Project Management
Project Management Tools
The Top 5 Project Management Tools
Gantt Charts
•A Gantt chart is a visualization of your project timeline and the dependencies between
your various work items. Gantt charts are helpful in keeping track of the project schedule,
checking for any deviations from the project plan and identifying delays.
•In project management, Gantt charts are an important tool in planning. It provides a complete
picture of the work breakdown structure and aids in allocating resources efficiently, be it time,
money or human resources. It maps the inter-dependencies between the different work items,
helps in prioritizing the critical tasks and reducing scope creep.
Work Breakdown Structure
•It's a hierarchical breakdown of your project goal into actionable work
items. WBS follows a hierarchy where your end goal is split into stages
that can be further divided into tasks or sub-tasks. This helps in planning
every single aspect of your project without leaving anything to chance.
The breakdown gives clarity on the time and resources that would be
needed and hence helps in setting the planned constraints for a project.
•WBS helps not only in planning but also in the execution phase of your
project. Work is executed in parts that make up a whole. Managing these
parts is easier not only in terms of tracking the work but also in case of
setbacks.
Project Baseline
• A project baseline is a graphical way of representing your project values by comparing
the baseline which is the standard you set for your project against your actual
performance.
• The project baseline is a project management tool that encompasses the scope baseline,
cost baseline, and schedule baseline. Your baseline helps in tracking your real-time
progress. It can also help avoid scope creep by keeping the unplanned work in check.
• Unplanned work is a major factor that can affect your project's cost, time, and scope. It
causes a domino effect. Firstly, there's a risk that the project has gone out of scope by
including this extra work. Even if not, the time and cost of the project will have
increased. If you don't want to compromise those constraints, the quality of your project
will have to take a back seat.
Team Building Activities
Team building activities are a way to improve morale and boost the productivity of your
teams by conducting activities or healthy competitions. From group surfing lessons to team
pot luck, there's a wide range of fun activities you can use as part of corporate team building.
The connection between team building and PM tools may not be obvious. But the
relationships between the team, as well as with the stakeholders, are as important to a project
as planning or execution. And this is an easy way to strengthen these relationships.
Team building activities may include encouraging competitions conducted in a controlled
environment to disrupt the rat race that's often part of everyday workplace culture. It can also
encourage creativity, highlight your team members' various talents, and motivates people to
work together to find the best solutions
Communications Management Plan
A project communication plan is a tool that
ensures there's a regular, relevant flow of
information between the project members,
clients, and other stakeholders. The plan includes
details regarding who communicates what, to
whom and how often.
Key Features of Project Management Tools
•Project estimation
•Budgeting
•Resource allocation
•Collaboration
•Quality management
•Project administration
•Risk management
The PERT and CPM Procedure
• Analyze the project to define the activities and events,
• Sequence the activities,
• Estimate times and costs of activities and events,
• Draw the network,
• Analyze events and activities to find critical path, and
• Monitor and control.
Project Analysis
• As a first step the project manager has to identify all the activities that must be performed in order to
reach the objective. Project managers generally use work breakdown structure to define the activities
and their scopes. A work breakdown structure is a task-oriented, project- specific group of activities
broken down into manageable work packages. By using work breakdown structure the manager
attempts to ensure:
o Manageability, in that, specific responsibility can be assigned,
o Integra ability, so that the total project can be seen as the summation of the lower level activities, and
o Measurability, to be able to measure the performance against a quantifiable standard.
• Each activity should be clearly defined so that clear cut responsibilities and authorities can be assigned to
individual expert or team of experts.
Sequence the Activities
• Once the content of each activity is defined in term of work breakdown structure, scope of work, and
written list of assumptions, the sequence of execution is determined. Activity sequencing deals with the
connections and interdependencies that exist within a project. For example, you cannot sit for an
examination before enrolling for a course. Thus, sitting for an examination is dependent on enrollment.
The earlier activity in a dependency relationship is called the predecessor activity and the later is called
the succeeding activity. Dependency can be technical or discretionary. Technical dependency occurs as a
result of the technology used or the nature of work. For example, remove cap of pen before usage.
Technical dependency is also known as hard logic because it must be adhered to while drawing the
network. Discretionary dependency is also called soft logic because it is not mandatory. It is an outcome
of best practices or conventions. The network planner can alter sequence at his own discretion. For
example, pay-and-ride or ride-and-pay sequence can be altered without affecting the outcome. This type
of dependency is not technology dependent rather convention dependent.
Estimate Activity Time and Cost
• To ensure a good estimation of time Assume normal level of work load,
the following guideline should be Assume a normal work day, and
used by the managers, Be willing to breakup activities into
Consult the expert or group of experts smaller units (if required).
who will be responsible for the activity,
Use consistent time units for all
activities,
Make all time estimates realistic,
Phases of Project Management
Project Initiation
Project Planning
Project Execution
Project Monitoring and Controlling
Project Closing
The 7S Notes of Project Management
Strategy
Structure
Systems
Staff
Style
Skills
Superordinate goals
Pitfalls in Project Management
Conceptualizing a project
Planning a project
Organizing a project
Controlling a project
Conceptualizing a Project
•Insufficient Support
•Goals and Policies
Planning a Project
•Plan Level
•Planning Tools
•Planning Range
•Cost Estimate
•Resource Estimate
Project Organization
•Inappropriate structure
•Distribution of responsibility
•Non-availability of key resources:
•Project managers are technocrats
Project Control
•Purpose of Control
•Formalized Communication
•Integrating Plans and Progress Report
•Responsibilities and Authorities