Online Project Scheduling Resources
monday.com
| A new way of working
Monday.com is an innovative resource tool Program Managers can
use to create schedules for simple to complex projects. They provide the
options of choosing the type of project you are managing from marketing, operations,
creative and design, to HR and recruitment to customize the settings.
Monday.com helps set project timelines, milestones, and dependencies in one centralized
location for your whole team to access (Monday.com, n.d.). To begin, PMs can
label their project, add each task to complete, and view them on a timeline
chart. Additionally, for each of the team projects, team members can label the
status of each activity and add notes that everyone can view. Program Managers
can also view the project in various charts, tables, and forms.
There is no cost to begin using their tools; however, they have
options to upgrade the plan to include more advanced features. See the image below
of the various pricing packages they offer. Based on the use of the resource,
you can choose which package meets your team’s needs.
Project & Work
Management Software - ProjectManager
Project Manager is another resource tool Program Managers
can use to create project schedules. Within their settings, you can create
project schedules that include start dates, end dates, and add milestones for
each project activity (Project Manager, n.d.). They also can add Gantt charts
to view scheduling tasks and their available resources. Furthermore, they have a
variety of scheduling templates that can be applied once you sign up. Likewise,
you can also develop a work breakdown structure to help manage each task and
deliverables. Another advantage of using Project Managers is getting UpToDate
status reports, creating a task list for yourself and other team members, and
monitoring performance in real-time (Project Manager, n.d.).
The cost of using this tool is free; however, it is up to 3
users. Again, you can add additional members and open advance resources with
the additional cost per month. The image below shows their package prices. It
may be a great idea to first start with their basic plan and then upgrade when
needed.
These are only two resources I reviewed. There are plenty of other tools available that Program Managers can use based on their team needs, cost budget, and available features. I highly encourage you to explore multiple tools first and test them out before committing to one project scheduler over the other!
Reference:
Monday.com (n.d.). A platform built for a new way of
working. monday.com
| A new way of working
Project Manager (n.d.). How to make a project schedule: The
ultimate guide. How to Make a
Project Schedule: The Ultimate Guide (with Examples) (projectmanager.com)
This is Chris Fosdick from class. Thank you for your post, Janelle. I've used Monday before and found it to be a practical and intuitive project management resource. I've tried similar products such as Smart Sheet, and found that Monday is a little easier for general users to learn. The Project Manager app looks interesting and seems to have identical features to Monday and Smart Sheet. I'm not particularly fond of the three-user limit of Project Manager. In the end, I feel like I would want to use what seems easiest for your stakeholders to edit, view, and monitor. Depending on what kind of Instructional Designer Project Manager you are, your stakeholders may constantly be changing if your a consultant so you may want the app that is easiest for most people to use rather than the one with the most features. Thanks for your review.
ReplyDeleteHi Janelle.
ReplyDeleteMonday was one of the initial programs I looked at but took a slightly different turn because it didn’t seem comparable to what I am used to in Microsoft Project. I was especially nervous by the low price. The saying, “You get what you pay for”, had me thinking that it might not be so good, especially when Microsoft project is so much higher. I may go back and finish building my mock project and look more into it. I am definitely going to look into Project Manager more, as this was one I am very interested in.
Janelle,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct; there are so many tools to choose from to help organize your project. Project Management can look different in other fields of work and needs to ensure what features would be the best for your organization. Larson & Larson (2012) state PM software can provide a roadmap for project managers to follow by premier communications and control tools throughout the project. With the two resources you provide, I would choose the Project Manager software that aligns with what we learned in this course, including WBS and Gantt chart.
Reference:
Larson, E., & Larson R. (2012). 10 steps to creating a project plan. https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/10-steps-to-creating-a-project-plan.html
Janelle,
ReplyDeleteI liked that both of your options had monthly plans. You could budget to use the correct level of their service just for the duration of the project and add it to your cost matrix very easily. Especially if you have a company that has already used one or the other this seems a smart choice!
Bequie
Hi Janelle,
ReplyDeleteI came across Monday in my search as well and meant to back to check it out but never got around to it. Your overview of the software is great, and it makes me want to check it out. My organization is Microsoft-focused as I believe a lot of organizations are, so I do have access to MS Project, which is probably the more robust tool of the two. However, I do like to see other options and perhaps there are some projects for which Monday is the better tool. I definitely can appreciate the $0 cost to at least try out the tool and see if it would be a good fit.
-Tiff Palmer
Dear Janelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog post that reviewed monday.com and ProjectManager as two project management resources. If I may ask, do you have a personal or professional preference for either of the two resources? Which of them would you prefer and and why?
Regards.
Mayo
Janelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the information you found. Reading about monday.com and looking over its website it reminded me of another company called Asana (https://asana.com). Asana has all the same features as monday.com, but the Asana free version has a lot more options available for use and can allow up to 15 users. Monday.com looks as though it is more user friendly and colorful though, which can help when trying to navigate all the different parts of a project.
What is neat is that monday.com is actually mentioned in a website (https://project-management.com/monday-software-review/) I found when doing my own research. It has excellent reviews, especially about ease of use, which is important for a project manager.