The best 5 Project Management Tools
Definitions for common tools used when planning a project.
Gantt Chart
A Gantt chart is a popular type of bar chart that aims to show the timing of tasks or activities as they occur over time. Although the Gantt chart did not initially indicate the relationships between activities this has become more common in current usage as both timing and interdependencies between tasks can be identified.
Since the initial introduction of Gantt charts, they have become an industry standard as a key project management tool for representing the phases, tasks and activities that are scheduled as part of a project Work Breakdown Structure or time-line of activities.
Logic Network
A Logic Network shows the sequence of activities in a project across time. It shows which activity logically precedes or follows another activity. It can be used to identify the milestones and critical path of a project.
PERT Chart
The Programme Evaluation and Review Technique commonly abbreviated PERT is a model for project management invented by United States Department of Defense’s US Navy Special Projects Office in 1958 as part of the Polaris mobile submarine launched ballistic missile project.
PERT is basically a method for analysing the tasks involved in completing a given project, especially the time needed to complete each task and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project.
Product Breakdown Structure (PBS)
In project management, a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) is an exhaustive, hierarchical tree structure of components that make up a project deliverable, arranged in whole-part relationship.
A PBS can help clarify what is to be delivered by the project and can help build a work breakdown structure.
The PRINCE2 project management method mandates the use of product based planning, part of which is developing a product breakdown structure.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an exhaustive, hierarchical tree structure of deliverables and tasks that need to be performed to complete a project. Work breakdown structure is a very common project management tool and the basis for much project planning.
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Comments
Mainly these are Project Planning Tools. I have lately posted an article on the key project planning tools, the article has 2 more, the OBS and the RAM.
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You can also checkout DeskAway (http://www.deskaway) which is a very nice project management tool.
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If you’d like a tool for managing your time and projects, you can use this application inspired by David Allen’s GTD:
You can use it to manage and prioritize your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.
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This is a great list of features that are useful in a project management tool. I’m going to use your list in the near future to collect information about the probably 100 online services for project management and/or team collaboration at my new site PM-Sherpa that catalogs mostly web-based project management and online team collaboration solutions. We already have a number of attributes for the different solutions at http://pm-sherpa.com but your list will help me improve them when I can get it implemented.
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Recommend to try another web based project management tools called 5PM – http://www.5pmweb.com
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You’re right, but many other features have to be included in planning software, like for instance, being able to encode things propoerly and not doing everything in the Gantt chart itself, take a look here: http://www.planningforce.com – Cheers,
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Loved your list, I need to learn more and utilize Gantt charts on existing and future projects.
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February 14, 2009
Wikipedia references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantt_chart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_network
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pert_chart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_breakdown_structure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_breakdown_structure
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