UNIT 1 – INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1. It is a professional practice that has reached wide acceptance in many industries from
government to technology.

2. Objectives
 To help development organizations understand the need to quickly adapt to
new challenges and invest their limited resources in the best way possible in
order to achieve recurring successes; for which they can use a proven, but
flexible, project management methodology.
 To help development organizations understand that in order to implement
projects successfully, project management must become part of the
organizational culture; because, the effective utilization of the project
management methodology depends upon the integration of key knowledge
areas with project management processes.
 To provide a common framework and terminology across Development
Organizations, especially Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s); as it is
through a common methodology, and a common language, that project
managers in development organizations can increase their knowledge in the
subject and build their competencies.
3. Project management for
 For Project Managers, who have been assigned with the responsibility to
manage a project, within a certain time, budget, and scope, and for whom the
guidance provided should be useful for building the range of skills appropriate
for effective project management.
 For Development Organizations, to whom the arguments presented should
demonstrate the benefits of a structured methodology in the process of
selecting the right projects, in addition to helping them do the projects right.
 For Project Staff, in charge of implementing the project’s plans, as they need
clear guidelines to help them do their job in the most efficient manner.
4. Topics to be discussed
 The Project Management Cycle
 The Project Management Processes
 Scope Project Management
 Budget Project Management
 Schedule Project Management
 Quality Project Management
 Project Management Structures
 Role, Responsibilities and Skills of the Project Manager
5. Defining a Project
Definitions describe the nature of a project and how it differs from other type of work;
the descriptions used to define a project include the following:
 A project is a temporary process, which has a clearly defined start and end
time, a set of tasks, and a budget, that is developed toaccomplish a well-
defined goal or objective
 A project is a temporary effort of sequential activities designed to accomplish
a unique purpose
 A project is a group of inter-related activities, constrained by time, cost, and
scope, designed to deliver a unique purpose
  A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or
service. Temporary means that the project has an end date. Unique means that
the project's result is different from the results of other functions of the
organization
 An undertaking that encompasses a set of tasks or activities having a definable
starting point and well defined objectives. Usually each task has a planned
completion data (due date) and assigned resources
 A clear set of activities with related inputs and outputs aimed to achieve
objectives and goals linked to anticipated (desired) effects and impacts in a
target population (sometimes called ‘beneficiaries’)
6. Some specific attributes that define a project and separate it from most ordinary
work:
 A project has a beginning and an end.
 A project has limited resources
 A project follows a planned, organized method to meet its objectives with
specific goals of quality and performance.
 Every project is unique
 A project has a manager responsible for its outcomes

7. Other distinctive features of a project include:

 A start and finish (although they may be difficult to define - the start may
have crystallised over a period of time and the end may be a slow phase out).
 A life-cycle (a beginning and an end, with a number of distinct phases in
between).
 A budget with an associated cash-flow.
 Activities that are essentially unique and non-repetitive.
 Use of resources, which may be from different departments and need co-
ordinating.

Definition of a Project
“A temporary effort made up of a related set of activities undertaken to
create a unique product or service within specified requirements”.

Definition of a Management
Definition of a Project Management
“Management is the achievement of (organizational) objectives through
people and other resources. Management is a process of setting and
achieving goals through the execution of the four basic functions of
management: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling, by utilizing
human, financial, and material resources”.

“Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and

techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements
of a particular project”

“Project management is the planning, implementing, and monitoring of

project activities to meet project objectives, achieved by effectively
controlling and balancing the constraint of time, cost, and scope in
producing quality deliverables that meet or exceed the expectations of the
project stakeholders”.
“Project management is the process of combining systems, techniques, and
knowledge to complete a project within established goals of time, budget,
and scope”.

Fundamental requirement for the project manager

 To establish who are the stakeholders (besides the client) and

 Analyse their needs and expectations to define, at the outset,
 The purpose of the project, its scope of work and objectives

The discipline of project management can be described in terms of its

component processes, conveniently defined as nine knowledge areas:

• Integration • Scope • Communication

• Time • Cost • Procurement
• Quality • HRM • Risk
 1. Scope is what the project is trying to achieve, it entails all the work involved in
delivering the project outcomes and the processes used to produce them; it is the
reason and the purpose of the project. Scope is the boundary of a project, it is what the
beneficiaries, and the donors expect from the project, nothing more, and nothing less.

2. Budget or the costs approved for the project including all required expenses needed in
order to deliver the project. In development projects managers have to balance
between not running out of money and not under spending, because many projects
receive funds or grants that have contract clauses with a ‘use it or lose it’ approach to
project funds. Poorly executed budget plans can result in a last minute rush to spend
the allocated funds.

3. Schedule is defined as the time required to complete the project. The project schedule
is often the most frequent project oversight in developing projects. This is reflected in
missed deadlines, incomplete activities, and late donor reports. Proper control of the
schedule requires the careful identification of tasks to be performed, an accurate
estimation of their durations, the sequence in which they are going to be done, and
how people and resources are allocated.

4. Quality is the fourth constraint and it is defined as delivering the project outcomes
according to the stated or implied needs and expectations of the project beneficiaries
and donor agency, in order to meet stakeholder satisfaction. It also means complying
with quality standards that are either mandated by the donor, local government (such
as laws and regulations), or by professional standards (such as health).

1. Companies performing projects will generally subdivide their projects into several
phases or stages to provide better management control.

2. Collectively these project phases are called the project life-cycle.

3. Along with the project life-cycle some of the other special project management
techniques that form part of the project management integrative process are:

• Work breakdown structure (WBS)

• Critical path method (CPM)

• Resource smoothing

The various challenges development projects face are compounded by the following factors
 Poor project planning caused by the rush to obtain grants and funding from donor
agencies that limit the time a deeper analysis of the project risks
 Inadequate project management skills in project staff
 No clear identification of who is responsible and accountable for the
 project outcomes to the donors and to the beneficiaries.
 Lack of stakeholder involvement, as key project stakeholders are
 not systematically involved in the planning and monitoring of a project, this leads to a
lack of ownership when the project is implemented.
  Unrealistic plans, projects are planned on a linear process, this reasoning leaves little
or no opportunities to modify plans and adjust as the project makes progress.
 No measure to evaluate success, failure to properly define the criteria by which
beneficiaries will know if the project was a success.
 Poor, inconsistent project management discipline.
 There is no consistent use of a proven methodology to help monitor the project
implementation
 Duplication of efforts. Projects within a development organization develop their own
approach to solve a problem, and each approach has its own management process.
 Ultimately, these separated efforts result in duplication and in increased costs to the
organization.

The Need for a Project Management Methodology

In this type of environment, organizations need a methodology that allows

 A great degree of flexibility to accommodate the constantly changing environment of
the project;
 A methodology that promotes optimal standards of performance.
 Reinforces the organizational capacity to deliver its services in a transparent and
effective manner.
 A method to capture the best practices around project management and disseminate
them in the organization.
 It is a system of principles, practices, and procedures. It’s the collection of practical
ideas and proven practices.
 Defining and implementing a good methodology is essential for development
organizations who want a project management approach for performing project
activities in a coherent, consistent, accountable, and repeatable manner.

Benefits of Project Management

The use of a systematic project management methodology gives

 Development organizations a strategic tool

 Organizations the means to practice established
 Time-tested practices of project management to help them achieve successful
outcomes.
 Helps organizations keep focus and deliver solutions that project beneficiaries and
its communities desperately need them.
 An increase in the level of collaboration among al project stakeholders, the
delivery of consistent results of predicable quality
 Defined roles and responsibilities that ensure proper accountability
 A common language and a consistent discipline for how projects are planned and
implemented in the organization
 A standard project terminology, understood by all stakeholders
 Provides project stakeholders confidence on how projects are done in the
organization
 Permits accurate predictions of project resource requirements and potential risks
 Stipulates clear procedures for developing project plans that allow better control
of the project throughout its life cycle.
  Assists the project manager to integrate, coordinate and track
 Project activities, by describing the basic practices, procedures and techniques.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: PLANNING AND CONTROL TECHNIQUES

1. Project Management Environment: The project environment directly affects the

project and how it should be managed.
2. Projects are not carried out in a vacuum; they are influenced by a wide range of
stakeholders and issues.
3. Consider the following:
• Stakeholders (all interested parties)
• Client I sponsor’s requirements
• Your own company’s organisation structure
• Market requirements
• Competitors
• New technology
• Rules and regulations (Health and safety)
• Politics (both internal and external)
• Economic cycle.
4. For project managers to be effective they must have a thorough understanding of the
project environment which may well be changing and so continually shifting the goal
posts.
5. The project environment consists of the numerous stakeholders and players that have
an input or are affected by the project.
6. All must be managed as any one person could derail the project.

7. Project Cost Management: includes the process required to ensure that the project is
completed within the approved budget. It consists of resource planning, cost
estimating, cost budgeting, cash-flow and cost control.

8. Project Quality Management: includes the process required to ensure that the project
will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken. It consists of determining the
required condition, quality planning, quality assurance and quality control.
9. Project Human Resource Management: includes the process required to make the
most effective use of the people involved with the project. It consists of organisation
planning, staff acquisition and team development.
10. Project Communications Management: includes the process required to ensure proper
collection and dissemination of project information. It consists of communication
planning, information distribution, project meetings, progress reporting and
administrative closure.
11. Project Risk Management: includes
a. the process concerned with identifying, analysing, and responding to project
risk.
b. It consists of risk identification, risk quantification and impact, response
development and risk control.
12. Project Procurement Management: includes
a. The process required to acquire goods and services from outside the
performing project team or organisation.
b. It consists of procurement planning, solicitation planning, solicitation, source
selection, contract administration and contract closeout.
 13. The body of knowledge can be subdivided into four core elements which determine
the deliverable objectives of the project:
• Scope
• Time
• Cost
• Quality

14. The other knowledge areas provide the means of achieving the deliverable objectives,
namely:
• Integration
• Human resources
• Communication
• Risk
• Procurement and contract

ROLE OF THE PROJECT MANAGER

1. It is appropriate to conclude this chapter with a few words on the role of the project
manager.
2. Experience has shown that the selection of the project manager is a key appointment
which can influence the success or failure of the project.
3. As the single point of responsibility, it is the project manager who integrates and co-
ordinates all the contributions, and guides them to successfully complete the project.
4. The role of the project manager should be outlined in the project charter (see Scope
Management chapter) along with the purpose of the project. The following lists some
desirable project manager attributes:
5. Ability to select and develop an operational team from a standing start
6. Leadership and management ability
7. Ability to anticipate problems, solve problems and make decisions
8. Ability to integrate the project stakeholders
9. Operational flexibility
10. Ability to plan, expedite and get things done
11. Ability to negotiate and persuade
12. Understand the environment within which the project is being managed
13. Ability to review monitor and apply control
14. Ability to administer the contract, the scope of work and scope changes
15. Ability to manage within an environment of constant change.
16. Ability to keep the client happy.
TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

HISTORY
1. Project management has been practiced since early civilization.
2. Until 1900 civil engineering projects were generally managed by creative architects and
engineers themselves, among those for example Vitruvius (1st century BC), Christopher
Wren (1632–1723) , Thomas Telford (1757–1834) and Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–
1859).
3. It was in the 1950s that organizations started to systematically apply project management
tools and techniques to complex engineering projects.
4. Henry Gantt (1861-1919), the father of planning and control techniques.
5. Two forefathers of project management are Henry Gantt, called the father of planning and
control techniques, who is famous for his use of the Gantt chart as a project management
tool;
6. Henri Fayol for his creation of the 5 management functions which form the foundation of
the body of knowledge associated with project and program management.
7. His work is the forerunner to modern project management tools including work
breakdown structure (WBS) and resource allocation.
8. The "Critical Path Method" (CPM) was developed as a joint venture between DuPont
Corporation and Remington Rand Corporation for managing plant maintenance projects.
9. The "Program Evaluation and Review Technique" or PERT, was developed by Booz
Allen Hamilton as part of the United States Navy's (in conjunction with the Lockheed
Corporation) Polaris missile submarine program;

APPROACHES

1. There are a number of approaches to managing project activities including agile,

interactive, incremental, and phased approaches.
2. Regardless of the methodology employed, careful consideration must be given to the
overall project objectives, timeline, and cost, as well as the roles and responsibilities
of all participants and stakeholders.

THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH

1. A traditional phased approach identifies a sequence of steps to be completed.

2. In the "traditional approach", we can distinguish 5 components of a project (4 stages
plus control) in the development of a project:
3. Typical development phases of an engineering project

a. Project initiation stage.

b. Project planning and design stage.
c. Project execution and construction stage.
 d. Project monitoring and controlling systems.

e. Project completion.

CRITICAL CHAIN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is a method of planning and managing

projects that puts more emphasis on the resources (physical and human) needed in
order to execute project tasks.
2. The most complex part involves engineering professionals of different fields (Civil,
Electrical, Mechanical etc.) working together.

3. It is an application of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to projects. The goal is to

increase the rate of throughput (or completion rates) of projects in an organization.

4. Applying the first three of the five focusing steps of TOC, the system constraint for all
projects is identified as are the resources.

5. To exploit the constraint, tasks on the critical chain are given priority over all other
activities. Finally, projects are planned and managed to ensure that the resources are
ready when the critical chain tasks must start, subordinating all other resources to the
critical chain.

6. Regardless of project type, the project plan should undergo Resource Leveling, and
the longest sequence of resource-constrained tasks should be identified as the critical
chain.

7. In multi-project environments, resource leveling should be performed across projects.

8. However, it is often enough to identify (or simply select) a single "drum" resource—a
resource that acts as a constraint across projects—and stagger projects based on the
availability of that single resource.

Extreme Project Management

1. In critical studies of project management it has been noted that several PERT based
models are not well suited for the multi-project company environment of today.
2. Most of them are aimed at very large-scale, one-time, non-routine projects, and
currently all kinds of management are expressed in terms of projects.

3. Using complex models for "projects" (or rather "tasks") spanning a few weeks has
been proven to cause unnecessary costs and low maneuverability in several cases.
 4. Instead, project management experts try to identify different "lightweight" models,
such as Agile Project Management methods including Extreme Programming for
software development and Scrum techniques.

5. The generalization of Extreme Programming to other kinds of projects is extreme

project management, which may be used in combination with the process modeling
and management principles of human interaction management.

Event chain methodology

1. Event chain methodology is another method that complements critical path method
and critical chain project management methodologies.
2. Event chain methodology is an uncertainty modeling and schedule network analysis
technique that is focused on identifying and managing events and event chains that
affect project schedules.
3. Event chain methodology helps to mitigate the negative impact of psychological
heuristics and biases, as well as to allow for easy modeling of uncertainties in the
project schedules.
4. Event chain methodology is based on the following principles.

 Probabilistic moment of risk: An activity (task) in most real life processes is not
a continuous uniform process. Tasks are affected by external events, which can
occur at some point in the middle of the task.
 Event chains: Events can cause other events, which will create event chains.
These event chains can significantly affect the course of the project. Quantitative
analysis is used to determine a cumulative effect of these event chains on the
project schedule.
 Critical events or event chains: The single events or the event chains that have
the most potential to affect the projects are the “critical events” or “critical chains
of events.” They can be determined by the analysis.
 Project tracking with events: Even if a project is partially completed and data
about the project duration, cost, and events occurred is available, it is still possible
 to refine information about future potential events and helps to forecast future
project performance.
 Event chain visualization: Events and event chains can be visualized using event
chain diagrams on a Gantt chart.

PROCESSES

1. Traditionally, project management includes a number of elements: four to five process

groups, and a control system. Regardless of the methodology or terminology used, the
same basic project management processes will be used.
2. Major process groups generally include:

 Initiation
 Planning or development
 Production or execution
 Monitoring and controlling
 Closing

3. In project environments with a significant exploratory element (e.g., Research and

development), these stages may be supplemented with decision points (go/no go
decisions) at which the project's continuation is debated and decided. An example is
the Stage-Gate model.

INITIATING

1. The initiating processes determine the nature and scope of the project.
2. If this stage is not performed well, it is unlikely that the project will be successful in
meeting the business’ needs.
 3. The key project controls needed here are an understanding of the business
environment and making sure that all necessary controls are incorporated into the
project.
4. Any deficiencies should be reported and a recommendation should be made to fix
them.
5. The initiating stage should include a plan that encompasses the following areas:

 Analyzing the business needs/requirements in measurable goals.

 Reviewing of the current operations.
 Financial analysis of the costs and benefits including a budget
 Stakeholder analysis, including users, and support personnel for the project.
 Project charter including costs, tasks, deliverables, and schedule.

PLANNING AND DESIGN

1. After the initiation stage, the project is planned to an appropriate level of detail.
2. The main purpose is to plan time, cost and resources adequately to estimate the work
needed and to effectively manage risk during project execution.
3. As with the Initiation process group, a failure to adequately plan greatly reduces the
project's chances of successfully accomplishing its goals.
4. Project planning generally consists of

 Determining how to plan (e.g. by level of detail or rolling wave);

 Developing the scope statement;
 Selecting the planning team;
  Identifying deliverables and creating the work breakdown structure;
 Identifying the activities needed to complete those deliverables and
networking the activities in their logical sequence;
 Estimating the resource requirements for the activities;
 Estimating time and cost for activities;
 Developing the schedule;
 Developing the budget;
 Risk planning;
 Gaining formal approval to begin work.

5. Additional processes, such as planning for communications and for scope

management, identifying roles and responsibilities, determining what to purchase for
the project and holding a kick-off meeting are also generally advisable.

EXECUTING

1. Executing consists of the processes used to complete the work defined in the project plan
to accomplish the project's requirements.
2. Execution process involves coordinating people and resources, as well as integrating and
performing the activities of the project in accordance with the project management plan.
3. The deliverables are produced as outputs from the processes performed as defined in the
project management plan and other frameworks that might be applicable to the type of
project at hand.

Monitoring and controlling

1. Monitoring and controlling consists of those processes performed to observe project

execution so that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and
corrective action can be taken, when necessary, to control the execution of the project.
2. The key benefit is that project performance is observed and measured regularly to
identify variances from the project management plan.
3. Monitoring and Controlling includes:

 Monitoring the project variables (cost, effort, scope, etc.) against the project
management plan and the project performance baseline (where we should be);
 Identify corrective actions to address issues and risks properly (How can we
get on track again);
 Influencing the factors that could circumvent integrated change control so only
approved changes are implemented

4. In multi-phase projects, the monitoring and control process also provides feedback
between project phases, in order to implement corrective or preventive actions to
bring the project into compliance with the project management plan.
5. Project Maintenance is an ongoing process, and it includes:

 Continuing support of end users

 Correction of errors
  Updates of the software over time

6. In this stage, auditors should pay attention to how effectively and quickly user
problems are resolved.
7. Over the course of any construction project, the work scope may change.
8. Change is a normal and expected part of the construction process.
9. Changes can be the result of necessary design modifications, differing site conditions,
material availability, contractor-requested changes, value engineering and impacts
from third parties, to name a few.
10. Beyond executing the change in the field, the change normally needs to be
documented to show what was actually constructed.
11. This is referred to as Change Management. Hence, the owner usually requires a final
record to show all changes or, more specifically, any change that modifies the
tangible portions of the finished work.
12. The record is made on the contract documents – usually, but not necessarily limited
to, the design drawings.
13. The end product of this effort is what the industry terms as-built drawings, or more
simply, “as built.” The requirement for providing them is a norm in construction
contracts.
14. When changes are introduced to the project, the viability of the project has to be re-
assessed.
15. It is important not to lose sight of the initial goals and targets of the projects. When
the changes accumulate, the forecasted result may not justify the original proposed
investment in the project.
CLOSING
1. Closing includes the formal acceptance of the project and the ending thereof.
2. Administrative activities include the archiving of the files and documenting lessons
learned.
3. This phase consists of:

 Project close: Finalize all activities across all of the process groups to formally close
the project or a project phase
 Contract closure: Complete and settle each contract (including the resolution of any
open items) and close each contract applicable to the project or project phase

Project controlling and Project control systems

1. Project controlling should be established as an independent function in project

management. It implements verification and controlling function during the processing of
a project in order to reinforce the defined performance and formal goals.
2. The tasks of project controlling are also:

 creation of infrastructure for the supply of the right information and its update
 establishment of a way to communicate disparities of project parameters
 development of project information technology based on an intranet or the
determination of a project key performance index system (KPI)
 divergence analyses and generation of proposals for potential project
regulations
 the establishment of methods to accomplish an appropriate the project
structure, project workflow organization, project control and governance
  creation of transparency among the project parameters

3. Fulfillment and implementation of these tasks can be achieved by applying specific

methods and instruments of project controlling.
4. The following methods of project controlling can be applied:

 investment analysis
 cost-benefit analyses
 value benefit Analysis
 expert surveys
 simulation calculations
 risk profile analyses
 surcharge calculations
 milestone trend analysis
 cost trend analysis
 target/actual-comparison

5. Project control is that element of a project that keeps it on-track, on-time and within
budget.
6. Project control begins early in the project with planning and ends late in the project
with post-implementation review, having a thorough involvement of each step in the
process.
7. Each project should be assessed for the appropriate level of control needed: too much
control is too time consuming, too little control is very risky.
8. If project control is not implemented correctly, the cost to the business should be
clarified in terms of errors, fixes, and additional audit fees.
9. Control systems are needed for cost, risk, quality, communication, time, change,
procurement, and human resources.
10. In addition, auditors should consider how important the projects are to the financial
statements, how reliant the stakeholders are on controls, and how many controls exist.
11. Auditors should review the development process and procedures for how they are
implemented.
12. The process of development and the quality of the final product may also be assessed
if needed or requested.
13. A business may want the auditing firm to be involved throughout the process to catch
problems earlier on so that they can be fixed more easily.
 14. An auditor can serve as a controls consultant as part of the development team or as an
independent auditor as part of an audit.
15. Businesses sometimes use formal systems development processes.
16. These help assure that systems are developed successfully.
17. A formal process is more effective in creating strong controls, and auditors should
review this process to confirm that it is well designed and is followed in practice.
18. A good formal systems development plan outlines:

 A strategy to align development with the organization’s broader objectives

 Standards for new systems
 Project management policies for timing and budgeting
 Procedures describing the process
 Evaluation of quality of change

GANTT’S APPROACH

1. A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule.

2. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary
elements of a project.

3. Terminal elements and summary elements comprise the work breakdown structure of
the project.

4. Some Gantt charts also show the dependency (i.e., precedence network) relationships
between activities.

5. Gantt charts can be used to show current schedule status using percent-complete
shadings and a vertical "TODAY" line as shown here.

ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS

1. Gantt charts have become a common technique for representing the phases and
activities of a project work breakdown structure (WBS), so they can be understood by
a wide audience all over the world.
2. A common error made by those who equate Gantt chart design with project design is
that they attempt to define the project work breakdown structure at the same time that
they define schedule activities.

3. Although a Gantt chart is useful and valuable for small projects that fit on a single
sheet or screen, they can become quite unwieldy for projects with more than about 30
activities.

4. Larger Gantt charts may not be suitable for most computer displays.
5. A related criticism is that Gantt charts communicate relatively little information per
unit area of display.

6. That is, projects are often considerably more complex than can be communicated
effectively with a Gantt chart.

7. Gantt charts only represent part of the triple constraints (cost, time and scope) of
projects, because they focus primarily on schedule management.

8. Moreover, Gantt charts do not represent the size of a project or the relative size of
work elements, therefore the magnitude of a behind-schedule condition is easily
miscommunicated.

9. If two projects are the same number of days behind schedule, the larger project has a
larger impact on resource utilization, yet the Gantt does not represent this difference.

10. Because the horizontal bars of a Gantt chart have a fixed height, they can
misrepresent the time-phased workload (resource requirements) of a project, which
may cause confusion especially in large projects. In the example shown in this article,
Activities E and G appear to be the same size, but in reality they may be orders of
different magnitude.

11. A related criticism is that all activities of a Gantt chart show planned workload as
constant.

12. In practice, many activities (especially summary elements) have front-loaded or back-
loaded work plans, so a Gantt chart with percent-complete shading may actually
miscommunication the true schedule performance status.
LOAD CHART

1. Useful for manufacturing projects during peak or heavy load periods.

2. The format of the Gantt Load Chart is very similar to the Gantt Project Planning Chart.

PROGRESS CHART
1. User Assignment: Several users can be assigned to a project, with specific access rights
in each project.
2. Task Groups and Types: A project can be divided in phases or modules, for easier
management. Task groups or types are useful to categorize tasks, in accordance with your
needs.
3. Task Statuses: Tasks within a project are likely to go through many statuses, from the
beginning until completion. Task statuses can be created in accordance with your needs,
using "Waiting", "In Progress" and "Completed" types.
4. Task Priorities: The level of urgency of each task might influence the project's
completion. Task priorities are useful to identify which tasks should be prioritized. A task
priority can be "Low", "Normal", "Urgent", etc.
5. Project Costs: A financial budget as well as the number of hours required can be defined
for each project.
6. Marked Projects: Marking a project lets you identify projects that require more attention
than others (e.g. urgent, critical or overdue projects).

BAR CHART

1. A bar chart is a graphical tool that can be used to present data in a way that is easy to
read, easy to understand, and provides the ability for easy comparison of all provided
data.
2. It can be used to provide the project team and all of those looking for project related
information data from the individual schedule activities and work breakdown
structure components.

3. In a typical bar chart (also referred to as a bar graph or a Gantt chart, named after H.L.

4. Gantt who published one of the first recorded bar charts in 1931), the left side of the
chart displays the work breakdown structure components or the individual schedule
activities, the dates in question are placed along the top of the chart, and the activity
durations are represented by date-placed horizontal bars.

5. These bars can be color coded if necessary, or they can be filled in with patterns to
allow for more cost-effective printing in grayscale.