Introduction

During this assignment I am going to describe different tools and methodologies that are available to support the project manager. As well as talking about project management methodologies, in this task I will be comparing PRINCE2 with another methodology. In this assignment I will also speak about the tools used in project management such as Gantt charts and PERT charts. Another key factor in my assignment which I will be looking at is project management software. I will also describe typical phases of a project life cycle.

Methodology
methodology is a system made up of principles or rules which will be used for specific methods to carry out a problem. methodology is not a formula but a set of practices. Another way to describe methodology is just a way to get something done, for example in order to make a cup of tea, to a certain extent you need a methodology to be successful in making it, otherwise it simply will not work.

Project Management
Project management is planning, organising and managing resources. A project manager must monitor the time while undertaking the project as they do not want to be behind schedule. The project manager must also monitor their resources such as money.

Methodology                  07/10/11       Methodology             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology

Project Management       07/10/11  Project Mangement    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management

Project Management Methodologies

Describe the benifits and limitations of using a methodology to manage a project

There are many benifits of using methodologies to manage projects such as:

• Using a methodology is simply a set of guidelines to get something complete, so by using a methodology it makes the project much easier to complete as all the people that know what the methodology is can be much more organised.
• Another benifit of a methodology is that if it is followed very well, and the project is done on time or before, and also under the budget, it means that the customers will be much happier. When you get a happy customer it usually means that the customer will tell friends or family about the project which means more customers in the future.
• If the methodology produces a positive result, then it promotes a positive mood around the people involved in the project, which has a very good chance to give motivation to the team for more success in other projects.

There isnt many disadvantages of methodologies in project management however there are a few limitations:

• One disadvantage of a methodology is that a methodology will be almost pointless for tiny projects, or for smaller projects it may just not work.

Describe the PRINCE2 methodology

PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2 is a type of project methodolgy endorsed by the United
Kingdom. It is available for the public to have guidance when under-going a project.
There are 7 steps to the PRINCE2 methodology, these are:

1.       Starting up a project

2.       Initiating a project

3.       Directing a project

4.       Controlling a project

5.       Managing stage boundaries

6.       Managing product deliveries
7.       Closing a project



Describe one other current methodology

The other methodology i am going to describe is scrum. Scrum was originally produced for managing product development projects, however it then turned its attentions to managing software development projects, and also to run software maintanance teams.

Scrum is simply a type of software development methodology used for:

• Management Methodology
• Enhancement Methodology
• Maintanance Methodology

The benifits of using Scrum Methodology are:

• Fast moving, cutting edge developments can be quickly coded and tested using this method, as a mistake can be easily rectified.
• Agile scrum helps the company in saving time and money.
• It requires continuous feedback from the user.

The disadvantages of Scrum are:

It is good for small, fast moving projects as it works well only with small team.
If any of the team members leave during a development it can have a huge inverse effect on the project development

Compare the two methodologies

In comparison to PRINCE2 and Scum, Prince 2 is mostly used for larger projects, however scrum is used for smaller groups of people for smaller projects.

Scrum                    07/10/11               Describing Scrum                     http://www.scrummethodology.org/


BrightHub              26/09/11               Benefits of Methodologies                http://bit.ly/7AOpLE 

Project Management Software

Microsoft project is a type of program developed by Microsoft, it specifies in project management software. Its first intentions when designed was to help project managers when developing plans such as:

• Tasks
• Tracking progress
• Analyzing workloads
• Managaing the budget

Microsoft project is a good way to manage projects, it is really simple to use and it helps the user manage tasks and much more.

Another project managing software called http://www.aceproject.com/. This piece of software has features such as:

• document management
• time tracking
• expence tracking
• collaberation
• reporting
• HR management

aceproject has the ability to be a good free piece of software as it has all the right features for the project to be successful.
Microsoft Project  07/10/11  Project management Software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Project

Project Life Cycle

Project Life Cycle

Requirement Analysis:

This is where the team have to plan what project they are going to do, they have to estimate costs and also the time in which they want the project to be finished.

Design:

At this stage, the design needs to be made and shown to the people working on the project, it needs to be very accurate and nothing can be missed out or forgotten.

Construction (design):

Now, the construction begins, the project will be built, whether it be a website or a building.

Acceptance Testing:

At this stage, the building is finished, now the team need to find out whether their project has succeeded. They do this by working out if it was under budget and on time. Some companies might send a group of colleagues to test it for themselves.

Implementation:

Finally, this is where the project goes out to the customers, to end the project life cycle.