The best of project management tools

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The Best of Project Management Tools

A selection of professional insights from the Blog archive


Since 2008 our project management professionals have been sharing knowledge,

experience and learning with online readers via the Project Manager Blog.

Their collective wisdom provides a wealth of how to, top tips and best practice advice,

for project managers, teams and businesses.

To make their writings more accessible we’ve created a series of “Best of” project

management topics available free to download and share.

Here is a collection of excerpts and insights from blog posts that discuss types of project

management tools the many applications they have to support and assist project

management processes.

Enjoy

Jason Westland CEO

ProjectManager.com

A PM Tool to Hold People Accountable? .................................................................................................... 3

A Project Management Tool for Truth Extraction ....................................................................................... 6

Why Log-Rolling Should Not be a Project Management Tool ..................................................................... 9

Which Project Tool is the Most Useful? .................................................................................................... 12

One of the Most Effective Project Management Tools ............................................................................. 15

6 Criteria for Choosing Software for Project Management Tools ............................................................. 19

Accurately Tracking Time with Project Management Tools ..................................................................... 21

Project Management Tools for On-Site Survival ....................................................................................... 24

4 Alternatives to Gantt Charts ................................................................................................................... 27

Gantt Charts 101 ....................................................................................................................................... 31

Top 5 Tools to Manage Your Project ......................................................................................................... 33

30 Day Free Software Trial ........................................................................................................................ 34

http://www.projectmanager.com/


A PM Tool to Hold People Accountable?

There’s really not one project management tool that can be used but rather a suite of

actions, management skill, influence and collaboration. The following list of 7

management skills will help you instill accountability in those who do not report to you

directly.

1. Have a Great Relationship with the Person’s Boss

The first thing you must do if you are looking

to instill accountability in a person who does

not report directly to you is to find out who

they do report to.

You undoubtedly know the answer to this

already, but it’s your responsibility to let this

person know that you will be working closely

with someone in their department and wanted

to let them know.

This is good from a professional courtesy

perspective, as well as to make sure this manager knows what is expected of the

resource you have been assigned. There are a lot of things that can go wrong if you skip

this step.

For example, let’s say a functional manager doesn’t know that you are using one of their

resources. This person gets behind on their work that has been assigned by the

functional manager and lets him know the reason is because they are working on your

project! In one brief sentence, any form of accountability that person has immediately

evaporates and you are on your own!

2. Put Things in Writing

Once you’ve established a good relationship with that person’s functional manager, it’s

good form to put things in writing. What is a project management tool you can use to

accomplish this? It could be something as simple as an email sent to this person or it

could be as involved as a centralized server that stores the latest documentation for the

project.

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This documentation should clearly spell out what is expected of this person, due dates,

quality levels, and related items that will remove ambiguity out of the relationship. It’s

not that you don’t trust the person, it’s just that there are so many things going on that

it’s easy to misinterpret what was said or allow things to get lost in the shuffle.

3. Be Extremely Clear

If you are working with someone that doesn’t report to

you directly, then it is extremely important to be crystal

clear about your expectations. They undoubtedly have

developed a working relationship with their functional

manager and may understand certain things in certain

ways.

For example, one area that many people get tripped up on is “what is the definition of

complete?” One person thinks “complete” is one thing and someone else thinks

“complete” means something entirely different. What is a project management tool

that can help with clarity? Many times it’s just taking the extra time necessary in a

conversation to clearly explain what you expect. The ideal situation is to show them an

example of what the finished product or objective you want to accomplish looks like.

4. Follow-Up

Notice…we said “follow-up”, not “baby-sit”. There’s a huge difference between the two

words. Some project managers may feel as if it’s their job to baby-sit someone in

another department until they get their job done. Incessantly checking in on them,

following up behind their back, and other disruptive activities will backfire in the long

run. Your follow-up should be in the form of the process you already have in place as a

project manager.

What is a project management tool to use for this function? Your weekly status

meetings would be good. Or, perhaps you have the luxury of setting aside 1-on-1 time

with each of the people on your projects where you can get a real good sense for where

things stand on the project.

5. Appeal to a Higher Cause

It’s true that this person does not report to you directly, but they will have a certain

sense of community and camaraderie that begins to form on the team. Appeal to this



higher cause, to the good of the project, or the importance of the person’s reputation to

instill a sense of accountability within someone who may not report to you directly.

6. Make Sure They Are Involved

You can sense pretty quickly whether a person is “all-in” or holding

back. It’s your job as a project manager to make sure someone is

committed to the project they are assigned and giving their all. This

will instill in them an innate sense of accountability.

What is a project management tool that can be used for keep

people involved? Regular updates on what is going on with the

project always help. People do like to know what others are

working on and keep tabs on the big picture.

You can pull together meetings to talk about the exciting progress that has been made

or milestones that have been reached. Use these opportunities to recognize the good

work that people from each department have been able to accomplish.

7. Instill a Sense of Urgency

Finally, in order for someone to remain engaged and accountable on a project there

needs to be a sense of urgency associated with getting the project done. Nothing says

“I’ll get around to this later” more than not having a deadline or goal that you are

attempting to reach. It’s human nature to put things off until the last minute…and if

there’s no set time for that last minute to occur then nothing will EVER get done at the

last minute.

For example, I have a friend who says they will be moving to another state. When you

ask them when they are moving they say the really don’t have a date. The problem is

that they have been moving for 3 years now!

What is a project management tool to use to instill a sense of urgency? There’s nothing

like the project schedule with all of its deadlines and dependencies to light a fire under

someone to get their work done.

There are plusses and minuses to working in a matrixed organization. The stress and

concern you save by not worrying about managing people directly is replaced by the

stress and concern you feel by, uh, not managing people directly. Regardless, it’s your




job as a project manager and using the tools outlined above will help you keep people

accountable…even if they don’t report to you directly!

A Project Management Tool for Truth Extraction

Everyone is supposed to be honest and

truthful, aren’t they? That’s what our

parents taught us. That’s what we learned in

school. That’s how society shapes us. But, we

certainly know that everyone is not

necessarily truthful all the time. It’s not that

people deliberately lie, but rather they just

may not tell the entire truth.

This becomes especially frustrating for a Project Manager that is trying to complete a

project. It’s hard to find out exactly how long something will take, or how far along a

certain deliverable is, or if someone has everything they need to move forward. These

“untruths” take various forms. Below are a few you have undoubtedly encountered in

your professional career.

The Yarn Spinner

This person is a great story-teller. They don’t necessarily tell a lie, but they certainly do

embellish the truth. They will add extra details that didn’t happen, or add people that

weren’t there, or make it sound like they were much more involved than they actually

were. The problem with this type of person is that they will try to bamboozle you into

thinking something happened when you really know it didn’t. “Don’t you remember

when we all agreed to do it this way?” they may ask. “You know, we were all sitting

around the table and we made the decision and then I of course followed up right after

with my manager to make sure it was OK to do it this way. Of course he said yes. You

don’t remember any of that?” Of course you don’t, because it didn’t happen that way.

They’ve started to create a tangled web of a story that not even the best detective could

unravel.

The Half-Truth

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Here’s another classic that you will encounter as a Project Manager.

A half-truth is a statement that is only partly true and is typically

uttered in order to deceive someone else and/or evade blame. For

example, you ask a resource on the project if the client they met with

that you know was having problem with your team is OK. “They’re

just fine,” the resource says and walks away. That’s only half of the

story, however. They are just fine because they just fired your company and decided to

go with someone else.

The Error of Omission

A variation on the Half-Truth is the Error of Omission. This is when you ask someone if

the deliverable they have been working on for some time now will be complete on

schedule by next week. They let you know it’s 95% complete and just on the verge of

being wrapped up. That makes you feel good, but what they failed to tell you is that

they’re going on a two week vacation to Hawaii starting tomorrow and it the remaining

5% will have to wait until they get back!

There are countless motivations that a person has for yarn spinning, half-truths, or

omitting pertinent information. Regardless, it’s your challenge as a Project Manager to

get to what is real and factual. This is where a project management tool for truth

extraction would be nice to have.

A Project Management Tool for Obtaining the Facts

Unfortunately, there’s not just one tool that you can use to get the whole truth and

nothing but the truth out of someone. And, also unfortunately, the last time I checked it

wasn’t legal to tie someone up in a chair and inject them with a potion like they do in

the movies. You can however use some of the following techniques to arrive at a better

understanding of the truth.

Different Angles

Look at the situation and ask questions from different angles. Kids are great at this

technique. They’ll ask for something one way and they may not get the answer they like.

So, they let a little time pass and come at it from a different angle and ask a different

way. They may still not get the answer they like, so they’ll drop little hints along the way

of what they are wanting and keep wearing their parents down. Finally, they ask the




question just the right way and at the right time and they get the answer they are

looking for. You can do the same with someone that may not be giving you the answer

you like. Perhaps it’s a Salesperson that you know has deviated from the path of what

your company typically sells. You know they’ve gone off the path, but you’re not quite

sure how far yet. What kind of date did they promise? When is first deliverable due?

How much did they say this was going to cost? These all need to be answered and may

require you coming at them from different angles over time.

Trust but Verify

Another project management tool to use for truth

extraction is Trust but Verify. Give the person the

benefit of the doubt that they are telling the entire

truth. But, also do your due diligence in following up

that what they are saying is indeed the entire truth

without certain key facts being left out. You’ll also find

that if people know you are going check the facts,

they’ll be more apt to make sure they are correct from

the beginning.

Corroborate

Ask the same question to different people at different times. Let people talk. Some

people like to talk a lot and will fill in much of the missing information and other people

will not talk as much and leave out a ton of information. Over the course of these

numerous conversations you’ll be able to piece together

the entire puzzle.

Gut Feeling

Never discount your Gut Feeling. Your gut feeling comes

from your intuition and is mainly based upon experience.

If what someone is saying doesn’t have the ring of truth,

then it’s up to you to dig a little deeper. Use some of the

techniques described can get you to the level of comfort

that you need to make that gnawing feeling in your gut




go away.

Most people are not going to deliberately lie and you need to approach your job as a

Project Manager with that mind-set. However, there may be times when the truth is less

than forthcoming. It’s not your job to catch the liars, but rather to keep your project

moving forward solidly based upon factual and accurate reality.

Why Log-Rolling Should Not be a Project Management Tool

Unfortunately, some have taken this sport and

brought it into conference rooms across the

globe. I’m sure you’ve seen this event before

without realizing what you were watching.

There are two people that are paired off on

opposite sides of the conference room table.

One of these persons says something that the

other person doesn’t necessarily agree with or

hits them the wrong way. There’s a slight

pause as their eyes lock across the expanse of

the conference room table…and it’s on.

There is an inaudible invitation to jump on the log by the offended party. The initiator is

typically a person senior to the poor bloke that uttered the comment. They could also

possibly be the project manager on the project. They have unfortunately decided to use

log-rolling as one of their project management tools!

The next time you are in a project management meeting, look for the following signs

that a project manager has decided to use this technique as a project management

tool.

Relentless Line of Questioning

It’s like watching every episode of Perry Mason ever recorded. “Is it true that you knew

this information at this particular time? If you did know this information, why didn’t you

do something about it? Who else knew about this information? When did they know

about the aforementioned information? Did you not feel compelled to tell someone up

the executive chain about this situation…?” and on and on and on. Now, the purpose of



these questions is not to gather information that can be useful, but rather the motive is

to humiliate and embarrass the person that is on the log being rolled.

You Look Like an Idiot

The next project management tool that a project manager will bring out during a log-

rolling session is to make sure everyone knows that the project manager knows more

than the person that is on the log with them. This takes many forms, such as a

condescending tone of voice, a dismissive attitude, and a line of reasoning that tars and

feathers the person that was unwise enough to get on the log with the irate questioner.

Voice is Raised to Accentuate the Negative

Finally, a log-rolling can be identified with just

enough of a raised voice to show there is much

agitation and angst in the person doing the

logrolling. This is just enough to accentuate

the negative and make sure everyone feels

uncomfortable.

What would a real logrolling be without an

audience? Well, it’s no different when log-

rolling is used as a project management tool. Everyone that’s at this particular meeting

has the privilege of being an eyewitness of this horrific sport.

Let me be clear…I unequivocally abhor it when project managers use log-rolling as a

project management tool. However, I have unfortunately seen it too many times to not

acknowledge the fact that this occurs frequently. I’ve also seen the ultimate outcome

over time where good people leave a company because they are not going to put up

with this type of behavior.

How to Survive the Log-Roll

There are some ways that you can survive the log-roll if you have been challenged to

such a dual.




Don’t Get on the Log in the First

Place – There are things that you know

will set someone off and cause a less

than desirable reaction. Try and stay

away from those areas. Better yet,

preempt the blowup by having a

conversation ahead of time and offline.

We are not saying crawl into a corner

and don’t say things that won’t upset

people. That’s going to happen and

many times it needs to happen to get things done. However, there are ways of

saying things that can be productive or they can be explosive. We’ve all

experienced that in other relationships in our lives. Choose your words carefully,

make your points, but at the same time do everything you can to stay off the log.

Have your Facts Straight – One skill you must possess is the ability to have your

facts straight if you do end up on the log. If a project manager is using this as a

project management tool against you, it’s hard for them to knock you off if you

know the details. Always know what the contract says, what conversations have

been had, what has been done, what is yet to be done, and who the key players

are that are on the project. This will quickly take the energy out of the person that

is doing the log-rolling and help you keep your balance.

Don’t Get Flustered – People that have never been log-rolled before (is there

such a person?) find themselves getting flustered very quickly. The questions and

line of reasoning comes at them fast and furious and it begins to cloud their

thought process. They forget details and facts that would help their cause and

end up stuttering and stammering until they ultimately lose their balance and fall

into the cold water. The first thing you need to do when you find yourself up on

the log is take a deep breath, be conscious of staying alert, and not let the other

person take that edge away from you. You’ll be fine just as long as you know your

facts and have done the right thing up to this point.

Don’t Overreact – Finally, keep your cool. Even when the other person starts

raising their voice or backing you into the corner, the last thing you want to do is

come out swinging. You’ll undoubtedly regret what comes out of your mouth

when you are in that state of mind and the chances of you winning are slim. You’ll

add fuel to the fire of the other person, who has a lot to prove in front of the




audience that is watching them use this negative project management tool. You,

on the other hand, can prove how reasonable and rational you are by keeping

your cool and not overreacting. That will go a long way towards increasing your

credibility in the long run. Let the angry momentum of the other person force

them off the log themselves.

Is There a Better Way?

You know there has got to be a better way

than an old-fashioned log-rolling. It’s called a

1-on-1 conversation. If someone has a

problem with you, or you have a problem with

someone else, it’s best to take it offline and

see how you can work it out amicably amongst

yourself. There’s nothing fun, productive, or

even fair about taking someone to task in front of an audience of their peers and

superiors. Unfortunately, some feel this is the way to go and have continued to use it as

one of their project management tools.

Which Project Tool is the Most Useful?

As a project manager, you have access to the use of many project tools to get your job

done. For example, you may use a work breakdown structure (WBS), to define what

needs to be done to finish the project.

Or, one of your favorites may be the risk register that helps you catalog and manage

risk. A project tool that is one of my favorites is the 4-blocker status report that shows

accomplishments, next steps, risks, and discussion points all on one page. This is a great

project tool for executive debriefs and keeping the project moving forward.

While all of these project tools are great…I have to say that my absolute favorites are

any that have to do with project communication. There’s no way a project can be

successful unless everyone knows what is going on with a project, its current status,

next steps, and what’s expected of them to complete the project.

There are a number of ways this project tool can be implemented. The following are

some ideas on how to make use of your communication vehicles (in any project) by

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understanding the multi-directional aspect of effective project communication. There

are three directions in which you will communicate. Up, Down, and Sideways.

Communicating Up

Communicating “up” is getting the word up the food chain to

those that may be above your position. This includes your boss,

executives and other stakeholders that have a vested interest in

the success of the project you are managing.

Why is this important? It is important to keep this group of

people apprised of the status of your project because they can

make your life easier, or miserable…depending upon what and when they knew about

what was going on. For example, if you know a project runs the risk of not making it due

to a lack of resources, this is the group that can reallocate resources or reprioritize other

activities in order to make your project meet its deadline. This is the group that will also

ask “why didn’t you tell me earlier when I could have done something about it?” if you

come to them too late in the process.

What are the challenges of communicating with this group? The biggest challenge with

communicating up is that everyone is extremely busy and doesn’t have time for the

long-drawn out explanations of what happened, why it happened, or what went wrong.

You may be able to get a sound-bite or two in while you are walking with them down

the hall or rushing to your next meeting together.

Which project tool should you use? To communicate your message “up” to this group

it’s most effective to use the 4-blocker type of status report that I mentioned earlier.

Make sure the information is brief, succinct and quickly nets out where things stand.

Otherwise you run the risk of their eyes glazing over, losing interest, and a decision not

being made. Also, this group relishes face-to-face conversation and short one or two line

emails that get right to the point.

Communicating Down

Communicating “down” is not to be taken in a negative way, but rather in a hierarchical

way of those who are on your project team that are working with you on your project.

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These are the cross-functional resources from various departments that temporarily roll

up to you while your project is being worked on.

Why is this important? This group is important to keep apprised

of what’s going on with the project for obvious reasons. These

are the people who are on the front lines of getting things done.

They know the intricacies and nuances of what is being worked

on and can provide you with the feedback (both good and bad)

that you will need as a project manager to keep things moving

forward.

What are the challenges of communicating with this group? Like the executives above,

this group is extremely busy…just in a different way. They are most likely overloaded,

overwhelmed, and under great pressure to get their work done. This is not just from you

as their project manager, but also includes their functional manager and possibly other

project managers as well. You need to be careful not to bury this group with too much

unnecessary information that will slow them down or cause them to get frustrated or

aggravated. Just give them enough information that they need in order to get the task at

hand done.

Which project tool should you use? To communicate your message “down” would

include weekly status meetings, 1-on-1 conversations, updated and proper project

documentation (such as requirements, specifications, etc.) and emails with a bit more

explanation on the background of why decisions were made one way or the other. This

will give them enough information to be comfortable in doing their job.

Communicating Sideways

Communicating “sideways” is an often overlooked aspect of

communication. This is the type of communication that you carry

on with your peers and colleagues that are on a similar level on

the Org Chart. While it’s not a “requirement” that you effectively

communicate with your peers, it sure makes everyone’s job that

much easier.




Why is this important? These are the people that run other departments that you may

rely upon to get your job done. You may need resources from their departments, or

deliverables to be finished in a certain way, or just a plain old favor every now and then.

By maintaining positive and respectful communication with your peers, you will find

that all of these things will flow that much smoother.

What are the challenges of communicating with this group? Sometimes you just might

not like them and their personality makes them hard to communicate with. They may

run their department different than you, or feel they have to make you jump through a

certain number of hoops before they say “yes” to your requests.

Which project tool should you use? Lunch. That’s right. Lunch with your peers and

colleagues is one of the best project tools to use when it comes to communicating with

this group. This gives you the opportunity to understand each other’s position and

needs, commiserate over what’s wrong with the company, talk about how to make

things better, and just get to know them better. You will be amazed at what a profound

difference having some semblance of a relationship with your peers will do for your

projects.

Never lose sight of the fact that any project tools related to effective communication

will provide a substantial return on your investment.

One of the Most Effective Project Management Tools

A project manager works in a strange environment when it comes to

people reporting to them. Typically, companies are set up as a

matrixed organization where the people necessary to complete a

project are managed by someone other than the project manager.

The person that manages these people is responsible for their schedules, vacation

approvals, raises, performance review, and general departmental direction. And YOU

are responsible for getting the job done with their help. You have a temporary, ethereal,

dotted-line to this person for a brief moment in time to complete a project. No more,

no less. You don’t approve their vacation, you don’t give them raises, and you don’t

score them on their performance review. You just give them work to do!


How does that work? You can have all the project management tools in the world at

your disposal and this still doesn’t seem like an equitable situation for a project

manager.

This is what you do. You throw in the towel on managing the people (that’s someone

else’s job) and focus on managing the process instead. The process for getting

something done is what you DO own as a project manager and something you can

create, refine, and adjust.

You will find that The Process is one of the most powerful project management tools

you can have at your disposal. Manage the Process, Not the People…should be your

daily mantra. Here are some reasons why and the project management techniques you

can apply to optimize The Process in your company.

The Process is a Powerful Project Management Tool

You “own” very few things as a project manager. One

thing you can claim as your own is your methodology

and process for getting projects done. If you are part of

a larger company that has a PMO, this process may be

handed down to you from above.

If you are part of a smaller company with a handful of

project managers, then this is something you can pull

together on your own or with the assistance of your

colleagues. Either way, you should wholeheartedly

grab hold of the process as something you own and manage directly.

If you are starting from scratch, you can pull this powerful project management tool

together by basing it upon your years of experience in whichever industry you are

managing projects. The final process will be a blend of your experience in that industry,

your experience as a project manager, varied and different project management

methodologies and some of the best of the best advice you have received from your

peers and colleagues on how they effectively manage projects.

The thing to keep in mind throughout this is that you are the rightful and dedicated

owner of the process and it is up to you to make it work to the best of your abilities.


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Putting the Process Together

If you are in the enviable position of starting from scratch (enviable in the sense that

you do not have to undo what someone else has done), then the best place to start is

with what you know. Map out how you know the projects currently flow today and start

making notes along the way of what can be refined or improved.

Start with the largest components of the process which will usually be Phases. A project

will move from one Phase through the next as it is completed. This will typically start

with some type of requirements phase, move into building, testing, deployment and

then maintenance. These phases will vary from industry to industry, but they will follow

the above flow as a general rule of thumb.

Then you can map out what should typically be completed in each phase. What should

be the final “product” or output that comes from the Requirements phase or testing

phase for example? Tie this into certain checkpoints, approvals, or other

documentations that are already in place or that you know should be in place.

Finally, map this out in an easy to understand way such as a swim lane diagram,

flowchart or some other means of communicating the process that you believe will be

effective with your team. You now have a great start to socialize the process (that you

own) to the people on your project (that you do not manage directly).

Getting Buy In on Your New Project Management Software Tools

It’s just as important to get buy-in from the people

who will be following the process as it would be to get

buy-in on any project management tool. This is your

opportunity to meet with some or all of the team and

lay it out for them.

You will undoubtedly have had conversations with

these people’s managers prior to this meeting in order

to explain to them what you are doing and why. These

managers would then be able to address any concerns or questions that may come up

directly from their team.

Lay out the flow for the team and then brace yourself. You will hear comments such as

“That will never work. Do you even know what you are talking about? You missed an

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entire piece of what we do in this process.” Great! That’s exactly what you want to hear.

Take this opportunity to thank everyone for their input and explain that that was the

reason for this meeting. You didn’t want to create a process in a vacuum without getting

the proper feedback from those who will be expected to follow the process.

This does two things. First, it makes the process viable and second, it lets people know

that you are concerned about their opinions and viewpoints and they will be more likely

to support the new or revised way of doing things.

Implementing the Process

Just as with any great project management tool, the

process will do nothing unless you implement it across

the organization. You are now in a great place to do this.

You have based the process upon your experience,

received feedback from the team and have now

established the rules of the game. You don’t need to

worry about managing the people anymore as they all

understand how the game is played. You are the

dedicated owner of the process and that is how you get

your projects done.

Something amazing happens at this point as well. There will be those who embrace the

process and those who do not. Those who embrace the process will realize that

following it makes their job easier. They will pull their chairs up closer to the process

table and be engaged. They will offer suggestions for improvement, make

recommendations on those areas that may be a waste of time, and generally be

accepting of the way the game is played.

On the other hand, there will be those who despise the process. They feel as if it takes

away some of their independence or flexibility in how they work. You will find that they

will begin to push themselves away from the process table. That’s fine. Over time these

people will either accept that following a process is a much better way of doing things,

or they will begin to move on to other opportunities. This leaves a team of professionals

who are engaged in the process and great at what they do.


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Rather than stress about what you can’t control or manage (the people), focus your

energies on what you can control and manage (the process). You will find your

reputation as a project manager soar as you quickly have the ability to bring new people

in and out of the process and bring them up to speed in no time at all!

6 Criteria for Choosing Software for Project Management

Tools

Here are the 6 questions they asked you to narrow down your choices and help make

the right choice:

1. How Familiar and Comfortable is your Team with Computers and

Software?

This is an important question to ask because it will help determine the sophistication

and complexity of the software you should select. If you are looking to implement

software for project management tools in an environment of engineers and developers

who use high-end software packages on a daily basis, then you can be steered toward

some of the higher end packages. If this solution needs to be implemented in a location

where everyone is good at working with their hands but doesn’t know how to turn on a

computer then you need to lean toward a much less complicated solution.

2. What are the Types and Formats of Reports that will be

Necessary to Generate?

This question lends itself to “beginning with the end in mind”. One of the main and very

useful purposes of software for project management tools is the type of information

that is generated once all the inputs have been entered into the system.

For example, are you interested in how productive your team members are or whether

they are staying on track with expenses? Or, you might be more interested in making

sure there is a present and accurate accounting of all risks that could negatively impact

a project and require that information to be readily accessible and available to the

appropriate stakeholders.



It would be good to make a list and possibly even mock-up what you would expect each

of these reports to look like. You can then use this as a measuring stick for the project

management tool you ultimately choose to purchase. Another consideration when it

comes to reports is their format. Do you just need a report that can be printed and

distributed to a team? Or, do you need reports that can be exported to Excel or some

other format that allows you to modify or include other information to flesh them out?

Another consideration is what types of reports will it be necessary for your clients to

have that will give them confidence that the project is moving forward with minimal

issues.

3. How do you Currently Track Time and Expenses?

If you already have a system in place that everyone is

familiar with how to enter their time and expenses,

you may want to consider a project management

software solution that can easily integrate into this

existing system.

This question requires much thought. If the existing system is easy to use and meeting

your needs, then it’s sometimes easier to leave it up and running and not introduce too

much change at the same time. If, however, the system is hard to use and does not

provide the necessary information that you and upper management need, then this may

be a great time to make the switch over to new software for project management tool.

In this case, make sure it has a robust time and expense tracking module.

4. How is Your Organization Set-Up?

Is this a solution that is needed for just one department or will it be better if this is an

enterprise wide solution that is administered from one central point such as a Project

Management Office? This is an important question to ask because this will greatly affect

the number of concurrent users that will be on the systems, how many licenses will

need to be purchase, and what impact this will have on a company’s bandwidth.

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5. What Software Do Your Clients and Other Companies You Work

For Use?

While not the main criteria for your selection process on what you need to make the

decision for your company, it would be good to include this in the selection thought

process. There are many software for project management tools that are available on

the market today. These packages have varying degrees of popularity depending upon

the markets they are targeting. You may find that your clients or vendor partners have

all gravitated toward one solution. It would make sense to consider this as an option in

order to make your working relationship with them even that much smoother.

6. What Software are you Currently Using and Why Do you Feel

You Should Change?

This question could arguable be at the top of this list depending upon the answer you

give. You may already have software for project management tools implemented at

your company and just may not be happy with the results. You need to confirm that the

results you are not happy with are a direct consequence of the software and not a

disconnect between the users and the software.

What exactly is the reason for the change? Is this something that could be addressed by

training? Is there an upgrade to the current software that addresses the current issues?

Answers to these questions can help you narrow down the list and determine if you

even need to make a switch at all.

The next time you have to a make decision about software for project management

tools, don’t break down and cry. Help is on the way. Think through the six questions

above and document your answers. When you review the various features and

functionality of the applications available make sure they line up with the answers to

the questions above. That will help ensure you have made the best decision possible

and increase positive results for adoption within your company.

Accurately Tracking Time with Project Management Tools

Back in the early days of computers there was an expression that went “garbage in,

garbage out”. What did that mean? It meant that the output of what came from the



computer was only as good as what was fed into the computer as the initial data. It’s

interesting that you don’t hear that expression quite as much anymore. I suppose it’s

because computing has come such a long way with validating and even correcting data

that it’s not quite as relevant anymore.

But, there are still many areas where accurate data is an absolute must. One of these

areas is the time that your team resources record for the projects they have been

assigned. This may be done through either a manual process or perhaps you use project

management tools to collect people’s time. Regardless of the method of collection it’s

imperative that the time that is entered be accurate for a number of reasons.

Why Time Entry Must Be Accurate

Think about all the different groups and

people that make decisions based upon the

results of accurate time entry through

project management tools.

Billing – It’s critical to keep up with

accurate time entry if you work in an

environment that is time and materials

based. This is where the client is billed based upon the number of hours that are

worked.

This is important for two reasons. First, you don’t want to overcharge the customer.

It’s easy for resources to be generous in their rounding up calculations (for example,

rounding up from 4 hours to 8) to cover for slow time or time that may have gotten

bogged down in other issues. It’s not that the person is being dishonest regarding the

time they spent, it’s just that they can forget where their time went and they may

automatically apply it toward a particular project where they feel there may be

room.

The second reason is that if the project management tools you are using to collect

time are not accurate then you may be undercharging the customer. This is just as

bad as overcharging the customer because this time you are taking advantage of

your own company and not maximizing the revenue potential, based upon

agreements with this customer.




Sales –Your sales team also depends upon accurate time entries in whichever project

management tools you employ. Why? Because this allows them to know what

parameters they can sell within to still make money for the company. There’s always

a ‘best-case’ fee that the company can charge that would be optimal for the

company’s bottom line. However, there is also a ‘worst case’ floor that the fee

should never go below or else the company starts to lose money. It’s not that the

company won’t make money at this worst case fee, it just won’t make as much as the

best case scenario. How do you know what these ranges are? Accurate time entry.

Management –Accurate time entry is also important from the perspective of

company management. They need metrics from project management tools in order

to determine whether there is a bottleneck in a certain process or area that needs

their attention. It may be that new technology needs to be implemented; additional

resources need to be brought on board, or a combination of the two.

It’s important for time entry to be as accurate as possible for the above reasons. What

are some things that can be done to help you and your team ensure their time entry

with project management tools is as accurate as possible?

Ways to Accurately Record Time

The following are some ways you can make

sure the time that is being recorded against

your project is as accurate as possible:

Instill the Correct Mentality about

Timesheets – You need to instill in your

team that want an accurate reporting of

time, not a reconciliation of how they are

spending every minute of their 40-hour

work week (or whatever the common

workweek is). Make sure your team understands the motive and reason for

collecting accurate time and they’ll be much more willing to provide that information

to you.

Allow for Non-Project Time in Your Timesheets – Telling them that you understand

that their day is filled with other non-project related work, but then not giving them

the ability to account for that time sends the wrong message. Make sure you include





appropriate categories such as administration, meetings, mentoring others, and

other categories of how people spend their time throughout the day.

Encourage Frequent Time Entry – Can you remember what you did one week ago at

this exact time? Well, neither can your project team members. It’s easy for a day, a

week, or even weeks slip away with a stitch of time being entered into any project

management tools. It’s next to impossible to go back that far and recreate where the

time was spent. This is a sure-fire recipe for “garbage in, garbage out” and reports

that will quickly be sized up as inaccurate and not worth reading. Have your team

enter their time on best case a daily basis and worst case a weekly basis. Don’t go

beyond a week at a time.

Don’t Have Time Entered Before It Is Expended – Here’s a common occurrence. It’s

been a long week and everyone has worked extra hard. It’s late Thursday afternoon

and some of your resources start putting in their time for the week. While they are at

it they go ahead and put in Friday’s time as well. They have a general idea of what

they’ll be working on tomorrow and this way they don’t have to worry about doing it

tomorrow. You get your weekly timesheet and they get to leave on time. Sounds

good in theory. But, the reality is that something could come up on Friday that

doesn’t look like the timesheet they entered in the project management tools. This

will result in one project being overcharged and one project being undercharged.

It’s not terribly complicated to enter accurate time in the project management tools you

use to run your project. But, it does require diligence on your part to keep up with who

is entering time and how often it is being entered.

A gentle nudge or reminder is typically all that it takes to get someone to enter their

time if they’ve gotten a little behind. Show them the results of the time that is being

entered. You can highlight the higher revenues the company has brought in (job security

for them), the better jobs Sales is selling (less frustration for them), and some of the

areas management has been able to streamline (less aggravation for them).

These positive results will encourage them to keep their time up-to-date and accurate

and provide you with the information you need to run your projects.

Project Management Tools for On-Site Survival



Are you self-contained and independent as a project manager? This is especially

important if you are the type of project manager that works on-site at a client. You may

have your own desk, cube, or office at the client’s site to help facilitate and expedite

project work between your two companies. At the very least, you undoubtedly give

presentations on-site from time to time at your clients. What are the project

management tools that you will need for on-site survival as a project manager?

8 Project Management Tools you Shouldn’t Leave Home Without

1. Your Own Internet Connection: The first

of the project management tools that is

vital for on-site survival is to have your

own internet connection. Internet

connectivity problems are a hotbed of

frustration and aggravation regardless of

the size of the company. Control your own

Internet destiny by having some type of

hotspot with you. The hotspot can be on

your phone or a stand-alone device that

will allow you to create your own network

and eliminate the above aggravations.

2. An Extra Network Cable: The second of the project management tools you need to

bring with you is an extra network cable. Wait, doesn’t this fly in the face of Number

1 above? Yes and no. You may encounter problems with your own hotspot or the

signal strength may not be very strong. When you run into this type of situation it’s

always easier and faster to plug directly into the on-site network instead of connect

wirelessly. You’ll be prepared to do this in the event your hotspot is not working.

3. Your Own Power: No, we’re not talking about bringing a portable gas generator to

crank up as one of your project management tools for on-site survival. We are talking

about making sure you have enough juice to get you throughout whatever you need

to do without having to plug in to an outlet. For example, you may need to get

through a one hour presentation. Make sure you have enough battery life for a 2

hour presentation. Or, it may be that you need to be on-site all day. Make sure you

have an extra fully charged battery tucked away somewhere so you can make it

through the entire day without running out of battery life.


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4. Bring Your Own Extension Cord: This project management tool is, umm…an

‘extension’ of Number 3 above. There may be an open outlet in the room to plug

into. However, you need to sit at the head of the table to show the presentation and

you’re too far away from the outlet. Your power cord is just one foot short from

plugging into power. Bringing a thin, 3’ long extension cord will ensure this is not a

problem.

5. Bring a Backup Presentation for Your Online Demo: A part of most project

management presentations is the ability to show a live online demonstration of

whatever development is currently underway. One of the essential project

management tools you’ll need for on-site survival is a backup presentation of what

you were going to show in a live environment. This backup presentation can be as

simple as screen shots of the application that mirror the flow of the application.

Another option is to include textual callouts and highlight particular areas of

functionality so everyone can virtually experience what the online demo would have

shown.

6. Bring Backup Handouts of the Backup Presentation for Your Online Demo: We’re

not kidding here. If you’ve worked in corporate environment for a decade or more,

then you’ve seen it all. You’ve been through the network challenges that prevented

you from showing your online demo. Then, you’ve been through the projector

challenges that prevented you from showing your backup presentation of the online

demo. There’s nothing worse than fumbling through a presentation and apologizing

to everyone about what they are not seeing. Pack a hardcopy of the presentation

that you were going to show on the big screen. You’ll be able to pass this around the

table as a sure thing once all the electronics have failed you!

7. An Extra Days Set of Clothes: Another component of the project management tools

that you need for on-site survival is one extra days set of clothes. It’s OK to wear the

same set of clothes if your flight has been cancelled and you are just hanging out at

the hotel room. It’s not OK to wear the same set of clothes if your trip on-site at the

client has been extended because they wanted to hear more or you need to stay

extra to work through a thorny issue. Packing that one extra day’s worth of clothes

will eliminate the stress of having to find somewhere close by that is open that

carries something that you’ll like. Preempt this concern by planning on staying that

extra day each time.

8. A Toothpick: Last but not least, bring a toothpick. This is kind of tongue-in-cheek, but

there is nothing worse than having to present in front of a group of people with


sesame seeds from the bagel stuck between your teeth. Maybe my friend’s 11 year

old son will let you borrow his Swiss Army Knife.

There you have it…the 8 project management tools that you need for on-site survival.

Do everything you can to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible and you’ll

find yourself navigating through your clients on-site environment with ease.

4 Alternatives to Gantt Charts

Gantt charts are ubiquitous with project management. Gantt charts are made up of

horizontal bars that visually represent the duration of tasks. They are a good tool to

show the bigger picture on a project and they work well for people who like things

displayed graphically.

The downside is that when you add on those little diamonds for milestones and the lines

showing the dependencies back and forward between tasks, a Gantt chart can get

messy to look at. By the time you have added the names of resources, dotted lines to

indicate lag times and a host of other squiggly symbols, you end up with something that

needs a degree to interpret. Many project sponsors don’t have the experience to be

able to adequately read a Gantt chart, and they certainly don’t like project managers

having to explain it all to them.

However, many people feel that if it isn’t on a Gantt it isn’t a proper project, or that it

isn’t being properly managed. That’s just not true. It’s far more important to select tools

that are right for the job.

Don’t feel constrained to do it the way Henry Gantt did all those years ago when he

drew out steel industry projects using bars to show the progress of tasks. There are

simpler ways for when you need to get your message across to the project stakeholders

without a lesson in reading hieroglyphics. Here are four alternatives to formal Gantt

charts that you can use today.

Gantt Alternative #1: ‘Idiot-Proof’ Charts

Forget complicated scheduling packages. Draw up your own Gantt chart in a

spreadsheet package. Many stakeholders feel happier when presented with something

in software they can understand.



Spreadsheets lend themselves to creating Gantt

charts, although don’t be fooled. Creating a Gantt

chart like this is time consuming and you won’t have

the options to display all the data. For example, it’s

practically impossible to show dependencies, but

your stakeholders probably won’t want to see that

level of detail anyway. Worse, it won’t automatically

update so every time something changes you will

have to manually alter the lines.

It can be a massive overhead to keep your entire

project plan in Microsoft Excel or something similar,

so this option is really only suitable for creating high

level plans that show the overall project, not for

listing every single task.

Use the first column in the spreadsheet as the task list. Use the next columns to show

the timescale. Choose whether you want one column to equal a month, half a month, a

week or a day (although scheduling by day is really only suitable for the smallest

projects). Then simply color in the cells in the spreadsheet – you could pick different

colors to represent different resources carrying out activities, but remember to add a

key so you remember what color represents which work stream or resource. Add

borders to the cells so you can read across the lines more easily.

Gantt Alternative #2: Network Diagrams

Network diagrams are like flow diagrams.

They show the series of activities that make

up a project, in the order that they happen.

Each project task is shown in a separate box

and, like a puzzle, lines join up the boxes in

the order that they need to happen. Lots of

people have used flow diagrams before, so

network diagrams can look more familiar

than Gantt charts and they can be easier for

the first-time project sponsor to understand.




Having said that, there is some extra information to fit in the task boxes that might need

explaining. Typically a network diagram task box also includes dates for the start and

end of the task as well as the duration, which is normally marked in days. You can add

whatever data you want into the box, like a task identification number, the resource

allocated to it, location, work stream and so on, but the more you include, the messier it

will look and the harder it will be to read.

Network diagrams work well for simple projects where tasks flow from one to the other

in order. The more parallel strands of activity you have, the harder it will be to display

on one page. Network diagrams can also be difficult to maintain, especially if you are

producing them in a graphics or diagramming software package.

If you need to change one task you could end up moving dozens of lines to get it all to

display neatly again. Best stick to only drawing out network diagrams for

straightforward projects and to only have task boxes for summary tasks instead of every

individual day’s worth of development time.

Gantt Alternative #3: Task Lists

Who doesn’t use task lists? Whether you have

a fancy iPhone app to track your to do list, or

take an old-fashioned approach using a paper

list in a notebook, most project managers will

find themselves gravitating towards task lists

at some point in a project. Because so many

people use them they are really easy to

understand and don’t take any explaining.

You can use any software to prepare a task list, which gives you the flexibility to use

something that your stakeholders already find easy to use. A spreadsheet works really

well.

List out all the project tasks – use your Gantt chart, if you have one, as a guide to what

needs to go on the list. Add a column for who is doing the task, expected completion

date and a column to mark the task’s status. ‘Not started’, ‘In progress’ and ‘Complete’

are straightforward status updates to use, and you can also color code tasks using a

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Red/Amber/Green code if you want to include a visual representation of whether they

are likely to complete on time, or the level of risk.

Gantt Alternative #4: Dashboards and Reports

Why make things hard for yourself? All the options above require you to do some

additional work to turn the project information into something that your project

stakeholders can understand. You might find that most of the work is done for you if

you use a project management software product that includes project reporting

options.

There could be project report templates that will save you some time, but you could

also customize what comes out of your tool into a format that stakeholders can use.

Status, progress and resource utilization reports could all be available at the click of a

button, and if you have the option to tailor your project dashboards, you could give

different stakeholders different views which will save you a lot of data handling time.

Once the reports are configured they are

saved and available to be populated

monthly, or more frequently according to

your reporting schedule, so this alternative

to a Gantt chart has the smallest regular

overhead for the project manager.

Gantt charts are very useful tools for project

managers, but they aren’t the only option available to you for managing your project.

Even if you do choose to use them, Gantt charts are often only glanced at by your

project sponsor and stakeholders so you’ll find yourself facing requests for information

in different formats.

Experiment with alternatives to Gantt charts and see what gets the best response from

your stakeholders and project team members. You don’t have to ditch the Gantt, but

you might want to keep it all to yourself in future!

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Gantt Charts 101 Ah…the ubiquitous Gantt Chart. It’s the staple of project managers around the world.

It’s almost as if the clouds separated and a ray of light shone upon this most useful of

reports. How can so much information be jam packed in one simple report?

With choices ranging from Microsoft Gantt Chart, to a free Gantt Chart template or

online software as a service, depending upon the type of Gantt Chart software you are

using, you can define milestones, assign resources, check status, and indicate

dependencies…all on just one 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper!

Amazing! The Gantt chart has become so common in project management that it may

be easy at times to take this workhorse for granted. Let’s take a few moments to pause

and reflect on the Gantt Charts humble, yet revolutionary, beginnings and how we can

make the most of this useful tool.

What is a Gantt Chart?

A Gantt chart is a matrix of activity that graphically represents the duration of tasks

against the progression of time. Time is indicated along the x-axis on the top of the chart

(time can be broken down into days, weeks, months, or any other period) and project

activities along the y-axis on the left of the chart. A bar chart is then used to illustrate

the start and finish dates of a project schedule. If you want to know who is supposed to

do what and when it is supposed to be done, then this is the project management tool

to use.

What is the Origin of the Gantt Chart?

Henry Laurence Gantt (1861-1919) is given credit for the creation of this management

tool. Henry Gantt was a mechanical engineer and management consultant who focused

on worker efficiency and productivity. There may have been earlier versions of this chart

available prior to Mr. Gantt, but he was the first to publish and apply in the industrial

world. It was used in major projects such as constructing the Hoover Dam as well as the

Interstate Highway system. While commonplace today, this graphic schedule for

planning and controlling work and recording progress along the way was considered

revolutionary at its inception.


Understanding Gantt Chart Dependencies

One of the key features of modern day Gantt Charts is the dependency between tasks.

This essential concept that some activities are dependent on other activities being

completed helps a project manager optimize their project schedule. The four types of

dependencies are:

1. Finish-to-Start: This is the most common and easiest to understand of the four

dependencies. Simply stated, one task must be complete before the next task begins.

For example, you can’t begin framing a house until after the foundation has been laid.

More sophisticated use of this dependency would be for a task to start a certain number

of days (rather than immediately) after another task has been finished.

2. Start-to-Start: A second type of dependency would be that a task can start once

another task has started. For example, traffic cones may be placed on a highway to

redirect traffic. As soon as these were placed on the highway, line painting can begin.

This too can be a bit more sophisticated to include a certain number of days after one

task has started that another one can begin.

3. Finish-to-Finish: The third type of dependency indicates that a task would need to be

finished at the same time as another task. For example, a concession stand at a sports

event stops selling refreshments at the same time the game ends. Or, a more

sophisticated example would be that two hours before the game ends, alcoholic

beverages stop being served.

4. Start-to-Finish: This is the one that trips everybody up

and is used the least. This means that the second task in

the relationship cannot finish until the first task starts. But,

the second task can finish any time after the first task

starts. For example, let’s say you were building a website

for a customer and you are going to create an invoice for them. The invoicing process

begins when the customer requests the website to be built, but cannot be finished until

after the website has been delivered. Confusing? Yes. Good to stay away from? As much

as you can.

In conjunction with dependencies on the Gantt chart, you will also see Milestones used.

Milestones are interim goals that mark completion of major components of a project.

These zero duration tasks may define the end of a phase or completion of a particularly

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large deliverable on a project. The use of milestones establishes the fact that progress is

being made on a project and that everyone understands what that means in the project

lifecycle.

Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees

The beauty of a simple Gantt chart is that it allows you to immediately see what should

have been achieved on your project at any point in time. Plus, you can see how remedial

action on your part may be able to bring the project back on track. But, don’t just run

your project from this one report….as amazing as it is. There are many other nuances to

the ebb and flow of your project and you must be in tune with all of them.

There are project managers that will sit at their desks and behind their computers and

send out notes of chastisement to their teams if they start seeing their planned-to-

actual numbers slip on the Gantt chart. Don’t be that type of project manager. Know

what is going on with your project on a first hand basis and understand the intricacies

that are occurring on the front line. Having these conversations with your valuable

resources (also known as ‘people’) will allow you to effectively manage your projects

with your eyes wide open and a full set of tools at your disposal.

That’s how you should view a Gantt chart. A powerful and insightful tool that can help

you navigate your team through uncertain project waters.

Top 5 Tools to Manage Your Project

Jennifer Whitt, Director at ProjectManager.com shares her top five tools to help manage

a project http://youtu.be/VV2feQewbJg

http://youtu.be/VV2feQewbJg


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The best of project management tools

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