The best of project management tools

The Best of Project Management Tools
A selection of professional insights from the Blog archive

ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved 1

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


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.

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


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

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.


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


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!


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

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


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