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Project Management Tools and techniques

Dr. Nancy Agens, Head,

Technical Operations, Tutors India

In brief

In this article, we are going to discuss some

of the major project managent tools and

techniques which will make project

management much easier than before. In

order to identify future research topics, we

have reviewed business & management

field (recent peer-reviewed studies).

It is accomplished through the application

and integration.

Technological advancements also plays a

significant role in the creation of new

project

Keywords: Tutors India, Project

Management, Techniques, Management,

project, Planning, Execution

I. WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

Project management is vital in any

private, public and non-profit organization.

Project management essentially makes it

possible for the organization to do various

activities within the planned budget and time

without compromising on the quality of the

outcome. The Project Management Institute

(2004) defines project management as the

“application of knowledge, skills, tools and

techniques to project activities to meet

project requirements. It is accomplished

through the application and integration of

the project management processes of

initiating, planning, executing, monitoring

and controlling, and closing” (Kostalova &

Tetrevova, 2014).

II. DIFFERENT TOOLS AND

TECHNIQUES OF PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

The project management tools are

developed one after another based on the

area of interest which can be utilized in both

theory and practice that are enhanced and

modified based on the application. With the

continuous technological changes, it is

difficult to provide a single tool or technique

for project management. Technological

advancements also plays a significant role in

the creation of new project management

tools and techniques. Each of the tools are

utilized based on the management areas in

which some tools are specialized only for

specific phases of the project cycle while

others are used for whole project cycle.

III. PRE-PROJECT STUDY

The first and foremost project

management tool is the Pre-Project Study,

which is used to formulate a structure and to

check the feasibility of the project. This

opportunity provides with the necessary

question and answers which are appropriate

to the project and these question and

answers essentially be related to the market

trends concerning the user and analyses the

situations and which tool to be implemented.

Further, it incorporates the utilization of

SWOT analysis. On the other hand, the

feasibility study is done to compare the

appropriate in which the purpose of the

project can be implemented. This feasibility

study involves the cost and time estimation,

availability and requirements of sources and

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the possible risks in the project cycle.

(Haponava & Al‐Jibouri, 2009).

IV. TRIPLE CONSTRAINT OF PROJECT

Triple Constraint of Project is one of

the important project management tools

utilized since it showcases the three

fundamental elements which decides the

success or failure of a project: the scope of

the project, time and cost/budget. These

three factors significantly affect the quality

of the project and an imbalance among the

three elements creates complexities in the

project cycle. A project is said to be of high

quality when the said product or service is

delivered on time, within the budget and

scope without compromising the quality.

However, any change in any of the factor

would considerably influence the other two

since all are inter dependable. Therefore,

management of these factors is enhanced as

risk management, which represents the

success and failure of the project (Couillard

et al., 2009).

V. LOGICAL FRAMEWORK APPROACH

(LFA)

Another project management tool is

the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is

implemented at the beginning of the project.

LFA is primarily an analytical tool, which is

oriented with the objectives of project

planning and management. This tool is used

to define the purpose of the project clearly,

identify the necessary requirements, key

elements needed for the project, analyze and

facilitate the flow the communication

between the parties and analyzing possible

risks which affects the success and failure of

the project (Couillard et al., 2009).

VI. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

(WBS)

The Work Breakdown Structure

(WBS) is another project management tool

which is used in the phases of the project

cycle. WBS is utilized to breakdown the

project into individual activities such that

each of the individual activity is assigned

with time duration, labor and responsibilities

based on the nature of the activity. Thus

with the help of WBS, the project can be

viewed from a perception of simple

activities listed in an order to multiple

activities grouped into extensive work

packages. Moreover, WBS incorporates

systematic planning and carrying out of

activities by limiting the possibility of

missing any key activity or any unusable

time period. (Norman, Brotherton and Fried

2008). WBS often contributes to better

planning and monitoring and also

contributes to effective cost and time

estimation and resource allocation by

utilization of certain techniques such as

CPM, PERT and Gantt charts (Rad & Cioffi,

2004).

VII. CPM

The Critical Path Method (CPM) is

used to analyze the duration of a project

wherein the project is broken down into

individual activities. When CPM is utilized,

it calculates the earliest start and latest finish

time of the individual activity based on

which the duration of the project can be

planned for subsequent activities(Nafkha &

Wiliński, 2016).

VIII. GANTT

Another effective tool is the Gantt

chart, which utilizes the graphical

representation of the start, elapsed and

completion times in terms of days, weeks

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and months of each individual task within a

project. These Gantt charts are excellent for

keeping track of the progress of the project.

The estimated time period for completion of

the project can be compared with the

number of milestones completed by the

individual activity. Also, Gantt charts are

essential for formulating budget in a

project(Sean Maserang, 2002).

IX. PERT

PERT stands for Program Evaluation

Review Technique is a planning tool which

is used for controlling the tasks in a project.

This is often interchanged with CPM and

they vary only with respect to the

computation of time period. PERT involves

the estimation of time period based on three

different time periods namely: Optimistic

time which is the shortest time period in

which the task/activity can be completed;

Most likely time which has the highest

probability of completion within the

specified time; Pessimistic time which is the

longest time an activity takes for

completion(Sean Maserang, 2002).

X. RESPONSIBILITY ASSIGNMENT

MATRIX (RACI MATRIX)

The Responsibility Assignment

Matrix (RACI Matrix) or the Linear

Responsibility Chart is the project

management tool used in assigning and

displaying different responsibilities and time

frames for each of the individual tasks

assigned to the respective individual (Melnic

& Puiu, 2011).

XI. AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Agile Project Management tool

is one of the new project management

techniques used in the areas of software

projects and also can be used in other areas

of research with suitable enhancement. This

tool is essentially utilized to enhance the

project outcomes and it facilitates higher

rates of changes during the project

implementation. This technique mainly

focuses on the contribution to customer and

stakeholders by providing high rates of

flexibility and feedback and checking

systems (Koerner, 2005).

Therefore, with the technological

advancements, project management tools

and techniques have evolved from a simple

spreadsheet to the now sophisticated web

based tools. The trend in the project

management tools and techniques is relative

to the utilization of information technology

and moreover the utilization of tools and

techniques varies with the area of utilization.

REFERENCES

[1] Couillard, J., Garon, S. & Riznic, J. (2009). The Logical

Framework Approach-Millennium. Project

Management Journal. [Online]. 40 (4). pp. 31–44.

Available from:

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1002/pmj.20117.

[2] Haponava, T. & Al‐Jibouri, S. (2009). Identifying key

performance indicators for use in control of pre‐

project stage process in construction. International

Journal of Productivity and Performance

Management. [Online]. 58 (2). pp. 160–173.

Available from:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110

8/17410400910928743/full/html.

[3] Koerner (2005). Declaration of Interdependence.

[Online]. 2005. Available from: https://sci-

hub.tw/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/articl

e/pii/S1877042814051362.

[4] Kostalova, J. & Tetrevova, L. (2014). Project

Management and its Tools in Practice in the Czech

Republic. Procedia - Social and Behavioral

Sciences. [Online]. 150. pp. 678–689. Available

from:

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S187704

2814051362.

[5] Melnic, A.-S. & Puiu, T. (2011). The management of

human resources within projects: the structures of

the project team, the responsibility assignment

matrix. Economy Transdisciplinarity Cognition.

[Online]. 14 (1). pp. 476. Available from:

http://www.ugb.ro/etc/etc2011no1/MN-3-full.pdf.

[6] Nafkha, R. & Wiliński, A. (2016). The critical path

method in estimating project duration. Information

Systems in Management. [Online]. 5 (1). pp. 78–87.

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Available from:

http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.ele

ment.ekon-element-000171429696.

[7] Rad, P.F. & Cioffi, D.F. (2004). Work and resource

breakdown structures for formalized bottom-up

estimating. COST ENGINEERING-ANN ARBOR

THEN MORGANTOWN-. [Online]. 46 (2). pp. 31–

37. Available from:

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=1

0.1.1.583.8756&rep=rep1&type=pdf.

[8] Sean Maserang (2002). Project Management: Tools &

Techniques. [Online]. Available from:

http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/488_f02_pap

ers/ProjMgmt.html.