An everyday aspect of company operations is projects. Depending on the company, a project can be simple or complex with the end goal of achieving a business-based objective like creating, improving, or upgrading products, services, processes, and systems.
A successful project has 5 main steps depending on the type of project but the most consistent one is a well-made and executed project plan. Realistically, working through a project can be daunting and stressful. It’s impossible to ensure that everyone involved in a project is aware of what they need to do and when it needs to be done.
This is where project management comes in. There are countless tools and techniques that project managers use to make things easier and ensure the success of a project. One popular service that is often suggested by top IT Support London based companies is Microsoft Project.
Microsoft Project is a platform that gives its users the power to take on any project. Any project is sure to be a success with the several, powerful and easy-to-use tools that Microsoft Project offers. Here is a breakdown of each of Microsoft Project’s core tools that are essential to saving time, energy, and money:
Project Planning
When you’re just starting a new project, Microsoft Project helps create a project plan by defining the project scope, tasks, dependencies, resources, and budget needed.
Plan Visualisation
A popular feature that stands out according to IT Support in London is the tools to allow users to visualise the plan for a project. Microsoft Project has Gantt charts and scrum boards to help display phases and progress which ultimately help project members see how long each phase and task will take and help see the bigger picture.
Task Scheduling
To help ensure a project can be completed by a specific deadline, Project can be used to create a schedule to determine when the start and end dates for each task. This includes using the critical path method to calculate the shortest possible time to complete a project.
Resource Allocation
The process of assigning resources to tasks can be complex. It’s dependent on the availability of resources, the constraints of the project and the dependencies between each task. Project is great for handling all of this and with its efficient resource allocation tools, users can ensure they have the right resources available to complete the project on time and within budget.
Progress Tracking
Monitoring the progress of a project can help identify where any potential problems can arise. Microsoft Project has a variety of tools to track the start and end dates of tasks as well as the actual progress of each task as it’s happening. This includes support for the earned value management method to measure the progress of a project. This will ultimately catch if tasks are falling behind schedule so that changes and accommodations can be made as a project is happening.
Cost Management
Proper cost management throughout a project is essential for the business. Microsoft Project will help track the costs of the project by recording the actual costs of all resources and tasks. With tools like the ability to track costs, create budgets and generate reports, it will allow users to identify where costs are being incurred and make adjustments accordingly to stay within the budget.
Reporting
Reporting tools are essential to generating needed reports on progress, costs, and any other aspects of a project. This will help communicate the status of a project to stakeholders to help make informed decisions moving forward. Microsoft Project has built-in reports but providers of Office 365 Consulting London specific solutions point out that custom reports can be created as well.
Risk Management
Project offers a variety of tools to help manage the potential risks of each individual project. These tools can help you identify, prioritize, and mitigate risks, as well as communicate risks to stakeholders and monitor them regularly. By using these tools, you can improve your chances of successfully managing risks to your project.
Collaboration
Collaboration is at the absolute core of the Microsoft Project, to work together to achieve a common goal collaboration is essential. Project improves communication and coordination with the ability to easily share project plans, schedules, and reports that are made and updated in real time.
In the long run, having a project plan in place that is carefully managed with the right project management tools is essential to the success of a project. Project helps simplify the process of planning, managing, and tracking a project effectively. With the basic tools and the added benefits of tools like cost and risk management, you can increase the chances of completing a project on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
