product

-can allow designers to examine users decision making processes while


using the product

-need to use internationally recognised symbols (as shown on next page)

-algorithm described in a flowchart will begin and end with a rounded


shapes (i.e Start and End)

-Symbols are connected using flow lines, with arrows to show in which
direction we trace through

-any action that needs to be performed is drawn in a rectangle

-any action that needs to be performed is drawn in a diamond

-any information inputted/outputted is drawn in a parallelogram


Flowchart Design Guidelines

-flowchart should be clear, neat and easy to follow


>there should not be any room for ambiguity in understanding the
flowchart

-in drawing a proper flowchart, all necessary requirements should be listed


out in logical order

-usual direction of the flow of a procedure or system is from left-to-right


or top-to-bottom

-ensure that flowchart has a logical start and finish

-only one flow line should come out from a process symbol

-only one flow line should enter a decision symbol

-only one flow line should enter a decision symbol but two or three flow
lines ( one for each possible ) could leave the decision symbol

-write within standard flowchart symbols briefly

Flowchart Design Guidelines (contd.)

-if the flowchart becomes complex it is better use connector symbols to


reduce the number of flowlines

>avoid the intersection of flow lines if you want to make it more effective
and better way of communication

-when finished it is useful to test the validity of the flowchart by passing


through it with a simple test data

Example:

-Working out and displaying ‘Parking Fee’


1. What is the number of hours a customer has parked in the parking
lot?
2. If the number is 2 or less, Parking is free
3. If the number is 5 or more, the maximum fee of $5 is to be charged
4. If the number is more than 2 hours less than 5 the parking fee will be
$1 multiplied by the number of hours

Gantt chart

-Popular tool used to plan and schedule time relationship among project
activities

-horizontal bar chart showing project phases and activities

-Shows the start and completion of all tasks and time for a project

>task and time taken for each task, with approximate completion dates
>horizontal axis across the top (or sometimes bottom) represents time
>Vertical axis (left side) displays the list of the required tasks/activities

- When one bar is on top of another, those two tasks can be completed at
the same time

- When one bar is linked by an arrow to another bar, the second task is
dependent on the first

-can be used to efficiently allocate labor and resources to each task

-can compare actual progress to estimated progress


> to allow project managers to clearly evaluate project performance

Common questions

Powered by AI

A Gantt chart would be more beneficial in scenarios where the primary need is to manage and visualize the time relationships between various project phases and activities. It allows project managers to track the start and completion dates of tasks, allocate resources efficiently, and compare actual progress against projected timelines . In contrast, storyboards are better suited for visual sequence alignment and sitemaps for web navigation structures, making Gantt charts superior for overseeing project timelines and dependencies rather than content or navigation-related planning .

Testing a logic model with sample data using flowcharts can identify errors or inefficiencies in decision paths and data flows, revealing possible process improvements before implementation . Flowcharts allow for easy visualization of where the logic might fail or succeed, providing a comprehensive overview to troubleshoot effectively. However, potential drawbacks include the simplification of complex processes which might overlook intricate scenarios or exceptions . Additionally, interpreting flowcharts requires a basic understanding of visual logic representations, which may not be intuitive for all users, potentially leading to misinterpretations or oversights if used in isolation .

Flowchart design guidelines emphasize visual clarity and the logical sequence of flow from start to finish, utilizing standardized symbols connected by flow lines to represent decision points and processes. There is a focus on avoiding ambiguity by reducing complexity using connectors and preventing the overlap of flow lines . In comparison, Gantt charts primarily focus on visually representing the timeline of tasks and their dependencies using horizontal bars, without specific symbols for decisions or processes . While sitemaps tend to show structural webpage hierarchy, they don't follow strict symbol guidelines typical of flowcharts or timelines like Gantt charts, emphasizing the user's navigation path instead .

Gantt charts facilitate the tracking of task dependencies and project progress through their horizontal bar structure, which separates tasks along a timeline to clearly show when tasks start and complete. Dependencies between tasks are indicated with arrows linking task bars, enabling project managers to visualize which tasks must be completed before others begin . This contrasts with flowcharts, which visualize logical sequences and decision-making paths, thus focusing more on processes rather than explicit temporal or task dependencies. Gantt charts allow for quick assessment of whether projects are on schedule and aid in resource allocation, while flowcharts serve a different function more aligned with operational pathway analysis .

Flowchart design guidelines play a crucial role in enhancing clarity and effectiveness by standardizing symbols and flow directions. They emphasize the importance of logical ordering and clear, unambiguous pathways, ensuring that the flow of the process or system is easily understandable . By preventing complexity through the use of connector symbols, clean flow lines, and avoiding intersections, these guidelines ensure that complex systems are depicted in a way that stakeholders can readily comprehend and analyze. This standardized visual language facilitates accurate communication of workflows and supports effective decision-making .

Storyboards are vital in animation sequence planning as they provide a visual representation of each scene or screen in chronological sequence. By using a common visual language, they help align the understanding between design teams and clients, ensuring everyone shares the same vision for the product. This minimizes miscommunication by offering a tangible reference that details what each part of an animation will do or look like . Without storyboards, teams might rely solely on verbal descriptions, which are prone to interpretation differences, potentially leading to inconsistent outcomes between what was planned and what is delivered.

Flowcharts are used in product design to map out the sequence of actions and decision points that a user might encounter while interacting with a product. By representing the flow of logic and decision-making processes through internationally recognized symbols, designers can visualize and analyze different paths a user might take and prepare for various scenarios . This helps in identifying potential user interface improvements and optimizes navigation systems, ensuring a more intuitive and efficient user experience by predicting and accommodating user behavior .

During the planning phase, sitemaps allow designers to visualize the layout and hierarchical structure of website content, which informs efficient and user-friendly navigation pathways. By clearly denoting access points and click paths, they help organize content logically before the site is built . On a completed website, sitemaps serve as a navigational aid, often hyperlinked, functioning like a table of contents to demonstrate the hierarchy and provide direct access to various pages. This enhances user experience by simplifying navigation, thereby increasing usability and facilitating easier information retrieval .

Online storyboard tools enhance team collaboration by enabling easy sharing and modification of storyboards, thus ensuring seamless updates and version control. They can provide a central location for team members to contribute and comment, increasing the efficiency of project development . However, the document notes limitations in terms of options available with online storyboard tools, suggesting they might not offer the same flexibility or richness of features as traditional or offline methods, potentially limiting creativity or precision in some cases .

Storyboards are primarily used to sequence visual or screen events for products like animations or films, helping design teams and clients align on a shared vision of a product's function and appearance . Sitemaps assist in visualizing the hierarchical structure and navigation paths of a website, enabling efficient content layout planning and navigation assessment on both planning and completed sites . Flowcharts, however, map out processes or workflows using symbols for a visual representation of logical sequences and decision-making processes in product development . Each tool offers unique benefits: storyboards enable clear visual narratives, sitemaps organize and clarify website navigation, and flowcharts provide insightful process visualizations for user interactions and options management.

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