A Guide to Greater Productivity & Higher Profitability, Part 2

Now that you know what project management is and how to put it into practice, you need the resources and tools to prepare you for success and make you the most efficient project management machine around. Check out these helpful project management resources below.

We hope you’ve read part 1 of this article, detailing what project management is and how to implement your systems to reach the greatest success. If you haven’t, be sure to hop over and check it out.

Project Management Books

These project management resources will give you a good foundation from building your project management prowess.

• Project Management Made Easy. This is the very first book I picked up on project management. It’s an easy read, but also in-depth and gives you clear pointers to get started on your own project management system.
• Project Management for Dummies. If you want to get a broad understanding of all the different tools and options at your fingertips, take a look at this book. It’s a good reference guide that you can use as a springboard into learning about specific systems and tools that might be a good fit for your business. (As a bonus, the latest edition provides you with help to prep for the PMP certification exam.)
• A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. This is the comprehensive guidebook for PMI’s standards for project management. I’m giving you a broad overview of the five phases here. This book will give you an in-depth understanding.

Online Resources on Project Management

These resources are for the e-reader type. You’ll learn a lot without flipping a page (unless you print them out, of course).

• If you’re looking for a basic introduction: “The Teamwork guide to project management.” Teamwork is a company that sells their own project management tool, but they have developed a basic guide to introduce the principles of project management. The books will give you a better understanding of project management, but this is a good overview that’s available online.
• If you’re looking easy-to-understand, but more depth: The Digital Project Manager. Start with the article “9 Of The Most Popular Project Management Methodologies Made Simple.” This is a good overview of the different project management methodologies (Lean, Kanban, Agile, etc.) Once you’ve gotten a good grasp of the basics, I recommend taking a look at all of the resources and articles available on this site. It’s well-written, easy to digest, and full of fantastic insights.
• If you’re looking for advanced learning: PMI Learning Resources. You’ll find everything from tools and templates, to training programs, to academic research and publications.

Top Ranking Project Management Tools

If you look on Google, you’ll find endless project management resources for systems development. The most popular in the industry are:

• Trello
• Asana
• Monday
• Teamwork
• Basecamp
• Airtable
• ClickUp
• Jira
• Zoho
• Microsoft Project

We’ve personally used over half of the options on this list. Each one has its positives and negatives. Some have a specific application where it excels, but is lacking in other areas. Some integrate well with tools you may already be using (e.g., for time management, client relationship management, etc.) There are too many variables to make a blanket recommendation. What works well for one company may not work well for another.

So bottom-line: do your research. Set up trial accounts, test out your options, and don’t be afraid to move as your needs change and you outgrow your initial choice. (In the history of our company, we’ve moved platforms twice. It’s not easy, but it’s been worth it every time.)

Still Have Questions? Please Reach Out!

You are always welcome to reach out to us to talk to one of our project managers. For most of our projects, we use a hybrid system that’s a combination of the Kanban organization sprinkled with a healthy dose of Gantt charts and Agile methodology where appropriate. We incorporate the principles of Earned Value Management into our performance measurements, in addition to standard budget baselines. We’ve also used a variety of software and tools from Trello to Airtable (not to mention, good old-fashioned sticky notes), but we’ve settled on a newcomer to the industry that has a ton of features and customization for a good price: ClickUp.

Let’s Talk!