[RE-wrenches] Project management tool

[william at millersolar.com]

Wrenches:

 

Thanks for asking this question.  I too am in need of finding a better way
to juggle many complex projects.  I agree with the caution below.  I have
wasted a lot of time on software because of the geek in me.

 

Another alternative for project management is a well-crafted Excel
spreadsheet.  I use spreadsheets extensively as do many.

 

One shortfall of spreadsheet workbooks is in the finding of and drilling
down to the information you want.  I do not favor large quantities of
workbooks with few sheets, rather I prefer fewer work books with multiple,
related worksheets.  The problem is then navigating within the workbooks.

 

I have solved this dilemma by creating a template that has a Table of
Contents for each workbook on the first page.  It lists three cells from
each page:  Client, Project and date.  I have written macros to add new
sheets with a given template already copied to the new page.  Also I have
macros that will take me directly to a given sheet and back to the TOC with
a keyboard short cut.  Oft repeated commands are also represented by macros.

 

My macros are undoubtedly clunky by modern standards.  I am sure there is a
suite of utilities available for Excel.  If you have a fair grasp of Excel,
you could easily start managing projects today, knowing you will be refining
the tool as you progress.

 

Good question!

 

William Miller

 

 

 

 

 

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Chris Mason
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 7:18 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Project management tool

 

The term Project Management can be applied to a wide range of tools and
methodology. If your needs are only to track tasks, I would use Wunderlist
as it can be installed on every device and lists can be shared.

If you want a real PM tool, Microsoft Project is the midrange tool of
choice. There are a ton of industry specific platforms that you could use
but they are mainly for large enterprises.

 

The problem with PM software is you need time to design and administrate the
data. In a lot of projects there is a dedicated person who coordinates all
the contractor and subcontractor tasks. It is a full time job. I would be
careful about launching into a PM tool that you are not familiar with while
already overwhelmed. It will suck up a load of your time and return you very
little gain in efficiency.

If you have a number of people to coordinate and you think PM software to be
the best way, hire a consultant to select and implement the application.

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