# Overview on Project Management

<table border="1" id="bkmrk-project-management-i" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; border-width: 0px; border-spacing: 10px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 38.3333%;"></col><col style="width: 4.40476%;"></col><col style="width: 57.2619%;"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">Project Management is a series of methods, frameworks, and tools that are typically owned by Project Managers (obvi), Production Coordinators, Production Managers, and Producers.

There is a lot of nomenclature that's used here (particularly in corporate and DevOps settings).

This language might feel complicated, but it's really stuff you're probably doing anyway:

- ✅ Managing Calendars
- ✅ Managing Tasks
- ✅ Managing Workflow

Project Management is a legit and respectable profession, but the culture surrounding it can feel opaque and career-coach adjacent. Don't be scared!

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</td><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">[![Certificate-v1.png](https://tech-almanac.org/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/scaled-1680-/certificate-v1.png)](https://tech-almanac.org/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/certificate-v1.png)</td></tr></tbody></table>

In Project Management, there are a bunch of traditional approaches that may sound familiar to you. Here's a hierarchical chart of how these things work. There are many other project management methods, but these are the ones that appear frequently in Creative Technology processes – at least, altruistically 😉.

- <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Overall Project Management Methods</span>
    - Agile or Waterfall 
        - <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Frameworks for Implementing an Agile Method (Flexible, Continuous Flow)  
            </span>
            - Scrum or Kanban 
                - Sprints 
                    - Tasks 
                        - <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tools for Managing a Method</span>
                            - Kanban *Boards*
                            - Task Tracking Tools
        - <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Structures for Implementing a Waterfall Method (Phase Based)  
            </span>
            - Tasks within Phases 
                - <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tools for Managing a Structure</span>
                    - Gantt Charts
                    - Milestone Trackers
                    - Traditional Calendars

#### Contextual Example

You can use a series of approaches to project management *within a single project.*

- Gantt chart to manage the overall timeline of a project – this is a *Waterfall* approach to time (e.g., the pre-production phase is fixed timing of 2 months)
- Scrum Framework to manage the tasks, a Scrum approach to manage each sprint (e.g., the pre-production scrum includes the "locations search and locations acquisition" sprints)
- Kanban boards to manage the individual tasks (e.g., Jeff : scout Central Park then do a locations report. Tony : review all of Jeff's locations reports and create a summary for the EP. EP : confirm locations and get Jeff to confirm location acquisitions).

If this all makes sense to you, congratulations, you understand the basic concepts of Project Management.

#### Task &amp; Project Management Tools

The best way to stay organized is to manage your tasks as well as manage what you own (and what you don't). You can do this using a notebook. If you don't do that already, start with that. A small upgrade from there is a checklist in a notes app. Upgrading from there is a seeming chaotic wasteland with so many products to choose from!

<table border="1" id="bkmrk-the-tools-to-manage-" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; border-width: 0px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 50.2381%;"></col><col style="width: 2.85714%;"></col><col style="width: 46.9048%;"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">[![PM-Software.png](https://tech-almanac.org/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/scaled-1680-/pm-software.png)](https://tech-almanac.org/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/pm-software.png)</td><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">  
</td><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px;">The tools to manage these tasks include the following software / methods :

- Jira
- Trello
- AirTable
- Miro
- Spreadsheets
- Shitty Notebook.

Most of these tools include all of the things you need to manage a project : Kanban boards, Gantt. task mgmt, etc.

Read more about admin and management tools [here](https://tech-almanac.org/books/applications/page/software-for-data-management "Software For Data & Management").

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I (Cam) know the vibe here is cynical, but this software is actually pretty great. AirTable is incredible. Trello is a gateway drug. Google's Spreadsheets are more of a DIY but very flexible approach, and most people speak spreadsheet. Practically, I have used spreadsheets for most situations because of that accessibility. Also, some companies manage projects using Google Slides or Keynote decks because it's a presentable format. Seems wild right? In some situations, this is actually very functional!

Methods for organizing tasks and managing projects is kind of like being a photographer. What's the best camera to use? The one you've got right now. What's the best tool for project management? Probably: the one your team is using right now.