There are different schools of thought about the number of phases during a project. Some claim there are 3 phases, others say it’s 5. At the base of it, the PMBOK points-out that the number of phases is determined by the project team and type of project. Project management is solely based on the idea that a project goes through a number a phases characterized by a distinct set of activities or tasks that take the project from conception to conclusion. Projects are big and small, with constraints like cost, time and resources. As projects become more complex, it’s important to structure and define projects throughout the entire life-cycle. That way, you won’t get lost in the hustle and bustle. One way to organize a project is to sort it into 5 phases and here they are.

The 5 Phases of a Project

• Project Initiation Phase – a project is formally started, named and defined at a broad level during this phase. Project sponsors and other important stakeholders due diligently decide whether or not to commit to a project. Depending on the nature of the project, feasibility studies are conducted. Or, as it may require, in an IT project – requirement gathering and analysis are performed in this phase. In the construction industry a project charter is completed in this phase.
• Project Planning Phase – a project management plan is developed comprehensively of individual plans for – cost, scope, duration, quality, communication, risk and resources. Some of the important activities that mark this phase are -making WBS, development of schedule, milestone charts, GANTT charts, estimating and reserving resources, planning dates and modes of communication with stakeholders based on milestones, deadlines and important deliveries. A plan for managing identified and unidentified risks is determined as this may affect aspects of a project later on. Risk management planning includes: risk identification and analysis, risk mitigation approaches, and risk response planning.
• Project Execution Phase – a project deliverable is developed and completed, adhering to a mapped-out plan. A lot of tasks during this phase capture project metrics through tasks like status meetings and project status updates, other status reports, human resource needs and performance reports. An important phase as it will help you understand whether your project will be a success or failure.
• Project Monitoring and Control Phase – occurring at the same time as the execution phase, this one mostly deals with measuring the project performance and progression in accordance to the project plan. Scope verification and control occur to check and monitor for scope creep, change control to track and manage changes to project requirement. Calculating key performance indicators for cost and time are done to measure the degree of variation, if any, and in which case corrective measures are determined and suggested to keep a project on track. To prevent project failure, consider why projects are likely to fail and the ways to prevent failure.
• Project Closure Phase – A project is formally closed. It includes a series of important tasks such as delivering the product, relieving resources, reward and recognition to the team members and formal termination of contractors in case they were employed on the project.

Book Suggestion

Five-phase Project Management: A Practical Planning And Implementation Guide

We reviewed this book

Video

Planning a project in 5 steps – Going directly to executing a project

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We all understand the productivity value that project management tools and applications provide as we do our job. For people and businesses who have just recently realized this, the quest to find the right tool brings excitement. For organizations already familiar and using a PM application, certain changes caused by the market or within the company may prompt them to add a tool to or completely replace what they currently have. Below are seven online resources where businesses, regardless of size, can find the right tools to stay productive and competitive.

Project-Management.com

Our very own Project-Management.com site has a Web App Marketplace that offers Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Since 2001, the site has been gathering and constantly updating on only the best web applications for project management and related disciplines. What sets it apart is its focus on this specialized field and industry. To guide potential PM tool customers, the site cleanly lays out and divides web applications into six categories, namely, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management and Help Desk, Time Tracking, Issue and Bug Tracking, Calendars and Event Scheduling, and Document Management. This layout greatly helps potential buyers to easily find a PM tool with a particular specialization, saving them precious time from going through all the combination of products and vendors. It also has a Top 5 section with a clear description of each web application.

PCMag.com

PCMag.com  is the website of PC Magazine. For decades it has informed users about PC computers, peripherals and updates, as well as Internet related technologies and applications. They have an extensive business directory  covering 50+ industry categories including Project Management, HR Software, CRM, and many more. The Project Management page includes a substantial number of products as well as those that have full reviews by PCMag editors. Another great resource that they provide is The Best Project Management List of 2016 . From here, get a quick glance of reviewed software and compare aspects such as pricing between them.

GetApp.com

GetApp.com has a free business apps marketplace that aims to help businesses and organizations discover and evaluate the right application with the site’s product reviews, comparison tables, evaluation sources, and a recommendation tool. Business applications can be browsed by category. On the Project Management & Planning page, the applications can be further categorized which also include Project Portfolio Management, Task Management, and Time Tracking, among others. The Project Management Software page lists about 200+ products, which again can be filtered further according to devices supported, customer types, platforms, pricing model, or deployment. PM tools are then given a short description, links to their website, and a rating. Another cool feature of the site is allowing users to choose products for a side by side comparison.

Capterra.com

Capterra brands itself as the smart way to find software, and its homepage presents a way to browse either by function or by industry. When browsing by function is selected, software groupings such as Accounting & Finance, Project Management & Planning, or Supply Chain are presented. When browsing by industry, groupings such as Agriculture & Animal Care, Banking & Loans, or Real Estate are listed. Upon choosing the appropriate directory, related functions are further categorized which include Idea Management, Task Management, or Time Tracking. At the Project Management page, a list of software programs are displayed, numbering at least 500. However, these can be trimmed down by applying filters such as according to platform, budget estimate, or software features that are being sought out for a particular requirement.

SoftwareAdvice.com

A web resource that describes itself as the authority on software selection is SoftwareAdvice.com. It is an Austin, TX company whose goal is to help buyers find the right software. What is different in its offering is its free telephone consultation called FastStart, which is a 1-800 number. They also have a Top Ten Most Recommended Systems page for project management software and many other business systems. This page also has filtering options, such as the type of application, the customer’s industry, and number of users. Each top ten software company listed can be requested, through Software Advice, to give a price quotation and a demo software. The page also has a Buyer’s Guide tab that explains well the system category being viewed.

TopTenReviews.com

Another top-ten type of resource is TopTenREVIEWS.com. This site reviews a great many lists of products, ranging from software, to services, and even home appliances. The project management review page can be a challenge to get to, being under Business & Finance, which is under Web Services, and not under Software. However, upon reaching the page, it presents a unique informative graphical side-by-side comparison of its 2013 Best Online PM tools. Each PM application is ranked and rated with colorful bar graphs corresponding to its strengths such as project management, resource management, collaboration, ease of use, and integration. Below this comparative graph is a long checklist that further describes if a set of features is included or not, which is very helpful to the PM tool shopper.

Reviews.com

Reviews.com is a Seattle, WA company composed of researchers whose goal is to help users make the right decisions in purchasing a range of products and services that include business software and services, financial reports, insurance, and even exercise machines. By having their experts do the research and find the truth, they help users save valuable time and make informed choices. Their project management software review page included seven tools only, but what sets them apart is that the categories and features they are reviewed against are very comprehensive and detailed. It is also presented in a very clean layout with smooth transitions in between tabs and pages. It also has a very informative explanation of what features to look for, as well as a selection by buyer profile.

Conclusion

Finding, selecting, and acquiring a new project management tool makes people excited but sometimes anxious, too. Perhaps making the selection process as a project can help minimize errors. In any project, a gathering of requirements is a crucial step. Coming up with a requirements document can help people and organizations be prepared and not be distracted by the many choices as they browse through these seven valuable online PM tool resources.

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PCMag is the website of the iconic PC Magazine publication that began in 1982. The online edition started in 1994 and continues to this day, unlike the printed magazine which stopped publication in January 2009. Through the years and up to now, the site is well-known for providing readers numerous comparative reviews of computing, business technology, Internet products and consumer electronics. Countless readers have made informed purchasing decisions by going over its independent labs-based editorial coverage of the latest technology products, features and services. Indeed, many people bought better products and got more from technology through the site’s help.

PM Software Category

The PCMag website provides comprehensive and trusted reviews of so many products such as but not limited to laptops, tablets, phones, printers and other electronics. As a leading authority on technology, it also provides news and reviews of the latest apps and software for business and security. For instance, under the business directory, it has compiled and reviewed a list of 31 software under the project management category. The list includes a short description of the software, and some have an editor’s rating, and links to website and free trial offers. As an example, Zoho Projects, Teamwork Projects, and Slack got Editor’s Choice tags, with high ratings of 5, 4.5 and 4, respectively. The list can be filtered further according to Editor’s Rating, Pricing Model, Deployment, User License, and type of user.

2016 PM Software Review

Readers can get the latest technology news and reviews from PCMag, and that include productivity apps and software. Recently, the site published a best project management software of 2016 list. Project management software provides the solution to today’s many common team and business productivity issues, such as information dissemination, organization and scheduling, and most importantly, communication and collaboration. At the top of the article is a table of the 10 PM software that was reviewed and the different criteria that these software were compared against. Zoho Projects, LiquidPlanner, Wrike and seven others were all compared with one another as against their price per month, storage space, number of projects included, an integrated chat feature and others.

PM Software for Communication

Aside from product reviews, this technology website also provides latest news, industry expert opinions, business section features, and how-to articles. Due to recent technology breakthroughs such as cloud computing as well as the global acceptance of project management best practices, there is no shortage of articles discussing how online PM software can increase productivity. Project management itself continues to be updated to stay relevant and effective, and this PCMag article describes how to improve communication for better project management. PM tools help centralize and organize all project information, and also provide timely access of that information to all involved.

Replacing Email

It is easy to be complacent and just rely on email for communication, but this is a mistake. Email is a useful tool, but it was not designed for project management. Communication and collaboration are vital aspects and processes in managing and delivering projects successfully, and for that, online PM applications are the right tools to use. Email, on the other hand, is a poor choice for assigning work and for providing status information. Email can also be distracting, interrupting employees from their work who need to check if the email is urgently related to the project or not. Check out this how-to article that suggests a strategy for killing email with the right PM app.

Empowering Readers

For more than three decades, PCMag continues to empower its readers with the right information and useful insight regarding technology products. Through its reviews, people are maximizing technology they need and becoming more productive. Visit also their Facebook, Twitter or Google+ page.

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Like discipline is to the schools, similarly project management is to an organization. No wonder, establishing a long-running business requires proper management and systematic approach which can be ecstatically met through a defined project management system. This technological advancement has given rise to many new online businesses and websites. During all these times, WordPress has never failed to impress the web world for its versatility, ingenuity, and functionality.

WordPress was introduced as a simple blogging platform for bloggers but it is now reckoned as a leading content management system across the world. This amazing CMS comes with advanced functions that allow users to turn their brick and mortar store in an online store with a global presence. You can easily advertise your work, leverage your brand identity, and expand your business presence using this platform. And, the rising number of businesses and non-commercial websites based on WordPress clearly exhibits its rising popularity in the web world. From selling products to informing about services, content management or even blogging, WordPress can seamlessly do it all.

Scope Of WordPress Project Management

Running an effective blogging site requires consistent efforts of developers, site owners, programmers, writers, and even publishers. Imagine if you are left to do this all alone; though it is not impossible but is quite tedious and error-prone. A project management system works the same way as these writers, developers, programmers, etc. work on your site. It primarily simplifies and smoothens the processing of your site by assisting in organizing topics, scheduling their release, publishing, etc.

Owing to its flexibility for add-ons and other software, WordPress beats any of the platforms in its league. Here are some popular project management plugins widely used by the developers these days.

Top WordPress Project Management Plugins

Here is a list of top WordPress Project Management Plugins beneficial for the smooth functioning of your site.

Orbis

Orbis is a free WordPress plugin that can easily materialize the project management tasks with the help of its inbuilt advanced functionality. This plugin is made with an objective to simplify the project management and make it much more accessible to the users. You easily extend the functionality of this plugin to allow seamless integration of various elements into the site.

Highlighted Features of this plugin:

• Easily translatable
• Inbuilt feedback and communication system
• Specific comments section
• Add-on compatibility with Orbis Tasks, Orbis Keychains, and Orbis Timesheets

SP Project & Document Management

This exquisite WordPress plugin is the best for saving all your data meticulously so that it can be used later. It efficiently manages files, documents, videos, images, etc. It can be easily customized to get the desirable changes done.

Highlighted Features of this plugin:

• Offers complete control
• Device-agnostic
• Available custom forms
• Can easily upload multiple files
• File search option

TaskFreak

TaskFreak is another free plugin running on WordPress for conferring project management processes. You can easily create, edit, and delete projects using this add-on in few simple steps. Moreover, the interface calls option provided within the plugin makes the communication among the individuals seamless that further helps in sharing data easily. You can easily switch between back-end and front-end of your project that helps in managing projects easily.

Highlighted Features of this plugin:

• Can be easily installed
• Extensive compatibility with WordPress
• Simplified options to attach files/documents
• Mobile-friendly
• Seamless integration with other WordPress-powered components
• Fully translatable

Project Panorama 

Powered by visual approach for project management, this plugin comprises of advanced features capable of visual communication. This WordPress plugin comprises amazing inbuilt features that set it apart from other plugins of its category. It not only saves time but also derives desired results as per the project requirements.

Highlighted Features of this plugin:

• Responsive
• Multiple color schemes
• Eye-catching data visuals
• Can be easily translated
• Simplified file management
  

WP Project Manager

Primarily built to work with WordPress, this exquisite plugin helps in creating new projects, uploading & sharing of documents, sending messages, etc.

Highlighted Features of this plugin:

• Options to add numerous “to-do-lists”
• Can easily assign tasks, schedule project publishing dates,etc.
• Multi-purpose
• Specified bars for exhibiting project status
• Responsive

The premium version of this plugin offers advanced functions like drag and drop feature, tracking project status, one-click access to the files, improved security and much more.

Key Benefits of Using WordPress Project Management System
There are numerous benefits of using project management system with WordPress. A major of them are mentioned below:

Responsive: This open-source web development platform comprises functionality that allows it to be viewed over multiple devices and changing screens. Thus using a project management system based on this platform can help in leveraging the visibility of your site across multiple devices. There are many remarkable tools available online that can be used to check the responsiveness of a design. Responsive checker tool is one such tool available free to use for all.

Desired Solutions: This easy-to-use framework of WordPress allows easy customization to get the desired results. Further integrating this system with advanced plugins helps in getting the best solutions.

Intuitive: Since WordPress itself is a simplified platform which is used for creating dynamic web solutions which are widely utilized in project managements systems.

Cost-effective: Since WordPress is an open-source platform and utilizing it for added functions doesn’t cost much.

Wrapping Up!

Above all this, there is a point to remember that a project management system cannot do it all. Despite an exquisite project management system, you always need an adept organization consisting of dedicated and knowledgeable individuals who can pro-actively confer the task of managing the site.

Now that you have got an idea how these project management tools work, you can easily start working with them in your next venture.

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My Journey with an Agile Project
By Seshadri Sounderrajan
The purpose of this article is to share my experiences with the deployment of Agile methodology based on the project I am currently associated with. Although Agile projects do not have a rigid hierarchy, Project Managers have a significant role to play in the context of managing multiple […]

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Six Leadership Lessons From Game of Thrones Season Six
By Steven J Selikoff
Game of Thrones is a world of alliances and competition, politics, powerbrokers, fair and failed leaders, trust, deception, limited resources, plus a few dragons. It shouldn’t be surprising that it’s a world filled with leadership lessons delightfully delivered by our most loved, and hated, […]

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Mavenlink, a web based software management tool that offers functions like time tracking, a collaborative tool and performance analytics, has recently added a proofing tool to their software. They designed this feature to expedite the creative reviewing process. Now in real-time everyone involved can provide their comments about how to improve the product. This decreases the number of alterations needed to complete the deliverable as the feedback is in one location and clear. Benefit from this tool as it facilitates top quality work more efficiently.

Proofing tool

In more detail, give your input on an asset in one area within the Mavelink program. As long as they have access, everyone involved can comment on the same file (file types include, documents, design, audio and video) in the same area, and see other comments. That means you have a well organised easy to read dialogue beside the asset. In one glance, you can read the feedback and see the corresponding changes.

This feature is designed to give you the capacity to precisely communicate feedback on a file. As seen in the slideshow below, place a comment directly on the asset. For example, a text – place a mark on the text to indicate where you want changes made. On a video asset, easily identify needed changes within a time frame.  Also, when edits are made to a file, this feature shows you the different edited versions so that you can quickly compare the changes to the asset. As everyone is communicating in the same space, on the right side of the window, using this proofing feature eliminates long confusing emails threads with various file type attachments.

Click to view slideshow.

In short, this tool makes it easy to know the status of the review process so that you can understand project and team progress during the editing process. Furthermore, client satisfaction is attained as they can give their input in the same area as everyone else during the review process. This feature is great way to meet everyone’s expectations.

Takeaways – Mavenlink Webinar

Mavenlink provided a Webinar for this feature and the takeaways are:

• Access the proofing tool at the task level in Mavenlink. Once in the task, click on the proofing tab to see your file(s) for proofing. Upload files with ease from your computer – single and multiple files.
• No document or file size limit for the account. However, turning a file into a proof takes time depending on its type and size.
• The proofing tool supports adobe design files as long as the print to pdf option is on.
• Print the feedback dialogue in pdf form.
• When editing the asset, it is still done in the tool where you create and edit the asset. Review, approval, and feedback is done in the Mavenlink proofing tab. This new feature doesn’t replace the development tool: where the editing takes place.

To recap

Mavenlink’s proofing tool gives full access to create that perfect asset as desired. The feedback dialogue reduces long confusing email threads regarding editing the asset. Capture all feedback in one spot: in the task, beside the asset for everyone to read and comment on. Give feedback with precision to develop a high quality asset. This new proofing tool is a valuable asset for any creative project.

Mavenlink Social Networks

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Google+

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Overview Presentation

Momenteo is a freelancer’s software tool to organize hard work with ease and clarity. Put your energy and time towards developing your talent instead of spending unnecessary time documenting things like client information, invoices and expenses. With every project you must document and keep up to date with paperwork – give that workload to Momenteo. This web-based tool is your side-kick to collaborating with clients and your support staff, like your accountant. This tool’s features include, but are not limited to: a calendar – to manage your work activities; travels – to know what is happening on the road; and expenses – to organize your overhead, and of course it’s for your accountant. Momenteo supports your freelancing needs.

Features, Benefits, Product Strengths

• Calendar: plan your freelancing life with this feature – it’s presented in one screen for your viewing pleasure. With this interface, precisely understand what you have done, where you have done it, and how much it costed. Designed to be user friendly so that you can easily understand your completed work and to be completed work. If you need to see your historical context for future plans, this feature will provide it with just a few clicks. This feature is advantageous as it allows you to document all your efforts and their impacts.
• Travels: know your overhead when travelling for work. This feature is designed to allow you to enter your travel expense with precision. You won’t get bogged down entering these expenses. To make this feature work for you, input 2 addresses and the frequency of the travel. Indicate if this was a one time trip or will occur several times. Then let Momenteo do the rest.
• Expenses: we need to know our bottom line – for so many reasons. Get rid of the paper way of doing things – take a photo of receipts and add them to Momenteo for when you need them. On your smartphone or desktop, this feature will tell you what it’s costing you to do business. Perhaps the most important, it gives your accountant the information the way they like it.

Pricing

• Free! – for 1 month – no credit car required.
• $20 / month – all features available with 1 on 1 support.
• $200 / year – all features with 1 on 1 support. That turns into $16.67 / month.
• 1 on 1 support: live chat, email, and 12/7 support. Momenteo aims to provide assistance ASAP. Momenteo cares about their reputation; they want to make a good name for themselves. That means they aim to support your needs to the highest quality.

Social Network Presence

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Target Market

In short, this software is for freelancers. When your out there doing it yourself. When you are the CEO, VP, front-line guy or gal, manage your project team of 1, you, with this software. Momenteo backs you up. Whether you’re a designer, developer, lawyer, etc. you can profit from using Momenteo. It will not take you away from your passion as it is your tool for efficient and effectiveness business management.

Supported Languages

• A short and sweet list of two supported languages: French and English.

Some of Their Clients

The go-getter freelancers. Momenteo’s clients were not listed on their website.

Testimonials

What do the users say:

• Claudia G. (Go! Design Graphique) likes Momenteo’s customer service and has found this tool easy to use.
• Julie-Anne P. (Labo Dactylo) likes that she can invoice with one click, and that the program calculates tax reports.
• Antoine B. (Copywriter) enjoys the customer service and the visual appeal of the program.

Momenteo’s Pros and Cons

If only we were perfect. Momenteo definitely has an inviting look to it, and it really doesn’t take long to acclimate to its layout and functionalities. Although the overall design is appealing, there are some graphics that are unclear or overlap one another – as seen in this photo. Additionally, as mentioned, the team at Momenteo is there to answer your questions; but with that being said, the FAQ section, on their website and in the software, has not been developed – yet. Other than that, a simple straight forward program for freelancers with plenty of benefits which have already been mentioned.

Why Momenteo

As mentioned, it’s a time saver, so that you can do what you do best – your passion in life. To expand, we all know that when running an business or project, there are certain requirements – like accounting and documenting your efforts to keep your business prosperous. Momenteo propels you in that direction. Why Momenteo? Because you’ll keep your company thriving instead of dying.

Company Info

Since 2014 Momenteo has been perfecting this software. At the start, the founder of the company, Dominic, did not like the accounting aspect of freelancing. Therefore, he decided to create a software that would make accounting as painless as possible. Originally, the software looked a lot different than it does now. When Dominic created the original version of the software and started showing it to friends he soon found out that it could be a valuable tool for others. Since then he has been collaborating with his team to develop the program to where it is today, a time saving accounting tool as recognized by Forbes and Techvibes.

Click to view slideshow.

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To the untrained eye, it may seem that when you’re planning a project all you need to do is pull a start date out of the air and that’s when everyone needs to hit the ground running.

You only need to go down that path as a project manager once to realize that doesn’t work. Worse yet, the consequences for not meeting the date are fierce, and long-lasting. Why is it so hard to determine exactly how long something will take? Let’s discuss it.

Why project duration planning is complicated

1. People 

Estimating activity duration many times come from the resources that are responsible for the work. This sounds like a great place to start…and it is. There’s no better place to get an idea of what is really involved to complete the work than the person that is responsible.

It’s dangerous to take their word for how long something will take when planning for a project. Why? Because they’re human. People tend to, because of complexity, incorrectly analyse something. They incorrectly breaking it down, and decide it that won’t take any time at all.

This could be for a few reasons

• They may have glossed over the details and didn’t quite understand what was involved to complete the task.
• They may not want to look bad in front of their peers and supervisors as to how long something will take and come in with a low-ball estimate.
• Or, there’s the other end of the spectrum of a ridiculously high estimates based upon overstating the complexity of the project. Neither too high nor too low is acceptable.

It needs to come in “just right” and accurate so you can move forward with confidence when you are planning for a project. But, accuracy can be at times elusive as people are involved.

2. Processes 

A word of caution, processes can break down and orphan a project somewhere along the way when waiting for approvals, sign-offs, or other checks and balances that have been put in place for the benefit of the project. They are for the purpose of saving time, and this is usually the case. Processes can streamline how long a project takes to move through its phases until it reaches completion. But, it’s hard to estimate when these processes will bog a project down and this will throw you into a “how long will this take?” a tailspin.

3. Technology 

Most projects today rely upon existing, and more often than not, new technology. This could be in the form of equipment, software, or even hardware. The long-term benefit of utilizing new technology ultimately takes less time to work on a project. However, the short-term reality there are unknown learning curves involved that can throw a wrench into accurately planning duration for a project.

How can you improve accuracy when estimating project duration?

The above provides a better understanding of the challenges that can surface from people, process, and technology when it comes to planning for a project. What are some of the things you can do to improve the accuracy of your estimates and keep your emotional sanity?

1. Be clear about the final deliverables

As a project manager make it extremely easy for a resource to understand the completion process on a particular activity. In other words, all elements of the deliverable are documented and clear. Sit down with the resource that is responsible for putting the estimate together and work through the details with them. Answer any questions they may have. Eliminate any areas that may come across as vague. Make sure you feel 100% comfortable that they understand the breadth, depth, and nuances of the project expectations. For example, what needs to be delivered – discuss the final estimates together. Spending this extra time will give you the confidence you need for accurate estimates when you are planning for a project. Also, consider using RACI, a responsibility assignment matrix, to help organize project expectations, hence, providing a better time estimation.

2. Look to the past

Have you done something like this before in the past? Pull out old project plans, lessons learned, and documentation from previous projects that will help you with new estimates. Better yet, added to these documents are the people that did the work. This bit of information will give you a solid basis for activity duration when planning for a project.

3. Define activity start and stop point clearly

There are certain areas that are black and white when putting together estimates. For example, the marketing department is not going to accidentally stumble into the deliverables that the engineering department is responsible for. Continuing with this example, there needs to be an extremely clear hand off between the engineering function and the QA (quality assurance) function. If that clear hand-off is not in place, the engineering department may feel they’re responsible for performing the QA. QA may not know that the engineering department is performing this function. They then provide an activity duration estimate. As the engineering department has already done this and now it’s duplicate work. Make sure your project plan clearly defines who is responsible for which activity while you are

Recap

Activity duration planning for a project is not an easy task. However, over time it that can become easier. You’ll begin to develop a relationship and track record with the resources that put the estimates together. You’ll learn which estimates you can trust, which ones you need to add a little extra time, and which estimates can afford to take a bit off the top. Provide continuous feedback to your teams about how long something actually takes. To conclude, building this type of shared knowledge can prove valuable when the next project gets underway.

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Introduction

No matter what project size, job descriptions should be clearly defined. Whether it’s a 5-person team or an international collaboration, everyone needs to understand their role: that being the tasks and activities each person must complete. One way to define each team member’s role is to use a RACI matrix. An example of a responsibility assignment matrix, it shows the expense at the lowest level of work for the purpose of managing cost and duration. It is a charting system that illustrates the task’s goal and the required action for each person. This assists with reducing confusion on expectations, in turn, increasing project efficiency. In this context, decisions are made more quickly, accountability is clear and workload is evenly distributed. But wait, is the RACI matrix the be-all and end-all? I will let you know what the project management professionals think. But first…

RACI Matrix/Chart

If you would like to explicitly communicate on a project, the RACI matrix can help with that. RACI organizes your project so that everyone knows what’s happening. With RACI, map out who is Responsible, is Accountable, must be Consulted with, and shall stay Informed.

Lets break it down further. Here is what your project delegation looks like with RACI.

Responsible – Who is completing the task.

Accountable – Who is making decisions and taking actions on the task(s).

Consulted – Who will be communicated with regarding decisions and tasks.

Informed – Who will be updated on decisions and actions during the project.

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Suggested Books

Even the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) has a section for RACI under matrix-based charts. The PMBOK uses RACI as an example of a Responsibility Assignment Matrix, RAM. A RAM serves the purpose of showing which activities belong to each team member.

For more information about the PMBOK Guide, we wrote an article for you.

RACI Example

Let’s understand RACI better with a simplified example. John is developing software feature X that will be integrated with software feature Y – developed by Jess. Mike is the project manager and Irina is in marketing. For feature X, John is responsible, Mike is accountable, and Jess needs to be consulted with as her feature will integrate with John’s. Lastly, Irina simply needs to be informed when the task is complete.

What Makes RACI Useful?

It informs the organisation about its employees workload as it shows which role(s) are assigned to each person. For example, the organisation can see if someone has been placed in the responsible role too many times or not. In other words, does this person have a lot or a too few tasks to complete. That way, the organisation knows whether someone has too many or could take-on more responsibilities.

Use RACI for the successful completion of a project as everyone impacted is in the loop. This reduces miscommunication and increases productivity. So, if a task was incorrectly completed RACI tells you who was involved and ultimately accountable.

In short, RACI makes it easier for you to have the right conversation with the right people. In turn, saving everyone time.

RACI Users: What do The PMs Think of this type of responsibility assignment matrix?

• It’s Confusing. Working with this matrix can lead to confusion about required actions:
  • This tool explains each person’s role, but the necessary action(s) for each role can be unclear. Some feel that it’s not clear whether the responsible or accountable plans the task. With that being said, you could look at RACI in this way – apply the matrix as deemed necessary. You choose if the responsible or the accountable plans the task.
  • The consult role is unclear. The project manager and the person consulted need to decide whether the consulted will only give direction when asked or whether they will offer direction when they feel it is suitable, and make sure their input is implemented.
• It won’t fix a dysfunctional team. PM’s feel that the RACI matrix will not fix a team that has poor moral. Before RACI can be effective, you must have a team that has no issues. RACI is not a tool that fixes a dysfunctional team. RACI improves communication flow in a cohesive group.
• Is the responsible not accountable? There’s the impression that it’s the case as it is a separate role, hence, a different person. To reiterate, some feel that if the accountable and responsible are different people it means that the responsible is not accountable for his/her actions. Alternatively, this could be sorted-out between these two roles.
• RACI’s Variations and Alternatives – More Confusion or Benefits? Depending on the setup of the project team, the RACI matrix has variations and alternatives. PMs criticize these because they feel that the variations/alternatives are trying to compensate for the matrix’s original design. If it had been designed well, one version of the matrix would suffice. On the other hand, having alternatives/variations to choose from means that the matrix is flexible to the team’s needs.
• RACI is a tool to organize team members in accordance with the goal of the project. If there are aspects of RACI that are too vague, consider that as an opportunity for the PM to think outside the “matrix”, aka box, and adapt this tool to his/her team – providing that is suitable.
• How PMs have used RACI
  Professionals in the PM field have found that they have benefited from using the RACI matrix by following these 6 steps:
  • List of project tasks
  • Identify project stakeholders
  • Know the responsible and accountable for each task along with its stakeholders
  • At least one stakeholder accountable for every task
  • Only one accountable stakeholder
  • The final step includes a discussion with all the stakeholder and will be explained in the next part of this article. This is to ensure that the stakeholders understands their role. This is a recommended use of RACI for IT projects.

• Good for scrum teams?
  Here is an example of how one PM used RACI in a scrum context. To meet the goal of the project, he added F to RACI: Facilitate activities. To summarize, the person in the F role, Facilitate, organized the activities for the scrum project as illustrated in the image below. The use of RACI in a scrum context stimulated an interesting discussion between PM professionals. Some felt that this model would provide recognition of a job well done, or blame of a poorly executed job, to one person – impacting team cohesion. This way of organizing would impact the fundamentals of Scrum – self organization. Counter arguments included, one must consider the extent to which RACI is applied. To use RACI to its potential, it is suggested that you find a balance between ridged roles and responsibilities, and flexibility in a self organizing team. Is that possible?

Course Suggestion

Interested in more guidance on how to use RACI to its potential? We have it for you.

If you’re new to the RACI Model, you can complete an introductory course that will explain the steps to create your RACI chart. After the RACI course you will be able to create charts with ease and show others how to as well. The course is for beginners with little to no background on the matrix tool.

Course Price – $25

PlanHammer – RACI Matrix software

Interested in a project management software that has a RACI Matrix + Work Breakdown Structure, then checkout PlanHammer – a combination of classical and agile tools with a Kanban board.

How to Make RACI Work for You

As noted above this type of responsibility assignment matrix is effective. To know how to apply this model you should analyse, analyse, analyse! Balance is your key to success with RACI. If there are too many or not enough people in each role it slows down the completion of your project tasks or even prevents completion.

To use RACI effectively make sure to have:

1. One accountable per task. If you have more than one, it would be like having multiple people driving a car. It doesn’t work! If there is no driver, it will be hard to get that car to move forward – no decisions or action are taken on the project.
2. The right amount of people responsible. Too many people assigned to the same task, and you have an excellent way to waste time. You also may get duplicate work. If you have a quick and simple task, the responsible could also be the accountable.
3. Do not have too many consults: it could slow the task completion. If you need to consult with several people before completing your task, you have yourself another time waster. Or, conflicting input on how to complete the task.
4. Keep people Informed. Perhaps you don’t need to consult with people, you simply need to update them. Make sure you have people in this role otherwise you could have problems relating to a lack of communication.

How do you get the right balance with RACI?

Make it a collaborative effort. Everyone should be comfortable with each role that they and their counterparts have. In short, improve communication and efficiency with the RACI matrix. Used to it’s potential, everyone wins. You will stop receiving unnecessary information, like an abundance of emails that you may not need to read. You will also increase job satisfaction with clearly defined roles.

RACI Videos: What You Need to Know

These first two videos provide you a short snippet of how RACI can work for you. Looking for a longer explanation? Watch video 3.

1. This a 5 minute video regarding the basics of RACI and how the program can benefit your organisation.

Ready to Make Your Own RACI chart?

2. This video shows you how in just 1 minute

Web Tutorial

3. Take it even further with this video. This 20 minute video will walk you through how RACI will help you manage matters related to efficiency, accountability and role clarification. After you answer questions relating to your organisation, this RACI video takes you through a hypothetical situation about what it would look like if no one completed a task, and how RACI can manage it.

Recap

In sum, it’s evident that a well organised team is crucial to successfully complete a project. A responsibility assignment matrix is advantageous, if not paramount, in achieving this. RACI has proven to be beneficial, yet it has its drawbacks. Still, consider that with any PM tool finding the one that works the best for you is key. I hope this article was beneficial. And now it’s your turn, I would like to hear from you. Have you used RACI? What has been your experience?

The post Understanding Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RACI Matrix) appeared first on Project-Management.com.

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