Being proactive with risk analysis helps set realistic objectives, while creating a complete risk management plan create safeguards against time-consuming and costly oversights. Read on to discover various project risks examples that can emerge during the course of a project, and what to do about them.

Scope creep

Scope risk, or scope creep, refers to the unexpected and uncontrolled expansion of a project’s objectives beyond its original intentions. This risk category typically occurs when project goals aren’t precisely outlined from the start or when requirements change partway through the project.

How to manage scope creep

• Before kicking off a project, take advantage of project scope templates like the ones offered by Smartsheet project management software (Figure A) to create clear expectations and deadlines up front.
• Engage with stakeholders from the very beginning so that all necessary decision makers can help with the creation and the approval of the project scope.
• Schedule regular progress reviews and risk assessments so you can ensure that the initial project scope is being followed and deal with scope creep as it occurs.

Performance risks

Performance risk occurs when a project does not fulfill the expectations and requirements set forth during project planning. Even though a product may have been delivered on time and on budget, that doesn’t guarantee project success, which is the definition of performance risk.

How to manage performance risks

• Identify potential performance hazards from the start of a project by assessing the current market landscape, investigating users’ needs, and staying ahead of technological shifts.
• Use project management software analytics, like this dashboard from monday.com (Figure B), to track project performance and maintain real-time oversight of processes and milestones.
• Foster transparent communication among your project team and conduct regular risk assessments so that performance-related issues can be identified early and often.

External hazard risks

External hazard risk refers to unpredictable events stemming from external factors beyond project management mistakes. These project risks can be natural, such as climate events, or man-made, like vandalism, terrorism, or societal disruptions. These factors can significantly affect the project’s timeline, cost, and quality.

How to manage external hazard risks

• Use historical and political data to regularly asses external risks bases on a project’s locale and nature; enterprise risk management software can be very beneficial for creating these kinds of forecasts.
• Have contingency plans ready, such as alternate work sites or emergency resources, as well as insurance policies to cover potential damages and delays.
• Incorporate practices like safety drills or supply stocking so that your personnel will be safe and prepared in the event of an emergency.

Technology risks

Technology risk covers the potential challenges and threats posed by the hardware and software used to complete the project. These project risks range from technical failures, cyberattacks, and system breaches to the fast-paced evolution of technology itself, including project management software.

How to manage technology risks

• Institute robust cybersecurity measures, including firewalls, encryption, and routine security audits, to fend off cyber threats and technical risk.
• Carefully set roles and permission for your project management software, like the above example in Trello (Figure C).
• Create backup systems and data storage to counteract technical risks, preventing data loss or unplanned downtime, and have a contingency plan in place in case of technological disruptions.
• Conduct regular training sessions to keep personnel updated on new technologies and how to navigate them and on how to prevent cyber attacks.

Operational risks

Operational risk refers to potential disruptions arising from internal processes, people, systems, and project management methodologies. It also encompasses external risk events that impact the day-to-day functioning of a project, such as changes made by vendors or suppliers.

How to manage operational risks

• Use workload management software, such as ClickUp (Figure D), to review workflow and capacity planning and spot operational risks before they arise.
• Ease the transition by ensuring your project team is well-prepared and has time to adjust to major operational changes.
• Consider scheduling regular team meetings to discuss upcoming changes and provide additional training if new processes or systems are introduced.

Communication risks

Miscommunication underlies many project issues, leading to missed deadlines, excess project spend, shifting requirements, uncompleted tasks, and other project management issues. The communication needs to be clear and thorough as well as frequent; if conversations are vague or contradictory, that can cause just as many problems as communicating irregularly or not at all.

How to manage communication risks

• Utilize a central tool or platform to keep everyone on the same page, like Asana project management software that offers in-app messaging (Figure E), which will help to prevent siloed work.
• Encourage open communication channels so team members can ask questions, seek clarification, and provide feedback.
• Schedule regular meetings with stakeholders and team members to foster collaboration and engage in risk identification.
• Implement strategies to bridge cultural and linguistic differences if the team is diverse.

Cost risks

Cost risk refers to the possibility of a project exceeding its allocated budget, a common risk management issue. This financial risk can occur for various reasons such as poor initial budgeting, mid-project scope changes, unforeseen complications, or incorrect cost estimations. Cost overruns can hinder the project’s progress and may stall its completion if the budget cannot be adjusted or supplemented.

How to manage cost risks

• Use budgeting tools such as those offered by Wrike (Figure F) to set an initial budget and monitor spend throughout the project to prevent overages. Budget management tools are an integral part of risk management processes in several industries. One good example is construction risk management, an industry that often deals with cost issues.
• If possible, set aside a contingency plan or fund so that you have some extra resources on hand in case extra costs arise.
• Revisit vendor contracts and negotiate them or comparison shops to see if you can realize any additional cost savings.
• Conduct regular project risk assessments to identify potential cost overages and create strategies to address them.

Skills resource risks

Skills resource risk refers to the potential shortfalls in the necessary skills, expertise, or knowledge among the project team members. Such risks can emerge from a range of factors, from team member turnover to lack of training. This can mean the project management team needs to be more adequately prepared to meet project requirements or handle unexpected challenges.

How to manage skill resource risks

• Assess required skills and compare them with existing team members to pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Invest in training programs that equip team members for specific project demands; a learning management system can help you create custom courses if you can’t find an out-of-the-box one that works.
• Embrace a flexible staffing approach and alternate between permanent and contract roles as needed, especially when niche skills are required.

FAQs

The post 8 Common Project Risks & How to Manage Them appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is a project milestone?

A project milestone is a strategic point in a project’s timeline when a certain subtask, event, phase, or goal is completed. Whether you’re operating a short-term or long-term project, incorporating milestones is an effective way to manage how time and resources are spent. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of how project milestones differ from other key project management terms:

• Milestone vs. task: A milestone is a trackable sub-goal that’s composed of more granular tasks and sub-tasks.
• Milestone vs. deliverable: While a deliverable is a specific goal or outcome that the project team hopes to achieve, a milestone is typically the achievement of one or multiple of these deliverables.
• Milestone vs. KPI: Key performance indicators (KPIs) measure performance across multiple metrics throughout a project, whereas milestones represent achievements at specific points in the project. KPIs are often used to analyze progress toward milestones. 

Project milestones are typically set jointly by the project team’s leader and key decision-maker(s). They should be specific, measurable, and strategically timed throughout a project’s lifecycle.

Benefits of milestones in project management

While setting project milestones can feel like an arduous task, many benefits come from breaking down your projects with milestones in mind:

• Clearer project phases and improved task prioritization: Especially for long-term projects, it can be difficult to decide what’s important now and what will be important later. Setting milestones helps all team members prioritize the current tasks on their plates so they can more effectively move on when it’s time rather than multitasking.
• Built-in pauses and pivot points: Milestones give teams a chance to reflect on what is and isn’t working so far. With this pause, both the project team and the client can evaluate if changes are needed while also identifying new risks that need to be mitigated in the next project phase.
• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities: Milestones and the tasks underneath them often have owners who are responsible for their success. With this organizational structure, it will be clear who is working on what and give teammates the chance to more effectively communicate and collaborate because they are familiar with each other’s workloads.
• Regular progress reports for stakeholders: Progress toward milestones can be tracked in multiple ways, including through visual reports and dashboards. These quantitative illustrations can be shown to clients and other stakeholders who want to see results regularly.
• Improved budget, resource, and timeline management: Milestones help project managers plan every detail, focus on what’s most important, and assign their resources accordingly. Depending on what milestone is next on the list, the project manager can determine how much of their budget and other resources should be used or saved for a later milestone that needs those resources more.
• Boosted project team morale: Each time an important project milestone is achieved will feel like a big win for your team. Setting up milestones is an effective way to give project teams something to look forward to and celebrate at regular intervals, rather than waiting to celebrate until the very end of a project.

How to use project milestones effectively

Project milestones are most helpful when they are set strategically and reviewed periodically. To determine project milestones that help your team more clearly visualize and reach their goals, follow these best practices and tips:

Set clear milestones from the start

Similar to SMART goals, your project milestones should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. The most important part of this equation is timeliness: When should this milestone be completed in relation to other milestones and the project at large? Additionally, what tasks, resources, and team members need to align with this milestone for it to be a success? Answering these questions from the beginning of your process will help you create milestones that successfully showcase progress toward project deliverables and goals.

Distribute strategic milestones throughout the project lifecycle

Milestones should not only fall at the beginning and end of the project but also at multiple points during the project. Any time a specific task or goal needs to be completed by a certain date or for future tasks to get underway, look for ways to frame that work as a measurable milestone. This will segment your project into more focused and thoughtful sections and give both your clients and project team members more motivators to get to the next project phase quickly.

Collaboratively set and communicate milestones with key stakeholders

Project teams and clients bring unique perspectives and expertise to each project, so it’s important for both sides to co-create project milestones. This ensures transparency and alignment and also allows both teams to push back where resourcing, budgets, or internal skills may become an issue.

Once milestones have been set, the project manager or the owners responsible for individual milestones should clearly and frequently communicate about progress toward and challenges surrounding milestones. This will help both organizations prepare for best- and worst-case scenarios where milestones may need to be altered.

Use project management tools

Many project management platforms include milestone management features, templates, reports, dashboards, and other resources that can help project teams get organized and more effectively time their milestones. Some of the best project management tools for milestone tracking include Asana, ClickUp, monday work management, Smartsheet, and Wrike.

Adjust milestones as necessary

It’s rare that the initial milestones you set will encompass every change and issue that arises during the course of the project. That’s why project managers need to be agile, vigilant watchers of project performance data, KPIs, and any changes that happen within the internal team or on the client side. Noticing these changes before they become bigger issues is an important first step in communicating the need for and setting new milestones.

Project milestone examples

While this is not an exhaustive list, the following project milestone examples are often used to track project progress:

Start or end date of a project phase

Example: The project team has completed the discovery phase or solution verification period of pre-project research and planning. They have documented their plans through a project charter and received approval from the client to move forward with the actual project. This approval, illustrated in the Asana Gantt chart below, marks the achievement of their first project milestone.

Completion of an initial product or key deliverable

Example: A digital marketing and design agency is helping a client rebrand in the new year. One of the milestones within that rebrand plan is to complete a refresh of the company’s web content, layout, and design. A project management tool like ClickUp helps users visualize the difference between this milestone and related tasks more easily with the Gantt chart layout.

Successful completion of user training

Example: A consulting firm is helping a small business set up a CRM solution that aligns with their customer data and outreach goals. Now that the software has been deployed, is integrated with their systems, and holds all of their relevant data, the project team must train the client’s marketing and sales teams on how to use the software. Achievement of the user training milestone may be determined by a skills test, a survey of trainees, or the completion of a specific training program.

FAQs

The post What Are Project Milestones & How to Use Them appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is workflow automation?

Workflow automation refers to the process of pre-programming tasks using a simple command. The command follows a basic formula: when + then = automated task.

When represents the trigger and condition, while Then indicates the desired action. At the core, it means, “When something happens, then this event should follow.”

Most project management software solutions have pre-built automation recipes, which makes setting up automations easier. These are the common templates:

• Status change: This entails a specific action being implemented when a status is updated. For example, when the status changes to Done, archive the task item.
• Time-based: This refers to an action that will be performed when a particular date arrives. For example, three days before the due date arrives, notify someone.
• Item creation: This involves an item being created at a specific time period or an action being implemented when an item is created. For example, every time period, create a task item; or when a new item is created, assign a team as the assignee.

Note that workflow automation is not the same as robotic process automation (RPA). Learn the differences between the two in our RPA vs workflow automation guide.

Workflow automation examples 

Different departments across a company will benefit from automated processes. Here are some common workflow automation examples categorized per use case:

Human resources (HR) management

HR management involves various administrative tasks involving integrating new employees, engaging the existing workforce, and complying with laws, rules, and regulations. To enhance the efficiency of these processes and facilitate a better experience for new and seasoned team members, use workflow automation. These tasks especially benefit from automated systems:

1. New employee onboarding

Onboarding new employees requires collecting important pieces of information, including their job titles, business departments, office locations, and hiring dates. With a project management software solution in place, you’ll be able to gather these details without manually asking employees one by one. 

Project management tool ClickUp features an employee onboarding project template, which has columns for hire source, department, induction date, and, most importantly, the onboarding stage. Its automations include status changes.

When the onboarding stage transitions from HR to Legal, you may switch the assignee to a member of the legal department to notify them of the change and allow them to take the necessary actions to move the onboarding process along. 

2. Time-off request approval

Vacation requests can quickly pile up in the email inbox if not managed well. Instead of having team members send requests to their managers via email, let the employee file requests in your automated system. 

Create a time-off request form to centralize all applications in one board. Let managers and HR officers have visibility on the board so they can quickly review and approve. Use the status change automation “when the status changes to Approved, send a notification to the person who filed for the time-off.”

3. Expenses reimbursement

With workflow automation, employees simply need to fill out and submit a reimbursement request form that their manager will review and approve. The request is visible on a project board that the finance department can access, which will then be evaluated to ensure that it reflects on the employee’s next paycheck. 

On the project management app Asana, you may configure the automation so that when the reimbursement request moves to the finance team evaluation section, the system automatically assigns it to a team member of that department and sends a note or prompts a team chat app notification. Asana integrates seamlessly with Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing users to get updates on task creation, completion, or comments.

4. Employee status change

HR practitioners find it tedious to update statuses when employees get promoted or leave the company. Workflow automation removes the hassle of the laborious process of changing statuses. To facilitate this, you must connect the project management platform with third-party apps like the human resources information system (HRIS) and employee directory platform. 

With these solutions in sync, when a team member changes their status and submits pertinent documents to the directory, the information on other platforms is automatically updated. Set an automation rule wherein you receive notifications for every status change.

Information technology

Ypur IT department handles numerous complex business processes, from implementing software solutions to accommodating users’ requests. While some IT processes may be complicated, others can be automated to reduce the burden on the team, facilitate efficiency, and ultimately offer better services to internal stakeholders. Apply these workflow automation examples in your IT operations:

5. Ticket management

Organize incoming service requests by setting up a form and letting the system automatically convert the requests into tasks in the IT board. monday.com enables teams to collect information through customizable forms. It also allows the creation of a workflow automation rule that will notify someone whenever a new item is created. With this functionality, it’s easier to track incoming IT tickets and prompt team members to take appropriate action.

6. Asset management

When an employee joins or leaves the company, the IT team is actively involved in the onboarding and offboarding process, particularly in the distribution and return of hardware. By implementing online forms, you can easily monitor which employees already received or handed back the required devices. With workflow automation, the system will notify key IT team members for action about an asset that needs to be deployed or received. 

If you’re using the project management solution Jira, create an automation rule that automatically assigns issues to team members. “When an issue is created” is among the platform’s recommended triggers, making it easy for new users to set up this automation command.

7. Compliance

Software solutions used in the company must adhere to regulatory and data protection standards. The IT team must conduct regular inspections to ensure that no data security protocols are bypassed. By using automated forms, you’ll quickly build a master list of team members who finished the compliance testing and those who haven’t gone through it yet. 

In addition, workflow automation software apps like Wrike allow you to set time-based automations. You may send a reminder in the form of a comment to IT team members to remind them of audit deadlines.

Marketing production & campaign management

The marketing production process includes many moving parts that can easily be automated. This allows team members to focus on more high-yield tasks instead of the administrative assignments the workflow demands. These are the marketing production to-dos you can set automatically:

8. Task request organization

The marketing team receives several collateral creation requests. These materials may be used on various platforms: websites, blogs, or social media. To organize the workflow better, automate the filtering of incoming requests. Include an input field for the type of marketing asset in the request form. Then, on the project management app, create a custom automation wherein when a field is labeled as something, the request is moved to a specific column or section on the project board.

9. Output approval

All marketing collaterals must go through the review and approval process. With workflow automation, asking for feedback becomes easier and quicker for team members. Simply configure the automation settings to notify a team leader or a supervisor when a task is moved to a specific stage, for example, when it reaches the Done or Ready for Approval column. 

The easy-to-use project management solution Trello integrates with an approval tool that automatically moves cards to specific sections based on the approval status. Create an automation rule that notifies a manager or supervisor when a card moves to a particular column.

10. Content posting

Publish marketing materials right from project management apps by configuring workflow automations. On monday.com, when you connect your LinkedIn app and profile, you can set time-based and status-change automations. With this, you’ll be able to create a new post when a specific date arrives or when a task status gets updated to Ready to Publish. Many project management apps like monday.com integrate seamlessly with social networking platforms, including Facebook.

11. Drip campaigns

Drip campaign refers to a series of automated emails sent to a specific audience segment over some time. The audience is grouped according to particular actions they took, say, when they signed up for a free trial or purchased a product for the first time.

Zoho is one of the best marketing automation platforms for drip campaigns, as it features a drag-and-drop customer journey builder, in which you’ll be able to choose among various triggers and decide corresponding messages to be sent. For example, when a new lead fills out the sign-up form, the platform automatically sends a welcome email. The best part is that the platform offers pre-designed templates for different campaigns, including lead nurturing, re-engagement, and customer retention.

Customer relationship management (CRM)

CRM processes are intricate, requiring follow-ups with prospects, sending messages to clients, and plotting appointments. Fortunately, you can automate these and ensure no important task is neglected. This results in positive customer experiences that translate to brand loyalty. Below are some automated workflow examples for CRM: 

12. Lead follow-ups

When a potential customer shows interest in your company’s products and services, a quick response is critical in increasing the likelihood of a sale. Through workflow automation, you don’t need to manually send an email to prospects. After they fill out your contact form, an automated welcome email will be delivered to their inbox. Depending on the end result you want to achieve, the message may be an invitation to book an appointment or receive updates about sale promos.

13. Sales pipeline management

Automation in sales pipeline management involves eliminating the manual steps of moving leads along the sales process. For example, when the contract status changes to Signed, the system will move it to the Closed column. Add a workflow automation rule that when a deal reaches the Closed stage, you get a notification on your Slack channel. This way, it will be easier for the team to discuss sales wins on your group chat.

Notion is a popular project management platform that enables users to view tasks and projects on a Kanban-style dashboard. Use this tool to keep track of and automate all your leads, deals, contacts, and sales within a single platform. 

14. Post-interaction customer communication

After a successful meeting with a client, you want to maintain customer engagement and send them an email expressing your appreciation for their time and presence. On your project board, configure the automation settings to allow the system to send an email to a contact when you move the task to a certain stage in the sales pipeline. This is especially useful when managing multiple clients, and individually sending them a message is tedious.

15. Task creation in specific pipeline stages

When a lead enters a new stage in the sales pipeline, assign tasks automatically so the team can immediately work on the deliverables needed for that stage and ensure that the lead is constantly pushed to move along the pipeline. A good workflow automation example to apply here is when a lead’s status changes to Qualified, create a task for specific team members to draft a proposal, or schedule a sit-down meeting with the client.

What are the benefits of workflow automation?

In a nutshell, the main benefit of having workflow automations set up is increased productivity, but it doesn’t stop there. Here are other specific benefits of automated workflows:

• Better team performance: When tasks are automated, employees save time. Thus, they have more bandwidth to attend to high-yield activities, such as cultivating relationships with clients or recalibrating sales strategies.
• Reduced errors: Manual processes are susceptible to mistakes, especially when users are not fully focused on the task. Workflow automation reduces or removes errors. Moreover, when automation fails, users are compelled to review triggers, conditions, and data sources, recalibrating the workflow.
• Support for large projects: The intricate details of complicated projects can be overwhelming to track and manage. However, by automating processes, you can ensure that repetitive, administrative tasks are properly handled and not causing any bottlenecks to the project’s progress.
• Improved transparency: Working on projects involves several people using different tools, which sometimes results in data silos. Since automation compels you to connect business software solutions to establish the correct sequence of processes and create a smooth workflow, all departments have visibility on important data.

How do you create an automated workflow?

Most project management apps have an easy-to-use workflow automation builder, which features input fields for triggers, conditions, and actions. In general, creating a custom automation is easy.

1. Input the trigger and condition: Identify the event that kicks off the automation. This may be a board item in your column, like a status update, a person assigned, or a particular date. It could be an event such as an item created. In a project management app, the triggers and conditions are indicated by the “When” clause. 
2. Input the action: Decide your preferred action when the triggers and conditions are met. Some examples are changing the status, moving an item to a group, notifying someone, creating an update, or assigning a team member. The actions are indicated by the “Then” clause.
3. Launch the automation: Once you fill out the triggers, conditions, and actions, create the automation. See if the system successfully executes the preferred action by prompting the trigger and condition event.

Incorporate automations into your workflows

Workflow automation improves team performance, minimizes errors, and supports growing operations and complex projects. Ultimately, it facilitates efficient business processes. Adopt the automated workflow examples above or take advantage of pre-built automation recipes in your project management app to get started on automated tasks. As you become familiar with the system’s functionality, create custom, complex automations to completely remove the manual administrative work on your to-do list. 

If you’re still on the market looking for the ideal software solution, check out our top picks for the best project management software.

The post 15 Workflow Automation Examples for 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is a RACI chart? 

The RACI chart, also referred to as the RACI matrix, is a responsibility assignment matrix consisting of rows and columns designed to define the task roles of all project stakeholders. Each designation, represented by the letters R, A, C, and I, stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.

One of the keys to successful project management is a clear understanding of the responsibilities of each stakeholder and the RACI chart is a great tool for achieving this, as it lets you visualize who handles certain tasks throughout the project lifecycle.

Let’s take a further look at the four key roles in the RACI matrix.

Pros and cons of the RACI chart 

At its core, the RACI model helps teams develop a sense of transparency and set clear expectations. But like any other project management tool, a RACI chart has its advantages and downsides. Knowing what they are will help you make an informed decision about whether to implement it in your projects. 

Benefits of using a RACI matrix 

One of the known benefits of the RACI chart is how it brings clarity and structure to identifying the people in charge of key responsibilities. This ability is further magnified in large organizations with diverse roles and skill sets. Here’s a deep dive into the benefits of the RACI matrix and why project managers use it:

Disadvantages of using a RACI matrix

How to make a RACI chart 

Now that you know what a RACI matrix is, it’s time to learn how to create one for your team.

Building a RACI chart is relatively simple, especially if you have a template to work with. The challenge is to align the appropriate roles with each member’s skills, position, and expertise. 

1. List project roles as columns

The first step is to identify the people involved in the project. Included are team members, managers, and department heads. To avoid overlooking anyone, categorize internal and external stakeholders based on their level of involvement and influence on the project. 

When listing members, you may add people or groups that won’t work directly on the project but play a key role in decision-making. These include the executive director, customers, and business partners.

Once you have the list, plot each one along the top row of the chart. There are two ways to label project roles: by name and or by job title. Listing out names is ideal if multiple members are playing the same role, while job titles work better if the same person is handling multiple roles. 

2. List project tasks as rows

When listing tasks in a RACI chart, break them down into activities such as deliverables, milestones, and decisions. After identifying all the tasks, list them on the left-hand column of the chart based on the order of completion. 

To avoid confusion, use your project plan to cross-check the tasks and due dates in your RACI matrix. A great tip is to categorize tasks by phase or objectives. Remember, less is more when creating a RACI analysis matrix.

3. Assign roles

The next step is to assign roles to each person using the definition of RACI: R (responsible), A (accountable), C (consulted), and I (informed). This process indicates the individual’s level of responsibility in a specific task, deliverable, or decision. 

When assigning roles, make sure that every task has someone “responsible” and that only one person should assume the role of “accountable.” Then decide who to consult with during the project and who should be in the loop on project progress. Move across the rows until you have completed the cells in your matrix.  

4. Review the RACI chart with your stakeholders

Before implementing the RACI matrix, discuss it with the stakeholders first. Go over the chart with everyone involved and ask for feedback to see if they’re satisfied with the role assigned to them. 

You can set up regular check-ins to ensure staff alignment and address issues that may arise during the project. Also, make sure to provide your team access to the chart for easy reference regarding role clarifications.

Examples of a RACI matrix

Now that you know how to make your own RACI chart, you might wonder how it applies to real-life scenarios. Below we provided two case studies on how the RACI chart can be implemented in designing a website and running a small-scale ecommerce operation. Let’s see how it is used in practice. 

Website creation RACI matrix

The project below involves a five-member team tasked with creating a website geared towards brand marketing. Each member offers unique skills and expertise in visual design, content creation, and web development. 

Role distribution RACI matrix

In a small e-commerce business, team members often assume multiple roles and work closely together. Here’s an example of a RACI matrix for a team that’s responsible for maintaining an e-commerce website.

Free RACI chart template 

A well-implemented RACI chart provides a clear structure about the roles stakeholders play within a project. To ensure a successful delivery, download our free RACI chart template below.

Download our RACI matrix template for free:

RACI matrix FAQs

The post What Is a RACI Chart? Overview & Examples for 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

• Google Workspace is best for giving you both collaboration and productivity tools.
• Huddle is best for communicating and sharing with external collaborators.
• Igloo is best for sharing info with and managing deskless workers.
• Confluence by Atlassian is best for affordable plans that can work with many budgets.
• Intranet Connections is best for hosting your own on-premise intranet.

And if you don’t find the right SharePoint alternative for your business, check out our Collaboration Software Guide for plenty more options to pick from.

Top Microsoft SharePoint alternatives

Google Workspace: Best for productivity

---

Pros

• Email, word processing, chat, and more.
• Lots of storage per user.
• Voice and video conferencing.
• Low per-user starting price.

Cons

• No intranet-specific app.
• Folder and file-based organization structure.
• No included 24/7 customer support.
• 300-user max. on most plans.

Visit Website

About Google Workspace

Google Workspace gives you business versions of the free Google apps you probably already know. It includes Google Chat, Drive, Docs, Gmail Sheets, Sites, Slides, and more.

With so many apps, you can easily use Google Workspace as a SharePoint alternative. Need document collaboration? Use Google Docs. Want cloud storage and file sharing? Google Drive works great. But unlike Microsoft SharePoint, you can also use Google Workspace for just about any other productivity needs you have―from team communication to data reporting to creating files for public use. In other words, Google Workspace can take on double duty for your team.

Also read: Google Workspace Product Overview

Gallery

Key features

Storage: Workspace includes tons of file storage―up to 5 TB per user on the Business plan. (That makes it a great alternative for teams trying to decide between SharePoint vs. OneDrive.)

Apps: All plans give you access to 12 different apps. With options for document creation, task management file sharing, and more, Google Workspace can replace Microsoft Office―not just SharePoint.

Communication: Use Google Workspace to stay in touch with local and remote teams. Email, instant messaging, audio calling, and videoconferencing allow for easy team communication.

Pricing

Google Workspace offers a free trial.
Business Starter starts at $5.40 per user per month, billed annually.
Business Standard starts at $10.80 per user per month, billed annually.
Business Plus starts at $18 per user per month, billed annually.
Enterprise Edition requires custom pricing.

Huddle: Best for external collaboration

---

Pros

• Advanced permissions options.
• Easy internal and external communication.
• Government-level security.
• 30-day free trial.

Cons

• Few instant collaboration tools (like chat).
• Few software integrations.
• Reported poor customer support.

Visit Website

About Huddle

Huddle is a cloud-based collaboration software that includes file sharing, document collaboration, and knowledge management. Huddle is designed for highly regulated industries, so it also comes with tight security.

That security makes Huddle an excellent choice for external collaboration. You can share your data (and your clients can share their data) with full encryption. Plus, Huddle includes tools like branded client portals, activity tracking for your pages and files, and granular user permissions. So whether you use Huddle for external or just team collaboration, you’ll know you’re safely sharing with just the people you want to share with.

Also read: Huddle Product Overview

Gallery

Key features

Client portals: Huddle lets you create custom portals for external clients. Give clients access to exactly what they need and nothing they don’t―and Huddle will create an audit trail on the way. 

Activity tracking: Keep an eye on your files with Huddle activity tracking. You’ll know who’s viewing, editing, and downloading files (and how often).

FedRAMP security: Huddle’s collaboration platform has FedRAMP Authority to operate―meaning it meets government security requirements for encryption and data storage.

Pricing

Huddle offers a free trial.
Essential plan starts at $15 per user per month.
Plus plan starts at $30 per user per month.
Team Starter plan starts at $150 per month.
Premier plan requires custom pricing.

Igloo: Best for deskless workers

---

Pros

• Standard or custom plans.
• Consulting and design add-ons.
• Pre-built bases for quick setup.
• Task management tool.

Cons

• No free trial.
• No pricing on website.
• Limited support without add-on.
• Lack of comprehensive knowledge base.

Visit Website

About Igloo

Igloo is another cloud-based intranet software, but it focuses mostly on internal communication and collaboration. It prides itself on being a turnkey software solution, so you can get up and running in no time.

While Igloo has tools for all kinds of internal communication (like easy wikis and file sharing), it has some especially good features for deskless workers. For instance, Igloo has a full-featured mobile app, so your employees don’t need a computer to access it. Likewise, Igloo includes task management tools, making it a good way to communicate actual to-do lists for employees that don’t sit at a desk all day.

Gallery

Key features

Mobile app: While other SharePoint alternatives have mobile apps, Igloo makes its phone and tablet apps a focus rather than an afterthought. Computer-less employees will have full intranet access.

Tasks: Igloo includes essential project management tools. It lets you create to-do lists (complete with task assignments) and remind users of upcoming tasks.

Read tracking: Make sure your employees actually see and read important documents. Igloo read tracking makes users acknowledge that they’ve received and read a document.

Pricing

Igloo offers both out-of-the-box and tailored pricing to fit your business needs and structure.

Confluence: Best for budget

---

Pros

• Free plan for up 10 users.
• Below-average per-use pricing.
• Unlimited pages on all plans.
• Over 1,000 integrations.

Cons

• One site on most plans.
• No analytics on low-tier plans.
• No access for external collaborators.
• Very limited storage on some plans.

Visit Website

About Confluence

Confluence is Atlassian’s team content collaboration tool. It includes features for knowledge management and project collaboration. While Confluence used to have an on-premise option, it now offers just cloud-based plans.

Those plans, though, can work within many team budgets. In fact, Confluence has a completely free plan for very small teams. If your team can’t use the free plan, its low-tier plan starts at well under $10 per user and gets you up to 20,000 users. Even if you decide to go Premium (for the 24/7 support and guaranteed uptime), Confluence isn’t that spendy compared to other SharePoint competitors. And don’t worry―all plans give you unlimited pages and team spaces.

Gallery

Key features

Free plan: Use Confluence’s free plan with up to 10 users. You get all the essential features―but with a limited number of users and less storage than other plans. 

Integrations: Confluence has more than 1,000 software integrations, which lets it connect with just about every Microsoft Product, Google Workspace, OnlyOffice Workspace, and much, much more.

Templates: Get your collaboration platform ready faster with a Confluence template. It gives you over 75 options for everything from project management to style guides to team hubs.

Pricing

Confluence offers free subscription for 10 users.
Standard plan starts at $5.75 per user per month.
Premium plan starts at $11 per user per month.
Enterprise plan requires custom pricing.

Intranet Connections: Best for on-premises intranet

---

Pros

• Cloud and on-premise options.
• Personalized demo.
• Push communication tool.
• Included training and support.

Cons

• Starting price of $9,500/yr.
• No 24/7 support.
• Big learning curve.
• Limited design sandbox tool.

Visit Website

About Intranet Connections

Intranet Connections’ software includes document management, file sharing, an employee directory, and other social collaboration tools. It offers both a cloud-based plan and an on-premise plan.

Intranet Connections is one of the few SharePoint alternatives that offers an on-premise option. So if you’d considered SharePoint Server for your small business (instead of using SharePoint online), Intranet Connections could be just the solution you need. By maintaining your own intranet file server, you’ll keep more control over your data―and you won’t have to worry about an external file server outage.

Gallery

Key features

On-premise plan: Keep your intranet and your data on your own servers. With Intranet Connections’ on-premise option, you can use a local file server instead of cloud storage.

Push communication: Make sure your team sees important communications. Intranet Connections’ push communication tool sends messages via Slack, text, or email when you have important updates.

Segments: Not every team needs to see the same information. Intranet Connections’ modern intranet system lets you create segments that display different content for different teams.

Pricing

On-Premise starting at $19,000 for the first year ($3,800/year starting year two).

Cloud-Based starting at $9,500/year.

Choosing the best SharePoint alternative

With all the SharePoint alternatives out there, which collaboration software will work best for your small business?

• If you want team collaboration software that can double as a productivity solution, go with Google Workspace and its many apps.
• If your business needs to share files and information with external collaborators, Huddle’s security and sharing tools are a great option.
• If you have lots of deskless workers, Igloo includes a comprehensive mobile app with plenty of features for communicating with remote teams. 
• If you operate on a tight budget, Confluence includes both free and affordable paid plans for document collaboration.
• If you want to keep your intranet local, Intranet Connections lets you host its software on a local file server instead of relying on its cloud servers.

Or, if none of these SharePoint competitors look quite right, take a look at our Collaboration Software Guide to explore even more options.

Sharepoint Alternative FAQs

Methodology and selection process

At TechnologyAdvice, we assess a wide range of factors before selecting our top choices for a given category. To make our selections, we rely on our extensive research, product information, vendor websites, competitor research, and first-hand experience. We then consider what makes a solution best for customer-specific needs.

By defining business needs, we can determine the essential PM dashboard features various sectors require, and select platforms that will cover all bases. Reputable providers known for their ease of use and customer satisfaction are added to our compilation list for further analysis.

We then evaluate each solution on the list based on the features they offer, considering the platform’s usability, integration capabilities, customization options, mobile access, and any other relevant functionalities. Price plans, hidden fees, customer reviews, and customer support are also assessed in the selection process.

Technology Advice writers will often take advantage of free trials and demos to get a first-hand user experience of available software. Finally, we curate a comprehensive list based on the previously stated factors, ensuring readers have the necessary tools to make an informed decision.

The post Top Microsoft SharePoint Alternatives appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

In this guide, we’ll cover the pros and cons of using Salesforce project management and discuss how you can make the most of Salesforce’s project management features.

Pros and cons of using Salesforce for project management

First of all, we need to begin this section by clarifying that Salesforce is not primarily intended as a project management system. While the cloud-based CRM platform is great at supporting your sales team, it was not designed as a project management solution.

That being said, Salesforce CRM does offer some features, extensions, and workarounds that can help with project management within a sales context. However, since Salesforce was not designed with project managers in mind, that means that it lacks many features that are standard issue in more dedicated project management tools.

This means that, if you have extensive, complex project management needs, then even the workarounds might not be enough to make Salesforce meet your requirements. Salesforce is also mostly intended to be used by sales teams, making cross-functional collaboration with other teams like marketing and finance very difficult.

At this point, you are probably asking yourself why you wouldn’t use a separate project management platform in addition to the Salesforce solution.

Why Salesforce for Project Management?
	One of the big advantages of managing projects inside Salesforce is ensuring that all your projects, accounts, opportunities, cases, and so on remain linked and synced in real time. Using a single system also cuts down on errors and reduces duplicate work, leading to greater efficiency and accuracy.

With these benefits in mind, we’ll dedicate the rest of this guide to walking you through how you can use Salesforce project management despite its limited capabilities.

The post How to use Salesforce for Project Management appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Asana vs. monday.com: Which is better?

	Asana	monday.com
Forever free plan	Robust functionality; max 10 users	Limited functionality; max 2 users
Starting price*	$10.99	$9
Free trial for paid plans	30 days	14 days
Integrations	200+ apps	~70 with action limits
Task management	Advanced, dynamic capabilities	Standard capabilities
Analytics	Standard capabilities	Advanced, dynamic capabilities

*per user, per month with annual billing

Check out our video overview below:

Visit Asana Visit monday.com

Asana – Better for task management

---

Pros

• Unlimited projects, tasks, and storage on all plans.
• More integration options.
• Dynamic project structures and workflows.
• Individual, team, and company-wide goal tracking.

Cons

• Fewer data visualization options.
• Larger learning curve.
• Longer implementation timeline.
• Basic project dashboards.

Visit Website

About Asana

Asana‘s flexible project management and task management tools will rise to the level of complexity you need. It allows you to monitor progress and stay ahead of potential risks by breaking down projects into multiple levels of tasks and subtasks. You also have complete control over project views, with options to group, sort, and filter tasks according to any field.

The software has other useful tools, like task dependencies, approvals, and batch actions. So if you need to stay on top of many moving parts, Asana’s task management features are a strong choice for your team.

Screenshot gallery

Key features

Project view customization: Control what details are displayed for your project and how. Organize by task type, status, owner, etc.

Task granularity: Asana allows you to break down assignments as thoroughly as necessary. Create tasks and subtasks with dependencies. Then, group tasks or establish dependencies to maintain the overall progress of your project.

High-level monitoring: Goal tracking and portfolio management features provide a birds’ eye view of progress and resources across multiple projects and teams.

Who should choose Asana?

Asana works well for a wide range of use cases, but it has a slight edge if:

• Your projects and workflows are complex.
• You have no budget for project management software.
• You have a team of 10 or fewer people.
• You want streamlined goal tracking.

monday.com: Better for reporting

---

Pros

• Pre-built modules for sales, development, and work management.
• 200+ project templates.
• First-party data architecture.
• Wide variety of highly customizable dashboard widgets.

Cons

• Integration use limited by plan.
• Restrictive task heirarchies.
• Limited view customizations.
• No top-level goal tracking.

Visit Website

About monday.com

monday.com bills itself as a “work OS,” or a platform that can manage workflow for everything from HR to design to software development. The platform includes lots of project management tools, but you can also use it as a CRM, workflow automation tool, or collaboration tool.

You can use monday.com to build custom dashboards and workflows. Or, if you don’t want to deal with manual setup, monday.com offers pre-built products like monday work management and monday CRM that you can customize as you go. Either way, you can tailor monday.com’s platform to multiple teams, workflows, and project use cases.

Screenshots

Key features

Project template library: Choose from hundreds of templates for unique use cases to get your project up and running quickly.

Dashboard customization: Dashboards offer tremendous versatility and numerous options to fine-tune data visualizations to your requirements.

App marketplace: Browse hundreds of apps (not to be confused with integrations) that have been curated by monday.com’s developer community to extend the software’s native functionality.

Who should choose monday.com?

Choose monday.com if:

• Your project structure is simple.
• You need a fast implementation timeline.
• Your projects are data-heavy.
• You want intricate tracking dashboards.

Asana vs. monday.com: Pricing

Winner: Asana

Here’s why: Asana and monday.com structure similarly, with forever free plans that graduate incrementally to custom enterprise packages. monday.com offers a lower starting price for its paid plans, but Asana offers more value in its free plan by a landslide.

• Comparison
• Asana
• monday.com

	Asana	monday work management
Starting price*	$10.99	$9
Free trial length	30 days	14 days
Maximum free seats	10	2
Discount for annual billing
Functional free plan		✘

*per user, per month with annual billing

Visit Asana Visit monday.com

Asana has five tiers:

• Personal: Free
• Starter: $10.99 per user per month
• Premium: $24.99 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom quote
• Enterprise+: Custom quote

The free plan allows up to 10 users, which means it could work for your small team. It offers all the essential project and task management tools.

Most teams, though, will want at least the mid-tier Premium plan. It gets you workflow automation, unlimited free guests, Gantt chart views, and other tools that will level-up your project management capabilities.

monday work management has five tiers:

• Free: Free
• Basic: $9 per user per month
• Standard: $12 per user per month
• Pro: $19 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom quote

monday.com also offers comparable plans for its specialized products, monday CRM and monday dev.

While monday.com does offer a free plan, it’s too limited for most teams. (You can only have two users, three boards, and no integrations.) Even the Basic plan lacks essentials like software automations, calendar and timeline views, and guest access.

Most businesses should expect to pay between $12 and $19 per user per month for the mid-tier Standard or Pro plans. Those both get you software integrations, workflow automation, and more project views―but the Pro plan gives you more of all of those.

Asana vs. monday.com: Integrations

Winner: Asana

Here’s why: Integrating your project management software with the other tools you use day-to-day should be simple, and with Asana, it is. You’ll get a bit more variety with monday.com, but it may increase the cost of using the software.

• Comparison
• Asana
• monday.com

	Asana	monday work management
Available integrations	200+	~70*
Integrations on all plans		✘
Unlimited integration actions		✘
Open API access

*monday.com offers additional apps that are separate from integrations.

Visit Asana Visit monday.com

With Asana, you get access to more than 200 popular apps like Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Figma, Jira, Slack, and Zoom. Most integrations are available on all Asana plans, but a handful of apps like Salesforce, Tableau, Power BI, and Adobe Creative Cloud are restricted to the higher paid plans. For the majority of use cases, though, the app you need to integrate is available for free.

Asana also offers open API access and works well with automation platforms like Zapier and Make. This is a nice workaround to automate basic processes for free, and it’s a must-have for complex flows that exceed Asana’s native capabilities.

monday.com’s approach to integrations is confusing at best and downright frustrating at worst. The integration library includes about 70 essential business apps that sync directly with your board, but you can’t actually use them unless you’re subscribed to the Standard plan or higher.

What’s more, monday.com limits integration usage — the Standard plan gets you 250 integration actions per month, while the Pro plan bumps you up to 25,000. This can drive up costs quickly, especially if you have a large team that often works cross-functionally. Even connecting to a platform like Zapier requires a webhook integration, so there aren’t any viable workarounds like there are with Asana.

One advantage monday.com offers, though, is its app marketplace. While the integrations are primarily used to sync data with other platforms, apps serve to extend monday.com’s native functionality. Things like embedding Google Docs in an item card, for example, can be accomplished without setting up an integration. See? Confusing.

Learn more about monday.com’s integrations in our video overview:

Asana vs. monday.com: Task management

Winner: Asana

Here’s why: monday.com’s project template library will help you jumpstart your project if you’re pressed for time, but its task management capabilities are relatively inflexible. Asana, on the other hand, gives you granular control over how your projects are structured and organized so your team can work more efficiently.

• Comparison
• Asana
• monday.com

	Asana	monday work management
Project templates	80+	200+
Multiple subtask levels		✘
Kanban, Gantt, and table views
Task dependencies

Visit Asana Visit monday.com

Asana offers a few compelling advantages over monday.com when it comes to managing complex workflows. First, Asana’s interface makes it easier to manipulate any project view to your requirements. You can group by tasks by type, status, owner, due date, etc. and sort within those groups to see what’s most important in different circumstances.

It also lets you break down projects into units that make sense for your team―whether that’s tasks, subtasks, or even sub-subtasks. You can’t assign one task to multiple people, which means you have to distill tasks into their simplest components. This level of granularity encourages accountability and clear communication.In comparison, monday.com’s capabilities are limited to one level of subtasks that struggle with reporting and automations.

Large Asana’s goal management features allow you to track progress across multiple projects.

monday work management isn’t as dynamic as Asana, but it does offer an impressive range of pre-configured options. For example, you can choose from more than 30 types of columns when building or customizing a board:

• Status
• Label
• Priority
• People
• Number
• Text
• Long text
• Timeline
• Date
• Creative brief
• Meeting notes
• Checkbox
• World clock
• Link
• Item ID
• Phone number
• Location
• Files
• Vote
• Rating
• Tags
• Creation log
• Last updated
• Progress tracking
• Button
• Dependency
• Dropdown
• Week
• Formula
• Country
• Color picker
• Time tracking
• Email address

Some of these column types are slight variations of the same thing (Text and Long text, for example) that can be accomplished with customizations in Asana. However, some columns like World clock, Formula, Button, and Rating offer a unique functionality that would take considerably more effort to replicate in Asana. Columns in the monday app can’t be customized to the same degree as those in Asana, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you don’t have the time or patience to fuss with building something from scratch.

To that end, monday.com’s vast library of templates range from broad use cases like Marketing Strategy to niche ones like Real Estate Agency Management. These templates demonstrate numerous ways monday.com can adapt to different industries, teams, projects, and workflows with little manual effort.

Asana vs. monday.com: Analytics

Winner: monday.com

Here’s why: Asana’s analytics capabilities are sufficient for basic project reports, but monday.com offers more variety and customization in terms of data visualization. monday.com’s first-party data architecture, mondayDB, is also better for maintaining large, complex dashboards.

• Comparison
• Asana
• monday.com

	Asana	monday work management
Dashboard widget options	6	40+
Per-dashboard widget limit	20	30
Exportable reports	✘	✘
Granular visualization controls	✘
First-party data infrastructure	✘
Goal tracking		✘

Visit Asana Visit monday.com

Asana’s analytics capabilities are pretty basic. Each project dashboard has six charts for data visualization:

• Bar charts.
• Line graphs.
• Donut charts.
• Burnup charts.
• Lollipop charts.
• Numbers.

You can tweak each chart’s axes and color palette, but it’s missing some of the controls monday.com offers for sizing, ascending/descending axes, and multi-dimensional charts. Similarly, Asana’s widget filters are less dynamic and can be a little tricky to configure correctly.

Asana is also more limited in terms of widget quantity — each dashboard maxes out at 20 widgets, so if you need more depth or detail, you’ll need to export the data to a different platform. (Thankfully, Asana’s Google Sheets integration makes this relatively easy.)

Outside of project-specific dashboards, though, Asana has some compelling analytics features. The Goals dashboard, for example, is reminiscent of performance management software: You can set up cascading goals at the company, team, or individual level and drill into more granular sub-goals and related work. This set up makes it easy to see how individual projects and tasks contribute to broader goals without much manual configuration.

monday.com’s greatest strength lies in its analytics capabilities. In 2023, the company announced the launch of mondayDB, its database architecture that powers the software’s boards and dashboards. mondayDB is a more flexible and secure infrastructure solution compared to most alternatives — it’s still in its first version, so particularly complex queries on large datasets tend to lag a bit, but monday.com’s product roadmap promises better performance at a larger scale in the coming months.

Beyond the database, monday.com’s dashboard widgets offer extensive data visualization options. You can choose from a large library of 30+ widgets to build a dashboard with the precise details you need to track what’s most important. It has all of the standard charts and graphs you’d expect, plus unique widgets for things like workload management, geo-mapping, and date countdowns. The app marketplace offers additional visualization options for niche use cases as well.

Like Asana, monday.com lacks the ability to generate ready-made, exportable reports, but you can export individual widgets as PDFs, PNGs, SVGs, and other file formats.

Learn more about monday.com’s dashboards in our 2-part video overview:

Asana vs. monday.com: Ready to choose?

Both Asana and monday.com are popular project management tools that can help your team plan workflows, automate tasks, and track projects and tasks. However, they aren’t built exactly the same:

If neither Asana nor monday sounds quite right for your team, check out popular alternatives in our Project Management Software Guide.

The post Asana vs. monday.com: Top Project Management Software in 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is the Google Project Management certificate?

The Google Project Management certificate is a self-paced, 100% remote credential for people just starting in the field. It teaches the fundamental skills required for project management, so it doesn’t require any previous experience or education. This level of accessibility is particularly beneficial for college students and career changers.

If you’re pursuing a career in the construction or environmental sustainability fields, Google offers specialized add-on certificates in these two industries. But before pursuing this extra training, though, you’ll need the foundational Project Management certificate.

Will you get hired with a Google PMP certificate?

It depends on your other qualifications. Since the certificate has no prerequisites, some employers may still require college degrees and other separate qualifications. It’s unlikely the certificate alone, with no other experience or higher education, can land you a quality job. Ultimately, Google does not guarantee any job prospects.

Curriculum

The certificate’s curriculum covers a range of introductory topics:

• Time and budget management
• Agile and Scrum frameworks
• Common project management mistakes
• Personnel supervision
• Project planning
• Basic Google and Microsoft software, such as Docs, Sheets, and Microsoft Office
• Brief introductions to specialized software, such as Asana and Smartsheet

All learning is entirely online and self-paced, allowing individuals to study at their convenience. College students and working professionals will certainly enjoy this flexibility.

We like Google’s emphasis on the Agile and Scrum project management frameworks. After all, these two strategies are perhaps the most commonly used and demanded by employers. So this is a key advantage to the certificate’s curriculum.

But the course’s lack of detailed software training is a weak spot. Project management tools are crucial to success, so more training is needed. Plan on learning titles such as Monday.com on your own.

Who needs the Google Project Management certificate?

The certificate is a great choice if any of these situations describe you:

• Want to start a career in project management
• Own a business looking to hire or train project managers
• Work extensively with project managers in your current career
• Need education hours to apply toward Project Management Institute certifications
• Want general-purpose project planning skills

Indeed, Google’s offering is especially appealing thanks to its low price and self-paced, fully remote learning path. So, if you’re in one of the situations above, then your wallet will feel happy.

On the other hand, if none of these circumstances above apply to you, then Google’s certification isn’t worth your time. It’s too simple for experienced project management professionals. And the three- to six-month completion estimate is too lengthy for casual learners not otherwise involved in project management.

Small business considerations

Many small businesses opt to train existing staff on project management principles instead of hiring an outsider. This path saves money and keeps things simple. In this case, Google’s low price is particularly attractive.

For only $49 a month, you can get a staffer up and running in just a few months or less. This strategy is a far better deal than spending months recruiting a project manager. As a result, the Google Project Management certificate is a perfect solution for small businesses.

Instead, we’d recommend other options, such as those from the Project Management Institute.

How much does Google PMP cost?

Google’s program fee is $49 per month. So, with a three- to six-month completion time, you’ll pay a total between $147 to $294. In comparison, many certificates, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute, can soar over $500. Some clear $1,000.

Bottom line, Google offers an affordable deal, but at a slower, time-consuming pace. As a result, if you can shell out more cash, you may wish to pursue a condensed, higher-priced alternative that takes only days to complete.

How long does the Google project management course take?

The Google Project Management Certificate program consists of six courses that add up to about 180 hours total:

• Foundations of Project Management: 18 hours
• Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project: 23 hours
• Project Planning: Putting It All Together: 33 hours
• Project Execution: Running the Project: 30 hours
• Agile Project Management: 28 hours
• Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World: 47 hours

Even at a super-human pace with no time for breaks or sleep, the course would take over a week to complete. Most people — especially those who pursue the certificate on the side — usually complete the course within three to six months. Since it’s self-paced, your mileage may vary.

Can I complete the Google Project Management certificate while working full-time?

Yes. The program is self-paced, so you can easily balance your studies and work commitments.

What is the best project management certification?

While the Google Project Management certificate is attractive, there are other highly regarded options as well.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers the globally recognized Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. This certification holds substantial weight in the industry and is well-regarded by employers. The PMP certification, however, has stricter eligibility requirements and a higher cost compared to the Google Project Management certificate. It’s not suitable for beginners.

Another certification to consider is the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), also offered by PMI. This certification is suitable for individuals who are new to project management and do not meet the prerequisites for the PMP certification. In this sense, it’s a worthy alternative for beginners.

Read more: Is the CAPM Certification Worth It?

The post Is the Google Project Management Certificate Worth it? appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

• Many people choose Asana or Jira for their project management needs.
• While they are comparable, they aren’t the same. Here’s an in-depth comparison to help you choose the right solution for your business.

Asana and Jira are two of the most popular project management (PM) systems on the market. While some people still think of Jira solely as an agile development tool, it also offers a standard project management solution: Jira Core.

Comparing these project management systems can feel tedious, so we put together this comparison piece. We’ll examine these solutions side-by-side, looking at their features, user experience (UX), integrations, and support options.

If you’ve already narrowed down your search to Asana vs. Jira, read on. Otherwise, use our software category page to browse other options. You can also click the banner below to receive a free, no-hassle shortlist of PM recommendations from our knowledgeable Technology Advisors. Getting started is easy and takes less than five minutes.

Which Project Management Software Is Right For Your Business?

Topics

1. Top features in Asana and Jira
2. User experience (UX) in Asana vs. Jira
3. Integrations offered
4. Available support options
5. Request your custom shortlist of the best PM software

Top features in Asana vs. Jira

Back to topics list ↑

In terms of features, Asana and Jira are very similar. Both are cloud-based solutions that offer standard project management tools.

For example, Asana and Jira organize to-dos into task lists which you can visualize in Kanban boards and workflows. Tasks in both systems support adding task details, attachments, assignees, due dates, and comments with @ mentions. Both solutions also offer advanced capabilities like task dependencies.

The basics are all roughly the same in Asana vs. Jira, but there are three big differences:

• local host deployment
• project portfolio management (PPM)
• calendar view

Currently Asana is the only one of the two that offers a PPM tool and calendar view. Jira doesn’t offer a calendar view for task lists, but it does offer a separate tool for project portfolio management. Jira also gives users the option to choose from a few cloud-based Jira Core plans or to host the software on private servers.

These differences may not matter too much if you prefer a cloud-based software and if you can do without a couple extra view options. But if you need a project management system more capable of showing you the big picture, Asana is more likely to check all your boxes.

User experience (UX) in Asana vs. Jira

Back to topics list ↑

If UX is a top priority for you, don’t worry — both Asana and Jira feature great user interfaces (UI) that make it easy to navigate through your projects and stay on track. That being said, Jira has a slight edge on Asana when it comes to user experience.

Jira is all about keeping it simple. While this does mean Asana offers a few more bells and whistles than Jira, this approach plays to Jira’s advantage in terms of UX. Navigating in Jira is fast and easy. The system only displays the most important section icons in the left sidebar, and all elements on the screen have enough space to breathe. If you want to add more navigation sections to the left sidebar, Jira also lets you customize your workspace.

This isn’t to say Asana offers a poor user experience — it’s just different. When working in Asana, you’ll notice many more navigation buttons in the left sidebar than you see in Jira. Asana also displays a short list of saved reports, an option to switch between teams, and a list of your projects.

This is good for larger organizations where you might be involved in multiple projects with different teams, but for smaller companies or for people who usually work with the same group of people on one project at a time, it can feel overwhelming.

Integrations offered

Back to topics list ↑

Asana and Jira both offer an impressive list of integrations. For Asana, you can browse apps in Asana’s App Directory, and for Jira, you can find apps in the Atlassian Marketplace.

You’ll find integrations for document management systems like Google Drive and Dropbox in Asana and Jira, but Asana offers a better selection of general-use integrations. These include apps such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Teams, Slack, MailChimp, and Salesforce.

There are currently over 950 apps for Jira on the Atlassian Marketplace, but they tend to be more specialized and geared towards software development. You’ll still find apps like Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack, and Salesforce, but expect to see more apps like GitHub, Zephyr, and other tools typically associated with agile development. Jira also integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian tools like Confluence and Bitbucket.

Available support options

Back to topics list ↑

Like most project management systems, Asana and Jira offer varying levels of support and response speed based on the plan you choose. The range of support offered starts with community forums and knowledge base resources for lower priced plans and ends with prompt responses from both companies’ customer success teams.

Asana divides the level of its support across four different pricing tiers. Jira takes a similar approach, except Jira uses a progressive pricing model, which means you only pay for the number of users in your organization.

Within this progressive pricing model, Jira offers its Software Cloud in two tiers: Standard and Premium. A Premium subscription gets you a guaranteed 99.9 percent uptime service level agreement (SLA) and access to 24/7 Premium Support. For companies that opt to host Jira on their own servers, Jira offers free software maintenance within your first year. This maintenance includes security patches, critical bug fixes, access to the Support team, and more.

Request your custom shortlist of the best PM software

Back to topics list ↑

After all is said and done, it’s hard to go wrong with either Asana or Jira. But if you’re still not convinced these are the right tools for you, contact us or use our software category page to compare other vendors. We’ll send you a free, no-hassle shortlist of the best project management software for your needs. It’s easy to get started and takes less than five minutes.

The post Asana vs. Jira: A Comparison Of Two Powerful Project Management Systems appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Top 5 Lucidchart alternatives

Miro: Best for scalable team collaboration

Miro is an online diagramming tool that allows users to create comprehensive workflows, organizational charts, and flowcharts. Like Lucidchart, it provides a platform for visualizing complex information, making it easier to understand and share. Both tools are designed to enhance collaboration and streamline the process of creating visual representations of data.

While Lucidchart is known for its data visualization and collaboration features, Miro sets itself apart with its extensive template library tailored for various flowchart needs. It also offers integration capabilities with third-party apps like Google Docs and Microsoft Teams, allowing users to share their flowcharts. Additionally, some users have pointed out areas where Miro’s UX/UI could be improved, suggesting that there might be a slight learning curve compared to Lucidchart.

Pros

• Vast template library catering to different flowchart needs.
• Provides tools for creating professional diagrams.
• Syncs with apps like Google Docs and Microsoft Teams.

Cons

• The UI/UX has room for improvement.
• Free version restricted to only 3 boards.

Key features

Extensive template library

Miro understands that every project has unique requirements, and starting from scratch isn’t always the most efficient approach. That’s why it offers an expansive library of templates catering to many flowchart needs.

Whether you’re mapping out a complex business process, visualizing a user journey, or brainstorming ideas, Miro’s templates serve as a foundation, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Professionals created these templates so that users, regardless of their level of expertise, have a useful and attractive starting point.

Diagramming tools

Creating a flowchart is more than just connecting boxes with arrows; it’s about clarity, precision, and aesthetics. Miro’s suite of diagramming tools is crafted to empower users to design informative and visually compelling flowcharts.

With a range of shapes, lines, colors, and text options, users can customize every aspect of their diagram. The platform’s intuitive interface makes sure that, whether you’re a novice or a seasoned designer, crafting a professional-looking flowchart is an exceptional experience.

Third-party app integration

In today’s interconnected digital landscape, integrating with other platforms is invaluable. Miro recognizes this and offers third-party app integration capabilities. Whether drafting a document in Google Docs or collaborating with a team on Microsoft Teams, Miro helps you access your flowcharts with ease. 

This integration capability streamlines workflows, reduces the need for constant switching between apps, and fosters real-time collaboration. With Miro, your flowcharts become an integral part of your broader collaborative ecosystem, and keep everyone on the same page.

Pricing

• Free plan: Includes unlimited team members and 3 active boards.
• Starter plan: Starts at $8/user/mo. billed annually.
• Business plan: Starts at $16/user/mo. billed annually.
• Enterprise plan: Requires custom pricing.

Why choose Miro over Lucidchart

Miro stands out as a versatile diagramming tool with an extensive template library and integration capabilities. Its focus on providing a comprehensive platform for creating and sharing flowcharts makes it a compelling choice over Lucidchart, especially for teams looking for a more integrated and template-rich experience.

Visit Miro

Creately: Best for visual project management

Creately is a versatile tool that combines a simple whiteboard and a powerful database. Designed to foster team collaboration, Creately offers an interactive and functional workspace without downloads or installations. It’s a platform that mirrors Lucidchart in its core objective of facilitating visual collaboration.

While Lucidchart is a popular choice for diagramming, Creately differentiates itself with features like an infinite canvas, real-time text cursors, and mouse pointers. It also boasts advanced sharing permissions, spotlighting and following other collaborators, and integration capabilities with platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom.

Pros

• Provides infinite canvas for diagramming.
• Allows precise sharing permissions for better collaboration.
• Excellent integration with tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

Cons

• Its extensive features can be overwhelming.
• Importing an SVG file can present challenges.

Key features

Visual project management and execution tools

Creately offers visual project management tools that allow users to put anything on a workflow with Kanban boards. The platform supports advanced workflows with multiple boards and timelines.

Tasks can be assigned multiple roles, and there’s a simple My Tasks view for individual tracking. Other features include full-text search, indexes, and the ability to establish dependencies and relationships between tasks.

Advanced diagramming, flowcharting, and whiteboards

Creately supports more than 70 types of diagramming standards, thus providing versatility for various projects. With a library of more than 8,000 professional templates and 200,000 examples, users have many options to kickstart their projects.

The platform also emphasizes a keyboard-first drawing approach with its PlusCreate feature. This means users can prioritize keyboard inputs for faster diagramming. Additionally, Creately offers complete customization for professional diagrams, hand drawing and markup support, and links and connectors for creating navigational flows.

Unlimited visual collaboration

Creately’s platform is designed to foster collaboration among teams. The spotlight and follow part allows users to track other collaborators’ actions, making sure that everyone is on the same page.

Pricing

• Free plan is available.
• Starter: Starts at $5 per month, billed annually.
• Business: Starts at $89 per month, billed annually.
• Enterprise: Requires custom pricing.

Why choose Creately over Lucidchart

Creately stands out with its unlimited visual collaboration features, extensive diagramming standards, and integration capabilities. Its emphasis on both keyboard-first drawing and hand drawing gives users a unique blend of precision and personalization, making it a compelling choice over Lucidchart.

Visit Creately

Draw.io: Best for free, open-source diagramming

Draw.io stands out as open-source diagramming software, meaning users can access its features without cost. Like Lucidchart, it provides a platform for individuals and teams to create a variety of diagrams, such as flowcharts, UML diagrams, organizational charts, and ER models.

The software is browser-hosted, making it accessible across various operating systems, and can be used both online and offline. Its integration capabilities with platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, Confluence Server/Cloud, and Dropbox make it a versatile tool for collaborative projects.

While Lucidchart offers a range of features and integrations, Draw.io sets itself apart primarily due to its cost-free nature. Despite being a free Lucidchart alternative, it doesn’t compromise on essential features. However, it might have limited design options, making it more suitable for simpler projects. Unlike Lucidchart, which might require a subscription for advanced features, Draw.io offers a no-cost solution without the need for account creation.

Pros

• Completely free to use.
• Effortless integration with platforms like Google Drive, GitHub, and more.
• Users can start without any sign-up process.

Cons

• Lacks some advanced features.
• Zooming issue when opening an existing diagram.

Key features

Desktop and online versions

Draw.io offers a desktop version available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. This is perfect for those who prefer an offline application or want enhanced security. Additionally, Draw.io offers an online version, which is excellent for those who prefer web-based tools. This online version also doubles as a diagram viewer for files created by other diagramming tools.

Mobile diagramming and flexible file storage

For those on the move, Draw.io can be added as a web link on mobile devices for on-the-go diagramming. The platform also offers flexibility in terms of file storage. Users can store their diagrams on Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub, GitLab, Dropbox, or even on their local device.

Google Workspace, GitHub, Microsoft, and other integrations

Draw.io can be integrated into Google Workspace, allowing users to store diagram files in Google Drive and work with them in Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Similarly, Draw.io works with Microsoft’s OneDrive, Sharepoint, Office 365, and Teams.

For developers and teams using GitHub, Draw.io offers an app that allows access authorization to individual repositories. Beyond GitHub, Draw.io can be integrated into platforms like Notion, Nextcloud, Atlassian Confluence, and Jira, among others. This guarantees that regardless of the platform your team uses, Draw.io can be a part of it.

Pricing

• Free 30-day trial is available.
• Cloud: $20/mo. for up to 20 users; $532.50/mo. for up to 2,000 users..
• Data center: $6,000/yr. for up to 500 users; $10,000/yr. for up to 2,000 users.

Why choose Draw.io over Lucidchart

Draw.io stands out for its open-source nature, wide range of integrations, and flexibility in terms of deployment (online, offline, self-hosted).

Its adaptability to various platforms, from Google Workspace to Microsoft’s suite, makes it a versatile choice for teams of all sizes. Plus, the fact that it offers a robust set of features for free makes it a compelling alternative to Lucidchart.

Visit Draw.io

Also read: Top Airtable Alternatives & Competitors (2024)

Gliffy: Best for intuitive and user-friendly interface

Gliffy is facilitates team collaboration with its user-friendly editor and interface. Much like Lucidchart, it allows users to create diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes, and more.

As an Atlassian Marketplace app, Gliffy is designed to enhance documentation by providing engaging and relevant diagrams to content. Whether you’re familiar with Lucidchart or new to the world of diagramming, Gliffy offers an intuitive experience for creating visual representations.

While both Gliffy and Lucidchart serve as diagramming tools, the two have some key differences. Gliffy stands out with its customization options, allowing users to add images, modify the color palette, and more. Its drag-and-drop interface simplifies the process of drawing flowcharts and organizational charts online.

Moreover, Gliffy’s integration with platforms such as Slack, Trello, and monday.com streamlines the collaborative process by enabling real-time communication and project tracking. However, users may experience performance issues with Gliffy, as it can become cumbersome and less responsive, mainly when dealing with more extensive, complex charts and diagrams.

Pros

• Provides an intuitive editor and user interface.
• Offers options to tailor charts, including adding images.
• Drag-and-drop feature that simplifies the process of diagram creation.

Cons

• Can be less responsive with larger charts.
• Offers a narrower range of templates compared to competitors.
• Less versatile than Lucidchart.

Key features

Customization

Gliffy’s customization capabilities are designed to cater to the unique needs of its users. Not only can you effortlessly integrate images into your diagrams, but you also have the freedom to play around with a diverse color palette. This feature makes sure that your visual representations align with your brand or presentation theme.

Whether aiming for a professional look or a more creative flair, Gliffy provides the tools to tailor every aspect of your diagrams. From line styles to text fonts, the platform empowers users to make their creations their own.

Online access with Confluence and Jira integration

Gliffy’s online availability gives users access to their diagrams anywhere, anytime, without requiring software installations.

What sets Gliffy apart is its tight integration with Atlassian’s Confluence and Jira. For teams already using these platforms, this means they can embed and edit Gliffy diagrams directly within Confluence pages or Jira tickets. This integration streamlines workflows, making it easier to visualize project timelines, system architectures, or even user journeys right where the team’s documentation and project tracking occur.

User-friendly editor for diverse diagramming needs

Gliffy is designed with simplicity in mind, to help novices jump in and start creating. Its intuitive interface allows users to drag and drop elements, customize shapes, and easily add text.

Whether you’re sketching out a quick flowchart, designing a detailed wireframe for a new website, or mapping out an organizational structure, Gliffy’s editor is versatile enough to handle a wide range of diagramming needs. The tool’s user-centric design approach keeps the focus on conveying information effectively rather than grappling with complicated software mechanics.

Pricing

• Free trial is available. 
• Professional plan: Starts at $8/user/mo. for up to 9 users, billed annually; $6/user/mo. for 10 to 50 users billed annually.
• Enterprise plan: Requires custom pricing.

Why choose Gliffy over Lucidchart

Gliffy offers a blend of intuitive design and customization options, making it a top choice for those seeking an alternative to Lucidchart. Its collaboration features, especially the integration with popular platforms, give it an edge for teams looking to streamline their diagramming process.

If you’re searching for a tool that combines ease of use with powerful features, Gliffy is worth considering.

Visit Gliffy

What is Lucidchart?

Millions worldwide rely on the premier diagramming and visual collaboration platform, Lucidchart. Renowned for its intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, Lucidchart boasts a vast template library catering to diverse diagramming needs, from flowcharts to organizational charts. Its real-time collaboration feature allows teams to work together, and with compatibility across various devices and platforms, users can access and edit their diagrams anytime, anywhere.

Learn more about Lucidchart in our video demo:

What are the limitations of Lucidchart?

Choosing the right Lucidchart alternative

In today’s digital world, the right tools can optimize our workflow. When exploring Lucidchart alternatives, it’s essential to consider your team’s unique requirements. 

Several factors are essential when evaluating alternatives to Lucidchart:

Here are some considerations based on the top Lucidchart alternatives:

Selecting a Lucidchart hinges on carefully assessing your team’s specific needs and workflow preferences. By weighing these options against the critical factors of user experience, collaboration, integration, cost, and compatibility, you can choose a diagramming and project management tool that not only matches but also enhances your team’s productivity and efficiency.

The post Top 5 Lucidchart Alternatives for 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.