Q4 '05 "Passed my Prince 2 foundation level exams !".

Project Management to me is about undertaking an activity that if done well, will be done as a means of communicating past, current and future activity to be carried out for a goal or set of goals.

If a team of people are involved in a project then each member of the team needs to be communicated with on a team and individual level, with the most relevant information being passed to them so that they may focus on their immediate tasks and also be aware of over arching dependencies.

The software tools which I frequently used to create project management documentation include Microsoft Project, Excel, PMX, OmniGraffle. These applications represent information relating to tasks and dependencies. For technical sitemaps, wireframes and newtowrk diagrams I find that linking objects in Visio works well because when objects are moved around on screen the links are kept still in place. Another application called OmniGraffle has the magnetic linking feature which is similar to Visio and it's possibly quicker to create organisational diagrams. Which software is used depends on the platform and availability within an organisation and also what file imports / exports might be needed by others in a team.

Other tools that can help you manage projects include: Nicu, Essential, MS Excel, Hot Project, Rally, Hydra, Project Kick Start, MS Project, ACE, BaseCamp

I have put together some Prince 2 methodology project management template documents. The links below are pdf files.

Acceptance Criteria . Project Initiation Document . Risk and Issues Log .

I have put together a set of (non Prince 2 methodology) project management template documents. The links below are pdf files.

Abbreviated Project Definition . Action Item Log . Communication Plan . Completeness and Correctness Criteria . Customer Satisfaction Survey . End-of-Project Assessment . End-of-Project Metrics Worksheet . Individual Status Report . Issues Log . Issue Submission Form . Individual Status Report . Project Kickoff Meeting Agenda . Milestone Summary Report . Project Assessment Summary . Project Definition . Project Management Procedures . Project Scorecard Template . Project Status Report . Project Status Report (Summary) . Quality Assurance Checklist for Outsourced Projects . Quality Plan . Scope Change Log . Scope Change Request Form . Service Request . Version Tracking Page