Project Management? Learn To Do It Effectively

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Project management is a critical competency for any successful organization (PDF). The second half of the twentieth century saw a huge boom in project management as a studied discipline. A wide range of methods and practices have been championed, from the command-and-control waterfall of the Rational Unified Process (PDF) to the breakneck speed of Extreme Programming.

Some people plan to become project managers, but most in the profession became project managers by accident. Often, developers, designers, or documenters move into project management as they become more experienced, or when their leadership skills are recognized. Lots of people are doing the job of project managers, but aren’t formally called that. So, a lot of PMs start managing their first project without really any training or theoretical knowledge about the topic.

To help project managers get up to speed as quickly as possible, we have collected the best resources for learning how to manage projects, along with the most popular project management tools, and other resources.

Project Management Tutorials and Courses

Additional Learning Resources and Special Topics

  • Project Management Tools is a collection of tutorials on essential project management methods.
  • Udemy has a number of courses on project management, including courses designed to prepare PMs for PMP Certification.
  • Lynda has a wide array of project management courses, covering everything from Agile methodology to managing international projects.
  • The PM Podcast is a popular podcast focused on project management, career development, best practices, and related topics.
  • The blog at CIO.com frequently published excellent articles about project management and related topics.
  • Project Smart is a news and information blog and online resource center for project managers.

Notable Project Management Applications

There are a lot of project management apps, and more coming into the market every day. These are notable because they are particularly popular, or particularly interesting.

  • Asana is a flexible task-oriented project management system that allows users to work for multiple organizations from the same login. Asana is one of the most popular SaaS PM systems right now, and is perfect for distributed teams and freelance workers. (The WhoIsHostingThis team uses Asana; we like it a lot.)
  • Basecamp is a very popular, easy to use project management app focused on group collaboration. The team behind the development of Basecamp is distributted, which has influenced the design of the software, making it especially well suited for remote work and distributed, asyncronous teams.
  • Trello is an innovative card-based project management app that captures the flexible “Post-it Notes and Whiteboard” feeling of analog planning in an online form.
  • Microsoft Project is the canonical project management application for the enterprise. To get a sense of how MS Project works, check out the How to Start a Project in Microsoft Project tutorial.
  • Casual is a visual project management app that makes task dependency and critical path analysis simple.
  • Mavenlink is an online project management application with resource planning and strategic management insights.
  • Wrike is an online project management system with typical “Enterprise” features like Gantt charts and workload management.
  • Projectplace is an Enterprise-focused online PM tool that features Gannt charts, Kanban boards, document management, and other premium features.
  • LiquidPlanner is an online project management system designed for technology teams. It’s most unique feature is its easy-to-use predictive tools, helping you understand best- and worst-case project completion timelines.
  • Pivotal Tracker focuses on Agile methods.
  • Function Point is a project management system designed for ad agencies and design studios.
  • Planio is an Agile PM tool useful for Scrum, Kanban, or XP.
  • Redbooth is a project management system that can be used as a SaaS app or hosted locally, featuring HD Video chat.
  • Projecturf is a realtime collaborative workspace and project management suite.
  • Paymo is a project management app for small businesses, with integrated timesheet and accounting.
  • Teamwork is a suite of apps that provide project management, helpdesk, and group chat capabilities.
  • Podio is a project management system that integrates with other services like Google Drive and Dropbox, records meetings and chat conversations, allows you to define complex relationships between projects, and has custom reporting tools.
  • Dapulse is a collaborative project management app that encourages use with visual recognition of completed projects.
  • Blossom is a software project management app designed for distributed teams.
  • Matterhorn is a flexible project management application that lets team members customize how they view and visualize their projects.
  • Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-based project management system.

Community, Networking, and Professional Development

  • PMI the Project Management Institute is the most well-recognized professional organization for project management. They offer the highly regarded PMP certification.
  • ProjectManagement.com is a blog, library, and network for project managers, run by PMI.
  • IPMA is the International Project Management Association. They offer certifications, education, conferences, networking, and other resources for project managers.
  • Association for Project Management is a UK-based professional organization for project managers.

Books on Project Management

There are so many good books on project management, that it’s hard to know what should be included. We’ve put together a list of essential classics, personal favorites, and titles that offer a unique perspective.

Summary

Project management is a complex topic — part art, part science, part politics, part technology. We hope these tutorials and resources will help you cut through the complexity and develop your skills as a project manager.


Further Reading and Resources

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Claire Broadley

About Claire Broadley

Claire has been creating websites for over 20 years and has been using WordPress for over ten. She is an expert in web hosting, design, HTML, and more. She lives with her husband and son in the United Kingdom.

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