Moving from Strategy to Project

1. Moving from Strategy to Project Project Management Software Joseph F. McLaughlin jfmclaugh@gmail.com www.nonproftech.info

2. Agenda • A. “Six Views of PM (Project Management) Software" • Techsoup.org (http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec) • B. Some considerations • C. Software packages/vids

3. Agenda • A. “Six Views of PM (Project Management) Software" • Techsoup.org (http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec) • B. Some considerations • C. Software packages/vids

4. A. 6 views of PM software • Planning projects • Managing tasks • Sharing/collaborating on documents • Sharing calendars/contact lists • Managing issues/bugs • Tracking time

5. A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects • What planner must do: • define project schedule • understand critical path • assess/allocate resources

6. A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects • What software must do for tasks: • details • assignments • time estimate: Gantt charts • links between tasks: visual maps

7. A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects • Considerations: • high-level planning • probably requires dedicated staff • maybe not good for smaller orgs • TechSoup found no software that did it all • Possible software : • MS (Microsoft) Project (generally true for #1-6) • DreamTeam (SalesForce)

8. A. 6 views of PM software1. Planning projects • Possible software : • MS (Microsoft) Project (generally true for #1-6) • DreamTeam (SalesForce)

9. A. 6 views of PM software • Planning projects • Managing tasks • Sharing/collaborating on documents • Sharing calendars/contact lists • Managing issues/bugs • Tracking time

10. A. 6 views of PM software2. Managing tasks • What staff must do for task: • define • assign • create deadline • track to completion • Most common approach/need

11. A. 6 views of PM software2. Managing tasks • Considerations: • lower-level than 1. Planning Projects • typically a collaborative process • Possible software: • Basecamp • Remember The Milk

12. A. 6 views of PM software • Planning projects • Managing tasks • Sharing/collaborating on documents • Sharing calendars/contact lists • Managing issues/bugs • Tracking time

13. A. 6 views of PM software3&4. Sharing/collaborating • What staff must do: • share/collaborate on files, calendars, contacts, etc. • keep track of revisions and attachments • possibly work from different locations • collaboration  planning

14. A. 6 views of PM software3&4. Sharing/collaborating • Possible software: • MS: Office 365, Outlook, Exchange, SharePoint, etc. • Google: docs, spreadsheets, calendars, Google+, groups, sites, etc. • DropBox

15. Agenda • A. “Six Views of PM (Project Management) Software" • Techsoup.org (http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec) • B. Some considerations • C. Software packages/vids

16. B. Some considerations • Email: probably a poor choice for communications in planning • everything else has learning curve • Spreadsheets: a poor choice for storing/manipulating info • databases- steepest learning curve of all

17. B. Some considerations • Spreadsheets: often a poor choice for storing/manipulating info • databases- steepest learning curve of all

18. B. Some considerations • “To cloud” or “not to cloud”: • “cloud-based”= “web/browser-based” • no installation req • otherwise on your server(s) • security issues: • web companies’ reputations based on security • stuff happens • if you have IT staff, maybe use server-based • home office/ remote login may create security threat

19. B. Some considerations • “To cloud” or “not to cloud”: • security issues: • web companies’ reputations based on security • stuff happens • if you have IT staff, maybe use server-based • home office/ remote login may create security threat

20. B. Some considerations • $$: • limited free (small), open-source • www.techsoup.org/stock: software for admin $$ to qualifying NPOs • even most $$ software probably affordable for most

21. Agenda • A. “Six Views of PM (Project Management) Software" • Techsoup.org (http://tinyurl.com/c3noeec) • B. Some considerations • C. Software packages/vids

22. C. Software packages • MS Project: • MANY features/ steep learning curve • develop the plans up-front • requires dedicated planner • best if already MS-based (Office, Outlook, etc.) • probably gold-standard of planning • may be overkill for smaller orgs

23. C. Software packages • Basecamp: • cloud-based • smaller teams, less complex planning • no calendars or Gantt charts, poor task management • good file management/sharing • focused on dispersed teams • “Basecamp is built first and foremost for speed.”

24. C. Software packages • DreamTeam (SalesForce) • free for NPOs (10 licenses) • one notch down from MS Project

25. C. Software packages • Google collaboration:

26. C. Software packages • Google: • Gold standard of (free) online collaboration • Apps free for NPOs: Google services on steroids • If you don’t see what you need, check back tomorrow…… • Useful for planning: • Google groups are wiki-like- use instead of email • Google sites are a weak point • Gantt charts for spreadsheets • GroupCamp for Apps

27. C. Software packages • Google: • Gold standard of (free) online collaboration • Apps free for NPOs: Google services on steroids • If you don’t see what you need, check back tomorrow…… • Useful for planning: • Google groups are wiki-like- use instead of email • Google sites are a weak point • Gantt charts for spreadsheets • GroupCamp for Apps • Google docs upgraded collaboration tools

28. C. Software package vids • MS Project7 min • Basecamp: • easy participation2 • peoples’ pages2 • calendar2.5 • drag & drop1 • DreamTeam2 • Google: • Gantt chart4.5 • real-time collaboration2 • GroupCamp3

29. Other Links • MS Project: www.microsoft.com/project/en-us/project-management.aspx • Basecamp: basecamp.com • DreamTeam: www.dreamfactory.com • Remember The Milk: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/ • Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/home • Google Apps for NPOs: www.google.com/apps/intl/en/nonprofit/index.html

30. Thanks for attending! Project Management Software Joseph F. McLaughlin jfmclaugh@gmail.com www.nonproftech.info