Project Management Tools
Important Project Management Tools
Project management consists of many different project management tools. However, four of them are frequently used not only in project management, but also in project planning. Those four crucial project management tools are - Brainstorming, Fishbone Diagrams, Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams and Gantt Charts.
Brainstorming is often the first and most important step in the project management and project planning process. Brainstorming process consists of multiple steps. It usually starts with defining the objective. After that it is time for the brainstorm of ideas suggested inside of the set time limit. The third step is reserved for categorization of the suggested, after which the analysis of effects or possible results happens. The next step of the brainstorming method is making a list with the prioritized options. In the end participants have to agree on which action to take and determine a timescale and last, but not least, they are supposed to control and monitor the progress of the process. Brainstorming is a main tool in project brainstorming and initial concepts, structures, ideas and targets.
Fishbone Diagrams, also known as Ishikawa Diagrams, are mainly used in quality management fault detection and as a tool of improving business process, but those diagrams are very useful in project management as well. They are the main tool when it comes to identifying elements as well as when it comes to problem identification, diagnosis and solutions.
Critical Path Analysis is a logical and very effective method usually used for planning and managing complex projects. Most times it is shown as a flow diagram in a linear format. There is another tool often used within the Critical Path Method, known by the name PERT - Program, Project Evaluation and Review Technique. The PERT tool is specialized for identification of related activities, especially when one project contains hundreds of connected little projects.
The last technique, Gantt Charts, was named after Henry Gantt, American engineer and consultant who started applying it in the 1910s. Gantt Charts are one of the most useful methods among the project management tools. They give the best results when it comes to budgeting, reporting and presenting project plans as well as showing the progress of the project.