Construction projects are very complex in terms of coordination of people, equipment, and materials – and doing so within a budget, timeline, and quality constraints. The best PM tools for managing construction projects and portfolios of construction projects within a construction company need to emphasize communication and collaboration. The nature of construction is that it is planned in an office and executed in the field – so coordinating across those venues is the challenge.
Professional services firms have a three-pronged operational challenge: keeping time & billing under control, managing projects, and having the supporting accounting. The focus of this article is on how professional services firms achieve this, with project management at the center of the operations and the other two as supporting, administrative functions. This article looks at how PM tools specific to the professional services industry need to support these operational functions. This is the second part of a series of four articles on “PM Software by Industry”, where we explore the variation in needs and implementations of project management software solutions based on industry.
In the digital marketing and creative field, professionals tend to be very visual, and the work is typically relatively short task-oriented, the workflow involves numerous team members to get something done, and there is a premium on personal focus and productivity. Let’s take a look at how these and other key needs are handled by project management tools or software that supports companies in the digital marketing and creative industry. This is the first part of a series of four articles on “PM Software by Industry”, where we explore the variation in needs and implementations of project management software solutions based on industry.
Data analysis is a new name for an old profession. We all perform data analysis daily, but may not realize it because it is such a natural function. This article will show you how to find and use free software to analyze data.
Before you download any free tool you think could help, analyze the tool to make sure it performs the necessary functions to complete the task at hand. Free tools are often limited in their functionality. Here are three basic tools I’ve used with success that any new or season PM may find helpful.
There are plenty of project management software options on the market, so why should you consider Mavenlink? You should give it a try because it works well, with no glitches discovered on this writer’s test drive, and it offers many features to improve team collaboration and organization.
The timeline feature of Microsoft Project 2013 is a very simple but powerful tool for presenting the overall timeline of the project. You can show high level parent tasks or you can show only a subset of tasks depending on your needs. Follow this tutorial to get started!
You’ve seen lots of project manager software products out there. Comindware Project is a new offering, with a focus on collaboration and features to keep you organized. Here you’ll find out why this Bright Hub PM writer thinks you should take it out for a spin.
You may be familiar with the use of kanbans, especially if you’re a fan of Agile. Get ready to try Kanbanize, a new project management software that expands the kanban concept so that you can keep an eye on all your projects at once–in a way that really is easy and even, dare I say it, fun to use.
Does the idea of stumbling upon a warehouse full of office templates make you happier than a kid in a candy store? Comindware offers automated workflow solutions—with all those templates to ease the way. It’s an interesting business collaboration product that offers a new twist on task management.
