Project Management Software

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

Creating professional reports can be time-consuming, but the right template can make the process much easier. Whether you need to present data, analyze performance or share project updates, using a well-designed template saves you time and ensures a polished look. In this roundup, we’ve gathered these free report templates that are easy to customize and perfect for any purpose. From business reports to project summaries, these templates will help you create clear, organized and visually appealing documents in no time. But templates aren’t a perfect solution. Project management software offers a more efficient reporting method for those ready to upgrade. Not ready to make…

When you start the planning process for a project, one of the first things you need to think about is: what can go wrong? It sounds negative, but pragmatic project managers know this type of thinking is preventative. Issues will inevitably come up, and you need a mitigation strategy in place to know how to manage risks when project planning. But how do you work towards resolving the unknown? It sounds like a philosophical paradox, but don’t worry—there are practical steps you can take thanks to project risk management. In this article, we’ll discuss strategies that let you get a glimpse at potential risks, so you can identify and track risks on your project. What Is Pro…

There’s never enough time when managing a project. That’s why we make schedules—to try and control time, just enough to get your deliverable by the deadline. Sometimes, however, things go awry. Changes in a project are common of course, but it’s the project manager’s responsibility to make sure that those changes don’t produce a negative impact on the project schedule. This is when the triple constraint usually comes into play; scope, time and budget. If one falls behind, the others have to make up the slack. There are many ways to adjust things on your project to make up for the time you’ve lost. That includes adding extra resources along the way, which is a method call…

Projects are made up of a large number of tasks, and keeping track of those tasks is a primary role of a project manager. Sometimes, the tasks in a project all run smoothly and independently of each other, and there are no complexities. Other times, however, there will be a large chain of dependent tasks that make things more complicated. What happens if a task needs to be completed today, but the person responsible for it is waiting on another task that hasn’t been completed yet? Delay happens. If you want to avoid delays in your projects, then it’s time to familiarize yourself with float or slack in project management. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Construction-Gantt-li…

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…

The day to get organized is now, not later. Without having some organization for your project, you run the risk of sending an extensive and time-consuming project spiraling into abject failure. A well-organized project ensures that everyone knows what’s expected of them, what their authority is and what they need to do. Project organization provides the track on which to run a project. Without it, a project is in shambles. What Is Project Organization? The project organization is the structure of the project. It’s created separately, with specialists and workers from various departments. These personnel work under the project manager or project management office (PMO). …

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.…

Construction projects manage many different types of resources. General contractors have to accurately estimate the amount of those items to keep their profit margin. They do this through the process of a quantity takeoff. What is quantity takeoff and when should this process happen in the construction project management cycle? We’ll address those questions, note who should be involved in the process, how to do it and why it’s so important. What Is Quantity Takeoff in Construction? Quantity takeoff (QTO) in construction refers to measuring and listing the quantities of materials, labor and resources required for a construction project. This detailed assessment estimates…

When you’re managing a project, the triple constraint should always be top of mind. But there’s a fourth constraint that’s just as important, yet sometimes forgotten by some project managers as they go through the project planning phase—project quality management. What Is Project Quality Management? Project quality management is the process of defining quality standards for the deliverables of a project, as well as the quality assurance measures to guarantee those standards are met. However, quality can be an elusive word. In project management, quality is simply what the customer or stakeholder needs from the project deliverables. Project quality management can be simp…

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…

Making assumptions is usually frowned upon. However, in project management, project assumptions are essential for planning a project. But how do project assumptions differ from the assumptions that often mislead us in our daily lives? Let’s take a look at how project assumptions are defined in project management and why they’re so important. Then we’ll learn about a project assumption log and how assumptions differ from constraints and risk. We’ll even throw in a project assumption example for further clarity. What Are Project Assumptions? A project assumption is used in project planning to define a factor that’s true, real or certain, even if there isn’t proof. You hav…

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…