Project management is a complex activity that involves dealing with 4 constant variables: expenditure, timing, duration and quality. A more challenging objective is to optimize work procedures and resource distribution. Most projects utilize such components as labour, funds, and equipment to deliver something of value and hit selected targets. To manage projects successfully one have to work on a number of factors. A few of them can be found below:

- Goal setting and reviewing achievement.

- Managing risk. Most feature a this or that level of risk.

- Allocating and managing resources.

- Understanding the result you want to have when the project is finished.

- Managing what is going on: giving out jobs, controlling execution.

- Managing quality.

- Handling instability. Circumstances change. When you begin the project, you have to anticipate how it will develop with time.

- Talking to everybody doing the project.

To handle these elements you can employ pencil and paper or perhaps MS EXCEL. Nevertheless, dedicated project tracking software has a number of relevant advantages:

- It simplifies scheduling. Read the rest of this entry »