Project management tools: Comparative Analysis

Data collection

Brainstorming: 

 

A short period of time to obtain a large number of ideas, need to guide. a technique used to generate and gather multiple ideas for project and product needs, brainstorming and brainstorming to identify stakeholders.

Focus group: 

Convene scheduled stakeholders and subject matter experts for interactive discussions to gather the needs of stakeholders in the same area.

Interview: 

 

With the relevant parties to talk directly to obtain information. helps identify and define the characteristics and capabilities of the product deliverables you need. access to confidential information should be conducted in a trusted and confidential environment for authentic, unbiased feedback. can be used to assess the probability and impact of a single project risk. can be used to generate inputs for quantitative risk analysis for a single project risk and other sources of uncertainty.

Checklist: 

 

Guide the development of a plan or check whether to contain all the necessary information. the quality checklist should cover the acceptance criteria defined in the scope baseline and be a structured tool to verify that a series of steps have been performed or to check that the requirements list has been met.

Verification form: 

 

(order table). used to rationalize matters in order to effectively collect useful data on potential quality issues.

Statistical sampling: 

Select some samples from the target population for inspection. the frequency and scale of sampling should be determined during the planning quality management process.

Questionnaire: 

 

Design written questions to many respondents to quickly gather information. suitable for: diverse audiences, need to be done quickly, respondents are geographically dispersed, and data on customer satisfaction is collected after the product service is deployed.

Benchmarking: 

 

The actual or planned product process practices with the practice of other organizations to identify best practices, form improvement ideas, to provide a basis for performance appraisal. (planning stakeholders: compare the results of related party analysis with information from other organizations or projects that are considered world-class)

9, market research: including the investigation of the industry and the ability of specific sellers.

Interpersonal relationships and team skills

Conflict management: 

 

Let the different parties to reach a consensus. resolve conflicts constructively and create high-performing teams.

conflict management. in a project environment, conflicts are inevitable. sources of conflict include resource scarcity, schedule prioritization, and individual work style differences. using team basic rules, team norms, and proven project management practices, such as communication planning and role settings, can reduce the number of conflicts.

Successful conflict management increases productivity and improves working relationships. at the same time, if properly managed, differences of opinion can help increase creativity and improve decision-making. if differences of opinion become negative, it should be the responsibility of the project team members first; if the conflict escalates, the project manager should assist in facilitating a satisfactory solution, using a direct and cooperative approach, and dealing with the conflict as early as possible and often in private. if destructive conflicts persist, formal procedures, including disciplinary measures, may be used.

The project manager's ability to resolve conflicts often determines the success or failure of his or her project team. different project managers may adopt different conflict resolution methods. factors that affect conflict resolution include:

• the importance and intensity of conflict.
• the urgency of resolving conflicts.
• the relative power of persons involved in conflict.
• the importance of maintaining good relationships.
• motivation for a permanent or temporary resolution of a conflict.
• there are five common conflict resolutions, each with its own purpose and purpose.

retreat/avoidance. exit from actual or potential conflicts, defer problems until they are well prepared, or leave them to others

moderation/inclusiveness. emphasize consistency rather than difference; take a step back in order to maintain a harmonious relationship and consider the needs of others.

compromise/conciliation. in order to resolve the conflict temporarily or partially, look for solutions that will satisfy all parties to some extent, but this approach can sometimes lead to a "lose-lose" situation.

force/command. to pursue one party's point of view at the expense of the other; only win-lose scenarios are available. power is often used to force urgent problems, which often leads to a "win or lose" situation.

Collaborate/solve problems. a win-win situation can be brought about by taking into account different views and opinions, adopting a cooperative attitude and an open dialogue to guide consensus and commitment.

Guide: 

 

Guide the workshop to ensure that participants participate effectively. helps reach decisions, solutions, and conclusions. the applicable scenarios include. Joint application design or development. The quality function is expanded.

User story (user story describes role, goal, motivation). Coordinate key stakeholders with different expectations or professional backgrounds to reach cross-functional consensus on project deliverables and project and product boundaries.

Political awareness: 

 

Through understanding the relationship between power inside and outside the project, to establish political awareness.

Leadership:

 

To convey the vision and motivate stakeholders to support the project work and results.

Leadership. successful projects require strong leadership skills. leadership is the ability to lead and motivate a team to do a good job. it includes a variety of skills, abilities and actions. leadership is important at all stages of the project life cycle. there are a variety of leadership theories that define leadership styles that apply to different situations or teams. leadership is important to communicate vision and inspire project teams to work effectively.

Influence: 

 

Collect relevant key information, solve important problems and reach agreement while maintaining mutual trust.
 

Influence. in a matrix environment, project managers often do not have or have very little command authority over team members, so their ability to influence stakeholders at the right time is critical to ensuring project success. the influence is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

• persuade others.
• express your views and positions clearly.
• listen actively and effectively.
• understand and consider a variety of perspectives in any situation.
• gather relevant information to resolve and agree on issues while maintaining mutual trust.

Nominal group technology: 

 

Used to promote brainstorming, by ranking the most useful ideas, further brainstorming or prioritization. includes voting and sorting.

Observe and talk: 

 

When users have difficulty or reluctance to articulate their needs, they need to observe to understand the details of their work. observation or "work follow" by side observers observes how business experts perform their work in order to exploit hidden needs.

Incentives: 

 

Provides a reason for someone to take action. improve team participation in decision-making and encourage them to work independently.

Negotiation: 

 

Team members aim to reach a consensus on project needs, which can help build trust between them.

Relationships and team skills. interpersonal and team skills applicable to this process include, but are not limited to, negotiation. many projects need to be negotiated for the resources required, and the project management team needs to negotiate with the following parties:

functional manager. ensure that the project is optimally resourced within the required time frame until responsibilities are completed. Perform other project management teams in your organization. a reasonable distribution of scarcity or special culpability

 

External organizations and suppliers. provide appropriate, scarce, special, qualified, certified or other special team or physical resources. particular attention needs to be paid to policies, practices, processes, guidelines, laws and other criteria related to external negotiations.
 

In resource allocation negotiations, the ability of the project management team to influence others is as important as the political ability in the organization. for example, convince the functional manager that he or she sees that the project has good prospects and that it will affect his/her ability to allocate the best resources to the project rather than to compete for it.

Team building: 

 

Through the organization of various activities, strengthen the team social relations, to create a positive working environment. designed to help team members work together more effectively. it is essential in the early stages of a project and is an ongoing process.

 

Make decisions

Make decisions. in this case, decision-making includes negotiating skills and the ability to influence the organization and project management team, rather than a set of tools described in the decision toolset. effective decision-making requires:

• focus on what you want to achieve;
• follow the decision-making process;
• study environmental factors;
• analysis of available information;
• inspire team creativity;
• consider the risks.

 

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence. emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand, evaluate, and manage self-emotions, other people's emotions, and group emotions. teams should use emotional intelligence to understand, evaluate, and control the emotions of project team members, predict team members' behavior, identify team members' concerns, and track team members' problems in order to reduce stress and strengthen cooperation.

Communication style assessment: 

 

When planning communication activities, the technology used to evaluate communication style and identify preferred communication methods, forms and content. often used by parties that do not support projects. a stakeholder engagement assessment can be conducted before a communication style assessment can be conducted.
 

Political awareness: 

 

Helps project managers plan communication according to the project environment and the political environment of the organization. awareness of formal and informal power relations. (understanding organizational strategies, understanding who can exercise power and influence, and developing the ability to communicate with these stakeholders fall within the scope of political awareness)

Cultural awareness: understand the differences between individuals, groups, organizations, according to the adjustment of the project's communication strategy. (cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity help project managers plan communication based on the cultural differences and cultural needs of relevant parties and team members)