Today, we’re proud to finally release our most requested feature ever. Since Zenkit was launched way back in 2016, our users have been requesting that we develop a Gantt chart or timeline view. We’ve been putting it off, not because we thought it was a bad idea, but because we thought it was so important that we had to do it right. We had to wait until the moment we were able to do it justice.

Now is that moment.

Over the years, we’ve learned a lot. Not just about building software, but also about project management and everything it entails. We feel that Zenkit the product, and Zenkit the team, is mature and experienced enough to manage the complexity involved in delivering the best Gantt view we could.

With the new Gantt view, we didn’t want to create just a simple timeline view of your tasks. We wanted to make sure we could deliver every feature you’d expect from a fully-fledged Gantt tool. This means that not only are your tasks displayed on a timeline, but that you can create 4 different types of dependencies between tasks, add lag and lead, create milestones, view the critical path, and even display one chart superimposed over another.

Let’s get into it!

Benefits of Using Gantt

Zenkit started life as a Kanban tool – the increasingly popular project management methodology used by teams of all sorts around the world. Like Kanban, Gantt is a way to track and manage projects. The main difference between Gantt and Kanban is that Gantt gives you a more structured, granular overview of the project schedule, while Kanban focuses primarily on the progress of tasks. This means that you can precisely track the start and end dates of activities, whether or not an activity is dependent on another, the resources needed to complete them and much more. Unlike Kanban, Gantt charts give a clear and easy to understand visual representation of the project timeline, enabling you to understand your project schedule and resources at a glance.

Gantt charts were commonly used in long term, complex waterfall projects that involve physical resources and multiple teams of people, particularly in industries like construction, manufacturing, engineering, infrastructure, IT, and more. Now, with the help of software (like Zenkit!), you don’t need years of special training as a project manager to manage complex schedules and task lists. Almost anyone can create a Gantt chart if they think it would help their project!

Introducing Gantt View for Zenkit

Gantt View is rolling out to Plus and Business users today! Here, I’ll cover the main functions of the view, but of course, as always, you can learn more about it in our Gantt View documentation.

Dependencies

You can create dependencies between scheduled items by dragging and dropping an arrow between the tasks on the chart. Click on the arrow to change the dependency type, add a description of the dependency, or add lag and lead.

Critical Path

The critical path shows the items in your chart that determine the minimum time needed to complete the project. If any item on the path is delayed or takes longer than expected, the project will be completed late. When the critical path is activated, the items on the path appear in orange.

Lag and Lead

Lag and lead allow you to add delays between tasks, or allow a task to start earlier than scheduled if there’s no clash of resources. This function is available only to Zenkit Business users. Lag is indicated in red, lead in green.

Milestones

Milestones are used to indicate important points in a project. Usually the start and end of a project are marked, as well as the completion of important phases, and appointments such as external review or auditing, or budget checks. Zenkit displays milestones clearly with a blue horizontal line.

Secondary Date

In some instances, it may be helpful to show one Gantt chart superimposed on top of another, for example, a chart that tracks the actual dates of your project on top of the originally planned dates. In Zenkit, this can be done by creating a second date field and opting to display it on the chart via the Gantt view options. This is available only to Business Plan customers.

Breakdown by Time Period

If your project is very long, it wouldn’t make any sense to view it on the scale of days or weeks. In fact, it may make more sense to view it in months or even years! Zenkit lets you change the scale of the chart, as well as zoom in and out along that scale.

Drag & Drop

Drag items onto the chart, move to re-schedule or drag the edges to change the duration of tasks. You can even drag and drop to change the hierarchy of tasks and subtasks! It may seem pretty basic, but it makes working in Gantt just that little bit more delightful!

We’re extremely proud of Zenkit’s Gantt view, and hope we’ve been able to do it justice! Do you use Gantt charts in your projects? What do you think of our latest view? As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to leave a comment here or contact our team to let us know!

Cheers,

Siobhan and the Zenkit Team

The post Introducing Gantt View for Zenkit appeared first on Zenkit.

Accomplishing a project is no easy feat. From the multitude of tasks to get through to the ever-changing demands of stakeholders and clients, there is a lot involved before reaching the finish line. The phases of project management provide a breakdown of the project life cycle. Dividing up the process into smaller stages helps to make the project goal more achievable and more viable to execute.

In this article, I’ll touch on the different phases of project management and what purpose they each serve in the project management process.

What Exactly Are the Phases of Project Management?

The amount of phases the project management life cycle contains is up for debate. Some say four, some say five, while others say six. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), there are five phases of project management. And since the PMBOK is basically the holy grail of project management, it makes sense to go with that. 

The five phases of project management, as stated by the Project Management Institute, can be best described as the steps that make up the process that is known as the project life cycle. Each phase is goal-oriented, has its own distinct characteristics, and contains a deliverable which is reviewed at the end to determine whether or not the team is ready to move on to the next phase.

Although the term “phase” may connote the idea that the various stages happen in chronological order, the reality is different. There are phases that can actually occur out of order or even simultaneously.

The 5 Phases of the Project Management Life Cycle Explained

1. Project Initiation

The first phase of the project management process is the conception of the project. This is where ideas are explored, preliminary research gets done, and prospects are determined. This is also where stakeholders and sponsors get convinced that the idea is worthwhile and that embarking on this project will lead to a fruitful result. 

All of this helps to determine whether or not the project is feasible enough to actually happen. If and once a decision has been made to proceed, then the project can move on to the next phase.

2. Project Planning

The second phase of the project management life cycle is where all the planning happens. This is the part where you consider client requirements and stakeholders’ concerns, assemble a team, establish goals and objectives, and create a project plan.

As a key element to a project’s success, a project plan should include details pertaining to the project’s scope, goals and objectives, and how the goals and objectives will be achieved. It should also include how risk will be managed, how communication will circulate, and what tools will be used.

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3. Project Execution

When most people think of “project management”, what they usually think of is what happens during this phase, the execution of the project. This is where processes are implemented, resources are allocated, and tasks are assigned.

It’s during this phase that the project team start creating deliverables and seeks to accomplish the objectives outlined in the project plan. An important stage of the project management life cycle, what happens during this phase can determine whether or not your project will be a success. 

4. Project Monitoring and Controlling

The next phase of the project management process is performance and progress tracking. The aim of this phase is to establish measures to ensure that the project is moving along according to the project plan and that everything is on course with the budget and timeframes.

The project manager may make adjustments to the schedule or resource allocation plan to ensure everything is kept on track. Holding review meetings and requesting regular project performance reports from the team are other common approaches they may implement.

5. Project Closure

The final phase is where everything is wrapped up and all activities across the project come to a conclusion. Closure doesn’t necessarily equate to success, even when a project fails it still needs to be closed. Common things that happen during this phase include—but aren’t limited to—the following:

• The project is signed off and documents are handed over
• Deliverables are given back
• The staff are let go and resources are released
• Supplier contracts are discontinued
• Liabilities (insurance, bonds, and warranties) are settled

Once all the administrative affairs have been closed, a key part of the project closure phase is to conduct an evaluation. Assessing the project’s triumphs and failures will highlight the team’s successes as well as indicate what improvements can be made for future endeavours.

Final Thoughts

The five phases of the project management life cycle serve as a framework to help project managers and their teams to accomplish their goals and objectives. A project manager and a team that can carry out each phase impeccably are well on their way to achieving a successful outcome.

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post A Breakdown of the 5 Phases of Project Management appeared first on Zenkit.

Zenkit is a project management tool, but that doesn’t mean it’s designed for business purposes only! A tool that can also be used for personal productivity, its various collection view options make it great for planning personal tasks and projects—like a vacation.

Planning a vacation is most definitely a project. Think about it: you have activities to coordinate, resources to organize, a budget to adhere to, and a deadline to work against. This is why using a project management tool to put everything in order makes sense. You can track the progress of your planning, cross tasks off your checklist as they’ve been completed, and be reminded of important dates and deadlines.

Most project management products also offer free accounts for individual users, so becoming your own travel agent is as easy as ever.

How to Plan Your Summer Vacation with Zenkit

Where to go?

First things first, you have to decide where to go. There are many elements to consider when selecting your vacation destination. Do you want to go somewhere hot or somewhere tropical? Somewhere vibrant and lively, or somewhere more chilled and relaxing? A great tool to chart all your decision-making and to help you come to a conclusion is a mind map.

Mind maps are ideal to use for exploring ideas as they allow you to utilize brainstorming methods and can offer clear thinking. Here’s how you can use Zenkit’s mind map feature to help you decide on your destination.

Step 1: Create a new collection and select the mind map option. Give your collection a title such as ‘Where to go?’, and then hit the create button.

Step 2: Enter ‘Destination ideas’ as your focal point. You can then branch out with each node representing a place suggestion. We started off with two nodes, ‘Local’ and ‘International’, and then expanded from there.

Step 3: Zenkit users will already know that you can use Custom Fields to add extra information for each node. For instance, with every destination idea, we also included the type of holiday it would be and how the place would compare budget-wise.

Holiday planning

Once you’ve determined where to go, it’s time to pop out the Kanban view for the real planning to commence. A Kanban board visualizes your process—be it a workflow, schedule, or vacation plan—which is why it’s a great tool for documenting tasks, ideas, and activities.

Step 1: Create a new collection and select the Kanban option. Give your collection a title — the name of your destination is always a good idea — and then hit the create button.

Step 2: Your next step is to think about the things that you need to consider to make your vacation as perfect as it can be—things such as documents to organize, activities to book, and sights to see. It’s these factors that will make up the columns on your Kanban board, and within each column, you can list the items accordingly. 

To give you an idea, the things we included in our planner were: ‘things to organize’, ‘beaches to check out’, ‘restaurant recommendations’, and ‘attractions to see’. You can, of course, add as many (or as few) columns as you like. 

Step 3: Once again, you can utilize the magic of Custom Fields to add extra information to each of your tasks, ideas, and/or activities. Remember that there are 11 Custom Field options to choose from, ranging from hyperlinks to file attachments so that you can optimize your vacation planning.

Kanban best practice is to include a column titled something along the lines of ‘Done’ or Complete’ so that you can move every Kanban card that represents a task, activity, or idea there once it has been achieved. Alternatively, you could also create another column, title it ‘Scrapped’ or ‘Abandoned’, for the things you’ve decided to forgo. There are no cemented rules on how you go about using Kanban. It’s really just a great method that can be applied to help solve any organisation’s woes.

Last-minute checks!

Checklists are an invaluable tool when it comes to planning a vacation. Whether it’s for packing or a pre-flight assessment, here are the steps on how to create one:

Step 1: Like with everything you create in Zenkit, start off by creating a new collection—this time select the tasks option. Don’t forget to give it a name!

Step 2: Building a checklist is pretty straightforward. You just add all the tasks/items you need, then check them off once they’re done. You’ll notice the cool thing about Zenkit lists is that once you check an item off your list, it moves itself to the bottom, allowing the unchecked ones to be prioritized to the top!

A useful thing to note when crafting your checklist is that you can change the default ‘To Do’ and ‘Done’ stage labels to anything you want. Simply click on the Custom Field ‘Stage’, select properties, and enter whatever you see fit. We went for ‘To Pack’ and ‘Packed’ to accommodate our checklist’s purpose.

Planning is the most difficult part of your vacation, and now you’ve got that sorted, you’re ready to enjoy your trip! The beauty of using Zenkit to organize your vacation is that the planning doesn’t have to stop pre-take-off. With the app available to use on mobile and tablet devices, you can have it on hand to ensure that you’re always on top of things. And, if you’re off somewhere that has an unreliable internet connection, you also have the option to save your vacation planning collections and then still access them offline.

Now, go and enjoy your time in the sun, and don’t forget to slip, slop, slap!

We always love hearing the different ways Zenkit is used to help you organize daily life! So, don’t forget to drop us a comment to let us know. 

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post How to Organize Stress-Free Summer Vacations appeared first on Zenkit.

Even if you’re not that into football, there’s something about the World Cup that brings people together. Whether it’s the love of the game, a sense of patriotism, or because party food is your gig, being at a World Cup party with friends and family is really one of the best things about football’s ultimate tournament.

In this article, we’ll show you how you can become the man of the match by hosting the perfect World Cup party using Zenkit.

Planning Your World Cup Party With Zenkit

Planning a World Cup party is a project of its own, which is why using a project management tool makes sense. There are resources to organize, a budget to adhere to, and a deadline to work against — not to mention people to satisfy.

First steps

First thing’s first, you have to decide what kind of party you are hosting. Setting a budget will help with your decision as it will determine the course of everything else: what you can buy, who to invite, food to serve, and so on.

There are endless ways you can go about this, but for the purpose of this article, we’re going to go with a private screening at home with family and friends (because that’s always nice, isn’t it?)

Some factors to consider when brainstorming party ideas:

• Do you have enough space/furniture to accommodate all your guests comfortable throughout the entire game?
• World Cup matches can get a bit heated, so if the viewing is at night, will your neighbours be OK with the noise?
• Do you have enough cleaning supplies to take care of everything once the party is over?

Once you confirm all this information, you’ll need a place to store it all.

Zenkit’s Kanban view is the perfect feature for this. Its visualization of a workflow is ideal for coordinating any type of project as it allows you to follow the progress and see what needs to be done next at a glance. It can also help with determining the priority of tasks and deadlines and makes editing and re-organizing a breeze.

To make your World Cup party schedule, simply create a new collection and open the Kanban view. Create the lists or columns and name them whatever you’d like. We’ve gone for ‘To do on the day of the party’, ‘To do’, ‘In Progress’, and ‘Done.’ Then start listing your tasks and move them along the various stages as you progress.

Full Kanban instructions can be found here.

Choosing the Match

Your next priority is to choose which match to watch. Keep in mind that this is what your whole party will be based on, so it’s a crucial decision.

The obvious route is to select a match that your country is playing in, however, for those football enthusiasts whose countries did not qualify, going with either the final or semi-finals is always a safe bet. Bear in mind the time differences between the match viewings, no one wants to attend a party at dawn.

Use Zenkit’s bracket template to help with your decision. With team information and match times on display, it’s a handy tool for following the entire tournament.

Who to Invite?

You can’t have a party without guests! Organize and confirm your invitation list as early as possible as that will not only give your guests enough notice but will also give you enough time to start making arrangements for the party.

To keep track of it all, create an attendance list using Zenkit’s list view. A good tip is to change the label options from the default ‘To-do/Done’ to ‘TBC/Confirmed’ (or whatever else you’d like). To do this, click the Stage Properties, then rename of your choice, and then hit save.

A full list of instructions can be found here.

Snacks on Deck

When it comes to hosting a party, it’s essential to have food and drinks. Decide the level of involvement you’d like your guests to have, whether you want it to be potluck style where everyone brings something, or if you’d rather be the “hostess with the mostest” and provide it all yourself.

Your budget and guests’ dietary requirements will help determine what kind of refreshments you can serve. If you’re feeling creative you can theme the food based on the different nations participating in the tournament. If not, then things like pizzas, chicken wings, chips and dips are always a party favourite as they don’t require so much cutlery.

Remember that running out of refreshments is a social faux pas, so make sure you’ve bought enough to cover everyone attending and then some. Use the list view feature to create and keep track of your shopping list.

Creating the Vibe

It’s a World Cup party so decorations are a must. Set aside some of your budget to cover flags, balloons, streamers, and whatever else you think will create a great atmosphere.

Another way to get people into the spirit is to encourage your guests to wear country colours. Face paint at the ready is also always a good idea.

The post How to Plan Your World Cup Party with Zenkit appeared first on Zenkit.

Any project manager worth their weight in gold will tell you the importance of project planning. A crucial component in the project management process is how much time and effort you put into project planning can be what makes or breaks your project. In this article, I’ll talk about the importance of project planning, what it involves, and how to best create a project plan.

The Importance of Project Planning

It goes without saying that a well-planned out project has a higher chance of succeeding than one that doesn’t. That’s not to say, however, that just because you have a plan means your project is infallible. There are many complex reasons why projects fail, but having some kind of a game plan in place can be one less reason.

Project planning is the second phase of the project management life cycle. It takes place after the initiation phase which is where ideas are explored, preliminary research gets done, and the decision for the project to proceed has been made. The project planning phase involves discussing client requirements and stakeholder concerns, establishing project goals and objectives, assembling a team, and creating a project plan.

What Is a Project Plan?

Creating the project plan is perhaps the most important aspect of project planning. Projects come in all different shapes and sizes, from introducing new software into a company to a high scale corporate office relocation. But they all serve the same purpose — to deliver tasks and activities with the hope of achieving an end goal. In order to do this, the project is guided by a project plan.

The purpose of a project plan

Having a project plan in place ensures a smarter way of working. Sure, you can proceed with a project without a written strategy, but just how effective do you think that will be? The purpose of a project plan is to provide direction throughout the duration of the project. At the very least it should cover the why, what, who, and when details of the project.

The project planning document should detail both individual and group objectives and instructions. Having everything laid out on a written document will ensure everyone involved knows the purpose of what’s happening and have something to refer to throughout the project implementation. Another advantage of having everything written out on a document will highlight any anticipated roadblocks, hiccups, and hidden costs. It will prepare you for what’s to come and so the purpose of your project won’t be too affected negatively.

What goes into a project plan

Having a well-developed project plan is essential to a project’s success. Often mistaken for only outlining the project timeline, the project plan should contain everything involved in the project planning process. This includes the execution, management, and control of the project, which should cover details pertaining to goals, deadlines, timeframes, measurements, budget, staffing, and resources.

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Elements of a project plan:

• Scope management
• Requirements management
• Schedule management
• Financial management
• Quality management
• Resource management
• Stakeholder management
• Communications management
• Project change management
• Risk management

The project plan should not only aim to coordinate all of its components, but it should also foresee any challenges and risks associated.

10 Project Planning Best Practices

1. Be professional

   When persuading potential stakeholders to get behind your project, ensure the ‘business case’ you use is a formal, written document. This will solidify your ambition for the project, and also gives off a professional vibe.

2. Expect risks

   Don’t forget to do a risk assessment in your project plan. Project work can be precarious, and you’d be a fool not to expect risks. As part of your initial step, do a risk assessment to evaluate the provisions you may need to take for tasks that are a high-level risk. Make sure to include buffer time in your schedule.

3. Complete risky tasks first

   Speaking of high-level risk tasks, plan to work on tasks that have the highest level of risk first. Doing so will mitigate risk and can ensure that there’s enough time to sort things out should anything go wrong.

4. Control change

   Change is inevitable when it comes to delivering a project, however, that doesn’t mean it should turn your team off course. Having a change control process in place will prevent unexpected changes from taking over your project. It doesn’t have to be complex, all it has to include are the steps that should be taken when a proposed change is introduced.

5. Choose your team wisely

   Your project is only as good as the people executing it, so make sure you know the availability of your team members when you recruit them. Overlooking holidays or planned time off may result in project delays. Avoid hiccups by including this time in your project plan schedule, or by finding temporary relief options.

6. Invest in them also

   Don’t be adverse to upskilling your team when it comes to assembling them. Offering training and support may seem like extra work but it can bring loyalty to the project, as well as efficiency in the long run.

7. Develop a close team

   Once you’ve put together your perfect crew, break the ice by doing a couple of team-building activities. Not only is getting to know your colleagues a crucial aspect of teamwork but having trust and comfort will emphasize that cohesion.

8. Keep stakeholders connected

   Remember that stakeholders aren’t just people who have hired you to do the project. They are anyone who is affected by the outcome of the project. When convincing them of your vision in the initial step, or communicating changes and progress updates of the project plan, don’t forget to include all of the people who are invested.

9. Have the right tools

   A given, but it has to be said— use a cloud-based project management solution. Not only can it provide you with the tools you need to simplify the process, but it will equip your team to perform at maximum efficiency and productivity.

10. Make the plan accessible

    Sharing the project plan with team members not only allows clarity for everyone working on the project but it can produce a higher quality plan. It’s always better to have more than one pair of eyes on an important document as errors and inaccuracies can be better spotted and rectified.

Final Thoughts

How do you plan a project? If you have any project planning tips you feel will make the world of difference to someone else in a similar situation, go ahead and share them in the comment section below.

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post 10 Project Planning Best Practices appeared first on Zenkit.