As Tom Peters says in the May 1999 issue of Fast Company, "You are your projects." If that's the case, knowing your way around project management software and the basics of project management are essential to your career.
Here is a short but useful crib sheet that will help those who are unfamiliar with project management to learn the ropes quickly.
First the basics. What exactly does a project manager do? Here are some examples:
Works with customers to determine project objectives and scope.
Assembles the project team and advisory board.
Supervises the project team in all aspects of the project.
Schedules and manages project activities and tasks in a software tool.
Develops and distributes communications to all project stakeholders.
Ensures client satisfaction through quality work.
Manages and communicates scope and schedule changes.
Identifies new business opportunities.
Develops application architecture and a project implementation strategy.
Sounds like a lot of responsibility, right? True, but along with the workload come some substantial salaries. Computerworld's March 1999 survey reports that project managers with one to two years of experience can earn anywhere from $46,000 to $59,500, depending on where in the United States they are located.
According to the Project Management Institute, project managers must coordinate nine areas of expertise, including cost, time, scope, quality, communications, human resources, contracts, supplies and risk management. That's a lot of juggling -- and could make even the most organized person frantic. That's where software comes in handy. It can automate and streamline such functions as resource allocation, work scheduling and communication.
Here's a quick overview of some of the most popular project management software on the market:
Microsoft Project 2000
Includes a project map, scheduling features for resource dependencies and cross-project links and the ability to define best-case and worst-case timelines for tasks.
SuperProject/Net from Computer Associates
Offers multiple project views (including a calendar view that shows the schedule for resources on a project), a Project Manager's Assistant for new users and a teaming feature that provides Internet and intranet client support for project personnel.
TurboProject 4.0 Professional
This software is based on two popular project management styles that allow project managers greater flexibility when it comes to planning and tracking.
Project Management Resources
Web Sites
Books and Magazines
For further reading, take a look at:
Education
Glossary
- An excellent glossary of project management terms can be found here. A must for "talking the talk" of project management.
This article originally appeared on Monster.com.
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