Top Planning Tools for Teams

顶级团队规划工具

2020-11-07 08:50 project manager

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Collaborative planning with your team has many benefits. First of all, it engages your team. You depend on your team members to get the tasks done that lead to a successful project. Getting buy-in from them should be proof enough of the importance of planning with teams. But there’s more. Your plan will be better. When you get the whole team thinking together it provides ideas you might miss and a perspective you don’t have. Properly planning your projects is an art that, when done properly, will work for both you and your team members. What Teams Need from Planning Tools The first and most important property of project planning tools is that they’re cloud-based. Whether your team is located under the same roof as you or they work remotely, you’ll want an online tool. Being online means that team members have access to their tasks and files no matter where they are, the time or what device they’re working on. Once you’ve established that you want an online PM tool, then you have to determine the features that would best serve your team as they plan and execute the project. Some of the key features your team will need to include: Task List Gantt Chart Kanban Boards When you’re looking for PM software you’re going to want to see which tools offer these features. They’re going to give your team the tools they need to get their tasks done on time and track their progress. If a team member is idle, you’ll be able to put them on task. If a team member is over-allocated then you’ll have the resources to help them before the issue turns into a real problem that can take the project off-track. Tracking and keeping resources matching your team’s capacity is the job of a manager. There are tools that monitor, track, report and balance resources, but we’re going to focus on those features that teams can use when planning and managing their workload. Let’s go into the ones we mentioned above in detail. Task Lists A task list is just that, a list of your tasks. It can be that simple. Think of it as a to-do list. They’re helpful and satisfying as you cross each item off. This is a rudimentary way for teams to collect the work they need and stay focused on those tasks. Wouldn’t it be even more helpful if a task list could do more? Online project management tools are designed to make task lists more dynamic. Not all tasks are solely the responsibility of one team member, so you need to be able to share and link to other tasks from other systems. Then you can view and update them as you complete those tasks. That task list should be simple to update online or by a mobile app. You should also be able to attach notes, files and links, as well as comment on it and then track those comments, production notes and document handoffs. All this is done in real-time when you’re working with a cloud-based project planning tool. How ProjectManager.com’s Task List Works If you use ProjectManager.com, our task list project view goes even further than merely prioritizing. You can tag the task as a customizable category, which means no more endless searches. What you’re looking for comes up immediately. Task lists can be made individually or shared with teams for better collaboration. Teams can attach documents and images, even comment with teammates, who immediately get email alerts or in-app notification. Team members can improve their productivity by setting up project and personal tasks with due dates that can be filtered by their deadline, owner, project, etc. That task list is simple to update online. All this is done in real-time because you’re working with a cloud-based project planning tool. Gantt Chart A Gantt chart is a visual tool for planning. It looks like a regular spreadsheet on the left side of your screen, but on the right it’s a project timeline. Once you import your task list to the Gantt and add start and end dates, the tasks populate the timeline. You can now see the full project at a glance. Managers are more likely to use Gantts as it gives a great deal of control to scheduling projects. They can create sub-tasks, set milestones to indicate the end of one phase and the start of another in the project and it shows them the big picture they need. But they can also share the Gantt with their team and work together in planning, as teams often have intimate details of the work that project managers might not. How ProjectManager.com’s Gantt Chart Works Gantt charts are a great tool, irreplaceable for planning, and ProjectManager.com has an interactive Gantt chart that leaves others drowning in our wake. Not all tasks are created equal. Some are dependent on others to start or finish. These task dependencies can be easily linked to avoid bottlenecks later in the project. Changes are as easy as dragging and dropping the task to the new deadline. Customize colors to differentiate teams, phases and more. Even track progress by the percentage the duration bar is shaded. Kanban Boards Kanban boards are a planning tool that visualize workflow. If Gantts are the preferred tool of managers, then teams are the ones who love using kanban. It’s clear why. With kanban boards teams can collect their backlog, see the priority of their tasks and plan their sprints accordingly. Tasks are represented by cards that move from column to column as they go from to do, doing to done. This way teams can always focus on their immediate work and managers get transparency into the process, so they can reallocate resources as needed to keep the team moving forward. How ProjectManager.com’s Kanban Board Works While many project management software tools now include a kanban feature, few are as robust as ProjectManager.com. Our kanban board can be filtered by tasks, due dates, owner, project and more. Teams can create their own workflows with customized columns.  It also feeds into a real-time dashboard that calculates project data and automatically displays it across six metrics for a high-view of your progress. More Planning Tools for Teams The above three features give your teams the tools they need to plan and execute their tasks more productively. There are more, of course, but let’s just speak of two before finishing this post. One, being communication, the throughline for all project phases and their success. The second is timesheets, a tool not always thought of when planning, but a boon for teams and managers alike. Communications Obviously, you’re not going to get anything done if you’re not able to explain what it is that needs to be done. Just as important is to create a dialogue in which team members can conference among themselves and pull you into the conversation when needed. Therefore, a communicative tool is clearly a critical part of any project management software you’re looking to use when planning a project. What your communication tool should do is offer a platform on which team members can talk whether they’re working in the same space or remotely. They’ll need a tool that gives them the ability to capture their thoughts about an issue in the project as they experience it, even if other team members are not available at that time to respond. A social chat function, where you can create groups and team members can speak one-on-one is a way to foster communications in the planning process and all other phases of the project. This keeps the conversation in one place, and should allow you to share data by attaching files, pictures, links or whatever other materials you and your team need for the task being discussed. ProjectManager.com allows teams to communicate at the task level, which is where they’re working. As noted above, they can comment and collaborate whether working side-by-side or in different timezones. Managers can communicate their time by attaching files to tasks and adding detailed directions. Anyone can be tagged and brought into the conversation, too, so communication channels are always open. Timesheets You’ll also want to get your team using timesheets. While timesheets have a bad reputation as being used by managers to micromanage teams, they can help both you and your teams with planning and executing the project. Use timesheets to estimate tasks more efficiently, offer visibility on the time being spent on each task so they can then be adjusted and timesheets over a view of resource allocation to make sure no one is over- or under-allocated. When team members update their tasks on their timesheets they can track their progress. All their time is tracked by project planning software, from task lists to the Gantt chart, and in real-time. And using timesheets is easy because the project tool syncs your team’s tasks with the timesheet tool. All they have to do is select their tasks and hit enter. The team can then preview and submit their timesheets, and then you can easily approve them. The timesheet feature in ProjectManager.com streamlines not only payroll but creating the timesheet. Teams can auto-fill their timesheets if the work they’re doing is the same from week to week. When teams submit their completed timesheets, they go to a manager assigned to authorize it. Once approved, it’s locked, keeping timesheets secure. Give Your Team the Project Tools They Need When looking for project planning tools make sure they have these functions for your team. They help with collaboration and provide the means for a more efficient and productive project. Teams work better when they have the right tools. ProjectManager.com is a cloud-based software that gives your team those tools. From online timesheets that make submitting timesheets as simple as a click, to task-level collaboration with an online Gantt chart, ProjectManager.com is the one tool you need for all your planning needs. See for yourself by trying our free 30-day trial. This post was updated November 2020. The Must-Have Features in Your Project Planning Tools Top 3 Project Management Tools for Teams Capacity Planning Essentials
与团队协同规划好处良多。首先,协同规划能调动团队加入规划工作中。你需要依赖于团队成员完成任务,从而实现项目成功。那么,获取团队成员认同应该足以证明团队规划的重要性。 还有,你所提的计划可能已经足够好。当你发动整个团队共同思考时,团队思考为你提供一些自己错过的好想法,或者压根自己没有想过的想法。准确规划个人项目是一门艺术。做好团队规划,于你于团队而言都将大有裨益。 团队需从规划工具中获取什么 项目规划工具的首个,亦是最为重要的特性是——项目规划都是基于云技术设计的。因此,无论你与你的团队是同处一室,还是分隔异地,远程工作,你都需要一种在线工具协同工作。无论何地何地,设备为何,在线工作便意味着团队成员可以访问各自的任务和文件。 一旦确定下来你需要一种在线项目管理工具,那么必须决定你需要何种特色功能,便于在计划和执行项目时完整地发挥工具的服务作用。工具中需要包括以下特色功能: 任务列表 甘特图(用于项目任务管理,显示各阶段的起迄时间,并将已完成工作量和计划工作量进行对比) 看板图 当你寻找项目管理软件时,你可能格外关注何种工具提供以上功能。这些工具会给团队提供按时完成任务所需的渠道,并跟踪团队成员进度。如果某位团队成员无所事事,你便可以督促其赶上进度。如果某位团队成员任务过重,那么问题升级,影响项目总体进度前,项目管理工具将为你提供“拨乱反正”的资源。 经理的工作是跟踪和保持资源与团队的能力相匹配。有些工具功能丰富,可以监督、跟踪、报告与平衡资源,但是我们将重点关注一些可供团队计划和管理工作负载时使用的功能。下面我们就来详细介绍这些功能。 任务列表 任务列表,即你的任务清单。简单来说,你可以把任务列表当作待办事项清单。每当划掉一项,你会发现这个功能特别有用,还能让你舒心不少。任务列表是团队收集所需工作并使团队专注于项目的基本方法。如果任务列表功能更为完备的话,那么这个功能会不会更为有用?在线项目管理工具要义便是使任务列表更为动态。 项目任务并非单人负责制。因此,你需要共享和链接到其他系统的其他任务,便于在完成这些任务时查看和更新它们。 任务列表应该易于在线或通过移动应用程序更新。任务列表功能还应当能为你提供其他附加功能,如附加注释、文件和链接、以及评论,然后跟踪评论、生产注释及文档移交。当使用基于云技术的项目规划工具时,上述工作都是实时完成的。 ProjectManager.com任务列表的工作方式 ProjectManager.com让我们的任务列表项目视图功能更为高级,不再仅仅是区分优先级别而已。你可以自定义标记任务类别,不再需要一而再、再而三地搜索,可以立即找到所需资料。任务列表可以单独制定,为更好地团队协作,也可以与团队共享。项目团队可附加文档和图像,甚至与团队成员评论,团队成员可以立即收到电子邮件提醒或应用内通知。 通过设置项目和个人任务,团队成员可以提高他们的工作效率,同时,还可以根据截止日期、所有者、项目等进行条件对成员的个人任务进行筛选。任务列表支持在线更新。ProjectManager.com是基于云技术的项目规划工具,所有功能均是实时完成。 甘特图 甘特图是一种可视化的规划工具,看起来像是屏幕左侧的常规电子表格,但在屏幕右侧则是项目时间线。将任务列表导入甘特图、添加开始日期和结束日期后、填充任务时间线。完成一些列工作后,完整项目的时间表一目了然。 甘特图能很好地控制项目的日程安排。鉴于此,管理人员使用甘特图可能性更大。管理人员可以创建子任务,设置时间节点,指示项目中某一阶段的结束和另一阶段的开始。这个工具可以清楚呈现他们的宏大计划。由于真正负责项目中细枝末节的是团队承认,管理人员可能对项目细节不熟悉,因此管理人员也可以选择与团队共享甘特图,并在共同绘制甘特图。 ProjectManager.com甘特图工作原理 甘特图是一个伟大的工具,不可替代的规划,和ProjectManager.com有一个交互式甘特图,让其他人淹没在我们的尾声。并不是所有的任务都是平等的。有些依赖于其他人开始或结束。这些任务依赖关系可以很容易地链接起来,以避免项目后期出现瓶颈。更改就像将任务拖放到新的截止日期一样容易。自定义颜色以区分团队,阶段和更多。甚至可以通过持续时间条阴影化的百分比来跟踪进度。 看板图 看板是一种可视化工作流的规划工具。如果说甘特图是经理们的首选工具,看板图就是团队成员们的首选工具。原因十分明了,有了看板图,团队可以收集工作积压、查看任务的优先级,并相应地计划工作速度。 任务由卡片表示,卡片从一列移至另一列,分别表示准备去做、正在做和做完成。如此一来,团队能始终专注于眼前工作,经理们了解和掌握工作进度。这样,他们便能根据实际需要重新分配资源,保持团队向前发展。 ProjectManager.com看板图工作原理 虽然目前许多项目管理软件工具都有看板功能,但很少有像ProjectManager.com一样功能丰富强大。ProjectManager.com可以按任务类别、到期日、任务负责人、项目等进行过滤。团队可以自定义列创建工作流。ProjectManager.com还提供实时仪表板,计算项目数据,并自动显示6个度量指标,方便成员以查看进度。 其他团队规划工具 上述三个功能为团队提供有效执行计划与任务所需的工具。当然,ProjectManager.com的功能不止于此。但在完成这篇文章之前,我们再讨论其中两个重要功能。一是沟通。二是时间表。沟通贯穿所有项目阶段,是项目成功主线。时间表在计划时并不总是会想到的工具,但这张小小时间表却是团队与经理的福音。 沟通 显然,如果对自己需要做的事情不清不楚,就很有可能一事无成。除了明确自己的目标,同样重要的是创建对话渠道。在对话渠道中,团队成员可以相互讨论,并在必要时将你拉入对话中来。因此,交流工具显然是任何项目管理软件中你最期待使用的关键部分。 交流工具应该提供可以让团队成员互相交流的平台,不管团队成员是在同一个空间工作还是在远程工作。团队成员需要一种工具,使他们能够在处理项目中的某个问题时,写出他们对该问题的想法,即使其他团队成员无法立即回应。 可在社交聊天功能板块创建小组,团队成员可以在其中一对一交谈。这种方式在规划阶段及项目所有阶段中促进沟通的一种方式。这种方式还可以将交流平台集中在一处地方,并允许成员通过附加文件,图片,链接或其他团队任务讨论所需的任何其他材料,实现数据共享。 ProjectManager.com允许团队在任务层面上交流。如上所述,团队成员可评论和协作,不管是并肩工作还是在跨时区工作。经理可通过向任务附加文件和添加详细说明来沟通时间。沟通渠道可以保持永久畅通开放,经理可以标记任何人、也可以拉任何人进入对话。 时间表 虽然时间表常被管理者用来微观管理团队,名声不太好,但你依然还会想让团队使用时间表,因为时间表可帮助团队规划和执行项目。通过时间表,你可以更为有效地评估任务,提供用于各项任务的时间可见性,以便后期调整,并将时间表置于资源分配的视图上,以确保不会出现分配过多或不足的情况。 当团队成员更新时间表任务时,成员们可以跟踪进度。成员们的时间均被项目计划软件实时跟踪,从任务列表到甘特图。而且因为项目工具会自动同步团队任务与任务时间,时间表操作十分简单。成员们只需选择个人任务,然后点击回车键。随后,团队成员可以预览并提交各自的时间表。最后,然后你再轻松批准他们的时间表即可。 ProjectManager.com的时间表功能不仅简化工资单,还简化了时间表创建流程。如团队每周都在做相同的工作,他们的时间表便可以自动填充,无需重新填写。当团队成员提交各自已填写好的时间表时,他们会去找一位授权经理。一旦授权经历批准,时间表就会被锁定,以保证时间表的安全。 为团队提供所需的项目工具 在寻找项目计划工具时,请确保你所找到的工具为团队提供了所述功能。这些功能有助于协作,并为更注重效率与成效的项目提供有效途径。 团队有了这些工具,团队工作成效会提高许多。ProjectManager.com是一个基于云计算的软件,悉数为你的团队提供上述工具。ProjectManager.com满足所有计划需求所需工作,从点击一下提交在线时间表,到在线甘特图进行任务级协作。体验一下30天免费试用吧。 本帖于2020年11月更新。 项目规划工具中的必备功能 三大团队项目管理工具 能力规划要点

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