Project Management Techniques and Tools

This assignment delves into the critical aspects of project management by examining various techniques and tools. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of work breakdown structure, Gantt charts, communication plans, and critical path analysis. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of each tool, emphasizing their suitability for modern projects and highlighting the need for managers to carefully consider factors such as flexibility and adaptability.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
MILESTONE 5 (WEEK 8)..............................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
Work breakdown structure...........................................................................................................2
Gantt chart....................................................................................................................................2
Critical path..................................................................................................................................4
Project control..............................................................................................................................4
Methodology................................................................................................................................5
Communication plan....................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION 100.........................................................................................................................5
RECOMMENDATION 100............................................................................................................6
References .......................................................................................................................................7

MILESTONE 5 (WEEK 8)
INTRODUCTION
Project management is referred to as methodical approach to plan and guide the process
of project from beginning till end. The process is being guided by fives steps that includes
initiation, planning, execution, control as well as closing (Kerzner, 2013). The present project is
digital one wherein website of the organization is updated to communicate with the customers in
an effective manner. The project management has been discussed with respect to oil and gas
company. The report includes advantages and limitations of work break down structure, Gantt
chart, communication plan and critical path. Further it also includes analysis of project control
tool and methodology of the project plan.
Work breakdown structure
It is considered as the key project deliverable that assist in organizing work with team
into manageable sections. In other words it is considered as deliverable oriented hierarchical
decomposition of work that needs to be implemented by the project team. There are several
advantages and disadvantages of work breakdown structure (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011).
These have been enumerated in the manner below:
Advantages
The merit of WBS is in terms that it assist in monitoring the work definition with greater
ease within oil and gas company.
Disadvantages
The major demerit of WBS is that it gets outdated very quickly. Though the WBS demonstrates
the project schedule but it get obsolete very fast. This is due to the reason that project schedule
usually alters while executing the project but WBS remains as such. The updation WBS is
overhead which is ignored by every project manager (Baker, Murphy and Fisher, s2008).
Gantt chart
It is referred to as bar chart that demonstrates the schedule of project. It indicates the start
and finish dates of the terminal as well as summary elements of a particular project. It is one of
the most effective manner that shows activities against the time.

Advantages
The major merit of Gantt chart is that it assist in establishing time frame. There are
several project elements that depends on other tasks. It is difficult deduce the amount of time one
task should take and when to start and finish it by (Schwalbe, 2015). Gantt chart provides better
perspective of the total project that includes time frame of the entire project.
Disadvantages
The major con of Gantt chart is that it is required to be updated. The development of the
Gantt chart is done at planning stage of the project. There are greater chances that it can change
in future. This requires updation of chart that takes immense amount of time (Highsmith, 2009).
Critical path
In project management, critical path is referred to as order of project network activities
which is considered as the longest duration. It makes determination of shortest time possible for
accomplishment of the project.
Advantages
The major merit of critical path method is that it assist in making ascertainment of time
schedule of activities which possess relationship of sequence. It helps the management of oil and
gas company in making easy control.
Disadvantages
Limitation of the critical path method is that as it runs on basis of assumption that relates
with precise known time that can be taken by each activity within project. But such might not be
true in real practice.
Project control
There are various techniques that can assist in controlling the project to a greater extent.
This includes market analysis, time management and management of cost.
Advantages
With the assistance of project control technique such as time management oil and gas
company can make determination of time required for project completion. Further it examines
the differences existing the time for actual completion plan (Wysocki, 2011). Thus control of
project can be done in an effective manner.
Disadvantages

The setting realistic time for project might not be true in every case which acts as its
major limitation.
Methodology
Agile is project methodology that is alternative to traditional project management. It is
used for the purpose of developing software (Ika, 2009). This particular methodology is
alternative to waterfall or traditional sequential development.
Advantages
The major advantage relating with agile methodology is that it divides the entire project
into difference stages. This supports in carrying out the entire project easily.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of this method is that it do not provide much flexibility to projects of
modern project management.
Communication plan
Advantages
One of the major advantage of this plan is that it help organization to communicate need
and benefit of project in effective manner (Verzuh, 2015). It will also support in developing good
coordination among workers.
Disadvantages
If communication plans are made without taking suggestions and opinions from staff
members, dissatisfaction can be created among them.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that project management is a very systematic
approach which support in implementation of project in the best possible manner. It can be also
concluded that work break down structure, Gantt chart, communication plan and critical path has
their own set of advantages and disadvantages which needs to be taken care of. On the other side
of this, it can be concluded that at the time of implementing any project, manager needs to be
very careful.

RECOMMENDATION
 It can be recommended that manager should use the process of work breakdown structure
in order to carryout projects effectively. It will also support in managing entire work in
more appropriate manner.
 It can be recommended that managers should seek for gannt chart in order to define the
start and end time of a particular project.
 It can be also recommended that managers can use different tools and techniques of
project control in order to control a project.
 It is also recommended that before selecting any kind of tools, manager needs to evaluate
all advantages and disadvantage of each and every tool.
 From the above study, it can be also recommended that at the time of carrying out
project, mangers must select methods which are more flexible.

REFERENCES
Baker, B.N., Murphy, D.C. and Fisher, D., 2008. Factors affecting project success. Project
Management Handbook, Second Edition, pp.902-919.
Highsmith, J., 2009. Agile project management: creating innovative products. Pearson
Education.
Ika, L.A., 2009. Project success as a topic in project management journals.Project Management
Journal, 40(4), pp.6-19.
Kerzner, H.R., 2013. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Meredith, J.R. and Mantel Jr, S.J., 2011. Project management: a managerial approach. John
Wiley & Sons.
Schwalbe, K., 2015. Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Verzuh, E., 2015. The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons.
Wysocki, R.K., 2011. Effective project management: traditional, agile, extreme. John Wiley &
Sons.