Project planning and tracking basics

3URSHU SODnnLnJ LV WhH fiUVW VWHS WRZDUGV VXFFHVVIXO SURMHFW execution. Planning should be practical and detailed, and take into consideration all the constraints. The project manager plays a key role during planning, by asking the right questions on the effort it takes to complete a task, the dependencies with other members or teams, the potential delays involved and the risks that can be foreseen. Getting a buy-in from all project team members is the key to success. The project manager does not own the schedule—the team does.

Many projects use tools during the planning phase, but when it comes to tracking, these tools are abandoned. Tracking the project outside the tool poses problems, such as not knowing the impact of delayed tasks, or the tasks that are ahead of time. A tool that shows the critical path is handy here (see an example of the critical path in the next section). So, tracking using a tool like GanttProject is as essential as using it for planning.

One of the reasons many engineers don’t have access to MS Project is due to the cost. The licence fee inhibits its use. A free and open source tool like GanttProject can be installed Rn HYHUy PDFhLnH, DnG WhH GDnWW fiOH FDn EH VhDUHG Rn D VHUYHU using WebDAV.