You need to plan a project for your team. What tools will help you stay organized?

1 Project Charter

A project charter is a document that defines the purpose, scope, objectives, and roles of a project. It serves as a contract between the project sponsor, the project manager, and the team, and provides a high-level overview of the project's expectations, assumptions, risks, and constraints. A project charter can help you align your team with the project vision, establish the authority and responsibility of the project manager, and set the boundaries and scope of the project.

2 Work Breakdown Structure

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a tool that breaks down the project into smaller and manageable pieces, called work packages. Each work package represents a deliverable or an output of the project, and has a unique identifier, a description, and a duration. A WBS can help you organize and structure the project work, define the scope and requirements of each work package, and assign resources and responsibilities to each work package.

3 Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a tool that visualizes the project schedule, showing the start and end dates, the duration, and the dependencies of each work package. A Gantt chart can help you track the progress and status of the project, identify the critical path and the slack time of the project, and manage the changes and risks of the project. A Gantt chart can also help you communicate and report the project milestones and deliverables to your team and stakeholders.

4 Kanban Board

A Kanban board is a tool that organizes the project work into different stages or columns, such as to-do, in progress, and done. Each work package or task is represented by a card that moves across the board as the work progresses. A Kanban board can help you implement the agile methodology of project management, which focuses on delivering value to the customer in small and frequent increments. A Kanban board can help you prioritize and limit the work in progress, improve the workflow and efficiency of the team, and increase the transparency and collaboration of the team.

5 Project Management Software

A project management software is a tool that integrates and automates various aspects of project management, such as planning, scheduling, budgeting, tracking, reporting, and collaborating. A project management software can help you centralize and streamline the project information and processes, reduce the errors and delays of the project, and enhance the quality and performance of the project. A project management software can also help you communicate and share the project data and documents with your team and stakeholders, and get feedback and approval from them.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?