Data gathering tools & techniques
- Bench marking
- Brainstorming
- Check sheets
- Check lists
- Focus groups
- Market research
- Questionnaires and surveys
- Statistical sampling
Data Analysis tools & techniques
- Alternatives analysis
- Assessment of other risk parameters
- Assumption and constraint analysis
- Cost Of Quality
- Cost Benefit Analysis
- Decision tree analysis
- Document analysis
- Earned value analysis
- Influence diagrams
- Iteration burn down chart
- Make or buy analysis
- Performance reviews
- Process analysis
- Proposal evaluation
- Regression analysis
- Reserve analysis
- Risk data quality assessment
- Risk probability and impact assessment
- Root cause analysis
- Sensitivity analysis
- Simulation
- Stakeholder analysis
- SWOT analysis
- Technical performance analysis
- Trend analysis
- Variance analysis
- What-if-Scenario Analysis
Data Representation Tools & Techniques
- Affinity diagrams
- Cause & Effect Diagrams
- Control charts
- Flow charts
- Hierarchical charts
- Histograms
- Logical data model
- Matrix diagrams
- Mind mapping
- Probability & Impact matrix
- Scatter diagrams
- Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix
- Stakeholder mapping / representation
- Text oriented formats
Decision making tools & techniques
- Multi criteria decision analysis
- Voting
Communication skills tools & techniques
- Feedback
- Presentations
Interpersonal & Team skills tools and techniques
- Active listening
- Communication styles assessment
- Conflict management
- Cultural awareness
- Decision making
- Emotional intelligence
- Facilitation
- Influencing
- Leadership
- Meeting management
- Motivation
- Negotiation
- Networking
- Nominal group technique
- Observation / Conversation
- Political awareness
- Team building
General
- Advertising
- Agile release planning
- Analogous estimating
- Auditing
- Bidder conferences
- Bottom up estimating
- Change control tools
- Claims administration
- Co-location
- Communication methods
- Communication models
- Communication requirements analysis
- Communication technology
- Context diagram
- Contingent response strategies
- Cost aggregation
- Critical path method
- Decomposition
- Dependency determination and integration
- Design for X
- Expert judgment
- Financing
- Funding limit reconciliation
- Ground rules
- Historical information review
- Individual and team assessments
- Information management
- Inspections
- Knowledge management
- Leads and lags
- Meetings
- Organizational theory
- Parametric estimation
- Pre-assignment
- Precedence diagramming method
- Problem solving
- Product analysis
- Project management information system
- Project reporting
- Prompt lists
- Prototypes
- Quality improvement methods
- Recognition and rewards
- Representations of uncertainty
- Resource optimization
- Risk categorization
- Rolling wave planning
- Schedule compression
- Schedule network analysis
- Source selection analysis
- Strategies for opportunities
- Strategies for overall project risks
- Strategies for threats
- Test and inspection planning
- Testing / product evaluations
- Three point estimating
- To-complete performance index (TCPI)
- Training
- Virtual teams
Mastery of tools, techniques and methods differentiates good project managers from bad project managers
Project management situations are dynamic. The knowledge of which methods&tools to use when is key to project manager’s success. Project management methods and tools are constantly evolving, and at the same time they do not get obsolete. Hence the time spent in mastering them is a good investment for enhancing one’s effectiveness as project managers at the work place. When we analyse the bodies of knowledge of project management, it is the repetition of tools and techniques that makes them very bulky and difficult to read and understand. Once you understand the basic methods and tools, mastering professional project management becomes much easier.