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Most Project Managers of a certain age have been brought up on Gantt Charts, but times change and tools evolve.  I embraced the use of a Kanban Board or Scrum Board years ago, and haven’t really looked back.  Read more on Gantt Chart alternatives at the link below:

If you’re a certified project manager, then you likely use Gantt chart software.  A Gantt chart is a good tool to show the bigger picture on a project and work well for people who like things displayed graphically, and that’s why we love them. But not everyone loves them.

Gantt charts have their downsides. Let’s be honest—once you start adding milestones and dependencies, they get messy. Add in resource names, lag times and symbols, and it can quickly become an eyesore that even a project manager struggles to understand, never mind project sponsors who don’t speak Gantt.

Fortunately, there are simpler ways to get your message across. Here are five alternatives to formal Gantt charts that you can use today.

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We say it all the time — change is inevitable….Read More »

The post Change Request: How to Submit, Manage and Execute appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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Gantt charts are the glue that holds projects together. They’re…Read More »

The post Easy Ways to Make a Gantt Chart with Google Sheets (Plus Templates) appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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Issues arise in almost every project. But knowing there is…Read More »

The post Root Cause Analysis: A Quick Guide appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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Project managers are the point person in charge of a specific project or projects within an organization. We regularly feature project management resources to help train PMs to land jobs in the industry or develop better skills in their current role. So we thought it would be a great idea to take a look at what core qualifications are required of project managers and define their responsibilities and the common job descriptions for several PM roles….Read More »

The post Project Manager Job Description (with free copy+paste examples!) appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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The most important resource you’ll employ to deliver the project is people. They have to fit into the schedule and maintain the project budget. Defining what their roles and responsibilities are when executing tasks and delivering on the project goals is an important part of controlling the project.

How can you coordinate all the people who are involved in a project so they know what they’re doing and don’t block others from doing what they are assigned? Using a responsibility assignment matrix can help. An assignment matrix gives your project a team that gets things done.

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The post How to Make a Responsibility Assignment Matrix for a Project (Template Included) appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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When managing a project, one is required to make a lot of key decisions. Project managers strive to control costs while getting the highest return on investment and other benefits for their business or organization. A cost benefit analysis (CBA) is just what they need to help them do that….Read More »

The post Cost Benefit Analysis for Projects – A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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The PMBOK defines a Milestone as, “a significant point or event in a project” (Project Management Institute, Inc., 2017).  Typical milestones I have encountered in the past include the beginning and ending of project phases, stakeholder sign-offs that allow the team to move on the next phase, and major deliverables.  It has helped me to think of a milestone as a point in time that designates a desired state that the project team is trying to achieve.  Read Jason Westland’s blog post for more insight:

A project milestone is a management tool that is used to delineate a point in a project schedule. These points can note the start and finish of a project, and mark the completion of a major phase of work. Milestones can be used to symbolize anything that has started or finished, though it’s primarily used as a scheduling tool.

If a milestone focuses on major progress points in a project, you can see how it is useful in scheduling. Just as tasks break a larger project into manageable parts, milestones break off project phases to help project managers plan, schedule and execute them.

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The post What Are Milestones in Project Management? appeared first on ProjectManager.com.
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Project Management Institute, Inc. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge.

Any construction project, no matter the size or scope, requires…Read More »

The post 8 Free Excel Construction Templates appeared first on ProjectManager.
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Due to all of the components of a project, it’s easy for a project manager to get lost in the details, and lose track of the big picture. But how can you see the entire project landscape to ensure you’re heading in the right direction? Better yet, how can you easily explain to your stakeholders how your project will develop without having to break down the entire project management plan?

A project roadmap is the best way to summarize the what, why and how of your project into an easy-to-understand document that can be shared with anyone.

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The post How to Create a Project Roadmap (Example included) appeared first on ProjectManager.
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