Managing a project is not as simple as you might think.
There are many tools for project management, to be chosen according to needs and characteristics.
Within every company it is absolutely necessary to have the right tools for project management and a person who is dedicated to it. We are talking about the project manager, who has a rather complex task.
The project manager is responsible for managing the entire project. And that is to structure it, from birth to conclusion, to evaluate the potential risks, to choose the right team.
In addition to communicating with stakeholders in a clear and timely manner and dealing with unexpected events. To do all this, not only personal characteristics are needed, the famous skills.
But also adequate tools that allow you to deal with project management in an optimal way.
WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS FOR MANAGING PROJECTS?
When working on a project, there are several elements to consider. Those on which we must not neglect are:
- Purpose
A project, first of all, must have a clear goal, size and requirements. For this element it is necessary that the management of the project is committed to fixed budget control and the involvement of stakeholders.
- Resources
A project has several types of resources. Its management provides for an adequate number of people to be involved, with the appropriate skills. Then, it is necessary to procure all the necessary material and adequate equipment to operate efficiently.
- Time
When doing a project, time management is a fundamental aspect. Each activity must be described in detail, scheduled in precise times and spaces, with a predetermined duration and deadline. Nothing should be left to chance.
- Budget for project management
Project management obviously also affects costs. All activities require a certain budget, which must be estimated and reported.
It is therefore a very elaborate and complicated procedure. There are many elements to take into consideration.
So most companies have had to take on the figure of the project manager, or the one who deals with project management.
Specific software is used to speed up and make the work more precise.
What are the key aspects to consider when choosing a software?
Project management software has several functions. Let’s see what are the fundamentals for managing projects in the most effective way.
To-Do Lists
First you need to produce a list of things to do, the “to do list” to organize the information in an orderly manner.
It is essential to have a ladder to proceed with project management. In this way, you will always have the possibility to check and verify that you have not forgotten any steps and have completed all the planned tasks.
Most project management tools include the ability to create such lists. It is up to everyone to choose the tool that makes the creation of the list a simple and shareable action.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: WORKFLOW
The “workflow” tools, that is workflow, are used to track and therefore monitor the progress of the project.
They track activities and projects as they move through various stages of the process.
It is a relatively simple but very important project management tool.
It is advisable to choose a complete tool, a software that offers a large amount of functionality at the level of the kanban card, in particular:
- designing boards as a framework for any type of process
- attach files
- to comment
- assign collaborators
- start a new process
Basically, each tab should have its own functionality.
GANTT DIAGRAMS
The Gantt chart is another of the most important project management tools.
This diagram is made up of horizontal bars, which are used to illustrate the project completion dates, from start to finish, progress and timing of completion.
Gantt charts are great for general visualization of the project and its progress.
TIME MONITORING
Time tracking and billing are two necessary features that the project management system must have, especially when working with clients.
It is therefore essential to identify a software that has a time tracker, so that it can be started every time you need to time a certain activity.
It is crucial for time tracking that the project management tool also offers the ability to manually enter the time association to tasks.
In this way, the project manager can:
- Keep track of the work done at any time of the day;
- Consult and assign the timing to each activity at the end of the working day;
- manage multiple projects simultaneously.
COOPERATION
Collaboration between teams and within the team is a common goal of all types of organization that underlies a project.
Some project management tools include the team collaboration management function.
These software contain:
- Message boards;
- The chat functionality;
- The file / document sharing option.
This function is especially essential when the project involves a large team, located in different locations.
And when members are not readily available. This way everyone can get in touch with each other and share information.
PROJECT AND BUDGET MANAGEMENT
A project management tool should definitely have budget management functionality.
Defining a project budget, implementing it and monitoring it in real time are key steps to keep project performance high.
The project manager can thus have constant control over the budget and the project and provide important information on the actions to be taken.
It will also be easier to manage both the costs generated by the work and the additional costs and to have an overview of the overall costs.
PERSONALIZATION
The software must be able to adapt to each project, it must be flexible and customizable.
It must be a support tool for the Project Manager, facilitate project management.
It should offer the possibility to:
- fill in custom fields and forms;
- create customized reports;
- provide advanced and customized analytics.
INTEGRATION
Work must be always interconnected in an era like this.
This means that the project management tools must also be adapted to constant evolutions and allow advanced connections.
In other words, the management software will have to integrate with the major CRM or ERP company, always with a view to progress.
REMOTE USABLE, ALSO ON IOS AND ANDROID DEVICES
Project management tools must provide the ability to work on different platforms.
Pc, tablet, smatphone are all work tools that should be connected, because they are now all used in all types of work.
Therefore, when choosing project management software, it is also essential to evaluate that the software performs on systems such as ios and android.
TONGUE
When choosing a project management software it is important to consider in which language it is usable.
This is because it must be used by the whole team and often the language can act as a brake on their use.
It is possible to create a winning project if all team members find the tool easy to use. Even better if everyone could choose the best known language.
This is what needs to be kept in mind when dealing with project management.
Whether you manage complex and large projects, or for small everyday projects. Remember that life is also a project!
