Post on 25-Feb-2016
description
Moving from Strategy to Project
Project Management SoftwareJoseph F. McLaughlin
jfmclaugh@gmail.comwww.nonproftech.info
Agenda• A. “Six Views of PM (Project
Management) Software"– Techsoup.org
(http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec)• B. Some considerations• C. Software packages/vids
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Agenda• A. “Six Views of PM (Project
Management) Software"– Techsoup.org
(http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec)• B. Some considerations• C. Software packages/vids
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A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects2. Managing tasks3. Sharing/collaborating on
documents4. Sharing calendars/contact lists5. Managing issues/bugs6. Tracking time
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A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects
• What planner must do:– define project schedule– understand critical path– assess/allocate resources
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A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects
• What software must do for tasks:– details– assignments– time estimate: Gantt
charts– links between tasks:
visual maps
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A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects
• Considerations:– high-level planning– probably requires dedicated staff–maybe not good for smaller orgs– TechSoup found no software that did it
all• Possible software :–MS (Microsoft) Project (generally true for
#1-6)– DreamTeam (SalesForce) 7
A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects
• Possible software :–MS (Microsoft) Project (generally true for
#1-6)– DreamTeam (SalesForce)
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A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects2. Managing tasks3. Sharing/collaborating on
documents4. Sharing calendars/contact lists5. Managing issues/bugs6. Tracking time
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A. 6 views of PM software2. Managing tasks
• What staff must do for task:– define– assign– create deadline– track to completion
• Most common approach/need
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A. 6 views of PM software2. Managing tasks
• Considerations:– lower-level than 1. Planning Projects– typically a collaborative process
• Possible software:– Basecamp– Remember The Milk
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A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects2. Managing tasks3. Sharing/collaborating on
documents4. Sharing calendars/contact lists5. Managing issues/bugs6. Tracking time
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A. 6 views of PM software3&4. Sharing/collaborating
• What staff must do:– share/collaborate on files, calendars,
contacts, etc.– keep track of revisions and attachments– possibly work from different locations
• collaboration planning
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A. 6 views of PM software3&4. Sharing/collaborating
• Possible software:–MS: Office 365,
Outlook, Exchange, SharePoint, etc.
– Google: docs, spreadsheets, calendars, Google+, groups, sites, etc.
– DropBox
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Agenda• A. “Six Views of PM (Project
Management) Software"– Techsoup.org
(http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec)• B. Some considerations• C. Software packages/vids
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B. Some considerations• Email: probably a poor choice for
communications in planning– everything else has learning curve
• Spreadsheets: a poor choice for storing/manipulating info– databases- steepest learning curve of all
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B. Some considerations• Spreadsheets: often a poor choice for
storing/manipulating info– databases- steepest learning curve of all
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B. Some considerations• “To cloud” or “not to cloud”:
– “cloud-based”= “web/browser-based”
– no installation req– otherwise on your server(s)– security issues:
• web companies’ reputations based on security
• stuff happens• if you have IT staff, maybe use server-
based• home office/ remote login may create
security threat
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B. Some considerations• “To cloud” or “not to
cloud”:– security issues:• web companies’ reputations
based on security• stuff happens• if you have IT staff, maybe
use server-based• home office/ remote login
may create security threat
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B. Some considerations• $$:– limited free (small), open-source– www.techsoup.org/stock: software for
admin $$ to qualifying NPOs– even most $$ software probably
affordable for most
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Agenda• A. “Six Views of PM (Project
Management) Software"– Techsoup.org
(http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec)• B. Some considerations• C. Software packages/vids
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C. Software packages• MS Project:–MANY features/ steep learning curve– develop the plans up-front– requires dedicated planner– best if already MS-based (Office,
Outlook, etc.)– probably gold-standard of planning–may be overkill for smaller orgs
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C. Software packages• Basecamp:– cloud-based– smaller teams, less complex planning– no calendars or Gantt charts, poor task
management– good file management/sharing– focused on dispersed teams– “Basecamp is built first and foremost for
speed.”23
C. Software packages• DreamTeam (SalesForce)– free for NPOs (10 licenses)– one notch down from MS Project
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C. Software packages• Google collaboration:
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C. Software packages• Google:– Gold standard of (free) online collaboration– Apps free for NPOs: Google services on
steroids– If you don’t see what you need, check back
tomorrow……• Useful for planning:
– Google groups are wiki-like- use instead of email– Google sites are a weak point– Gantt charts for spreadsheets– GroupCamp for Apps
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C. Software packages• Google:– Gold standard of (free) online collaboration– Apps free for NPOs: Google services on steroids– If you don’t see what you need, check back
tomorrow……• Useful for planning:
– Google groups are wiki-like- use instead of email– Google sites are a weak point– Gantt charts for spreadsheets– GroupCamp for Apps– Google docs upgraded collaboration tools
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C. Software package vids• MS Project 7 min• Basecamp:
– easy participation 2– peoples’ pages 2– calendar 2.5– drag & drop 1
• DreamTeam 2• Google:
– Gantt chart 4.5– real-time collaboration 2– GroupCamp 3
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Other Links• MS Project: www.microsoft.com/project/en-us/project-
management.aspx
• Basecamp: basecamp.com
• DreamTeam: www.dreamfactory.com
• Remember The Milk: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/home
• Google Apps for NPOs: www.google.com/apps/intl/en/nonprofit/index.html
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Thanks for attending!
Project Management SoftwareJoseph F. McLaughlin
jfmclaugh@gmail.comwww.nonproftech.info