Project Management Software

Academic researchers use a research plan for their thesis, dissertation or grant-funded studies. However, businesses and corporations also use a research plan for market research and product development. Even government agencies, policymakers and nonprofits use it. But what exactly is a research plan, what goes into it and why is it so important that organizations take the time and effort to conduct one? We’ll answer these questions and outline an example to show how it works in a real-life scenario. Finally, readers can download a free research plan template to help them get started. /wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Research-plan-template-featured-image.jpg Get your fr…

What Are Deliverables In Project Management? Projects produce deliverables, which are simply the results of project activities. Project deliverables can be big or small, and their number varies depending on the project. They’re agreed upon by the project management team and stakeholders during the project planning phase. Put another way, there are inputs and outputs in any type of project. Inputs are what you put into the project, such as data, resources, etc., and the outcomes are the deliverables. Again, those deliverables vary greatly. For example, a project deliverable can be either a product or service or it can be the documentation that’s part of the project closur…

If you’re looking to become an IT project manager, Jennifer Bridges, PMP, explains the job description, skills, qualifications, path and training involved. Then read on to learn even more about starting your IT project manager career. Here’s a screenshot of the whiteboard for your reference! What Is IT Project Management? IT project management consists of applying project management principles to information technology projects. It involves planning, executing, monitoring and closing IT-related initiatives to ensure they align with business objectives. As this industry is constantly changing thanks to rapid technological enhancements, these projects must be completed …

PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments) is a widely used project management methodology mostly found in Europe and especially the United Kingdom. This structured approach to managing projects includes something called the project board. What is a project board in PRINCE2? That’s what we’ll answer first. Then we’ll explain who makes up a project board and their key responsibilities. There is a project board in PRINCE2 because it benefits the project, a topic that we’ll also get to. What Is a Project Board in PRINCE2? The project board is a group of key stakeholders who provide overall direction and governance for the project in PRINCE2. They are responsible for mak…

Projects are made up of many moving parts. One of the ways that you can determine if the project is behind or ahead of schedule is called schedule control. Project planning, scheduling and control all go together when managing a project to stay on time and meet your deadlines. Learning what schedule control is and what you can do to best apply it can help you bring your next project in on-time and under budget. What Is Schedule Control? Schedule control is used in project management to monitor your activities and tasks to ensure you’re proceeding as planned. Of course, it’s more than just monitoring status. Project schedule control also means updating your project proce…

As professionals with targets, projects to manage and bills to pay, we must perform, whether it’s the beginning of the week or the exhausting end of a long, hard one. And it’s precisely when times get tough that a good motivational speech is most beneficial, inspiring us to clear any psychological and physical hurdles that are keeping us from our goals. What’s amazing about people is, that despite the external forces at play on our constitution, we can always be influenced by attitude. If your coworkers or managers can motivate you, suddenly that hidden resource is tapped, and you’re ready to get up and go again with renewed energy and focus. Leaders can motivate and in…

Activity-based costing (ABC) is a method used to allocate overhead and indirect costs based on the activities that drive those costs. In project management, ABC allows for a more accurate understanding of project expenses by identifying and assigning costs to specific activities, rather than using broad allocation methods. This approach helps project managers make better budgeting, resource allocation and cost control decisions, ultimately improving financial transparency and ensuring projects are completed within budget. Let’s explore ABC costing and the ABC method further. What Is Activity-Based Costing? Activity-based costing is a costing method that assigns overhead…

Resources are what you need to execute your project plan—people, equipment and materials. Managing those resources, and their constraints, is part of how you deliver a successful project. Each task in your project plan will have project resources like people, time and a budget attached. Therefore, you must know their availability to schedule them. That’s a resource constraint, and project managers must learn how to manage those constraints in order to keep the project moving forward. What Are Resource Constraints? A resource constraint is any limitation and/or risk associated with project resources. Identifying these resource management constraints is an essential resou…

Lazy coworkers — there’s at least one in every office. They’re the ones who come in late, take a long lunch and leave early. They always have an excuse to explain their behavior and can even be apologetic. But what good is saying sorry if the actions remain the same? These actions can be annoying, but if the lazy coworker doesn’t impact your work, then simply avoid them. Don’t hold onto resentments. On the other hand, if their laziness starts to affect your work life, then you need to address it. But first, do a little soul-searching. Are you just being judgmental? Does the lazy coworker trigger you? Before you start tattling and spreading toxic emotions, try speaking t…

If you’re looking for ways to increase productivity in your project (and who isn’t?), then you’ll need to know how to effectively measure your progress. Tracking these key performance indicators (KPI) will help keep the team productive and the project on track. Having your eye on KPI metrics is one of the best ways to track the progress of your team. But first, let’s define some key terms and then get to the essential KPI metrics for teams. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Light-mode-portfolio-dashboard-CTA.pngTrack KPIs in real time with dashboards. Learn more What Is a KPI? KPI is an acronym that stands for key performance indicator. It is a measurement that demonstrates h…

Imagine that you’re taking the lead on a new IT project that involves building a call center from the network to the servers. The call center itself will house hundreds of jobs and will bridge the gap between customer and product. There are many requirements for a big project like this and as a project manager, you keep track of them all. Requirements gathering is a step in the requirements management process, which consists of gathering, documenting and analyzing project requirements. We’ll start with a requirements gathering definition and then we’ll look into the process and tools you can use. /wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Requirements-Gathering-Template.png Get …

Some people excel at job interviews, and then there’s the rest of us. The truth is, you are being judged, and it’s normal to feel anxious when you’re under the spotlight. So, given these stressful circumstances, how can you relax and show your best self during an interview? The STAR method can help, but that’s not all you can do to prepare. First, you should be equipped with the requisite experience and a resume that sums it up. Then there was the cover letter that was attached, where you expanded on why you’re a good fit for the position and the company. The interview is the last hurdle, but unlike those other steps, you can’t take your time composing the perfect pitch…

The secret to agile and scrum project management is simplicity, even in the face of complexity. And although scrum ceremonies are simple, they can be difficult to master. Scrum requires self-organizing teams that can quickly solve problems in agile environments. To provide transparency and regular communication amid such environments, scrum ceremonies are held. Scrum ceremonies or agile ceremonies are meetings that are unique to scrum and agile teams. What Are Scrum Ceremonies? Scrum ceremonies are meetings that ensure that the scrum master, product owner and development team are in-sync. These ceremonies, or scrum events, are held at key instances in the agile sprint cy…

No project is wholly successful or a failure. Some aspects go well while others don’t. To ensure that the next project has fewer faults and more benefits, there’s something in project management called lessons learned. Let’s first define what lessons learned in project management means, then explain why they should be documented and how valuable information can be collected. Then we’ll show what needs to be included in lessons learned documents and link to a lessons learned register that can be used in a post-mortem. What Are Lessons Learned in Project Management? Lessons learned in project management are the insights and key takeaways gained from a project’s successes …

What Is Logistics Management? Logistics management is the process of managing the activities that are required to transport goods from its source to the final customer. That process involves a series of logistics activities such as order processing, material handling, packaging, warehousing, transportation and customer service management. The logistics management process is used for tangible goods such as raw materials, finished products, equipment and machinery to food or other consumable items. A person who works in this field is called a logistician or logistics manager. Who Is a Logistics Manager? A logistics manager plays an integral role in overseeing the flow of …

Projects reach a successful completion by planning, but a plan alone isn’t enough to deliver on time and within budget. Costs, resources and performance must be tracked to ensure the actual effort aligns with the project plan. An S-curve is one tool that can help do that. To understand why, let’s first define an S-curve graph in project management. Then we’ll explain why it’s used and how to make one. To save readers time, we’ll also link to a free downloadable S-curve template for Excel, followed by an example to show how it’s used in real-life projects. /wp-content/uploads/2025/03/S-curve-template-featured-image.jpg Get your free S Curve Template Use this free…

There are many ways to manage a project. While project management software is the gold standard, there are many free project management templates for Google that you can download to plan, manage and track your projects. Get these free project management templates for Google and take control of your project to deliver it successfully. Best Project Management Templates for Google Sheets There are many project management templates for Google online. They cover all phases of the project through its life cycle. It can be a bit intimidating to search such a large database to find the free project management templates for Google that are right for you. It’s easy to start using…

There’s always something to deal with when managing a project. One responsibility of the project manager is to identify what’s wrong and devise a way to resolve it. This requires getting to the cause of the problem, which is what the 5 whys technique was created to do. What are the 5 whys and how can it be used in project management as well as other disciplines? We’ll get to that and how to use it. Then we’ll provide a real-life example and even a link to a free 5 whys template to download and use. /wp-content/uploads/2025/02/5-whys-template-featured-image.jpg Get your free 5 Whys Template Use this free 5 Whys Template for Excel to manage your projects better. …

Agile is a useful project management methodology when used correctly. Unfortunately, if the whole team is not familiar with it, things can become inefficient. To avoid that, all agile team members must know what a product backlog and sprint backlog are, both of which are essential for planning and prioritizing tasks in agile project management. These concepts also apply to scrum, kanban and other similar agile frameworks. What Is a Product Backlog? The product backlog is a list that compiles all the tasks and user stories that must be done to complete the whole project. But it’s not just a simple task list. An effective product backlog breaks down each of the backlog ite…

Bidding and tendering are critical steps in winning a project. Learn how to structure a successful tender, along with proven tips to maximize success. The post Guide to Bidding & Tendering Process for Project Management appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

Resources are limited, but your ability to manage them to fulfill the needs of your project isn’t. One of the many challenges that face project managers is how to guide their project to a successful end without enough resources. The good news: there are ways you can take the resources you have and make them work in your project. The better news: we’ll tell you how to overcome a perceived lack of resources. Project Management Challenges: Lack of Project Resources The first thing to do when you notice your resources aren’t covering what you planned for in your project is to identify the context. Resources can be anything from materials to personnel, and the situation that …

Project management is a unique field. It exists in many industries because a “project” applies to almost anything that achieves a goal or produces a deliverable. This can include anything from software development to construction. Nearly every industry has projects of varying lengths and complexities—prompting a diverse list of project manager titles. However, project managers are not a monolithic group. They have a wide variety of skills, which include technical know-how, business acumen and leadership skills. Additionally, within the field of project management, there’s a range of project manager titles and roles, which we will explain further. /wp-content/uploads/202…

Is leadership something you’re born with or can it be taught? It’s an interesting question, but one that you shouldn’t spend too much time stressing over. Even if you are full of charisma and people naturally line up to follow you anywhere, you could always hone your leadership skills with leadership training. Or, if you’re like the rest of us, who aren’t natural-born leaders, but find themselves in a position of leadership, you’ll want to study the techniques that rally teams to success. Leadership isn’t rocket science, but like rocket science, it can be taught. There’s a wealth of leadership courses available, online and in the real world. Some are free and others are…

The words stakeholder and shareholder are often used loosely in business. The two words are commonly thought of as synonyms and are used interchangeably, but there are some key differences between them. These differences reveal how to appropriately manage stakeholders vs shareholders in your organization. For example, a shareholder is always a stakeholder in a corporation, but a stakeholder is not always a shareholder. The distinction lies in their relationship to the corporation and their priorities. Different priorities and levels of authority require different approaches in formality, communication and reporting. It’s important that these terms are well-defined to av…