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I liked this discussion about making a budget.

Hi Peggy. Sorry I didn't know about this link before I began the Cost Analysis for our team project. Thanks for the information.

It's so true that not all costs can be measured in dollars.

If you want a way to make the most beautiful Gantt charts you've ever seen... use Smart sheet. It's not free, but there is a free trial. I wanted to make a one page Gantt chart, that was vertical rather than horizontal, and I didn't want to pay money or download open project, and smart sheet came to the rescue. It does have more features, like assigning tasks to your team members... but I really only used it to make the Gantt chart of my dreams.

Huddle is a simple and powerful way to collaborate on content. Product features include file sharing, team collaboration, social collaboration, task management, and mobile collaboration. There are apps available for desktop and mobile devices. You can try it for free: https://www.huddle.com/huddle-prices/huddle-free-trial/?source=7_cs3.

Simple and powerful, Agilefant is the most advanced open source web based tool for agile management today, with a rapidly growing user base and a dedicated community behind it. Unlike most tools, Agilefant scales from personal todo-lists to large-scale multi-team development projects and all the way to long-term product and portfolio management needed for true organization-wide agility.

Web-based project and task management software for your team. Includes a variety of charts, templates and tools to monitor deadlines.

This looks like a good tool, but hard to say with only a 14 day free trial. I would like a 60 day free trial :)

I posted this in our class discussion, but it occurred to me that it is really a great project management resource for those people who might feel daunted by difficult conversations. It it a resource that will help improve your EQ. In short, the book talks about how to identify when a crucial conversation needs to take place, how to plan for it and how to execute it. There is also a two day course that you can attend or maybe even lobby to bring into your office for PMs. The website for that is here: http://www.vitalsmarts.com/products-solutions/crucial-conversations/ You'll also find that Vital Smarts, the company that produces this training, has a lot of other EQ related resources.

We have a couple of copies of this book lying around my office. I hadn't connected it to project management. I will have to check it out.

Many people I worked with at the Colorado Department of health use this approach. The state has invested in offering the course to employees. While I never had a chance to take this course, I've heard really great things about it. One thing that has made a difference for people I know who have done this, they did with a staff team. That way everyone is using a common approach. That seems to really support implementing what they learned.

Want to learn more about Daniel Goleman's work? Try following him on linkedIn! He posted many interesting articles and blogs posts that have been very helpful in expanding my thinking about Emotional Intellegence. An interesting one he recently posted is "Be Mindful of the Emotions" you leave behind. Daniel Goleman lectures frequently to business audiences, professional groups and on college campuses. A psychologist who for many years reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times, Dr. Goleman previously was a visiting faculty member at Harvard.

From their website: "Free, simple, fast online meetings. Share your screen instantly with anyone." I couldn't say it better myself. Join Me is a pretty great tool if you have meetings with remote members of project teams. The premium version has all of the features of WebEx and then some, and you can get a 30 day trial of the premium version for free. Even the free version that is available after the 30 day trial is useful. No one has to download anything or have a program installed except for the moderator (and it is a very simple download). The moderator gives everyone a code, they go to a website and type it in and can immediately share screens. My advice: Use Microsoft Paint to enhance your Join Me meetings by using it like the WebEx whiteboard.

Andi, thanks for sharing, sounds like a cool alternative to expensive or complicated ways to create an online meeting. I will try it for a couple of online interviews I need to conduct.

Audience response system that uses mobile phones, twitter, and the web. Responses are displayed in real-time on gorgeous charts in PowerPoint, Keynote, or web browser. I saw this in a professional development course I was in this summer. I think it could be a useful way to engage people in the process --- especially if you are working virtually and are on a webinar. Results show almost instantly.

That's very cool Jean. Of course, my immediate thought is to use it in the classroom. However, I could see a project manager using Poll Everywhere to poll a team for feedback.

In researching effective communication for project managers, my team determined that quality communication is a critical component. We reference the book "Effective Business Communications" by Herta Murphy, Herbert Hildebrandt and Jane Thomas. This eHow article summarizes the author's "seven c's" of effective communication directly from the book. These communication skills, both oral and written, are the foundation for helping you express yourself clearly and correctly.

One reason PMs fail is their desire to get the product right the first time. This site says that this is an unrealistic expectation and that we should expect to get it wrong the first time and communicate this to our team. The dynamics will change making them more open and less pressured to "make the wrong step". This approach is modeled by Microsoft which generally takes about 3 times before they get a product right. Other useful tips and lessons follow such as Less is More. An uplifting site that reminds us that it is okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them.

Very insightful article. The point the article made that I felt was interesting was the part about how it can be hard early on to not test what they are making. Easy to go down the wrong direction.

Teambox is an online tool for project management. It's free for up to 5 members on a team, so it's great for small projects. I love apps and websites that help keep me organized, so I am all over Teambox. The downside is that currently there isn't a gantt chart function, but It looks like they may release one in the next update.

B Busco/ Photographer's Choice/ Getty Images A successful Project Manager must effectively manage the resources assigned to the project. This includes the labor hours of the designers, the builders, the testers and the inspectors on the project team. It also include managing any labor subcontracts. However, managing project resources frequently involves more than people management.

Continuation of the Project Management 101 - Part 1 link, that includes more in depth topics and additional related links.

Pros and Cons of each project management method to help one decide which style to use.

Love this info graphic. I am going to forward it out to my team who has been debating how best to approach project management when there so many outside factors and influencers that things need to flexible and the plan updated throughout the project process.

I am curious to know if anyone has tried this. I think the idea of badges and games in project management is intriguing. RedCritter Tracker is Agile Project Management unlike anything you've ever experienced. Get drag-and-drop project management, Twitter-style message feeds, badges for your accomplishments and even your own company rewards store.

Red Critter sounds and looks like an intuitive tool when it come to building your project team, organizing and assigning their tasks, and keeping key players engaged and motivated.

Celoxis is a web based project management system, ideal for small teams and small projects to large multimillion dollar enterprise projects. SaaS or on-premise options.