Overview

Project management tools help us to organize our work, allowing us to manage projects with more ease.

Here are some examples, tools, and templates that are commonly used by project managers (listed in alphabetical order) that may be useful for you in your work:

Change Management Plan
Communications Plan
Gantt Chart
Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagram
Lessons Learned Document
Mind Map
Project Charter
RASCI Chart
Requirement Breakdown Structure (RBS)
Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)
Retrospectives
Risk Matrix
Risk Register
Stakeholder Register
Team Charter
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Workback Schedule

You can download these resources (individually or as a whole) from the Project Management Resources zipped folder.

Change Management Plan

A change management plan is a document that captures the process for changing a project, whether that be changes made to the plan, scope, timeline, budget, etc. This document illustrates how a project should be changed, including who needs to be consulted, who must approve what, and when this must occur. It also ensures that the changes are properly documented.

Click here to access a template of a Change Management Plan.

Communications Plan

A communications plan should document all the important communications inside and outside of your team. Some elements of a communications plan include: communications goals, notes for communicating with particular stakeholders, and the frequency and method of communicating with the project team. In the case of small-scale project management, you may consider planning how often you will report your progress. When will you ask for feedback? How? Who are the people who need to know about your project? What is the most effective way of sharing this information?

Click here to access a template of a Communications Plan.

Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a visual representation of project tasks scheduled over time. It is a useful way of showing what work is scheduled to be done by a specific deadline, during a specific set of days. It helps project managers and team members view and track the start dates, end dates, dependencies, and milestones of a project schedule in one simple stacked bar chart.

Click here to access an example of a Gantt chart.

Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagram

An Ishikawa or fishbone diagram is a visualization tool to identify and map causes. It is especially useful when there are several potential root causes and allows you to brainstorm affiliating causes. Displaying root causes this way can be helpful for spotting themes and capturing key ideas; it also acts as a great way to share information.

Click here to access a template and an example of an Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagram.

Lessons Learned Document

In a lessons learned document, you will detail any information that may be helpful in the future for you or someone else on your team. Even before your project has closed and you have held your retrospective meetings, you should begin a lessons learned document.

Click here to access an example of a Lessons Learned Document.

Mind Map

A mind map is a diagram used to organize your thoughts visually. These thoughts may have been brought about through the brainstorming process. A mind map involves a central idea (in this case, your root cause) surrounded by sub-ideas, which are subdivided further.

Click here to access an example of a Mind Map.

Project Charter

A project charter is created prior to starting a project and documents the project’s purpose and lists out the project’s scope.

Click here to access a template of a Project Charter.

RASCI Chart

RASCI stands for: Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted, and Informed.

In a RASCI chart, the roles and responsibilities of team members for a particular task are documented. This chart ensures that each task has someone who is responsible for its completion. A benefit to a RASCI chart is that it does not assign responsibility unilaterally; it recognizes that responsibility can mean different things.

Click here to access an example of a RASCI Chart.

Requirement Breakdown Structure (RBS)

Much like a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), a Requirement Breakdown Structure (RBS) shows a project’s requirements broken down to their simplest form with all the major tasks and related sub-tasks that must be delivered to complete the project detailed.

Click here to access a template and an example of a Requirement Breakdown Structure.

Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)

Project managers often capture requirements in a document called the Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM). This document creates a clear process for noting requirements, who the requirements came from, and what is within and outside your project’s scope.

Click here to access a template of a Requirement Traceability Matrix.

Retrospectives

Retrospective meetings are used as spaces to reflect on what went well, what did not go well, and what you will do in the future in relation to your project. Explore an example of part of a retrospective that Yasmin had with her supervisor and team members after the submission of her report on ASIPStudio.

Click here to access an example of a Retrospective.

Risk Matrix

A risk matrix is a visual way to categorize each risk by its level of impact and the probability of it happening.

Click here to access a template of a Risk Matrix.

Risk Register

Regardless of a project’s complexity or size, a risk register can help to document and track risks. A risk register should contain the following details: Risk ID Code, Description of Risk, Type of Risk, and Risk Evaluation.

Click here to access a template of a Risk Register.

Stakeholder Register

A stakeholder register is, in essence, a list of important stakeholders in a given project. A stakeholder register should also contain notable details about each stakeholder, which may include their requests, their level of interest and influence on the project, and whether they are internal or external to the team or organization.

Click here to access a template of a Stakeholder Register.

Team Charter

A team charter, as discussed earlier, may or may not exist as a part of a project charter. A team charter captures details of your team including who the team members are, what their roles and responsibilities are, the goals and objectives of the team, the group guidelines, and how you will manage conflict and communications.

Click here to access a template of a Team Charter.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A Work Breakdown Structure shows the relationship between the project generally (listed at the top), smaller “work packages” (in the middle), and constituent tasks in their simplest form (at the bottom). Thinking about each activity this way helps you make more accurate time and cost estimates.

Click here to access an example of a Work Breakdown Structure.

Workback Schedule

A workback schedule can be used to map out and update all the tasks each team member is working on. It is an important tool for keeping everyone in the loop of the process of the project.

Click here to access a template and an example of a Workback Schedule.