PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Basic project management is part of the successful execution of every CAS project, from designing a single label to executing multiple lines and variants.
By definition, project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve specific project objectives. The objectives are according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters that help a business run smoothly, thus impacting the bottom line (APM, 2019).
I conducted a review of current and potential future project management tools and principles. The aim was to ascertain the potential to expand into more sophisticated markets, build on current success, and accept more complex work packages in light of the post-Covid era this review aims to define principles to ensure that work is delivered on time and within budget. It also aims to improve communication, to reduce collaboration complexity, to understand where resources are being spent, what to prioritise to prevent bottlenecks, and to make smarter, data-driven decisions.
A Current Operational Approach to Project Management
CAS has been successful in using basic project management principles across a variety of platforms. For the most part, estimation, planning and scheduling were done in a simple calendar breakdown, and changes were made on the fly. This approach works where the discipline and body of work are well understood, and the complexity is low. However, as both complexity and amount of work increases, the need to migrate workflow to a more formal project management platform increases.
The ability to work seamlessly with freelancers or collaborators has also become a need. To this end, I decided to trial, and subsequently migrate operations to a cloud-based digital project management platform.
Project Management Product Selection
Based on the research, I investigated and compared the feasibility of Trello, Asana and Monday.com.
Full Project Management Software Comparison
Trello
Trello is a Japanese workflow management system that emphasises the importance of visualising your work to find ways to become more efficient and create better outcomes. With Trello, you create virtual boards, and then add tasks you need to get done. It’s built to work like a physical whiteboard where you add tasks on sticky notes and place them on the board.
Each Trello task card can be loaded with information in the form of checklists, due dates, attachments, photos and a comment section. There is also a notification system that updates team members if their task gets updated or changed (Wave n.d.).
Pricing
Pricing: Basic Plan: Free
Standard Plan: $10.00 p/p, p/m – required CAS option
Premium Plan: $12.50 p/p, p/m
Customer Support
The only support you can access with Trello’s free plan is through their online resources and video tutorials, although like Asana there are also user forums to ask questions. You can receive priority email support if you pay for a premium plan.
Integration
Trello is also able to integrate with popular apps and programs like Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zapier through Power-Ups.
Simplicity
Trello is the simplest program. Trello is intuitive and doesn’t require training.
Workflow views
Trello focuses on the simplicity of using a visual board to organise (Trello, 2019).
Fig. 1: Trello, 2022. Trello Logo.
Asana
Asana is the most traditional web and mobile project management system designed to help teams organise, track, and managetasks around projects. With Asana you separate a project into lists of different tasks. Asana has multiple project views. The calendar and timeline let you see what you need to be doing today and two weeks from now, as well as identify potential bottlenecks where tasks overlap. One of Asana’s great features is its ability to streamline your processes and cut down on time wasted doing common tasks. There are also more than 50 templates to choose from to help you create the ideal project management process and save yourself some valuable time (Wave n.d.).
Pricing
Pricing: Entry Level: Free (15 members or less)
Premium Plan: $10.99 per month – required CAS option
Business Plan: $24.99 per month
Customer Support
Asana has help guides and webinars, as well as user forums. There are also handy Asana Use Cases, where you can see how other freelancers have used Asana.
Integration
Asana offers the most integrations, with more than 100, including Dropbox, Microsoft Teams, Mailchimp, Zoom, and many others that are popular with freelancers.
Simplicity
Asana is ideal for complex projects, especially if the project involves several team members. Asana is also intuitive and doesn’t require training.
Workflow views
Asana offers several different ways to view your project, including lists, Gantt charts, calendars, and Kanban boards, as well as advanced views that are good for small- to medium-sized companies, which monitor all company functioning (Asana, 2020).
Fig. 2: Asana, 2022. Asana Logo.
Monday.com
Like Trello, Monday.com uses a visual board system to display every task you need to undertake to complete your project. You have the option to create your board or take advantage of 200 ready-to-use templates. You can customise boards by adding columns where you can do things like assign tasks, prioritise projects and resources, establish timelines and dependencies, and control how work gets done.
One of the major advantages of Monday.com is the ability to quickly see several different views of your project.
Monday.com also offers easy-to-use reporting and allows you to perform different calculations just like you would on an Excel spreadsheet (Wave n.d.).
Pricing
Basic Plan: $11.00 p/p, p/m
Standard Plan: $14.00 p/p, p/m – required CAS option
Premium Plan: $14.00 p/p, p/m
Customer support
Monday.com provides much of the same type of support as other plans. There are webinars, tutorials, help guides and forums, and you can email questions if you pay for the Basic plan.
Integration
The same integrations for Trello and Asana are available for Monday.com. Interestingly it also integrates with many project management programs and syncs with Asana and Trello.
Simplicity
Monday is simpler than Asana, intuitive and doesn’t require training.
Workflow views
Monday.com has the best workflow system that offers the most ways to view a project, including tables, charts, timelines, maps, calendars and a Kanban board and customisation (Monday.com, 2020).
Fig. 3: Monday.com, 2022. Monday.com Logo
Trello is the most visually driven, intuitive, and easy-to-use program (Trello, 2021), but it does not provide the structure and multiple views CAS requires. In essence, it is too simplistic for CAS’s needs.
Asana is the most complex platform, and is better suited for teams (Asana, 2021). Since CAS is a single entity that only requires the management of freelancers on occasion, Asana is ill-suited to CAS’s needs.
Monday.com is the ideal solution for CAS despite being the most expensive. Monday.com is easier to use than Asana, but still offers many valuable features and project views. What was most notable was the more sophisticated Gantt chart scheduling structure (Monday.com, 2021). This allows for an effortless transition from the basic calendar layouts CAS was using. Furthermore, it caters to a single entity, while still managing small groups of freelancers.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TESTING AND IMPLEMENTATION
A month-long trial of Monday.com revealed that the software is invaluable. Coordination with freelancers can be done simply and efficiently, and project flow can be managed at a glance. CAS has also been able to track time and adjust project resource allocation accordingly. The desktop application has integrated the software into CAS's daily planning and management.
CAS has noticed an improvement in time efficiency, project structuring, freelance management, and communication.
Scheduling Software
To date, CAS has used i-Calendar for all its scheduling needs. Based on the research in the Brand and Business Review – Part 1, Appendix D, Calendly was investigated as an alternative.
Scheduling Product Selection
Calendly is more suited to professionals who bill and schedule multiple hourly appointments daily. CAS bills on a value-based system which makes this software redundant.
I-Calendar prevailed as the simplest, cheapest means of scheduling. Clients proved unwilling to trial new software and take on the scheduling effort. iCalendar is also already integrated with most clients' operational functioning as well as online conferencing.
Video Conferencing
Post-Covid, video conferencing systems have become an asset to organisations everywhere. These systems enable collaboration amongst remote teams, and maintain strong relationships with global business partners.
Microsoft Teams and Zoom are two of the video conferencing platforms CAS makes use of. CAS only uses Teams when clients schedule meetings on the platform because it is a paid service. Zoom is an easy-to-operate platform that individuals and businesses are familiar with. Although the free version has a 40-minute cut-off for time, this is favourable as it allows CAS to keep meetings short, thus managing time efficiently.
References
APM (2019). What is Project management? [Online] APM. Available at: https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/ APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition.
Asana (2022). Home Page. [Online] Asana. Available at: http://asana.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2022].
Monday.com (2022). Welcome to Monday.com - A New Way of Working. [Online] Monday.com. Available at: https://monday.com [Accessed 29 Apr. 2022].
Trello (2022). Home Page. [Online] Trello. Available at: https://trello.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2022].
List of Figures
Figure 1. Trello (2022). Trello Logo. [Online image] Trello. Available at: https://trello.com [Accessed 20 Jul. 2022].
Figure 2. Asana (2022). Asana logo. [Online image] Asana. Available at: https://app.asana.com/0/home/1202112188872945 [Accessed 20 Jul. 2022].
Figure 3. Monday.com (2022). Monday.com Logo. [Online image] Monday.com. Available at: https://monday.com [Accessed 20 Jul. 2022].