Table of contents
Project management 101
Are you new to project management? These blog posts will help you grasp the basic concepts behind project management as well as the common terminology you’ll encounter.
What is project management: A guide for beginners
“The application of processes, expertise, and tools in order to meet project goals and requirements within a specific timeframe.” That’s the simple answer to the question of what is project management. But this post offers much needed context, breaking down the project management process at a high-level, and offering actionable tips for successfully managing your projects.
Project management terms you need to know
From milestones to retros to workflows, there are a ton of project management terms that will come up time and time again. Consider this your dictionary. It currently defines more than 20 keywords you should understand as you begin managing projects. And this list is going to continue growing!
What is PMO? A guide to the project management office
If you work in a large enterprise, you might find yourself interacting with (or being part of) a PMO. If not, maybe you’re thinking about setting up a project management office within your organizations. Either way, this post provides information on the structure, benefits, and challenges of a PMO.
The project management process
Almost any project can be broken down into five key phases. Here are some resources to get you through each stage in the project management process.
Initiation
This is the phase before the project begins where you actually do your due diligence and actually make the decision to move forward. It includes setting project goals and objectives, and outlining the scope.
Resource:
- Project scope: An essential part of project management success: Learn how to effectively define project scope and set yourself up for success with a scope statement.
Planning
Basically, the planning phase determines how you’re going to achieve the project goals. You need to decide on the tasks, deliverables, the approach, responsibilities, timeline, and budget for your project in advance.
Resources:
- The five most-used project management methodologies: Learn what methodology is best suited to your team and project. We also have deep dives on Kanban, waterfall, and Gantt charts.
- A RACI chart definition, example, and how to use it for project clarity: Assigning clear roles and responsibilities is key to a project’s success, and a RACI chart can help.
- A work breakdown structure: What it is and why you might need it: A WBS is a helpful tool for breaking down all of the deliverables you need to produce for your project.
Execution
The biggest chunk of any project, this is where the hard work gets done. All contributors move forward with their individual tasks and the deliverables start progressing towards the finish line.
Resources:
- What are deliverables? A guide for project managers: All the work you put into a project culminates in your deliverables. Having a good grasp of what they are is essential.
- Stakeholder management: A guide for project managers: The most important work tends to involve a lot of people. Efficiently managing those stakeholders, and their expectations, can make or break a project. We also have a detailed exploration on project reporting workflows, which can help you optimize how you keep people informed.
Monitoring and adjustment
This phase of a project happens almost simultaneously with the execution phase, but is really owned by the project manager. As the leader of the project, your job is to ensure things are moving forward. You’ll check in with contributors, manage stakeholders, fight off blockers, and make any adjustments you need to in order to hit your goals.
Resources:
- We’re working on a guide to project monitoring, but in the meantime, check out this great post from project-management.com.
Completion
No, the project doesn’t end when you hand over the deliverables. Once you’ve made sure the stakeholders and project sponsor are satisfied with the end product, you should organize a retrospective to share learnings. This key step is how you improve and set yourself up for success with future projects.
Resources:
- We’re working on a thorough guide to running a great retro, but in this post on retrospection skills we provide tips that will help you get started.
Being a project manager
Whether you’re exploring project management as a career or you’re an established project manager just looking to keep learning, here are some resources to help you excel.
What does a project manager actually do?
- Common project manager responsibilities according to six professional PMs
- The difference between a project manager and a project coordinator
Essential skills
- Six professional PMs share their thoughts on essential project management skills
- Our perspective on essential project management skills in 2021, with additional deep dives:
More insights from established project managers
- Wondering whether you need a project management certification? Here’s what the experts have to say.
- Project manager and GirlsGuidetoPM creator Elizabeth Harrin on remote project management
Project management tools
Every digital project manager is going to rely on project management software to help get the job done. But with so much choice, choosing the right tool is easier said than done. These resources will help you make an informed decision.
Free webinar: Cutting down silos by connecting Asana and Jira
Learn what you should look for in a project management tool, how to facilitate the adoption of a new tool, and how to get cross-functional teams to agree on a tool, in this useful webinar.
7 of the best project management apps
A list of top project management apps, such as Wrike and Miro, updated annually. It highlights key features and functionality, pricing, and what sets each tool apart.
6 PMs share their project management software of choice
Want to know what the experts use on a day-to-day basis? We asked six professional project managers for their tool of choice, and for their thoughts on what the “perfect” project management tool would look like.
How Unito can help you optimize your project management workflows
When a project involves multiple contributors and stakeholders, it will probably involve multiple tools. So even if you do find the perfect app for your needs, there’s a good chance it’s not the same app everyone else is using. Maybe your client works in a different tool, or you’re collaborating with a technical team that uses a tool you can’t even hope to understand.
Rather than wasting a ton of time signing in and out of different apps, copying and pasting information, or relying on endless meetings and messages to get updates, Unito helps you to create your own perfect project hub. Build out your project within your tool of choice, and Unito will automatically sync information to and from all the other apps in your workflow. Progress updates, blockers, reports — they’re all available in real-time, exactly when and where you need them.
Want to see Unito in action? Here are a few of the ways Unito can help you save time, save effort, and excel at project management:
For projects involving multiple teams within your business:
For projects involving external stakeholders, like clients, partners, agencies, or freelancers:
To keep stakeholders informed on project progress:
Ready to build a better project management workflow?
Check out all of Unito’s integrations or start your free trial today.