Project Management Software

Your business operations are only as good as your ability to monitor and control them. For example, manufacturing teams would be lost without a controlling process that lets them measure and improve on their management function. The process of controlling management is essential for any business to remain viable. When you monitor with software and control the process of your manufacturing, you’re able to see what works and what isn’t working. What Is Controlling Process in Business Management? The controlling process in business management is when managers set, measure and refine their business operations and manage cost control. By using a controlling process, a compa…

Construction contracts are legally binding documents between two parties outlining the terms and conditions of the working relationship between them, usually awarded after a construction bidding process. In this blog, we’ll explore the components, pros and cons of a cost reimbursement contract. What Is a Cost Reimbursement Contract? A cost reimbursement contract is an agreement between parties in a construction project that guarantees the owner reimburses the contractor for costs incurred while they work on the project. Reimbursement, however, is not unlimited. There is a ceiling. The contractor is not paid solely for the costs but is also guaranteed an additional payme…

Contracts specify the terms of the agreement between an employer and a contractor for the execution of a construction project. Because these agreements are so diverse, there are many different types of construction contracts, each with its own benefits. One of these is called a cost-plus contract. What Is a Cost-Plus Contract? A cost-plus contract is a construction agreement between an owner and a contractor, in which the project owner reimburses the contractor for all incurred costs and pays an additional fee, which corresponds to the profit the contractor makes for executing the project. This means the owner is not agreeing to a set budget for things like materials an…

Construction projects are notoriously difficult. They involve multiple teams, suppliers and more when building a structure. Ensuring the schedule is realistic and the project can be delivered on time requires techniques such as CPM construction. What is CPM construction? It stands for the critical path method in construction. What is critical path construction? That’s what we’ll learn, including how to make a CPM construction schedule and why general contractors want to use it. We’ll even throw in a free critical path template. What Is the Critical Path Method (CPM) in Construction? As noted above, CPM construction stands for the critical path method. It’s a project man…

If all construction projects ran without a hitch, there’d be little need for project management software. However, we know that internal and external forces create construction delays that impact the project schedule. To have a successful project completion, general contractors rely on delay analysis. What is delay analysis and what should be included in a delay analysis report? We’ll get to that shortly. There’s also more than one way to analyze delays, and we’ll explore those different methods as well. Readers can download free templates to help with delay analysis or upgrade to project management software to better manage construction schedules. What Is Delay Analysi…

KEY TAKEAWAYS The project management landscape is evolving rapidly, and staying ahead of the latest project management trends is essential for success. By 2029, the project management software market is projected to grow from $6.54 billion to $10.86 billion, reflecting a surge in demand for digital tools. The freelance workforce is also expected to grow… The post Emerging Project Management Trends for 2025: Top Takeaways appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

All projects are risky ventures and so is running an enterprise. Unexpected events, whether internal or external, can impact the schedule, budget and operations. Risk can have an even greater impact on larger, more complex projects or the organization that implements them, which is why enterprise risk management is so important. An enterprise risk management framework can mean the difference between a successful or failed project. Enterprise risk management software is critical to delivering a successful project. But first, one must understand the risk management process and risk management strategy. What Is Enterprise Risk Management? Enterprise risk management (ERM) i…

Planning an event involves many moving parts, each generating costs that must be carefully tracked. Whether it’s venue rentals, equipment, catering or staffing, event planners need a structured approach to budgeting. Without a well-organized budget, costs can spiral out of control, leading to financial surprises. To simplify this process, an event budget template can help keep track of all expenses. Our Google Sheets event budget template provides an easy-to-use format for logging estimated and actual costs, ensuring your event stays within budget. Why Use an Event Budget Template for Google Sheets? Google Sheets is an excellent tool for creating an event budget because …

Events are projects that must be planned, executed and tracked to be delivered successfully. Therefore, an event schedule is essential to ensure that all related tasks are organized and done within a predetermined timeframe. To have a successful event requires event scheduling, which means understanding the steps to creating one, what should be included and an event schedule template to lay it all out. For a more efficient and effective event, there’s also event scheduling software that we’ll get to later. What Is Event Scheduling? Event scheduling refers to the process of planning, organizing and coordinating the timing and logistics of an event. This involves determin…

Just because a project is pitched doesn’t mean it’s the right project. Organizations have to explore the proposal and determine if it’s a good fit for them in terms of risk, reward, resources and so on. That’s why there’s a feasibility report. What is a feasibility report? We’ll answer that, show what should be included and even add a feasibility report example to show what it would look like in a real-world scenario. Then, we’ll add links to some related free templates to help with the feasibility study report. What Is a Feasibility Report? A feasibility report in project management is a detailed analysis that evaluates the practicality, risks and potential success of …

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

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 …

Most organizations use project names as they’re a quick way to remember projects and programs. Some project managers think those names should describe a project’s purpose or its main goals, while others simply choose cool or catchy project names to lighten up the mood in the organization. While it can be challenging, creating project code names is a meaningful task that you and your team will value. Then, you’ll need project management software like ProjectManager to get the job done. ProjectManager lets you choose between a wide variety of project management tools such as Gantt charts, dashboards, timesheets, calendars, reports and much more. Get started for free today.…

Goals are set easily enough, but reaching them takes work. Sometimes that work is falling short, and project teams need to figure out why and how to get back on pace to meet their goals. For that, they use something called a needs assessment. But what is a needs assessment, often called a needs analysis? We’ll answer that first before going into when one should take place and how to do it. To better understand, we’ll share an example and even a template to help readers get started. What Is a Needs Assessment? A needs assessment is a systematic process to identify and evaluate gaps between a current situation and desired outcomes. It helps organizations, teams or individ…

Projects don’t just happen. There’s a lot of work before they’re approved, and once they have been given the go-ahead, there’s even more planning and scheduling needed! How do you communicate that information with stakeholders and the team so they understand the project? You use a project brief, an important document that outlines what the project is about, to do just that. A project brief lets you convey the main goals of the project so that everyone understands what they’ll be doing. Read on to learn more about them, and how to make one for yourself. There’s even a free template and in-depth example of a project brief for a construction project to help you get started…

A project list is the starting point for any project management process. They’re a great way to take what seems an insurmountable amount of disparate tasks and organize them. A project list can be as simple as a to-do list or a corral for many projects. Using a project list is so important it’s worth taking a moment to explore what it is, how to create one and how it fits into managing your project with project management software tools. What Is a Project List? The most straightforward answer is that a project list is a to-do list for a project. You could use a project list as you would any to-do list, creating a list of tasks you need to do today, this week or over the…

Project management planning is made up of many parts. There’s the schedule, the stakeholder matrix, the managing of resources. Speaking of the latter, there’s the matter of how you’re going to procure resources that require vendors of goods and services. That’s procurement management. The procurement plan is part of the overall project management plan. Over the life cycle of a project there are likely to be many points where it will intersect with vendors. This process needs to be managed. To manage these relationships and keep the flow of those goods and services moving without interruption requires a procurement management plan. If it seems like we’re going too fast, …

If you don’t have the funds, you’re not going to complete the project successfully. That’s why a project budget is so important: it’s the lifeblood of the project. Follow these steps to secure the funds necessary to support the project through every phase. But first, we need to define what a project budget is. What Is a Project Budget? A project budget is the total projected costs needed to complete a project over a defined period of time. It’s used to estimate what the costs of the project will be for every phase of the project. Creating a project budget is a critical part of the project planning process. The project budget will include such things as labor costs, mate…

Successful projects aren’t had by holding one’s nose and jumping in. There must be preparation. In project management, once a project has been approved, it starts with a project outline. While a project outline might seem obvious, it’s worth spending a little time defining what the phase means. Once that’s clear, we’ll show when a project outline is made, what should be included and provide an example to show how it works in a real-life scenario. What Is a Project Outline? A project outline is a high-level overview that summarizes the key components of a project. It typically includes the project’s objectives, scope, timeline, key milestones, deliverables, stakeholders …

Construction projects are long and complex. Once the structure is built, the job isn’t complete. There’s a site assessment, commercial building inspection and perhaps most importantly, a property condition report, which is part of what’s called a property condition assessment report (PCA report). To understand the importance of a building condition report, we’ll first define it, show who makes it and when in the commercial real estate cycle it’s done. We’ll show what should be included, illustrate how it works with a property condition example and even include a free downloadable template to get you started. What Is a Property Condition Report? A property condition repo…

Ideas are essential to product development, but they’re intangible. Turning an idea into a product requires many steps. One of the first is to create a product prototype. If you want to know what product prototyping is, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll define what a prototype is, why it’s important to make a product prototype and explore how to make a prototype. Along the way, we’ll offer tips, particularly on how project management software can help you realize your idea and turn a product prototype into a successful product launch. What Is a Prototype? A prototype is the physical manifestation of an idea, an important step in product management. That is, i…

Once a project is approved, it’s likely that the execution will require goods and services outside the purview of the organization managing the work. The process of soliciting bids from third-party vendors and contractors is done through a document called a request for proposal or, more commonly, an RFP. It is through this channel that project managers collect interested parties and make a decision on who to contract with for the project. The best way to get familiar with this process is by using an RFP template, which allows you to fill in the blanks in order to produce a thorough RFP. We will provide some RFP templates you can use below, but first, let’s better underst…

In the context of product development and project management, requirements are the specifications or characteristics that a product or project deliverable must have to meet government regulations, achieve business goals, or satisfy the expectations of customers, project sponsors, or any other stakeholder group that’s vested in the project. To satisfy these requirements, there are lots of tasks that must be done in order to deliver a final project. That includes the features, functions and so forth. Tracing those features can ensure that none slip through the cracks, a process that’s best completed by using a requirements traceability matrix. If you’ve never heard of a r…

Scope can make or break a project. If you’re not keeping a finger on the scope of the project, it can quickly go off-track, messing up your schedule and depleting the budget. That is how many projects fail. Yes, scope management is one more constraint a project manager must master, but then project managers love making plans to overcome challenges. A scope management plan is just another meaty piece of the project that any project manager will love to sink their teeth into. After all, the project manager is tasked with ensuring that the project reaches a satisfactory conclusion. That cannot be done without having a scope management plan. But first, what is the project s…