Project management plays a crucial role in both one’s field of study and field of work, enabling individuals to effectively plan, execute, and deliver successful projects. In an academic setting, project management ensures the smooth progression of academic endeavors, helping students and researchers achieve their academic goals. In a professional setting, project management facilitates the coordination of teams, allocation of resources, and timely completion of complex projects. Proficiency in project management is essential for individuals to excel in both academic and professional environments, driving efficiency, collaboration, and overall project success.
When it comes to the project planning planning process, we are always trying to determine how to get from Point A, the scope and objectives, to Point B, the end objective. How do we properly get from the starting point to the end? Here are five steps that can help get us there:
- Create Project Plan (Mobilize, Templates)
- Breakdown Deliverables (Socialize, Input)
- Determine Dependencies, Critical Path, Issues, Risk, and Resources
- Create Timeline
- Assign Resources
In a video from Project Manager, an award-winning project management software, Jennifer Bridges explains that by doing these steps, “we come up with our course of action, to get from Point A to Point B,” and also lists the the following as additional resources: templates, organizational charts, and project management software with document sharing (Project Manager 2013).
Asana, Trello, and Podio are widely used project management apps that offer distinct features to enhance project organization and collaboration. Asana provides a structured task management system, ensuring clarity and order. Trello offers a visual board-based approach, promoting flexibility and east task tracking. Podio provides a customizable platform, allowing teams to tailor workflows and integrate with external tools. These apps enable teams to streamline workflows, foster efficient communication, and ultimately achieve successful project outcomes.
For my master’s courses and projects, I chose Trello as my project management app because I find it to be more visually engaging and adaptable than the other options. Here are a few screenshots of my Trello board for this week’s learning module:
To start, I create a workspace for this course and made a board for each learning module. Within each board, I added a list for the different project stages like “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done.” Aside from the stages of work, I also created a list to help me keep track of all the readings and viewings for the week. After this, I went through this week’s learning module and added the different tasks for the week as individual cards. I customized each card with due dates, labels, and attachments. I categorized the labels into the following: readings and viewings (Green), assignments (Red), and master’s blog (Purple). I chose these categories because each week we are given material to view and add to our bibliography, an assignment to complete and turn in, and a blog post or two to document our work for the week. For the attachments, I included any links or files corresponding to each individual task. Overall, this helped me organize my tasks, keep track of my progress, and keep all the learning materials for the week in one place.
To conclude, project management is important in both academic and professional settings. With the help of project management apps like Trello, individuals and teams can streamline their workflows, enhance collaboration, and effectively manage tasks, deadlines, and resources. Ultimately, utilizing the project planning process and relevant tools can greatly enhance productivity and success in various endeavors.
Resources:
Project Manager. (2013). Project Planning Process: 5 Steps To Project Management Planning [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do8iykQKMfU