Tag Archives for project planning

Project success can be defined as reaching project objectives within budget and on time, and to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.  

How hard can it really be?

According to research, only 2.5% of companies are able to successfully complete 100% of their projects. This means, nearly 98% of companies fail to produce planned deliverable within budget and on time and satisfy their stakeholders.

While a project is made up of several elements, such as a well-defined goal, resources, budget etc., effective implementation of them through a proper project management strategy is the key to project success. Project management is not only critical to organizational success but it is also a decisive factor in business performance.

Hire an Experienced Project Manager

A role of a project manager is to successfully plan, organize, execute, monitor and complete a project. While a project manager must have the necessary technical and soft skills to perform these responsibilities, she should also interact well with the team or teams she is managing.

If she is not engaged, committed, agile and trusted by her team, she will have a hard time leading her team towards project success.

Maintain Effective Communication

Effective communication, which is essential to increase workplace productivity,  is vital throughout any project. The absence of proper communication would lead to chaos – some would fail to complete their tasks on time while some others would frequently make errors with no proper guidance.

To avoid this, effective communication should be established through communication and collaboration software or through more conventional methods such as project review meetings.

Set Attainable and Measurable Goals

Project goals set the path of a project. Every decision made and every action taken during a project should be to accomplish this goal that should be defined during the initial stage of the project. While a project goal should always align with the strategic objectives of the company and the expectations of the stakeholders, it needs to be one that can be measured and achieved in reality.       

Create A Realistic Budget

A project budget must cover all necessary expenses of a project. While it should be realistic, it should also be able to cover the extra expenses the organization may have to bear due to threats that may occur unexpectedly.  

Allocate Resources to Meet Project Requirements

A project is dependent on its resources. Resources include both human resources and non-human resources like tools, conference rooms, laptops etc. These resources should be allocated properly in order to ensure that each objective can be reached in an efficient manner.   

Carry Out Frequent Risk Management Practices

During the lifetime of a project, risks can occur at any time. Being prepared to face these obstacles – both financially and with manpower – is essential for the success of a project. Make sure to carry out frequent risk management practices before every new step.

Implement Successful Talent Management

Talent management is necessary for a company to attract and retain skilled employees in the industry and is a key reason why projects succeed. While the skills of the project team largely decide the fate of a project, it is necessary to have an army of skilled and experienced human resources to deploy during any new project.

Take Stakeholder Satisfaction into Serious Consideration

20% of project success is decided by the satisfaction of the stakeholders, who could be your clients, government, consultants, subcontractors etc. This is why it is important to identify the stakeholders and their expectations during the initial stage of the project. By working their expectations into the project goals, you can ensure complete project success.

Any More Reasons Why Projects Succeed?

With the successful integration of the above project management tips to your project management strategy, you can make sure that you improve your chances at 100% project success. If you have additional reasons why you think projects succeed, do mention them in the comments below. 

Usually used to create project plans, a Gantt chart can be used in any industry and is an effective way to plan goals for a startup. The Gantt chart was originally developed as a visual work flowchart called a ‘Harmonogram’ by Karol Adamiecki, a Polish engineer.

In 1919, management consultant, Henry Gantt, further developed this concept and used it to help his colleagues who were manufacturing supervisors. This allowed them to see if the work was being completed on time or if they were running behind schedule.

This chart is now used by companies around the world to try and improve efficiency and manage projects.

A Gantt chart helps to see if the project your team is working on, the one with multiple tasks involved, is going as planned or not. A Gantt chart will help figure out how long each task will take and pre-empt any potential problems that your team might face. All of this leads to a realistic timeline and helps complete every project as efficiently as possible.

Read on to see how a Gantt chart works and how it can benefit a startup.

Why Use a Gantt Chart?

Reasons to use Gantt charts are plenty. A startup needs to use Gantt charts to stay on track and understand where every project’s strengths and weaknesses lie. When a business is starting out, there are a million things to think about and do. Being able to keep track of several different things at once with great efficiency is important for any startup to succeed.

We are, however, only humans and this can prove to be an overwhelming task. Missing even one task can have a domino effect and the ramifications can be disastrous for a company that is still in the process of establishing itself.

There are several reasons why a startup will benefit from the use of a Gantt chart, such as:

A Gantt Chart is Visual

Click the image to use it as a template

Every startup goes through a constant learning process, where it tries to better itself through a series of trials and errors. When planning any action at a startup, a Gantt chart will be a great means of planning projects.

Because it’s a visual tool, employees at a startup will easily be able to visualize different ideas because you can write them down in one place. This also gives a view of the bigger picture, which is perfect for a startup because the direction that needs to be taken is not always clear initially.

It Helps Set a Timeline

A Gantt chart will allow you to bring together all your ideas in one place and also create a timeline and set targets by which individual tasks must be completed. This is a great way to see how long a project will take and for a startup, being able to finish work on time is essential. Here are Gantt chart templates you can use for a quick start with your project planning.

Click the image to use it as a template

It Creates Manageable Tasks

It is easy for a startup to fall into the trap of trying to please everyone. You want to create a great working environment where employees are not too stressed and overworked, while also delivering every project to the client on time. However, not managing tasks appropriately and taking on more than is possible is a recipe for disaster.

A Gantt chart helps create manageable tasks by breaking down larger projects into simpler tasks, which can be completed in a shorter amount of time. Dividing up larger projects into a set of smaller activities helps to delegate and share responsibilities, while making the overall task manageable.

Makes You Stick to Deadlines

A Gantt chart allows you to schedule tasks for a specific time and if you adjust one task in a series of tasks, the timing of the entire project will be affected. This will help you see clearly when the entire project will be finished, allowing you to plan the overall project with greater precision.

This process is done by making clear which task is dependent on another task. This way, members of a team will know exactly who is depending on them to finish their task on time. This is one of the most effective uses of a Gantt chart.

A Gantt chart also helps to see the overall time a project will take, a process that is also known as the ‘Critical Path.’ This is a term used in project management and refers to the process of determining the sequence of activities which will lead to the longest time to complete any given project. This method is used to determine the shortest time in which a project can be completed.

Watch Progress

Click the image to use it as a template

A Gantt chart lets you track the progress of any project in real time. This is done by zooming in, so to speak, into individual tasks which, when combined, make up the bigger parts of the project.

By observing individual charts, a startup can see clearly how the overall project is progressing, and how the current progress rate compares to the initial desired progress date. The Gantt chart is a constantly changing document, one that is dependent on others finishing their tasks on time.

A startup needs to be able to visualize tasks and see how different people are making progress in projects. This can also help bring to light problem areas and issues which need to be addressed early on in any startup’s life, before it becomes a larger issue and affects the future of a company.

This is where a Gantt chart shows its advantages as opposed to a chart that you may have drawn on a piece of paper and left in a drawer. Unlike a Gantt chart, this is not a dynamic document and doesn’t let you stay updated with every step taken throughout a project’s lifespan. With a Gantt chart maker, you can conveniently track and record  your project’s progress.

Conclusion

A startup can greatly benefit from the use of a Gantt chart. Although established businesses regularly use this project management tool to keep track of multiple projects, a startup will benefit from this tool due to its ability to track progress and understand where potential problems in a project may lie. With the correct use of this powerful tool, a startup can be as impressive as it had planned to be.

About Author

I’m Rachel Oliver, I have been working for the past couple of years as a freelance writer. While I like to write about all things under the sun, including energy, business, sports, home improvement and fashion, I am especially passionate about business, technology and electronics. Currently, I am pursuing this passion by working with Digsemi – trusted partner in electronic components. You can get in touch with me on Google+,  and Twitter.

Flowcharts and Gantt charts are both effective tools to plan projects. However, when it comes to project execution, both have different uses and applications. For a complex plan with a longer duration, a Gantt chart is better, and for short term and smaller projects, a flow chart can do the trick on its own. In some cases, Gantt charts and flowcharts are used in combination. Both types of charts can be easily made using Creately’s online flow charting tools and Gantt tools.

Using Flowcharts for Project Planning

Flowcharts can be used to display a stage by stage progression. They effectively show a sequence of events, with the completion of one stage leading to the beginning of another. The only downside of using a flowchart for project planning is that you cannot add a time interval for each stage. Flowcharts of a project plan must show:

1. A clear beginning
2. Clearly labeled stages represented by rectangular boxes
3. Diamond shaped boxes for decisions/quality checks
4. A clearly defined end

The arrows show the direction of flow. In case of a decision, the yes and no arrows must clearly indicate how to tackle different possible outcomes. Using Creatley’s flowchart designing tool, a simple flowchart for a small project can easily be made.

A small project quickly described using a flowchart (Project Flowchart)

As can be seen from the diagram, a flowchart gives a nice visual representation of different stages of the project but misses out on one of the most important elements of project planning, i.e. time. For a project to be planned and managed efficiently, it has to be timed and each stage has to be performed within a deadline.

When working on smaller projects, ones that can be completed within a day or two, a flowchart is enough. However, when working on larger projects, it is better to outline processes using a flowchart before using a Gantt chart to get into details.

Using Gantt Charts for Project Planning

We have featured a number of posts about this topic in the past, so we will keep this section brief. The biggest advantage of using Gantt charts for project planning is that they allow the manager to determine a time duration for each activity. Gantt charts allow for the effective display of task dependencies, information flows, and relationships between different activities. They do not put any emphasis on the logic controlling the decision making. Creatley’s Gantt chart designing tool can be used to make charts for simple and complex projects.

A Gantt chart template available at Creately ( click to use as a template )

Use Gantt Charts for High Level Plans

Gantt charts are perfect for high-level plans and complex planning. Suppose you have a complex project to plan and the project spans over several weeks. Your first step should be to draw a mind map and come up with as many tasks and subtasks related to the project as possible. You should then identify the main tasks and draw a flowchart using Creatley’s flowchart designing tool.

After designing a flowchart, you should be able to see all the essential task presented in front of you clearly. Now to create a Gantt chart, you need to know the exact duration that each task should take. You should calculate your deadlines in mind, allocate resources accordingly, and assign each essential task with a time frame. List the tasks and their time frame in a table:

Once you have determined the duration for essential tasks, you can identify their relationships, see if they can function independently, and add to the table:

Furthermore, you can identify if the tasks can be performed parallel to others or if they are sequential. In the example we have used each task so far is dependent on the preceding task and cannot be accomplished simultaneously with other tasks.

In a complex project, there will most likely be an opportunity to run several tasks at once. You will just have to identify which tasks can be run independently and will have to keep checking the new tasks that become available after the completion of each task.

After identifying the tasks, drawing a flow chart, identifying the different types of tasks and their inter-relationship, you can easily construct a Gantt chart for a complex project.

If you are about to start a complex project and are looking to draw flowcharts and Gantt charts to make project planning and management easier, try Creately’s diagram software. Use the flow chart to look at the bigger picture, and then use the Gantt chart to get into details. Get started faster with our professionally drawn gantt chart templates and for more information, contact us at support

We are excited to announce our new Gantt Chart Objects! It’s really simple and easy to draw Gantt charts or come up with a quick time line for planning things.
Most times you simply need to explain your thinking about a project schedule, a sequence of events with creating a Gantt chart or by make a timeline, you end up having to use a tool like Microsoft Project or draw it manually using a drawing software. We have gotten rid of that complexity and have added some nifty features to make it faster and easier to draw Gantt charts, so you can have fun while planning your projects. Below are some templates created using our tools ( click to open in new window )

Below are some of the new Gantt chart features

1/ Quickly Draw Graphs with Drag and Drop Elements

Gantt Specific objects like Gantt Container, Timeline to quickly start drawing diagrams. Just drag and drop the elements to the drawing area.

2/ Easily Add Columns and Rows

Double click on the Gantt Container and You will be taken to a text editor. Add a row by simply adding a line break and add a column by adding a comma

3/ Smart Objects that Adjust Automatically

Increasing the length of the object automatically increases the unit number, dragging tasks adjust the connectors etc

4/ One Click Create to Add Dependent Tasks

Create dependent tasks easily with connecting arrows automatically created for you

5/ Show Completed Percentage Within Tasks

Easily track the progress of the task by showing completed percentage within the bar

6/ Timeline only Object for Simple Planning

Sometime people don’t want complicated graphs with columns and rows, and simple planning object is the tool to do exactly that.

The above new features combined with the already existing features of Creately makes it a great online tool to draw Gantt charts. Check out the below video to see how easy it is to create Gantt charts using Creately.

Have fun drawing Gantt charts and time lines with our tools and feel free to share your ideas and suggestions in the comments section.