What tools do you find most helpful for managing projects?
The tools that I have used for managing projects have been ones that I was exposed to through school for the most part. I learned how to use Microsoft Project during PM620 and it seemed like it was a very powerful but finicky tool. Everyone in class would perform the same steps and sometimes end up with different results.
In PM600 we used a tool called Thrive which performs many of the same functions of Microsoft Project but with a fresh perspective. The projects that I manage at work are very small scale and I do not use all of the standard forms and charts so Microsoft Excel works fine for me. It helps that I am fairly proficient with the program and have numerous coworkers to talk to if something comes up that I am unable to solve on my own.
Additionally, we utilize a secure form of Confluence which is "content collaboration software that changes how modern teams work" (Confluence, n.d.). We are able to create individual pages for projects and then everyone can post documents, powerpoint briefings, spreadsheets, and chat messages. It is very helpful in keeping everyone aware of each other's progress on the project even though we do not have a lot of face-to-face discussions.
How can you use spreadsheet software, such as Microsoft Excel, within the various project management processes?
Microsoft Excel can be used for many aspects of a project. Obviously, any document, list, or chart that is a table can be created in Excel. Also, templates are available online for Status Report, Project and Task Tracking, Risks Tracking, Issue Tracking, Project Budget, Timesheet, and Project Management Dashboard (The Ultimate Guide to: Excel for Project Management, n.d.). With some time, effort, and know-how I think that Microsoft Excel could be used in some manner for almost everything a project manager would need.
How can you use scheduling tools, such as Microsoft Project, within the various project management processes?
Microsoft Project can be used to create, manage, and display Gantt and PERT charts which are absolutely necessary for some projects (Bram, 2015). The PERT chart is valuable because it "presents a graphic illustration of a project as a network diagram" so that tasks can be identified as dependent, serial, parallel, or concurrent (Rouse, 2007).
A Gantt chart is "a type of bar chart that shows the start and finish dates of several elements of a project that include resources, milestones, tasks and dependencies" (Gantt Chart, n.d.). Both of these charts, created through Microsoft Project, can be used effectively with each of the processes related to Project Time Management such as Plan Schedule Management, Define Activities, Sequence Activities, and so on.
What tips can you offer for using either of these types of products?
The best tip I can provide for using Microsoft Project and the tools contained within is to practice and find someone that is skilled with the program. By working through an established set of procedures to create different products you will quickly find that your output does not match what is expected.
This may require you to start over or to retrace some steps. Regardless, it will require additional work on steps that will familiarize you with the process more.
Having a Microsoft Project guru on hand to answer questions or walk you through some of the steps will help to increase your knowledge. I was able to learn more than I expected by trying to help other classmates and seeing how they performed the steps and deducing how and why their output was different than mine. Really though, it boils down to practice, practice, practice.
Briefly describe 2 other types of project management tools.
Two important areas that I have been told that Microsoft Project falls short in are with regard to collaboration and a macro project view with easy drilling.
As mentioned before, I believe that a tool like Confluence allows for collaboration in a busy environment where people may not be located together, may not be available to meet face-to-face, and where the work on the project may be sporadic. The ability to share documents is very helpful and the blog-like comment portion keeps track of discussions.
One of the reasons that my professor in PM600 wanted to use Thrive was for the dashboard perspective that allowed a quick look at the project from a macro perspective with easy and fast access to the details that made up that view. A quick search of dashboard tools turned up quite a lot of programs that seek to fill this function so there are many options out there.
How do these 2 types of tools differ from the tools you have previously used?
I have actually used both of the tools I mentioned. I would say that they differ from Microsoft Project because they were developed with the thought of how Microsoft Project and other tools have fallen short of needs and expectations.
Each tool I researched seems to be backed by the belief that their tool is an improvement on past tools and replaces the need for most, if not all, other tools. After watching a few videos of different tools like Trello, Asana, Podio, Wrike, and Clarizen it seems like each tool has value and it might be a matter of whether the project manager wants a single solution or is willing to use multiple tools and what tool is most familiar to the project manager or team.
References
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (5th ed.). (2013). Project Management Institute.