10 Free Tools For Effective Project Management Don't Forget to participate in a contest where you can win an amazing e-Commerce template from TemplateMonster. Project management is the process by which projects are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised. Projects are unique, transient endeavours undertaken to achieve a desired outcome. Projects bring about change and project management is recognised as the most efficient way of managing such change. It includes the techniques & tools used to describe, control & deliver a series of activities with given deliverables, timeframes & budgets. You are welcome if you want to share free project management tool that our readers/viewers may like. Image courtesy With increased demand of project management in all areas in general and software industry in particular, need for better tools to manage softwares effectively is also increasing. SchedulingCost ControlBudget ManagementResource AllocationCollaborationCommunicationDocumentation
Effective Project Management for Web Geeks "Project Management" has always been a term more likely to elicit a groan than a smile. Nevertheless, the use of project management skills is often what distinguishes an easy, successful project from a painful and unsatisfactory one. In a world where clients and business partners increasingly want a full solution, rather than just the component pieces of design and code, having basic project management skills, at least, is quickly becoming a requirement for web professionals. In this article I’ll talk about what project management (PM) is and what it isn’t, introduce you to the basics of the project lifecycle, and provide you with an arsenal of tools that you can use to make your projects run smoother, faster, and easier, starting from today. So, what IS Project Management? The Project Management Institute’s definition of PM is: "… the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements." The Generic Project Lifecycle Figure 1. Closure
Five Best Personal Project Management Tools Project Management – What are you waiting for? | CreativeExecs This is the third of a 3-part series on Project Management: I’ve had fun pontificating about my favorite topic, Project Management. In previous blogs, I outlined how project management can change the world and talked about the squishy stuff a la morality lessons learned from my Octogenarian Mother. In this third, it’s time to speak to CHANGE MANGEMENT – possibly two of the most hated words in the English language (so I hope you’re excited about that.) In the first blog, I identified why Project Management can be an effective tool for your team (or it could be a dismal failure) The trick? What resonated with you as you read that post? That place between where your group is now and where you want to be is the bridge you need to cross. In the follow-up blog, I identified common sense approaches identifying some key tactics to your long-term plan: Identify the roadblocks (e.g., Time!) You now have the key tools to *manage* your change process. You don’t. What?
15 Useful Project Management Tools Advertisement by Cameron Chapman There is a huge variety of project management applications out there. Most are general purpose apps, not aimed at any one industry. Many of these project management apps have built-in code repositories and subversion browsers (or are built around them). Below are 15 useful project management applications, almost all of which are targeted directly at Web developers, designers (both Web and print) and other creative types. Also consider our previous article: Web Applications: Improve Your Workflow 1. These applications are marketed specifically for project management. Lighthouse Lighthouse is a bug- and issue-tracking app that tracks timelines and milestones, integrates with your email client and more. Project creation is simple; only a project title and description is required. Permissions are easy to set, and you can invite users by email. Lighthouse is great for Web development teams (or individuals) and has a very easy-to-use interface. Springloops Basecamp
Everything I know about Project Management I learned from my mother… | CreativeExecs I promised in my last post to illuminate the masses how to create an effective Project Management process… not talk about my octogenarian mother. However, before we can get to that step I need you to come to terms with “the squishy stuff”—the attitudes, ideas and perceptions that could be roadblocks on the journey to a successful Project Management function. Growing up I heard these old sayings so much they make me wince even as an adult, but that’s the way it is with common sense… sometimes it hurts. And moving your studio from where it is today to where you want it to be is all about common sense in the long run (but we’ll get to that shortly.) “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Moral of the story: You know where you’re at and you know where you need your studio to be. Champion your three issues every chance you get—especially when people say they don’t have time for a new process. “If a person shows you who they are, believe them.” Boy, this one made me mad as a kid!
project management - free process, techniques, tools, tips and training In organizations and businesses, project management can be concerned with anything, particularly introducing or changing things, in any area or function, for example: people, staffing and management products and services materials, manufacturing and production IT and communications plant, vehicles, equipment storage, distribution, logistics buildings and premises finance, administration, acquisition and divestment purchasing sales, selling, marketing human resources development and training customer service and relations quality, health and safety, legal and professional technical, scientific, research and development new business development and anything else which needs planning and managing within organizations. Successful project management, for projects large or small, tends to follow the process outlined below. The same principles, used selectively and appropriately, also apply to smaller tasks. project management process See also project sponsorship.
The Promise of Project Management | CreativeExecs If you’re to the point where you are considering building a Project Management team within your organization you are, most likely, experiencing the high-class problem of organizational growth. Typically project managers are needed when there’s too much of a good thing—sales are booming and the account people can’t handle business development and oversee project requirements; your creatives are doing what they’re supposed to be doing—creating—and they don’t have the time or skills to handle Project Management either. And, of course, operations needs someone to help them hound the studio about tracking time so you can collect all the dollars that should be flowing into your shop. This is usually the time when Project Management begins to seem like THE SOLUTION TO ALL OUR PROBLEMS. And you are right—an effective Project Management team can be key to department’s success: Clients are happier, deadlines are met, and projects come in on budget… This is a happy place!
Important Metrics for the Creative Production Process | inMotionNow In today’s competitive business environment, it’s more important now than ever before to measure and demonstrate a department’s productivity and the value it brings to the business as a whole. But the work of a creative services department can be difficult to measure. So what metrics does a creative team need to track to know if they’re running efficiently? If you’re leading a creative team, here are some metrics you may want to analyze: Time to MarketThis is the total length of time a piece of content takes to go from strategy to implementation. Whatever your project tracking methods, getting detailed records of your creative production process – particularly the review and approval process – is a smart first step if you want to assess your efficiency. Comments are closed.
Marketing Workflow Project Management Software Solutions, On-Demand – AtTask Here's a marketing story you can probably relate to. Marketing projects usually start out simple enough. Somebody upstairs has a vision and you get to make it come to life. The ball gets rolling, but the inevitable happens. One project turns into sixty and loosely defined work processes quickly snowball into pure chaos. Before you know it, simple turns into simply crazy. Everyone gets caught up in a debilitating storm of random email requests, meetings, re-prioritizing, and a lack of visibility. In the end, frustration reigns supreme. Deadlines and budgets get missed and people are left reconsidering their career paths. Is there a solution to the madness? Yes. AtTask is the on-demand solution that will bring visibility, communication, and harmony to your marketing workflow. Get the right work done. Marketing teams are constantly bombarded with new work requests and everyone thinks their request should be “top priority.” Prove your team’s value. Keep the details in one place. Get the real story.
Tips and Tools for Becoming an Integrated Project Manager – Part 2 In my first post on this topic, I gave you a little background info on my PM journey, and then gave you some homework to do before we moved along. This post is going to pick up right where we left off, so let’s start talking about schedules. In addition to a strong personality and a thick skin, an accurate status report compiled from all work currently scheduled, is a necessity to establish and keep order in what could easily become chaos without a PM. Depending upon the size of your company, you might be the only PM, or among several who all share the same internal, and sometimes external resources, to get work created and approved. Assuming we all come from Print, when we create schedules we need to know a few basic things – 1. If you were doing an interactive project, in this example your client is a Resort and asked for eight versions of a banner ad for their latest promotion, you can use the same Print scheduling guidelines to create a timeline.
RE: Master Services Agreement Revisions - mafong - Temple University Mail Project Manager Job Description | Paladin Staffing What is a Project Manager? Project managers are the glue that helps keep projects — and people — together. They are responsible for planning, organizing, managing and executing projects from beginning to end. The project scope can vary from single pieces of collateral to multifaceted, multichannel marketing campaigns. These professionals commonly work under the direction of brand managers or creative directors from whom they collect project information — deadlines, objectives, budgets, etc. They also assign individuals or entire teams to tasks within the project, while creating and managing detailed schedules throughout the duration of the project. Another critical function that project managers play a central role in is risk analysis. At Paladin Staffing, we specialize in helping project managers and other candidates combine with great companies throughout the country. The Project Manager’s skill set Education Two types of Project Managers In-House Project Manager Agency Project Manager