Irene Casucian, Author at TechnologyAdvice

Pros

Contains a virtual whiteboard and other collaboration tools
Offers 24/7 customer support
Has a 14-day free trial for Pro plan

Cons

Limited integrations on some plans
Lacks task dependencies

User-friendly Interface: monday.com’s intuitive interface benefits project managers by allowing for seamless navigation, task management, and collaboration. The visual design, drag-and-drop functionality, and customizable features enable efficient project planning and execution. The intuitive interface helps project managers stay organized, communicate effectively, and streamline their workflow for improved productivity.

Views: Multiple perspectives allow project managers and team members to observe projects and duties. Choose from options such as a table, Gantt chart, Kanban board, and calendar.

View-only and guest access: Options for view-only and guest access can save you money on paid plans. Team members can observe assignments and project progress without a plan—or welcome four guests for the price of one (ideal for collaboration between freelancers).

monday.com offers a free subscription.

Basic plan starts at $9 per seat per month, billed annually.

Standard plan starts at $12 per seat per month, billed annually.

Pro plan starts at $19 per seat per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan: Contact the sales team for a custom quote.

We choose monday.com for its intuitive interface, allowing easy navigation and collaboration. Its versatility enables customization to match specific workflows and team structures. The platform prioritizes collaboration and communication, facilitating effective project planning and execution.

monday.com is a web-based Kanban software and “work-OS” platform that allows teams and stakeholders to manage their work and track progress on various projects and tasks. It provides a visual and intuitive interface that helps groups organize and streamline their workflows, communicate effectively, and stay on top of their assignments.

monday.com’s interface is user-friendly due to its intuitive design and visual nature, and it enhances usability and ensures a smooth user experience. The platform employs a clean and organized layout with drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy for users to navigate, collaborate, and customize their workflow.

Try monday.com

Also read: The Top Benefits of Kanban for Project Management

Trello: Best for workflow management

Pros

Provides real-time visibility of tasks in progress, bottlenecked, or canceled
Offers free versions to small teams with multifunctional positions
Intuitive and user-friendly

Cons

Lacks useful templates, designs, and plugins that would make customization simpler
Does not permit the export of all boards to a spreadsheet in the free version

Workflow management: Users can invite unlimited users to any project, all of whom can communicate directly with the board. With a few keystrokes, they can provide feedback, attach files, and mention colleagues

Visual organization tool: Boards, cards, and lists are included in the software for collaborative collaboration. Members can upload files directly from Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box, as well as drag-and-drop lists and cards to reflect project progress.

Power-ups and integrations: Users can complete duties without leaving the system because of power-ups. Due to the product’s email integration, users can generate and move cards from their emails. Its integration with other applications simplifies project completion and eliminates the need to transition between applications.

Trello offers a free subscription.

Standard plan starts at $5 per user, per month, billed annually.

Premium plan starts at $10 per user, per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan starts at $17.50 per user, per month, billed annually.

We choose Trello because it offers a simple and intuitive interface for quick adoption and ease of use. It provides a flexible and visual approach to project management, allowing users to customize boards and cards to match their workflow. Trello’s collaboration features, such as comments, attachments, and notifications, facilitate effective team communication. The platform also integrates with various tools and offers mobile apps for accessibility. Overall, Trello’s user-friendly design, flexibility, and collaborative features make it an appealing choice for project managers.

Trello is a simple collaboration tool that enables you to monitor all your employees’ work progress in a single application. This software uses cards, lists, and Kanban boards to track every project assignment. It is an excellent tool for organizing, planning, and sharing information with your entire team, simplifying tracking and managing your projects.

It offers several key features for project management. Users can create and assign tasks, set due dates, and add labels and attachments. The platform supports collaboration by allowing team members to comment on cards, attach files, and receive notifications. Users can create checklists, set priorities, and track progress with activity logs. Additionally, Trello integrates with various third-party apps and services, offers mobile apps, and provides automation capabilities through Power-Ups and Butler.

Try Trello

Also read: The Versatility of Kanban Boards in Project Management

Asana: Best for task management

Pros

Offers a free plan available for up to 15 users
Enables users to customize task template
Personalized “My Tasks” dashboard for each stakeholder

Cons

Lacks the option to assign multiple users to a task
Few alternatives for data export

Task management: Asana’s task management tracks tasks from beginning to end, enables users to delegate subtasks to colleagues, and sets deadlines to ensure projects are completed on time. Asana enables teams to prioritize tasks, manage time more efficiently, and meet deadlines using a single application. It also facilitates the exchange of files, feedback, and ideas.

Automation: Automation simplifies workflows, reduces errors, and frees up team members to focus on the next big event. Asana’s automation capabilities ensure the team never misses a crucial step and delivers value more quickly. Managers can also use Rules to automate repetitive duties so that team members do not have to consider them. Additionally, users can convert common projects into custom templates. Asana’s audit trails and error alerts inform Rule proprietors of any issues that arise.

Workflow Builder: By automating processes and keeping work flowing, the Workflow Builder enables users to coordinate work across teams in a seamless manner. Organizations can create more efficient workflows with this visual tool by integrating team members, harmonizing work, and streamlining projects in a single location. Within workflows, users can connect the right people with the right information at the right moment, allowing the team to concentrate on the work that matters.

Basic plan is free.

Premium plan starts at $10.99 per user, per month, billed annually.

Business plan starts at $24.99 per user, per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan requires custom pricing.

We choose Asana because it offers comprehensive features, including task management, project planning, and team collaboration tools. Its clean and intuitive interface enhances usability. Asana’s customizable dashboards, timelines, and advanced reporting capabilities provide valuable insights and help track project progress. Integration with popular apps and services allows for seamless workflow integration. Additionally, Asana offers robust communication features like commenting, file sharing, and notifications, facilitating efficient team collaboration. Overall, Asana’s feature-rich platform, user-friendly interface, and collaboration capabilities make it a preferred choice for project managers.

Asana is a web-based project management software that enables teams to manage projects, prioritize what’s most essential, and organize their work in one central location for seamless collaboration. From the minute to the monumental, the platform coordinates work so that teams know what to do, why it is important, and how to complete it. It enables organizations to manage company objectives, digital transformations, product launches, and marketing campaigns.

Asana offers web and mobile applications that enable teams to remain on track, organize projects, and meet deadlines regardless of their location. Additionally, the software serves as a collaboration instrument. Managers can synchronize team assignments so that everyone is aware of their responsibilities, and coworkers can share feedback, files, and status updates. Asana provides a comprehensive view of work and enables teams to focus on the appropriate duties at the right time. Team members are able to view the project’s progression, monitor individual duties, organize sprints, and successfully launch products.

Try asana

Jira: Best for planning and roadmap tools

Pros

Offers tailored project management tools for dev teams
Provides easy access to important data through roadmaps, charts, and reports
Customizable dashboards
Extensive integrations

Cons

Steep learning curve, setup complexity
Less user-friendly

Agile project management: Jira almost has everything you need to run an agile project. It has Scrum and Kanban boards that show the state of projects and burndown charts that show how the team is doing. It also makes it easy to plan sprints with points, so you don’t need any other apps. The different Scrum reports in Jira can help you hold a better, more data-driven review after your sprint.

Roadmaps: Jira roadmaps make it easy to see how teams, projects, and tasks are doing across all of them. Roadmaps let you see how tasks depend on each other and how much time your team has, so that you can make better plans. Advanced Roadmaps can let you create versions of your roadmap for the worst and best cases.

Automation: Jira lets you set up your workflow so that it takes care of jobs you do repeatedly. It can, for example, give team members jobs, send emails to clients, hand off projects, and do other things. You can also use its “no-code” automation engine to build an automated process that fits your needs. However, Jira limits the number of automatic rules you can use monthly. You can only have 100 rules with the free plan, but with the Premium plan, you can have 1,000.

Jira offers a free subscription.

Standard plan starts at $7.75 per user per month.

Premium plan starts at $15.25 per user per month.

Enterprise plan requires custom pricing.

We choose Jira because it offers specialized project management and roadmap tools tailored to development teams, allowing for efficient bug tracking, version control, and sandbox environments. Its robust reporting and data visualization capabilities provide valuable insights for planning and decision-making. Jira’s extensive marketplace of integrations enables seamless connectivity with various tools, enhancing functionality. While Jira may have a learning curve and lacks certain features, its technical focus and tailored solutions make it a preferred choice for project managers in the software development industry.

Jira is a collaboration tool that helps users manage tasks, prioritize projects, and meet deadlines. This program can expedite the execution phases of your project’s development. With Jira, you can access crucial, actionable insights for achieving your objectives.

It takes a unique approach to task administration. Most out-of-the-box Jira workflows are intended to assist teams in building, testing, and releasing software; however, custom workflows can be designed for use in other product development and Agile scenarios. Jira’s task management features are explicitly integrated into an Agile framework, so non-software development teams will likely have less flexibility with Jira.

Try Jira

Also read: Trello vs. Jira: Top Agile Project Management Tool (2023)

Wrike: Best for ready-made templates

Pros

Comes with advanced task and project management features
Provides flexible and customizable workflows
Offers real-time collaboration and communication capabilities

Cons

Limited reporting and analytics functionality
More expensive

Ready-made templates: These templates provide predefined structures, workflows, and task lists that align with specific project types or industries. By utilizing these templates, project managers can quickly set up projects, saving them from starting from scratch and ensuring consistency in project management practices. This feature reduces the learning curve and empowers teams to get started swiftly, making Wrike an attractive choice for organizations seeking a streamlined and efficient project management process.

Collaboration: Users can approve assets, give comments, and work with other departments with this solution. It gets rid of cumbersome worksheets and old files. Wrike makes it easy to proof and approve documents, keeps track of different versions of documents, and has interactive request forms.

Client and resource control: Wrike keeps clients in the loop, stores papers safely, and ensures that staff and other resources are best used. With Wrike Lock, team members can make custom reports for clients and share them with them. They can also protect private client data. Wrike also has ways to keep track of time and money.

Wrike offers a free subscription.

Team plan starts at $9.80 per user, per month.

Business plan starts at $24.80 per user, per month.

Enterprise & Pinnacle plans require custom pricing.

We chose Wrike due to its advanced task and ready-made templates, customizable protocols, and seamless app and tool integration. Its capabilities for real-time collaboration and communication increase team productivity. The availability of ready-made templates provides a structured approach to project management and saves time. Although there is a learning curve, Wrike’s functionality, adaptability, and effectiveness make it an attractive option for project managers seeking a comprehensive and customizable solution for their teams.

Wrike is an all-inclusive platform for collaboration and project management that revolutionizes teamwork. Every task and undertaking is more productive and efficient due to the software. Wrike monitors the team’s project performance and accomplishments. It provides the necessary insights via visual, dynamic reports that are shareable with all stakeholders. With Wrike Resource, the solution also enables the management of team bandwidth.

Wrike’s time and effort monitoring and workload management capabilities guarantee that team members are well-spent and well-rested. Wrike provides businesses with all the benefits of a cloud-based platform and the ability to manage data as if on-premise. It provides teams with enterprise-grade security and complete encryption control. Wrike’s Kanban boards, Gantt charts, time tracking, custom request forms with auto-assignment, performance reports, resource management and allocation, automated reporting, and shared workflows enable teams to streamline management.

Try Wrike

ClickUp: Best for project management tools

Pros

Has tools for project management, collaboration, and workflow
Offers 24/7 customer service in all plans
Provides formula-based calculation

Cons

Fewer integrations
Lacks free trials

Customization: ClickUp is fully customizable, allowing users to administer any project without coding or add-ons. With a variety of ClickApps that add a variety of functionalities, team members can adapt duties to any work requirement. In addition, users can save time by automating tasks, assigning Sprint Points, and adding Custom Fields.

Project management: With ClickUp, organizations can enhance time tracking, allowing employees to concentrate on their work. Additionally, teams can set estimates, add notes, and view time reports from any location. With the Chrome extension for the platform, users can record time from a desktop, mobile, or web browser. The software enables the linking of tracked time to any active endeavor. The global timer permits starting and stopping time from any device and switching between assignments.

Reporting: With ClickUp’s reporting features, team members can set goals, monitor progress, and manage resources more effectively. The Workload and Box views enable managers to visualize the team’s daily work capacity. They can determine who is under or overcapacity to eliminate bottlenecks and effectively allocate resources. In addition, users can access and generate detailed reports for time-tracked and billable time. ClickUp reports disclose the accuracy of estimates, allowing teams to plan future projects efficiently.

Clickup offers a free subscription for personal use.

Unlimited plan starts at $7 per user, per month, billed annually.

Business plan starts at $12 per user, per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan requires custom pricing

We choose Clickup for its wide range of project management features, including task management, collaboration tools, time tracking, and goal setting. ClickUp offers a highly customizable interface and allows for seamless integration with other apps and platforms. Its user-friendly design, intuitive navigation, and flexible hierarchy enable efficient project organization. Additionally, ClickUp provides robust reporting and analytics capabilities, empowering project managers with valuable insights for decision-making. Overall, ClickUp’s comprehensive feature set, customization options, and ease of use make it an attractive choice for project managers seeking a versatile project management solution.

ClickUp is a cloud-based project administration and collaboration service for organizations of all sizes. Its unique hierarchy enables users to construct an optimal structure that scales to accommodate various business requirements. Each platform level provides greater latitude and control for organizing everything from small teams to large enterprises. It consolidates all tasks in one place. Whether the user is proofing ads or working on sprints, the software is entirely customizable for all team types and sizes. Its capabilities encompass both design and development.

Additionally, it supports modularity with add-ons known as ClickApps, enabling extensive customization for each team separately. ClickUp includes documents, reminders, objectives, calendars, and an inbox. It offers Assigned Comments, LineUpTM, and Box View for managing personnel. The platform aims to increase productivity by reducing the friction from using numerous applications.

Try clickup

Businessmap: Best for visualizing workflow

Pros

Offers customizable Kanban project boards for tailored workflow management
Has a time-tracking feature to monitor and optimize task performance
Provides analytics and reporting capabilities for tracking project metrics and efficiency

Cons

Overwhelming interface, per some users
Limited native integrations with third-party tools

Visibility and Portfolio Management: Kanbanize provides a visual representation of projects, initiatives, and portfolios, allowing users to track progress, dependencies, and automatically forecast blockers and risks.

Scalability: Kanbanize allows for natural horizontal and vertical scaling, accommodating single teams to thousands of teams and extending to the CEO level without disruptions.

Strategy Execution: The platform enables the deployment of corporate strategy through cascading initiatives, aligning all levels of the organization, and ensuring seamless execution.

Kanbanize offers a free trial.

Annual plan starts at $149 per month for 15 users, billed annually.

Kanbanize has unique scalability, seamless strategy execution through cascading initiatives, comprehensive visibility across projects and portfolios, and the ability to optimize workflows based on sophisticated flow metrics. Kanbanize’s emphasis on scalability, strategy alignment, visual tracking, and workflow optimization makes it attractive for project managers seeking a flexible and efficient project management solution that can accommodate different team sizes and align with their organizational strategies.

Businessmap, a cloud-based business process management service, offers lean workflow management for SMBs and large enterprises across various industries and countries. Its customizable Kanban project boards, collaboration tools, time-tracking, email integration, and analytics facilitate efficient work processes. The software enables the application of Lean and Kanban principles, helping teams achieve productivity goals. Project managers can handle multiple projects simultaneously with their card and hierarchy systems.

Run-time policies automate recurring tasks, notifications, portfolio board rules, and batch updates. Its automated reports provide insights into lead and cycle times, efficiency, throughput, and billable hours. The platform’s premium analytics offer Monte Carlo simulations for productivity forecasting.

Try businessmap

Which Kanban software is right for you?

While we recommend all the Kanban tools above, the best Kanban software for your business depends on your unique situation.

If you’re searching for customizable software with an intuitive interface, monday.com can assist you in visually tracking projects and allocating resources.
If you require a straightforward and user-friendly project management solution, Trello can provide flexible organization tools to help you streamline your duties and collaborate effectively with your team.
If you want to effectively plan, track, and manage your projects while fostering communication and teamwork, Asana offers extensive features, including task management, collaboration tools, customizable workflows, and advanced reporting capabilities.
If you’re looking for task collaboration across teams, Jira’s capability to enable users to assign, track, and manage work is a good choice.
Wrike can generate comprehensive reports that are fully customizable while also protecting client data.
If you need to consolidate your business processes and project management into a single software, utilize ClickUp’s numerous PM tools.
If scalable project management is what you need, Kanbanize facilitates natural scalability. It ties together strategy and execution, provides visibility across projects, and optimizes workflows based on flow metrics for enhanced performance.

If you don’t see the right Kanban software in our picks above, check out more options in our Project Management Software Guide.

FAQs

Kanban software is a digital tool or platform that helps implement and manage the Kanban methodology for visualizing and organizing work tasks and workflows, enabling teams to track progress, prioritize tasks, and optimize efficiency.

Using Kanban software offers several benefits, including improved workflow visualization, increased transparency and productivity, enhanced collaboration, efficient task management, better prioritization, reduced bottlenecks, and the ability to easily track and analyze progress, leading to optimized workflow efficiency and overall team performance.

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Guide continues below. ↓

The post Best Kanban Software & Tools for 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel

Irene Casucian — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 21:03:43 +0000

Key takeaways

Spreadsheets in Excel make it easy to enter, organize, and analyze data about projects, such as tasks, durations, goals, and resources.
Excel is a good tool for making Gantt charts because it is easy to use, flexible, and works well with other Excel features.
An effective and useful Gantt chart should have a clear layout that shows tasks, durations, and dependencies at a glance.

A Gantt chart is a visual tool that displays project assignments, durations, and dependencies in a timeline format. Gantt charts help project managers and teams monitor progress, allocate resources, and manage timelines efficiently. If you want to know how to make a Gantt chart in Excel, you came to the right place.

Project management software programs like Asana, Wrike, and Smartsheet can help you create a Gantt chart. However, one software that stands out is Microsoft Excel. Its grid-based interface allows for easy organization of tasks, durations, dependencies, and milestones.

Excel’s customization options enable you to tailor the chart to your specific needs, such as adding labels, colors, and progress indicators. The good thing is that you don’t need to be an Excel expert to create a Gantt chart. While having some familiarity with Excel can certainly be helpful, creating a basic Excel Gantt chart can be achieved by following these simple steps below.

Visit Microsoft Excel

How to make a Gantt chart in Excel: A step-by-step guide

Here’s a straightforward step-by-step guide on how to create a Gantt chart in Excel. By following these instructions, you’ll be able to visualize your project timeline effectively and track your tasks with ease.

1. Make a table for all of your project information.

Before creating the Excel Gantt chart, you must prepare the data upon which it will be based. In the Excel sheet, input your project details in table format. Since a Gantt chart resembles a timeline, the following information must be included in your table:

Task names (or task descriptions)
Start date
End date
Task duration

To get the value for task duration, simply subtract the start date cell from the end date cell. Here is a sample of how it would appear in Excel. Assuming your start date is in cell B2 and your end date is in cell C2, you can calculate the duration using the following formula in another cell (let’s say cell D2): =C2 – B2

Also read: How to Use an Agile Gantt Chart for Project Management

2. Add an Excel bar chart

Excel offers a variety of bar chart types, but a Stacked bar chart should be used to construct a Gantt chart. This will be the substructure of your Gantt chart.

To create an Excel stacked bar chart:

Click on a blank cell on the same sheet as your project table.
Select the Insert tab from the Excel menu.
Select the 2D Bar group within the Charts group, followed by the Stacked Bar option.
A blank box will then appear.

3. Using the data from your project to create the bar chart.

For the bar chart to appear, it has to reflect data. Right-click on any space in the chart area and click Select Data. A dialogue box will appear, and this is where you can start entering the data.

Begin by adding the start dates.

Under the Legend Entries (Series), click Add.
The Edit Series pop-up box will appear.
For the Series Name, click on the “Start Date” cell.
For the Series Values, you should highlight the full range of the start dates.
Click OK.

The next set of data that you need to add is the duration.

In the Select Data dialogue box, click Add.
For the Series Name, click the “Duration” cell.
Similarly, highlight the range of cells under duration for the Series Values.
Click OK.

At this point, the stacked bar Excel chart will start to resemble a Gantt chart. It will look something like this:

Now that the data for the horizontal axis are all set, it’s time to add the data for the vertical axis.

Start by launching the Select Data box (right-click on any space in the chart and click Select Data).
This time, click Edit under Horizontal (Category) Axis labels. You can find this on the right-hand panel.
Highlight the range of the tasks or task descriptions (excluding the column header).
Click OK.

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4. Format the chart

Now that your stacked bar is up and it reflects the data you need for a Gantt chart, it’s most likely in blue and orange looking like this:

If it does, that’s great! That means you’re only a few steps away from turning it into a proper Gantt chart. It just needs a few tweaks and customization.

First, right-click on the blue section of the bar and click on Format Data Series.
The formatting options will appear on the right-hand side of the screen.
Click the icon that looks like a paint bucket, and then click Fill.
Tick the bullet point for No Fill.

At this point, only the orange bars are visible, and it’s starting to look like a Gantt Chart.

What you need to do next is to rearrange the project tasks correctly.

Begin by right-clicking on the vertical axis (in this case, the tasks or task descriptions) to launch the Format Axis pane on the right-hand side.
Under the Axis Options, you have to put a check in Categories in reverse order.
Once you do that, the data markers will move from the bottom to the top, making it look like a proper Gantt chart.

Also read: Gantt Charts for Project Management: A Guide

5. Customize your Gantt chart

After following all the steps above, you are now familiar with how to create Gantt chart in Excel. You now have a proper visual of your project tasks and duration. But you can make this chart even better by customizing the colors according to your preference.

Here are some additional customizations you can do:

Change the bar charts from 2D to 3D format. You can even add shadows.
Modify the color of the bars.
Adjust the width (make them wider or thinner).
Add chart elements such as a chart title, legend and gridlines.

Remember, a good Gantt chart should have a clear structure, show the project timeline, and how resources are used. To ensure its reliability, you should update the data accurately and promptly. You can also use color coding and conditional formatting to show success and make the chart easy to read. By following these steps, you can make a clear Gantt chart for planning and managing projects.

Looking for the latest in Gantt Chart solutions? Check out our Gantt Chart Software Guide.

The post How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is a Project Charter?

Irene Casucian — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 20:20:56 +0000

Key takeaways

A project charter paves the way for the start of a project by offering a comprehensive snapshot of its scope and objectives.
While a project charter presents a bird’s-eye view of the project’s intent, a project plan outlines meticulous steps for its execution.
Benefits of a project charter include project justification, budget framework, risk awareness, role clarification, and guided decision-making.

Oct. 12, 2023: Irene Casucian revised the copy for clarity, accuracy, and depth. She also added examples of software solutions with features that help prepare a project charter.

Project charter definition

A project charter is a key document in project management that formally authorizes a project’s launch. Essentially, it’s the green light that sets the stage for the project, ensuring everyone involved has a clear understanding of the project’s purpose and direction.

Project charters are widely recognized across industries as the foundational document to kick off any project, but the concept of a project charter finds its roots in business and engineering practices. In these industries, a project’s documentation is essential to ensuring alignment on goals and expectations. As project management methodologies have evolved, the project charter has become a standard tool in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

Parts of a project charter

At a minimum, a project charter should include the following information:

Purpose and justification statement.
Scope, objectives, and deliverables.
Stakeholders and their roles.
Budget and funding summary.
Milestones and timeline.
Risks and assumptions.

Learn more about project charters in this video overview:

Project charters vs. project plans

While a project charter is a foundational document that kickstarts a project by offering a brief overview, a project plan is a more specific roadmap for the project’s execution, monitoring, and control. This roadmap includes details like timelines, resources, budgets, and potential risks.

Without the charter, it would be difficult to know where to start, and without the plan, it would be difficult to know what to do next. The table below illustrates how the information from the charter lays the groundwork for the project plan.

Project charter	Project plan
A timeline of relevant milestones leading up to the targeted completion date.	Task schedules for each milestone that include dependencies, deadlines, and prioritization.
A list of all participants, like investors, contractors, and employees.	Stakeholder communication plans and meeting schedules.
Expected obstacles and risks, with a summary of contingency plans.	Plans for managing risks, addressing changes, controlling costs, and allocating resources.
High-level cost estimates and financial impact analysis.	Detailed budget information, including expense categories and receipts.

Also read: Defining a Project Management System

How to write a project charter

By following these steps, you can craft a charter that sets your project up for success.

1. Summarize the project purpose and justification

Begin by clearly articulating the reasons for undertaking the project and the specific problem or opportunity the project aims to address. Ensuring the project aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives is essential, but so is brevity — avoid adding details that are more relevant to the project plan.

2. Determine the scope

Establish the boundaries of what activities, outcomes, and deliverables will be included in the project. Specifying what falls outside the project’s purview is equally important to prevent scope creep. Even if an out-of-scope task is valuable, it’s usually best to save it for a future project to avoid throwing the current project off course.

3. Identify stakeholders

List everyone with a vested interest in the project, including team members, contractors, clients, and sponsors. Clarify each person’s role and highlight key stakeholders with decision-making authority. This will be particularly valuable for creating approval workflows and preventing bottlenecks in the planning phase.

6. Set the budget

Provide an overview of the project’s estimated costs and financial resources. Like the purpose statement, this should be brief. Save the specific expense categories for the project plan, but include details about expected funding sources, tracking measures, and the project’s broader financial impact.

7. Define milestones and timing

Outline the high-level goals for the project and provide a general timeline. The details will be covered in the work breakdown structure and project schedule, but this will give stakeholders a general sense of the project’s duration and major checkpoints.

8. Discuss risks and assumptions

Pinpoint potential challenges and limitations that could affect the project’s trajectory. This may include compliance requirements, supply chain uncertainties, budgetary restrictions, staffing challenges, and other variables. Summarize the contingency plans for risks that are particularly significant so stakeholders are aware of alternate paths.

Why do we need a project charter?

The project charter’s significance lies in its ability to provide a clear understanding of why the project exists and what it aims to achieve.

As a project’s north star, the charter safeguards against scope creep and budget overruns. It also sets clear expectations for stakeholders, creates a baseline for accountability, and helps avoid confusion, conflict, and misunderstanding down the line.

Some project management tools like Wrike, Asana, and Smartsheet include features that help you create standardized project charters quickly and easily. Check out our Project Management Software Guide to compare these and hundreds of other solutions alongside our top recommendations.

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The post What is a Project Charter? appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is Severance Pay? Employers Guide to Severance Packages

Irene Casucian — Mon, 13 May 2024 15:04:29 +0000

Key takeaways

Severance pay is any compensation or benefits employers provide employees following termination.
Several factors influence severance pay calculation, including length of employment, the employee’s role, termination reason, and your established policies.
Offering a severance package builds employee loyalty, allows employees exit gracefully, and reduces the negative impact on employees during layoffs.

May 13, 2024: Irene Casucian refined the page’s layout to improve the visual flow of information. She also added more insights on calculating severance pay to provide the best answer to our readers. She also provided examples of software solutions that can help draft severance agreements.

What is severance pay?

Severance pay is compensation or other benefits employers provide employees following termination. It can help keep an employee’s relationship amicable while offering them a way to pay for expenses as they look for a new job.

In exchange for severance pay, employers often require employees to sign a general release of claims to deter employees from filing lawsuits against the company. As such, severance pay is often one aspect of a larger severance package employers negotiate with their employees upon their departure.

Typically, an employer will offer severance pay if one of the following scenarios occurs:

Employee layoff.
Reduction in force (RIF).
Mutual separation agreement between employer and employee.
Special circumstances, such as cutting ties with low performers.

Learn how to help low performers course correct and succeed in their roles with a performance improvement plan.

Elements of a severance package

At a minimum, severance pay usually includes salary continuation for a set number of weeks, either paid all at once or over a set period. You can also include benefits continuation, unemployment insurance, compensation for unused paid time off, retirement benefits, outplacement services, and other miscellaneous benefits in their severance package.

If you’re a qualifying employer, you must offer health insurance continuation under COBRA; however, you may offer to continue to pay their portion of insurance premiums for a set time. You can also continue to pay for other benefits, such as life insurance, stock options, or retirement plans.

In the severance documents, you can agree not to protest an employee’s claim for unemployment benefits. This gives employees a better chance of receiving unemployment benefits following termination.

You can pay the employee for unused time as part of the severance agreement. This could include any accrued paid vacation, sick time, or other paid time off. However, in some states, employers may already be required to pay employees for all unused vacation upon termination.

Severance pay and retirement benefits are separate components. Handling retirement benefits depends on the retirement plan’s rules and is not typically merged with a severance package. Nonetheless, the employee is entitled to all accrued benefits up to the point of termination. Here are the possible scenarios:

The employee can receive their benefits as a lump sum payment.
The employee can purchase an annuity.
Retirement benefits can be rolled over into another IRA or a new employer’s 401(k) plan.

The last option allows for continued tax deferral and potential growth of retirement funds.

This includes any assistance you can provide to departing employees to find a new job, such as recommendation letters, reference checks, résumé help, or time-off flexibility to apply or interview for a position.

Employers may decide to provide other unique benefits to the employee as part of their severance package. For example, allowing an employee to keep company equipment, such as a company cell phone or computer, or maintain other perks, like gym memberships, for a set timeframe.

How is severance pay calculated?

Several variables affect the calculation of severance pay like tenure, seniority, existing company policies, and reason for termination.

Some companies provide one week’s salary for every year of tenure:

Severance pay = (weekly salary) x (year(s) of service)

So, if an employee has been with the company for exactly three years and earns $800 per week, the severance pay will amount to $2,400:

Severance pay = $800 x 3 years of service = $2,400

You might also consider providing a higher severance rate for key employees. Instead of one week’s salary for each year of service, you may offer these employees a month’s salary for every year.

Severance pay = (monthly salary) x (year(s) of service)

For example, an executive who has worked for five years and earns $25,000 a month will receive $125,000 as severance pay:

Severance pay = $25,000 x 5 years of service = $125,000

Some companies state their severance pay formulas as policies in their employee handbooks or employment contracts. While doing so provides transparency, clear expectations, and consistency, it also makes you legally obligated, under employment law, to follow through with these expectations.

Another possible underlying factor that may affect severance pay calculation is the employee’s reason for leaving. Companies don’t usually offer severance pay for reasons like voluntary resignation or discharge for cause.

However, as mentioned above, there are special circumstances outside the employee’s control that can result in their employment being terminated. In these situations, many companies tend to offer generous packages to ease the burdens that come with involuntary termination.

Learn best practices for managing tough transitions: How to Fire an Employee (and Stay Out of Trouble)

Severance pay best practices

Suppose you decide to put a severance agreement policy in place. In that case, you must put the agreement in writing, make sure it’s legally compliant, provide time for the employee to review it, follow through on its commitments, and remain consistent with all employees in the same situation.

Put it in writing

It is critical employers put your severance pay agreements in writing. This provides a record that both parties, you and the employee, agreed to the terms of the severance package in case of a lawsuit. You may also consider outlining a general severance pay policy in your employee handbook indicating what circumstances qualify employees for severance pay agreements.

To craft an effective severance pay agreement, you should consider the following questions:

Why is the employee receiving a severance package?
What is included in the severance package?
How is/are the severance payment(s) calculated?
If benefits will continue, how will the payments be handled?
How are unemployment insurance benefits handled?
How will the employee receive their severance pay?
When will the employee receive their severance payment(s)?
Will the employee be required to sign a release of claims before receiving pay?
How long does the employee have to review the severance agreement?
Is there an appeal process? If so, what are the steps?

After collecting the answers to the above, employers should prepare a clearly defined severance agreement with them. You can use Rippling’s customizable workflow recipe to automatically notify payroll whenever an employee is laid off involuntarily. This will alert them to prepare and calculate the severance package.

Rippling’s workflow recipe streamlines the process that needs to take place once an employee is involuntarily terminated. Source: Rippling

Visit Rippling

Also, Bambee can help you draft a legally compliant severance agreement that considers both the employer’s and employee’s best interests by providing access to HR experts who understand the nuances of employment law. Their expertise can ensure that all terms in the severance agreement are both fair and equitable.

Visit Bambee

Include relevant waivers and clauses

If you want the employees to sign a waiver of discrimination claims in the severance agreement, you must make sure the claims are legal and enforceable. In particular, employers must comply with the requirements of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA).

Under the ADEA and the OWBPA, workers 40 years of age or older must have at least 21 days or 45 days to accept the severance agreement, depending on the termination reason. Even if the worker is younger than 40, employers should provide adequate time for the employee to review the severance agreement before making a decision.

Additionally, a revocation clause — a section indicating how long an employee has to revoke a severance agreement signature — is another measure employers can take to strengthen their severance agreements. For instance, it shows employers provided plenty of time for employees to decide on the terms of their severance agreement, making it harder for employees to dispute the agreement later.

Consult legal experts

Severance agreements can be difficult to draft, and even the best HR teams should consider getting theirs checked by legal experts before presenting them to their employees. You could save time and money from future lawsuits by investing in a professional employer organization (PEO) to review severance agreements beforehand.

Small businesses with no dedicated HR department, especially, should have an employment law attorney construct the severance agreement on their behalf so they can dedicate their time to matters of higher priority while remaining compliant. For example, ADP TotalSource is a PEO that allows small businesses to outsource specific HR needs, which includes handling severance agreements. ADP TotalSource can act as the employer of record and oversee several aspects of employee terminations, including severance agreements.

ADP TotalSource can provide professional advice in benefits administration, hiring, payroll, compliance, and reporting. Source: ADP

Visit ADP

Present the agreement to the employee

Severance agreement in hand, it’s time to present it to the employee. You should not be surprised if the employee attempts to negotiate the terms of the severance agreement.

Depending on the circumstances, the employer may not want to negotiate with the employee. However, you should update any changes to the agreement and then provide the allotted time for employees to accept or decline the offer. Employees should then sign the agreement whether they disagree or agree with the terms for the employer’s records.

Follow through on severance obligations

If the employee accepts the severance pay agreement, you should ensure they uphold their end of the bargain.

Your payroll department should know how and when the separated employee will receive their severance pay.
Benefits administrators should send out any necessary COBRA paperwork and continue paying the employer’s portion of premium payments if applicable.
Managers should avoid protesting unemployment claims for the employee after they’ve received their severance pay.
HR teams should also double-check that the severance agreement is administered appropriately by all departments on an ongoing basis.

By providing a smooth severance pay experience, employers demonstrate a willingness to support their employees’ well-being, even after they are gone.

Enforce severance policies consistently

Consistency is important. It shows employees that you are dedicated to treating everyone in the same situation fairly and equitably. Even offering severance pay to an employee under special circumstances, outside their usual cadence, could set a precedent. To avoid this and remain consistent, employers should keep track of what was included in their severance packages and who received them for future reference.

FAQs

There are many advantages to offering a severance package to departing employees. Specifically, severance pay policies help HR teams in the following ways:

Builds employee loyalty: Making severance packages a standard procedure for terminations instills faith that the company treats its employees fairly, even when the employee life cycle comes to an end.
Allows underperformers to exit the company gracefully: Instead of risking rigorous PIPs or drawn-out termination, underperforming employees may opt for a severance package that provides some financial stability as they look for a new job.
Reduces the chance of employment-related lawsuits: Most employment legislation, including the FLSA, does not allow employees to waive their rights to sue; however, requiring employees to sign a release in a severance agreement can dramatically discourage the possibility and reduce risk.
Softens the blow for employees during layoffs: While no employee likes being laid off, providing a severance agreement package can ensure employees have the time and money to get back on their feet.

There are also reasons why severance packages may not be a good choice:

Adds to financial strain: If you are at risk of bankruptcy or unable to pay labor costs, offering severance packages could worsen your financial situation.
Increases administrative burden: Severance packages often require negotiations with employees, documentation, and ongoing administrative upkeep, which may be too time-consuming for companies with small HR teams.
Delays employee exits: You may choose to forego severance instead of negotiating the details of the severance package, which can prolong an already unpleasant situation.
Increases legal risks: Deviating from severance agreement procedures could lead to discrimination lawsuits.
Promotes employee attrition: Depending on severance pay policies, it may encourage employees to leave knowing they’ll receive a payout, hurting your retention efforts.

Yes, employers must withhold all payroll taxes, including federal, state, and local taxes, from employees’ severance check(s). In addition, employers must also pay their portions of federal unemployment, state unemployment (if applicable), Medicare, and Social Security taxes on the severance checks.

Depending on how the employer provides the employee their severance, the amount withheld for taxes may differ. For example, a lump sum severance pay could place the employee in a higher tax bracket and result in the withdrawal of more taxes than usual. To avoid surprises, employers should let their employees know how the taxes will affect their severance pay during negotiations.

Private employers are not required to provide severance pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Therefore, it is usually up to the company whether or not they want to offer severance pay to its employees.

However, there are circumstances when employers have to offer severance pay to their employees. Here are some examples:

You are in a WARN Act state: Employers may be required to offer severance pay under the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) and other state equivalents. Typically, this occurs if a business does not provide adequate notice to affected employees before a business closure or mass layoff.
You have an employment contractor or collective bargaining agreement (CBA): Certain employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements require employers to provide severance pay to employees. In these cases, employers must comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) as with any other employer-provided health or retirement plans.

The post What is Severance Pay? Employers Guide to Severance Packages appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Top 5 Gusto Competitors & Alternatives for 2024

Irene Casucian — Mon, 13 May 2024 14:48:57 +0000

Gusto is an excellent payroll and human resources (HR) platform with features aimed at small and midsize businesses. However, it lacks features for other functionalities like talent acquisition, analytics, and employee relations, which can negatively affect organizations with more complex HR needs.

If that’s you, consider some of my favorite Gusto alternatives below:

Zoho People is better at talent acquisition.
ADP Workforce Now has better scalability.
UKG Ready has better analytics.
Rippling is better at international payroll.
Paycor is better at employee relations.

May 13, 2024: Irene Casucian revised the copy and reevaluated our recommendations. As a result, Paychex Flex, BambooHR, Namely, and Worknice were replaced by Zoho People and UKG Ready. She also refined the page layout to improve the visual flow of information.

I picked my choices with you in mind.

First, I evaluated 15 solutions based on current options and the reviews of customers like you. I then narrowed our selections to alternatives with functionalities Gusto needs to improve, like employee relations, scalability, reporting, and analytics.

I considered the following products during our research:

ADP Workforce Now
BambooHR
Bob
Connecteam
Deel HR
GoCo
Homebase Essentials
Namely
Paycor
Paylocity
Rippling
Sage HR
TriNet HR Platform
UKG Ready
Zoho People

As the market changes, I reevaluate our choices so you always receive the best insight for purchasing decisions.

What are the top Gusto alternatives?

	Starting price	Free trial?
Zoho People	$1.25 per user per month	30-day	Visit Zoho
ADP Workforce Now	Contact sales	No	Visit ADP
UKG Ready	$18.75 PEPM	No	Visit UKG
Rippling	$8 PEPM	No	Visit Rippling
Paycor	$99 per month plus $6 PEPM	Yes (Contact Paycor for eligibility)	Visit Paycor

Zoho People: Better at talent acquisition

Zoho People is a cloud-based HR solution that helps HR professionals manage tasks in every aspect. From recruitment to onboarding, leave and attendance tracking, and exit procedures, Zoho People can help streamline these tasks. Apart from being scalable, Zoho People also integrates with other software solutions within the Zoho ecosystem.

However, it is important to stress that Zoho People gets its recruiting capabilities by integrating with Zoho Recruit. To take advantage of Zoho’s talent acquisition features, you need to get both Zoho People and Zoho Recruit.

Zoho Recruit is an intuitive platform that streamlines recruitment process. Source: Zoho Recruit

Zoho People, when integrated with Zoho Recruit, stands out when it comes to talent acquisition because of its features meant to simplify the recruitment process, as opposed to Gusto, which is primarily focused on providing payroll. Zoho Recruit’s applicant tracking system, a feature that automates recruitment by tracking and managing job applications, can sort, filter, and rank candidates according to their qualifications. It also automates various recruitment tasks, like interview invitations and candidate feedback requests.

Learn more about Zoho People →

Flexible training and career development module

Incorporating a Learning Management System (LMS) within an HR platform can significantly expedite the training of new hires during the onboarding process. Unlike other platforms, Gusto lacks a built-in LMS and offers limited training functionalities. This setup may fall short for companies requiring more specialized or tailored training solutions.

Zoho People has a learning management feature that helps facilitate continuous learning and growth within a company. This allows HR professionals and managers to create and customize training materials. It can be in a PDF, presentation, or quiz.

Zoho Blueprint

Zoho’s Blueprint feature automates HR workflows and maps out each step of the HR process by creating structured workflows for tasks like onboarding, leave requests, and performance evaluations. Managers save time by automating repetitive and manual tasks like onboarding processes and leave approvals. Zoho Blueprint also standardizes procedures across the organization by automating job posting, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, and feedback collection.

Gusto primarily focuses on payroll services alongside HR features, and its pricing is structured around payroll processing needs. On the other hand, Zoho People offers a flexible pricing model based on the number of users and the features needed, like Zoho Recruit.

Standard tiers

Free plan: for up to 5 users and 250 MB storage.
Essential HR: $1.25 per user, per month.
Professional: $2.00 per user, per month.
Premium: $3.00 per user, per month.
Enterprise: $4.50 per user, per month.
Premium Plus: $9.00 per user, per month.

Add-ons

Employee Profiles: starting at $0.23 per employee profile, per month.
Zoho Recruit: starting at $25 per user, per month.
Learning Management System: $18 per user, per month for Essential HR, Professional, or Premium plans.

More customizable workforce management features, like shift scheduling, for companies with complex people operations.
Talent acquisition features, like job posting management and ATS via Zoho Recruit integration.
More scalable and can be used by larger organizations.

Visit Zoho

ADP Workforce Now: Better scalability

ADP Workforce Now is an all-in-one human resource management system that caters to medium and large-sized organizations. Like Gusto, it helps HR professionals process payroll, benefits, time, and labor management. ADP Workforce Now integrates with 485 platforms to streamline employee tracking, data analysis, and strategic planning processes.

ADP Workforce Now suits growing companies because of its scalability and features for managing global workforce, advanced analytics and reporting. It also helps management and the HR team ensure that everything in the workplace complies with labor laws.

ADP provides detailed insights with its ADP DataCloud. This feature can provide labor costs, employee turnover, compliance, and performance metrics analytics. These advanced reporting capabilities allow companies to make informed decisions and benchmark against industry standards. This level of detail and predictive analytics distinguishes ADP from Gusto, which focuses on basic reporting.

Learn more about ADP Workforce Now →

Payroll management

ADP Workforce Now simplifies payroll operations with its automated system that ensures accuracy, compliance, and efficiency. It calculates employees’ pay based on work hours and incorporates deductions such as taxes and benefits contributions. This key feature will reduce the risk of errors that occur with manual calculations. While Gusto is significantly easier to use than ADP, its simplicity limits customization options, which makes it less suited for handling complex payroll and tax requirements.

ADP provides a high-level view of ongoing payroll and displays a list of related tasks. Source: ADP

Core HR features

ADP Workforce Now offers features that support core HR activities For example, it has a centralized employee database that holds employee records and documents. This makes it easy for managers and HR teams to access employee information quickly.

In addition, ADP Workforce Now includes a self-service portal where employees and managers can log in and manage their HR-related tasks, such as updating personal information, requesting time off, and accessing company policies.

ADP Workforce Now has three plans: Select, Plus, and Premium. However, you need to contact ADP to get pricing details.

Quote based on the number of employees, subscription tier, and add-ons needed.
Additional expenses for HR services, like recruiting and onboarding, LMS, and compliance management.

Its scalability makes it suitable for medium to large businesses anticipating growth or having varying HR demands.
More extensive range of HR functionalities than Gusto.
It has global compliance features that are ideal for multinational companies.

Visit ADP

UKG Ready: Better in analytics

UKG Ready is noted for its flexibility in meeting the HR needs of different industries. Similar to ADP Workforce Now, UKG Ready also offers a comprehensive set of solutions such as payroll, talent management, and time and attendance. While users have reported some issues integrating UKG Ready, it was recognized for its customizable interface that benefits employees and managers.

UKG Ready surpasses Gusto with its advanced analytics features, which provide detailed reports on labor costs, compliance, and productivity. Its reporting capabilities also identify workforce trends, which helps with employee scheduling and decision-making. Managers and HR professionals can also create custom reports for their industry needs.

Learn more about UKG →

Time and attendance analytics.

UKG Ready’s time and attendance analytics features help HR and management teams in multiple ways. First, it provides insights about the workforce, which helps them identify the situations where a disciplinary action or change in HR processes is necessary. Also, having real-time visibility of a team’s attendance allows managers to make immediate adjustments to staffing. These analytics data allow HR professionals to structure the schedule and optimize staffing levels strategically.

While Gusto provides straightforward time tracking and attendance management, UKG Ready’s time and attendance analytics are more suitable for more complex workforce management needs.

Predictive analytics

UKG Predictive analytics is a forward-looking tool that forecasts workforce trends based on historical data. Looking at these trends help make calculated decisions about scheduling, staffing, and policies. It performs analysis by keeping historical data and recognizing the patterns that affect turnover, time, and attendance.

Aside from making predictions based on historical data related to the workforce, this feature also projects labor costs for specific HR decisions like raises, benefits changes, and bonuses. This boosts resource management by helping managers strategically plan and manage company budgets.

UKG Ready has a per-employee-per-month pricing structure with no base fee. They typically require a minimum 12-month contract. The subscription includes the cost of core products and ancillary fees, which are often charged separately by other vendors.

It provides sophisticated time and attendance tracking.
UKG Ready offers detailed reports and analytics on attendance patterns.
Its customizability meets diverse HR management needs.

Visit UKG

Rippling: Better in global payroll

Rippling is an all-in-one HRMS for organizations that need IT and app management in addition to HR functions like payroll, benefits administration, and time-tracking.

One of Rippling’s key advantages over Gusto is its international payroll feature. It helps you to manage payroll across multiple countries’ diverse currencies, tax systems, and labor laws. This functionality is a game-changer for companies with a global workforce, simplifying complex payroll processes.

Learn more about Rippling →

Employer of record services

Rippling’s Employer of Record (EOR) helps organizations grow their workforce in countries where they don’t have a legal entity. It eliminates the need to set up local entities, making it a better choice over Gusto because it simplifies the expansion process by managing overseas payroll, taxes, and compliance without the overhead of establishing and maintaining multiple international legal entities.

Rippling organizes and processes global teams’ payroll data. Source: Rippling.com

Payroll management.

Rippling payroll management has a suite of features that not only streamlines payroll calculation but also ensures compliance, as well as timely and convenient payment to employees. With Rippling’s automated payroll, you can accurately calculate your employee’s pay, taxes, and benefits. This automated payroll processing reduces manual errors.

Rippling also supports multi-country payroll. It accommodates different currencies, tax systems, and payroll regulations. It also promotes transparency with this self-service portal, where employers and employees can access pay stubs, tax documents, and payroll history.

Rippling helps save time by simultaneously processing payroll for contractors and employees during a single payroll run. In contrast, Gusto typically requires separate payroll runs for contractors and employees, which makes Rippling a more efficient choice for businesses managing diverse types of workers.

Customers must purchase Rippling Unity first, which starts at $8 per employee per month. And then get Rippling’s U.S. and Global Full-Service Payroll as an add-on feature.

It’s an all-in-one platform that offers payroll, benefits administration, and IT management.
Rippling minimizes manual workload and boosts accuracy with its automated payroll feature.

Visit Rippling

Paycor: Better employee relations

Similar to Gusto, Paycor is an HR solution that will benefit startups in businesses to medium-sized companies because it has tools for payroll management, performance evaluations, and employee development integrated into a single platform that scales with business growth. Paycor is a human capital management (HCM) system with a comprehensive set of features like payroll management, time and attendance, onboarding, and benefits administration. On top of these, Paycor is also noted for its strength in performance management.

When it comes to employee relations, Paycor stands out over Gusto with its customizable review templates, OKR-based goal setting, and continuous feedback mechanisms. These tools foster active engagement and development and are more effective for managing employee performance than Gusto’s simpler setup.

Learn more about Paycor →

Performance management tools

Paycor includes tools useful to HR professionals in evaluating and improving employee performance. This feature encourages a culture of being receptive to feedback and development and aligns individual goals with the company objectives. While Paycor enables goal setting and tracking, using objectives and key results (OKRs) to foster priority alignment across the company, Gusto provides basic performance review tools, primarily focused on streamlined feedback and simple evaluations. Paycor also simplifies performance reviews with its customizable templates and scoring system.

Learning management system

Regarding LMS, Paycor stands out over Gusto because it allows administrators to create and customize training modules. In contrast, Gusto does not offer a native learning management system. There is also a library of pre-built courses that cover a wide range of basic lessons, such as workplace safety and soft skills. This learning management system feature also tracks employees’ progress in the training.

Paycor can track an organization’s progress in taking courses through LMS. Source: Paycor

Paycor’s pricing structure offers specific plans for small businesses and mid-market companies. Overall, Paycor’s approach is to provide scalable, customizable solutions that grow with your business needs.

Basic plan starts at $99 per month plus $6 per employee per month.

It helps in succession planning by identifying and developing internal candidates for critical leadership positions.
Strong performance management tools to encourage employee development through career growth and cross-company goal setting.

Visit Paycor

What are Gusto’s limitations?

Gusto is an excellent choice for payroll processing, especially for small and midsize organizations. However, you might want to consider looking for alternatives if:

You need a more comprehensive solution that can do more than payroll processing, like talent acquisition, advanced onboarding, and performance management.
You have industry-specific needs like shift scheduling.
You need a more scalable HR software solution.
You are looking for an HR tool with a broader scope of integrations.

Choosing the right Gusto alternative

Gusto’s strength lies in its user-friendly payroll and implementation. Still, if you find it lacking in areas like talent acquisition, reports and analytics, employee relations, or specific integrations, you might want to explore alternatives and consider one of these options:

Choose Zoho People if your priority is streamlining recruitment and talent acquisition.
Use ADP Workforce Now for its scalability, which can support your business as it grows.
Go with UKG Ready for advanced analytics and if you need deep insights about your workforce.
Pick Rippling if you require international payroll capabilities.
Select Paycor if you need to streamline your workforce’s performance management.

Explore our HR Software Guide for a complete list of solutions to fit your needs.

Featured HR software partners

Browse all HR software →

The post Top 5 Gusto Competitors & Alternatives for 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Project Plan Examples: How to Write an Effective Plan (2024)

Irene Casucian — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:04:42 +0000

Key takeaways

A project plan is a vital document in project management that outlines the project’s scope, objectives, and schedule.
Effective project planning enhances resource management, mitigates risks, and improves project implementation and success.
Project plans can vary in format, such as Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Gantt charts, and mind maps for brainstorming.

Jan. 8, 2024: Irene Casucian reviewed the information on this page for accuracy, refined the page layout, and added elements to improve the visual flow of information. She also created a downloadable project plan template.

Featured partners

What is a project plan?

A project plan outlines the project’s scope, objectives, and schedule; it details what needs to be done, when, and by whom. The plan includes significant deliverables, methods to achieve them, team roles, stakeholder feedback, and milestones. This transparency makes sure everyone involved understands their role and how it contributes to the overall goal.

A project plan is the tangible output of the second phase of project management, project planning. This phase involves identifying and arranging each task necessary to cover the project’s scope, achieve deliverables, and meet the project’s goals. A comprehensive project plan developed in this phase is instrumental in tracking dependencies, staying updated on the status, and maintaining productivity throughout the project.

What are the key elements of an effective project plan?

A well-prepared project plan requires several key elements that will outline the project’s goals and define the stakeholders‘ individual roles. Incorporating these key elements into a project plan is essential for effective project management and a higher success rate.

Element	Description
Executive summary	A concise overview summarizing the project’s purpose, scope, and significance.
Project goals	Specific, measurable objectives aligned with broader business aims.
Key responsibilities	Roles and duties of team members and stakeholders for accountability.
Key tasks and deliverables	Specific activities and expected tangible outcomes of the project.
Resources	Outline of available and required human, financial, and material resources.
Risk analysis and mitigation	Identifying potential risks and strategies to manage them.
Key milestones	Significant stages in the project timeline for tracking progress.
Project timeline	Schedule of tasks and milestones for time management.
Costs and budget	Financial estimates, budget allocation, and financial management plans.
Communication strategies	Methods and frequency of communication within the team and with stakeholders.

How do you create a project plan?

Step 1: Define the project’s overall goals and objectives

Identifying your project’s overall objectives and goals will help you measure the project’s success and keep your team aligned with the overarching mission. In this step, you should determine the desired outcome of your project that would represent its success.

By clearly understanding what the project aims to accomplish, project managers and teams can better identify the necessary tasks and establish the project scope.

When defining your project goals, apply the SMART standards for a solid foundation. Make your objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This approach guarantees a clear, focused, and actionable framework for your project.

Step 2: Establish the project’s success criteria

To measure success effectively, align your success criteria with the project’s key deliverables and outcomes, and make sure they are based on its intended result. Confirm that these criteria are quantifiable and accurately reflect the impact and value your project aims to deliver. Such alignment is essential for accurately assessing the project’s performance and its effectiveness in achieving the intended results.

Step 3: Identify project milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables

To identify project milestones, break the project down into key tasks and outcomes and specify significant progress points or phase completions as milestones. Consider dependencies when establishing a realistic workflow. Additionally, identify potential risks that can impact task completion and define deliverables clearly as measurable results expected from each project phase.

Step 4: Assign roles and responsibilities to the team and stakeholders

Your project’s stakeholders include any individuals or groups related to the project. To assess if someone is a stakeholder in a project, determine how much they influence, impact, or have an interest in the project’s outcome. Consider if their involvement is direct, if the project’s results affect them, or if they can influence the project’s direction or success.

Examples of stakeholder groups include:

Team members.
Departments.
Customers.
End users.
Project sponsors.
Partners.
Contractors.

Once you have determined your stakeholders, you can define their roles and responsibilities. This can help you structure your project team, identify members who are directly responsible for its success, and make sure they are assigned the correct tasks to carry out the project appropriately.

When assigning roles and responsibilities, utilize a RACI chart (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to clarify the involvement of each stakeholder in the project. This provides clear communication and accountability and prevents overlaps or gaps in responsibilities.

Step 5: Create a schedule and set a timeline

Creating a schedule and timeline for each task can provide visibility into the execution process and keep each team member productive.

Consider how much time is required to complete each task necessary for your project milestones. You can even break down tasks into smaller subtasks to make them more manageable. However, be mindful of factors that can cause delays such as:

Resource limitations.
Task dependencies.
Unforeseen risks.

When creating a project schedule, visual tools like Gantt charts and Kanban boards help you map out task dependencies and timelines. A useful project management tool you can use for this step is Trello. Trello offers an intuitive platform for creating Kanban boards. It allows easy visualization and management of tasks through customizable columns and cards for streamlined project workflow.

Trello’s interface features a straightforward layout with colorful tags and clear text on each card. This intuitive design simplifies project organization and tracking. Source: Trello

Visit Trello

Step 6: Establish an estimated project budget

To generate an estimated project budget, you must consider all of the necessary project resources, including personnel, labor, materials, and equipment. Establishing a project budget will help you make wise spending decisions throughout the project execution phase to avoid overspending.

Step 7: Plan for communication and collaboration

A communication plan should show how information is shared among stakeholders. For instance, in a software development project, the communication plan might specify that the development team shares a beta version of the software with the client for feedback every two weeks. It’s a systematic approach to making sure that the client receives consistent updates about the project’s progress. Having a communication plan in place will also outline the channels of communication and frequency to all necessary parties.

Leverage collaboration tools, such as Slack, that integrate with your project management software to receive real-time updates and interactions among team members and stakeholders.

Slack’s window offers a detailed view of various channels and messages. Likewise, the mobile device displays a similar interface but is optimized for smaller screens with easy-to-navigate menus and chat features. Source: Slack

Visit Slack

Step 8: Document the project plan

Compile all related planning information and documentation as you plan your project. Some of these vital documents include:

Stakeholder analysis.
Feasibility study.
Business case.
Work breakdown structure.

Having these reports in one place will serve as a reference during the project’s execution.

Utilize a centralized digital platform, like Sharepoint, where stakeholders can store, update, and access all project documentation. This approach serves as a reliable reference and streamlines the management and tracking of the project’s progress.

Learn more about Sharepoint and other document management tools in our video overview:

Visit Sharepoint

Free project plan template download

Download as Google Sheet

Project plan examples

Using an appropriate project plan format is essential to keeping stakeholders well-informed. Here are some of the widely-used project plan formats:

1. Spreadsheets

Using spreadsheets for project planning is beneficial due to its simplicity and widespread use, especially suitable for small-scale projects with straightforward tasks. Its customizable nature is excellent for simple initiatives like office events or basic marketing plans.

However, a significant drawback of using spreadsheets in project planning is the limited visualization options. While spreadsheets can manage data, they fail to offer comprehensive visual representations essential for a holistic view of project progress. Lastly, the risk of human error in data entry and formula setup in spreadsheets is high and can lead to critical miscalculations affecting the entire project plan.

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For more complex projects, Smartsheet is an ideal upgrade. It merges the simplicity of a spreadsheet with advanced project management features such as real-time collaboration, automated workflows, and app integration. More than just a basic spreadsheet tool, Smartsheet is particularly effective for large-scale projects like detailed marketing campaigns or cross-departmental efforts, offering comprehensive task tracking and resource management in a user-friendly format.

Smartsheet’s user-friendly project plan template simplifies project plan preparation. It also helps in organizing and tracking progress and generating comprehensive project reports. Source: Smartsheet

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2. Slideshow presentations

Slideshow presentations for project plans provide a visually engaging method to simplify complex information. They effectively break down project components into understandable segments, using visuals, charts, and bullet points to highlight key information and timelines for team members and stakeholders.

However, the downside is that slide shows can oversimplify complex projects and potentially leave out critical nuances. They also require significant preparation time and may not be the best medium for detailed, data-heavy projects.

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Microsoft PowerPoint is an excellent choice for creating slide show presentations as part of project plans. It’s user-friendly and offers many templates and design tools. That’s why it’s suitable for beginners and seasoned professionals. PowerPoint’s ability to integrate with other Microsoft Office tools, like Excel for data representation, enhances its utility in project planning.

Microsoft PowerPoint’s project plan template offers an adaptable and professional approach to project planning. It is a valuable tool for visualizing project timelines and goals. Source: Microsoft 365

3. Gantt charts

Gantt charts create a clear visual timeline of a project’s schedule and progress by displaying various project elements’ start and finish dates. This approach helps identify potential bottlenecks and overlaps and facilitates better resource allocation and time management. However, Gantt charts can become cumbersome for complex projects with numerous tasks and dependencies.

Gantt charts are particularly effective in construction projects, event planning, and software development, where timelines and task dependencies are critical.

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TeamGantt is an effective PM tool that creates clear visual timelines for project schedules and progress tracking. By allowing users to input various project elements, including tasks, milestones, and dependencies, and then assigning start and finish dates to each, TeamGantt generates an intuitive Gantt chart.

This chart visually represents the project timeline, displaying how different tasks and phases overlap and interconnect over the project duration. The color-coded bars and easy-to-read format make it simple to understand the sequencing of tasks and the project’s overall progress at a glance.

TeamGantt’s project plan template simplifies the process of preparing project plans. It offers an intuitive platform for collaborative project planning. Image source: TeamGantt

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4. Mind maps

Mind maps differ from other project visualization methods by showing a radial, non-linear format ideal for brainstorming and capturing the holistic view of a project. They emphasize the creative mapping of ideas and relationships. They promote the free flow of ideas and easy visualization of relationships between different aspects of a project. Mind maps can also help identify key components, dependencies, and potential challenges at the early stages of a project.

Moreover, using a mind map before presenting a Gantt chart can help ease the transition from creative brainstorming to detailed scheduling, resource allocation, and progress tracking.

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Lucidchart is an excellent software solution for creating mind maps that can be converted into detailed reports. Its intuitive, drag-and-drop interface is ideal for conceptualizing project plans.

Lucidchart also stands out because it integrates with various tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office. This integration can facilitate the transition from a visual mind map to a comprehensive written report.

Lucidchart’s template simplifies the creation of mind maps when preparing a project plan report. It simplifies the process and enhances creativity. Source: Lucidchart

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Components of project planning

Work breakdown schedule development

Using a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in project planning offers distinct advantages and some drawbacks. The primary benefit of a WBS is its ability to break down a complex project into manageable components. It is then easier to allocate resources, assign responsibilities, and track progress. This hierarchical project decomposition guarantees that every part of the project is apparent.

However, the main disadvantage lies in its potential rigidity; a WBS can become overly prescriptive, limiting flexibility and adaptability to changes or unforeseen challenges. Additionally, creating a comprehensive WBS can be time-consuming, and if not done meticulously, it may lead to gaps or overlaps in project planning.

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monday.com includes a work breakdown feature to help teams organize complex projects into manageable tasks. Each task is separated into more minor subtasks assigned to the appropriate individuals. The chart also displays additional information, such as the deliverables, end dates, and schedules based on interdependencies.

monday.com’s work breakdown schedule feature provides a transparent and efficient way to organize and manage tasks.

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Project and documentation management

Project and documentation management in project planning has its own advantages and disadvantages. With this process, you can make sure that all project-related documents are organized, up-to-date, and easily accessible. This approach is essential for maintaining consistency and clarity throughout the project lifecycle. Yet, the downside includes the possibility of information overload, where team members might get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of documents.

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Agile teams use Jira for planning and managing their projects. Here, you can see some of the information regarding risks and dependencies compiled within Jira. This method of organizing this information can be helpful, as the platform can act as a single source of truth to keep team members updated on the status of specific tasks. It also makes it easy for teams to communicate with external stakeholders about factors impacting the project.

Jira’s effective organization of dependencies can provide a centralized source of truth to keep team members informed and facilitate communication with external stakeholders.

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Benefits of creating a project plan

Effective project planning is the cornerstone of successful project execution. It involves several key aspects contributing to a project’s smooth functioning and success. Some of these benefits include:

Enhances resource management by providing a clear framework for allocating and utilizing personnel, equipment, and materials.
Mitigates risks by identifying potential challenges and obstacles early.
Curbs scope creep by setting defined project boundaries and objectives.
Facilitates better coordination among team members by establishing clear roles, and responsibilities, and communication channels.
Lays the foundation for effective project execution by creating a comprehensive roadmap that guides all project phases, from initiation to closure.

Remember, an effective project plan is not just a document; it’s a strategic tool that integrates various critical elements to secure the project’s success.

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The post Project Plan Examples: How to Write an Effective Plan (2024) appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What Is Work Breakdown Structure for Project Management?

Irene Casucian — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 21:45:33 +0000

Key takeaways

A work breakdown structure (WBS) breaks down a project into smaller, task-oriented components.
There are two primary types of WBS: deliverable-based and phase-based.
The WBS is essential for cost estimation, schedule development, and control within a project.

What is a work breakdown structure?

In project management, a work breakdown structure represents a structured division of a project into smaller, deliverable-focused elements. It segments the team’s tasks into more digestible portions.

Source: TechnologyAdvice

As outlined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the WBS acts as a “tiered dissection of the complete scope of work that the project group needs to execute to meet the project goals and generate the required deliverables.”

WBS stands as a cornerstone in project management, particularly in the project planning phase. It lays the groundwork for precise cost predictions and oversight, steering the creation and monitoring of schedules.

Instead of focusing on the tasks required to produce the project’s primary outcomes, the WBS narrows the focus to each task’s individual outcome. This setup makes linking conditions at different stages easier, like connecting what’s functionally required to the actual design plans.

What are the components of a work breakdown structure?

A work breakdown structure comprises six components: deliverables, tasks, subtasks, work packages, milestones, and control accounts.

Deliverables serve as the end goal of a project and often define what success looks like. They can be tangible, like a physical product, or intangible, like a service or a piece of knowledge.

For instance, deliverables in a software development project might include the software application, user manuals, and training materials. In a construction project, the completed building or infrastructure would be the deliverable.

Tasks refer to the specific activities or steps that are required to produce a deliverable.

In the context of a software development deliverable, tasks encompass activities like gathering requirements and developing, testing, and deploying code. By breaking down the work into these actionable steps, it becomes easier for team members to understand their responsibilities and managers to monitor progress.

Subtasks are granular activities that fall under a broader task. They provide a more detailed set of instructions or steps to complete a single task.

For example, a software project’s coding task might include subtasks like writing an authentication module or developing a user interface for the login page. These subtasks ensure that every aspect of a task is clearly defined to minimize the risk of overlooking crucial steps.

Work packages are the smallest units in a WBS. They represent a collection of tasks or subtasks that can either be assigned to a specific team or outsourced.

In a construction project, a work package might be installing the electrical wiring for the first floor. These packages are what allocate resources, assign responsibilities, and estimate costs and durations. They can also define contracts for outsourced work.

A milestone is an event or marker that signals when a significant task or phase is complete. In the journey of a product launch, milestones might be events like completing the prototype, conducting the first successful test, and launching the final product.

Milestones are instrumental in tracking a project’s progress and ensuring it remains on schedule. They also offer opportunities for periodic project reviews and evaluations.

A control account is a specific point in the WBS for assessing the project’s performance. At these junctures, the planned work, budgeted cost, and scheduled time are evaluated against the actual performance.

For instance, after hitting a milestone, a control account assesses whether the project is still on time, under budget, and within scope. These accounts are essential for effective project management as they help correct for deviations from the original project plan.

Pro tip: It’s essential to balance the level of detail in the WBS. While it’s crucial to be thorough, too much detail can become challenging to manage.

What are the different types of work breakdown structures?

Depending on the nature of your project, it might be more effective to structure your WBS around deliverables (e.g., URL, layout, content) or phases (e.g., discovery, design, launch).

Deliverable-based

A deliverable-based WBS is a systematic approach to project management that organizes and defines the total scope of a project based on its outputs or results.

The core principle of this structure is its emphasis on segmenting a project according to its tangible or intangible end products, known as deliverables. Each section or tier of the WBS directly corresponds to a specific output that the project aims to produce.

Such a method is especially relevant to projects that have clearly defined deliverables from the beginning. Examples include manufacturing firms producing a designated product, software companies developing an app, and research entities targeting a particular study outcome.

Phase-based

The phase-based WBS categorizes a project based on sequential stages of progress.

Each stage represents a significant milestone in the project, and the tasks within that stage are geared toward achieving a specific objective. This approach benefits projects that naturally evolve through clear, sequential stages.

For instance, construction companies, where projects transition from design to foundation work to construction to finishing, would find the phase-based WBS more valuable than the deliverable-based orientation. Similarly, film projects benefit from having clear phases before, during, and after the cameras roll.

Also read: What is Agile Project Management (APM)?

Types of WBS charts and tools you can use

List
Spreadsheet
Tree diagram
Gantt chart

At its essence, this is a structured list that delineates tasks and subtasks. Consider it an enhanced version of the conventional to-do list that serves as the bedrock of any project.

Trello’s card-based system is perfect for creating WBS lists. You can create detailed tasks, assign them to team members, and monitor their progress. The software is like a digital whiteboard where you can move tasks around as needed.

Spreadsheets offer the unique advantage of formulas and conditional formatting to make managing tasks and dependencies more efficient and effective. For example, you can leverage a WBS spreadsheet to forecast the impact of budget or deadline changes.

Smartsheet offers the familiarity of traditional spreadsheets while adding essential project management capabilities. The grid view behaves similarly to Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, allowing you to organize and filter tasks based on precise details and conditions.

Smartsheet supercharges traditional spreadsheet capabilities to simplify task management. Source: Smartsheet

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A WBS tree diagram is a visual breakdown of task heirarchies:

The trunk is your primary goal.
Branches that sprout from the trunk are your major tasks.
Smaller branches are your subtasks.

Lucidchart is a gem for creating tree diagrams. With its drag-and-drop interface, you can easily map out tasks and see the bigger picture. It’s like having a bird’s eye view of your entire project. Lucidchart makes preparing a tree diagram more efficient.

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Gantt charts are indispensable tools for visually representing task timelines and their interdependencies. Envision a horizontal bar graph where each task is denoted by its own bar, signifying its duration. The length of the bar correlates with the duration of the task. Overlapping tasks? This indicates the presence of dependencies.

Wrike is tailor-made for Gantt charts. It allows you to set task durations, dependencies, and even milestones. With Wrike, you can see how your project timeline unfolds, making adjustments as needed. It’s like having a crystal ball for your project’s timeline.

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Guidelines for creating a successful work breakdown structure

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an effective work breakdown structure:

1. Define the project

Begin by clearly establishing the project. This might be straightforward for some projects, but for others, it might require refining the actual scope to ensure the WBS is appropriately scaled and manageable.

Use Asana to create a new project board where you can outline the project’s main objectives and goals. Asana’s custom fields allow you to add additional information, such as project stakeholders, budget, and expected timelines.

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2. Set project boundaries

After defining the project, set clear boundaries on what is and isn’t included in the WBS. This ensures that the scope remains focused and avoids potential scope creep.

ClickUp’s Spaces feature allows you to set clear boundaries for your project. Creating a dedicated space for your project ensures that all tasks and discussions remain within the defined scope.

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3. Identify project deliverables

List out the high-level deliverables associated with the project. This could be items like a Project Scope Statement or a Mission Statement. Wrike’s folder structure is perfect for listing high-level deliverables. Create a new folder for each deliverable, which can be broken down into tasks and subtasks as you progress.

4. Define Level 1 elements

Using the 100% rule, create the Level 1 deliverables. This level typically represents the entire project. For instance, if you’re working on a new website, Level 1 might be “Website for New Brand.”

Use monday.com’s board view to create columns for each Level 1 deliverable. This visual representation helps us understand the project’s primary components at a glance.

5. Decompose Level 1 elements

Break down each of the Level 1 elements into smaller components. This process, known as decomposition, involves dividing tasks into smaller pieces, ensuring the 100% rule is applied at each level. Continue this breakdown until no further decomposition would benefit project management.

Trello’s card system is excellent for decomposition. For each Level 1 element, create cards for its sub-elements. You can further break these down using checklists within each card.

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6. Assign team members

Identify an individual or team responsible for each element or task in the WBS. This ensures accountability and clarity in roles and responsibilities. ClickUp’s assignment feature ensures that each task or subtask has an accountable individual or team.

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7. Create a Gantt chart

Create a Gantt chart to complement the WBS. A Gantt chart visually represents activities over time, allowing you to see the project schedule and the timeline of various activities. monday.com’s Gantt chart view provides a visual timeline for your project, perfect for tracking progress and dependencies and ensuring the project remains on schedule.

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