13 Project Management Techniques

13 Project Management Techniques Every Project Manager Needs to Know

There are many different types of project management techniques. In this article, I will introduce 13 project management techniques that you should know. Let’s make good use of them for project management.

Table of Contents:

• Project management techniques
• 13 project management techniques every project manager should know
• Summary

Project management techniques

Project management refers to the overall management of a project from all perspectives, including work schedule, cost, progress, and risk management, to ensure the successful completion of the project. In order to manage a project smoothly, it is important to understand the project management methodology. Understanding the project management methodology will help you manage the project more efficiently.

The PMBOK stands for Project Management Body of Knowledge, which is a management classification and standard. The PMBOK includes a total of 10 knowledge areas, such as Project Integration Management and Project Human Resource Management, which will help you acquire a wide range of knowledge required for project management.

13 project techniques every project manager needs to knows

Here are 13 project management techniques that project managers should know. There are various types of specific management methods, such as Gantt charts, timelines, and PERTs, but in order to make good use of each, it is necessary to know what each one looks like. In addition, you can use the project management techniques that I introduce in this article for project management related to one or more knowledge areas of PMBOK.

WBS

WBS stands for Work Breakdown Structure and means work breakdown diagram. With WBS, you will break down and explain the entire work required to complete the project.

The purpose of this method is to clarify the detailed tasks in a project. 

By clarifying the detailed tasks, you can not only understand the schedule of who has to do what, by when, and for what period of time, but by checking the diagram as a whole, you can also check for omissions and have a common understanding of the scope of work.

When creating a WBS, there may be times when you are too far ahead of schedule to subdivide the work that needs to be done. In such a case, it is better to gradually identify the work content while working on the preliminary stages of the project. In addition, instead of recreating it for each project, you can rewrite it based on what you have created in advance to prevent mistakes in the work and reduce the creation time.

When creating a WBS, it is recommended to use tools such as Excel or the web.

Gantt chart

Gantt chart is a project management method, which is also used in many projects around the world and is often said to be the oldest scheduling method. The point is that you can express the work process and progress of the project in a table format, and you can check it at a close. It is common to use Gantt charts in combination with WBS rather than using them alone. Therefore, it is a good idea to create it together with the WBS when creating WBS.

In the Gantt chart, tasks are entered sequentially from the top of the table, each schedule and work time is displayed with a bar showing the start date on the left and the completion date on the right. The Gantt chart with the WBS is an excellent way to visualize the work schedule, such as accurately calculating the man-hour estimate for a project.

Gantt charts can be easily created by using project management software, so consider using those tools as well.

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a tool that allows you to manage tasks with more flexibility than other project management methods. By creating a mind map, you can break down a complex project into smaller tasks and analyze the problems. The tasks broken down here can also be used to create WBS. Mind maps also let you put photos and files on the map and link them.

Calendar

Calendars are the easiest and most convenient way to manage your schedule. Many people use calendars to manage their schedules even in their private lives, so it is familiar and easy to adopt. If you want to take advantage of the calendar feature in project management, make it easy to understand the project time schedule. By calculating the time to deliver backward, you can smoothly execute time management in project management.

It’s a good idea to keep your calendar shareable with everyone on your project. Rather than relying on individual management, it is safer to share the calendar with all members. Everyone can check the work schedule and status of each member while managing the project.

Timeline

The timeline allows you to display the tasks of a project in a timeline.  

Since you can display tasks in chronological order, you can visually see what you’re going to have to do by when. On the other hand, it’s convenient to be able to do that, but it can be a bit inconvenient because there are limitations to displaying the progress and completion status of your work.

It is recommended to use a timeline creation tool. The tool allows you to create timelines with various designs, and you can easily change the color and adjust the size. There are also tools that you can use for free, so be sure to check them out.

Waterfall

Waterfall is a method of scheduling work processes while stacking them sequentially and starting one by one along with a time series. In the case of system development, we will assemble a schedule based on the flow of the project, such as customer interviews, design, and operation.

This method is simple and easy to understand, so it is said to be ideal for managing projects that are large in scale and take a long time to complete. It is also suitable for projects where the work process does not change every time.

However, if the project policy may change in the middle of work, the disadvantage is that it is difficult to respond because it takes extra time to change. This makes it difficult for short-term projects or projects that can change the course of work. Waterfalls don’t seem to be recommended much in recent projects, as they are more likely to change due to customer needs and the environment.

Agile

Agile is a change-prone management approach that is attracting attention as an alternative to waterfalls. This approach is characterized by managing projects in short periods of one to four weeks. You will advance the project by setting goals and plans for each period of time and repeating them.

By dividing the plan into short periods of time, it is easier to respond to any changes that may occur during the project. On the other hand, agile is recommended for short-term projects because it is difficult to manage the whole for long-term projects.

Progress management

Progress management is a method of tracking the progress of a project. Not only can you check the progress of each task, but you can also visualize the work status of each member. You can clearly identify the progress of each task and the person in charge of that task, which will help you manage the entire project smoothly. In addition, since the progress of tasks is displayed as a percentage, it is easy to grasp how much more work is needed to complete the tasks.

QFD

QFD is an abbreviation of Quality Function Deployment. This technique will be convenient to obtain more effective proposals and design drafts to bridge the gap between customers and developers.

QFD includes five types, such as quality deployment and cost deployment. Another effective way to visualize QFD is to create a Quality Function Deployment Table. The Quality Function Deployment Table starts by listening to the customer requirements and summarizing them in a hierarchical structure. Then, after examining what technical characteristics should be considered, it is composed while clarifying the planning and design quality.

CCPM

 CCPM stands for Critical Chain Project Management and is a technique often used in large projects. By managing projects with CCPM, you can expect to prevent waste, shorten schedules, and make room for the entire project. By using this method, it is possible to prevent workers from not working until the deadline. Even if there is a delay in the work, it is possible to avoid affecting the delivery date because the schedule has been set in advance with enough margin.

PERT

PERT is an abbreviation for Program Evaluation and Review Technique and is a method for charting and grasping the relationship between tasks and the processing order of tasks. In the diagram, enter the tasks, work hours, and the start and end dates of the work. In addition, by connecting the tasks with arrows, the interrelationship and sequence of tasks can be clarified, which is why it is often used for complicated projects. By adopting this method, you will be more likely to identify the points and problems you need to focus on in your project.

PPM

PPM stands for Project Portable Management. It is a method of managing the whole over time, which helps you manage multiple projects.

PPM is characterized by applying products to four concepts: problem children, the flower shape business, the gold tree, and the loser. Based on these concepts, it is used to consider which projects to allocate resources to the entire organization.

PPM stands for Project Portfolio Management. PPM is a method of overall management, which helps you manage multiple projects.

PPM is characterized by applying the four concepts of “problem child,” “flowering business,” “money tree,” and “loser” to products. Based on these concepts, it will be used to consider which projects to allocate resources for the entire organization.

P2M

P2M is an abbreviation for Project and Program Management. This method enables the control of individual projects and the integration of multiple projects while maintaining a bird’s-eye view of the entire project, which was one of the challenges of PMBOK.

Summary

There are all kinds of project management techniques, including Gantt charts and mind maps. By using these management techniques, you will be able to work smoothly until the project is completed. There are tools that you can implement for free, so consider implementing them for better project management.