If you are trying to plan a schedule for your project, you need to put ideas down on paper and assign a timeslot and priority to each one.
This article describes a few methods you can use to prepare this schedule:
Spreadsheet
This is probably the simplest method, but also the least efficient. Although they were designed for other uses, spreadsheet programs work with tables that can be used to create schedules and calendars.
In fact, many of these programs have various calendar templates to save you time filling out a table with the days of the week or month.
Some spreadsheet programs need to be purchased, but there are an increasing number of free software alternatives or “cloud-based” systems.
The programs that only exist on one computer (programs that are not “cloud-based”) have a problem: you need to come up with a way to share the files. The simplest and more “traditional” method is to distribute them by email as attachments. This method has the problem that, if any team member wishes to make a change, they need to make sure they make the change to the latest version and then resend the amended file to everyone. This method generates inefficiency and task duplication. It is far from recommendable in a technology-rich environment where there are other simple and much more advanced tools.
The solution to this problem is to use “cloud-based” platforms. Some of these platforms allow file changes to be synchronized with our personal space in the “cloud” or even with our work and personal schedule or email.
These “cloud-based” tools usually offer free plans that are sufficient for personal use or for small companies. They can also be used to learn how to use the system and see how they can improve efficiency in our work.
We can then contract various more comprehensive plans that fully meet the needs of our company.
Online calendars:
These tools are also simple to use, and much more efficient. Tasks are added to a calendar that can be amended and updated in real time by any member of the team. Furthermore, they allow an alert system to be configured and synchronized with computers or mobile devices so that no member of the team is left unaware of a task.
Calendars can be created in one of two ways:
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Individual calendars: A separate calendar can be created for each team member, on which all the tasks they need to complete within a certain period of time are organized. The project manager will have access to the calendars of all team members, enabling them to oversee progress on the tasks.
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Project team calendars: A shared calendar for a whole project is created, which can be accessed by all team members involved. The calendar permissions can be configured so that some of the people with access to the calendar can view the events while others can also edit them.
Gantt Chart:
This is probably the least intuitive tool, but is the most efficient. It allows teams to organize project tasks and objectives in real time so they can work together on a single timeline. It also shows the duration of tasks, connects tasks wherever they are interrelated, enables notes to be added to tasks and time periods, and allows for the comparison of projects and the teams assigned to them.
At ITM Platform, we have created a project management tool that can incorporate your preferred system for organizing your work and that of your company. The following video shows how easy it is to create Gantt charts using our software. If you would like to try it for yourself, just have a go with our trial version. It will change the way you look at project management.