Project Management

• From the e-Activities, discuss the advantages and disadvantages that are associated with laying out a project plan using project management software versus not using project management software. Provide a rationale for your response.

Project management software such as the GANNT chart displays simple activities and events, plotted against times or dollars. It also allows the project manager to stay organized by keeping track of tasks, durations, and milestones (Kerzner, 2013). With A Tracking GANNT chart you can set the project baseline. Once you have a baseline, you can track the progress of the project. Having a plan helps the manager to see how far ahead or behind they are based on the projects plan. The Network Diagram view helps the manager to clearly see what tasks take place in series, which ones occur in parallel, and how all tasks are linked (Kerzner, 2013).

There are many disadvantages to not using project management software. Some of the disadvantages are not using time wisely, less organized and not managing goals accurately. I’m sure businesses were able to manage just fine without project management software before the advancements in technology. However, today it is almost a must to have some type of management software or tool to help your projects be successful, especially if they are large projects. It is nearly impossible to keep track of tasks, events, times, and dollars without managing it through a valuable program or system. This way you can always refer back to your plane easily in case you need to make changes somewhere.

question from professor from answer above:

You can still create a Gantt chart without using software. The use of software came long many years after the Gantt was first developed. Large dry erase boards or butcher paper would have been used to map out all the activities and their dependencies. With this thought in mind, what advantages does the use of software have? What are some considerations that you would want to make before procuring a project management software solution?