Question

list and position 5 tools that can be used during the planning phase. For at least one of these identify the benefits and challenges of its implementation.

Answer 1

Commonly used tools in the planning phase are:

1. Gantt Chart- This is a visual representation chart which breaks down the complex project into smaller components of tasks.

2. Calendar- This calendar is also in-built in the email inbox. Calendar is based on the time and date. The project’s schedule, meeting, tasks, etc are updated in this calendar and alerts are set as reminders.

3. Timeline- This is a visual representation tool as it helps to monitor the progress of the project. In Timeline, the tasks are described along the timelines and it helps us to know which tasks need to be done within a specific time.

4. Work Breakdown Structure- This is also a visual representation tool used in the planning phase. In this tool, it is breaking open the project into different individual components. The overall task is mentioned at the top of the hierarchy, then it is followed by different project sections which is eventually followed by individual tasks.

5. Planning software- In this digital era, there are numerous software that are used in the planning phase. It is highly detailed oriented and it has several phases such as roles and responsibilities, their related tasks and roles and responsibilities.

Benefits and challenges of Gantt Chart

1. Easy to use and schedule project timelines for related tasks

2. Visual representation

3. Dependencies are added

4. Creativity used in planning phase

5. Easy to understand and interpret

Challenges of Gantt Chart

1. Time-consuming to prepare Gantt Chart

2. Frequent updates is complex

3. Sections are complex to align to a single one

4. Calculation of aggregates are difficult

5. Requires more efforts and time to manage the progress

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