DO I NEED A PROJECT MANAGER?

Think twice before you announce NO! Yes, I am sure! Managing a Project without a Manager is like flying a Plane without a Pilot. Could you manage a flight without pilot? (assuming you are not a professional pilot)none will dare to risk their lives, the same is applicable to Projects. You need a Manager who could manage the Project.

Do small and Trivial projects need a Manager? Yes at least a Manager who could set a process to be followed by his team members.

Project Manager can have a profound effect in the juggling of multiple projects, especially when there is little or no staff to spare. Project Managers are a special breed that look at projects from a different perspective.

Project Managers are too expensive!!!

While having a dedicated Project Manager may incur costs in the beginning, it is an investment that will result in more satisfied clients, referrals and testimonials. What is the value of that? Priceless!

You think cutting the role of project management will save on valuable resources, consider project management as a direct investment in the growth of your business.

Still thinking not to employ/fire a Project Manager?

"Trying to manage a project without project management is like trying to play a football game without a game plan."- K. Tate

Project Management Tool

Project Management Tool, is this vital for a project? By all means Yes, PM tool(s) are desirable. Visualize yourself managing multiple projects or multiple tasks, could you memorize all of them? If your answer is yes, you are the finest! Else you need 'Someone' who could keep in mind what you are doing, and remind you what needs to be done; That 'Someone' is Project Management tool.

Project Management Tool could be separated into two categories

Online

Standalone

Online Project Management Tool (OPMT) It is also referred as Web Based Project Management Tool. In a business you will probably be working with project team with members scattered around different geographic locations. For instance, few at customer site and others work from office. You can access your projects online, through your favorite web browser. All you necessitate is an Internet connection and a PC/Laptop to access your PM tool. By using an OPMT you can enable each team member to examine their own progress against objectives. With Online system you can control the project better from a central location. Even you can cut down the cost of traveling. Standalone Project Management Tool (SPMT) Could be accessed only on the system installed. You can have a server edition installed at a remote location and client at multiple systems.

Are you bewildered with Online Project Management (OPMT) tool to prefer? I’ve listed down few of the tools which I prefer.

Basecamp is subscription-based online project management software. There is no set-up fee and you can upgrade or downgrade at any time.

Basecamp software is hosted on reliable web servers and is supported by most popular. Basically, if you have a PC or Mac and an Internet connection, you’re good to go. Your Basecamp account is password protected and several of the plans include SSL security.

AceProject is a tool to manage multiple projects within one single account. AceProject is easy to work with compared to many other PM tools. Each resource can visualize his/her assigned tasks as well as other tasks of the project.

EnterPlicity is used by organizations such as NORCAL Mutual Insurance, Xerox, and the US Army. It has features like Portfolio Management, Work Breakdown Structure, Gantt View, Resource Management, Time Tracking, Issue Management etc.

DotProject is an open source software program. It allows for project managers to plan and monitor their projects online. It is one of the best free tools we have found, with an excellent layout and design and fast page loads. The only thing missing from this excellent project management tool is a time logging module. Initially you will have to struggle to get used to the interface.

The Trac Project is a tool with best documented help and support sites available. It has enhanced wiki and problem solving system. It has cross platform compatibility, being able to run on Windows, several versions of Linux and Unix as well as Mac. It runs on an SQL back end, where the data is stored, and this can be published to the web allowing access from anyone, anywhere, allowing a global team of project members.

Below is the list which I prefer as a Standalone Project Management Tool

Microsoft Project has good Resource, Project Management system. Microsoft Project makes project creation extremely easy. You can also integrate your projects with some of our other top-ranked project management. Its collaboration features are above average.

Intellisys Project manufactured by Intellisys, Inc., Intellisys features a wide array of collaboration features. It also includes team calendars and timelines. The functions you need to make your project a success are easily accessible and simple to use. The project management software has a learning curve.

RationalPlan Multi Project specifically designed for project managers that need to handle the company's projects and resources in a centralized way. Greatest features are its capacity to manage resources and budgets. RationalPlan Multi Project runs on Windows Vista, XP, Mac OS X and Linux.