Executing a good project as a project manager does not come easy. This is because you will be responsible for successfully guiding a project from conception through completion.
As it is, you cannot achieve this without using the tools for project management. Therefore, in this article, you’ll learn about the best free project management tools.
The project management process includes planning, initiation, execution, monitoring, and closing. Before you begin any project, you will need a plan that will outline how things will start, how they will be built, and how they will finish.
Every project usually has two things; a budget and a time frame. Project managers ensure that all other team members work actively with the budget given and complete the task before the deadline.
Not knowing the tools to use in order to execute a successful project will definitely make you a bad project manager. It is for this reason that we have compiled the best free Google project management tools for you to use.
The Best Google Project Management Free Tools
Below are the best free Google project management tools that can help you to execute projects successfully hassle-free:
Google Sheets for Project Management
Google Sheets is a spreadsheet program that is a component of the Google Drive office suite. This tool can be used as a web or mobile application, or even as a desktop application.
Here are the uses of the software:
Project Planning: Google Sheets work together with Microsoft Excel. This tool helps project managers to draft detailed project plans and tasks.
Tracking of Productivity: With a Google Sheet file, you can enter the amount of time that your project team spends on a certain project. This tool will also help you to gather information so as to know your budget when you enter certain calculations and formulas inside the tool.
Tracking of Progress and Reports: When you configure your Google Sheets file by feeding it with information, it will help you maintain a progress target automatically. This helps project managers to know how fast a project is moving. From the data gathered, the project manager can now write reports and relate to stakeholders.
The Google Sheets that will be of great help to project managers include Project Charter Sheet, Project Timeline Sheet, Project Budgeting Sheet, and Gantt Chart Sheet.
Google Docs for Project Management
Google Docs is an important project management free tool. It is a word-processing software that creates part of the Google Drive office suite. Users can write and edit on this tool and it can be accessed both on mobile and desktop.
Google Docs help project managers to do the following:
Document Management: Google Docs helps to eliminate the difficulties in editing a document. Its version control is responsible for this as it helps to show who and when an edit is made on a document.
Team Collaboration: With Google Docs, a project team can comment, suggest, and edit in real-time thereby making team collaboration to be efficient.
We have compiled a list of prepared Google Docs that can help you to kick start your projects. They include Project Plan Sheet, Project Proposal, Business Case Template, and SMART Goals Template.
Google Drive for Project Management
With Google Drive, you can store your project file safely. You can also save the files in folders thereby making it easy for your project team to access them from any device.
Google Drive helps project managers to manage documents very well by making it possible for every member of the project team to have access to the document.
On the other hand, Google Drive ensures communication and collaboration in a team. Here, a project manager can use Google Drive to share files with external stakeholders outside the project team. This helps to give feedback thereby giving rise to quality product delivery.
Gmail for Project Management
Gmail happens to be one of the most popular email services as over one billion person use it worldwide. Users can access this software from mobile and desktop.
This tool is part of the Google Suite. Gmail enables a team to share project files and helps to keep all team members in contact. Through Gmail, a project manager can share complex information with various stakeholders.
Unlike other email services, Gmail offers users a large storage space of 15 gigabytes and it can allow users to send emails amounting to 25 megabytes.
Google Slides for Project Management
Google Slides is a component of the Google Drive suite. It enables a team to create presentations that are compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint.
Additionally, this Google project management tool helps project managers to have an overview of a project. This helps them to know the number of resources to use, the milestones involved, and how the team will work.
Project managers also use Google Slides to share ideas with the team on how the project will be carried out.
Google Calendar for Project Management
This free Google project management tool helps marketing project managers to develop and edit events and reminders that ensure that projects are on track. You can access Google Calendar from mobile or computer.
Google Calendar also helps project managers to send invites and reminders to internal and external stakeholders and all these are possible due to its merger with Gmail.
Google Keep for Project Management
Project managers use this software to take notes such as regular text, bulleted lists, images, and audio. Once you take these notes, you can share them with your team.
Members of your team can access notes on this tool from a wide range of platforms. Using this tool, you can add colors to the lists as well as reminders to ensure that nothing is left out.
Google Keep will also help project managers to share task lists within their team thereby making it possible for team members to interact with the checklist.
This free tool is very simple and efficient at offering checklists to a team. However, it is not very sophisticated.
Google Chat for Project Management
Google Chat was developed to replace Google Talk, Huddle, and Hangouts. This free software contains messaging, video chat, and VOIP.
Google intends to divide this software into Hangouts Meet that will support only video conferences and Hangouts Chat that will support only instant messaging.
This free tool makes it very easy for team members to communicate and collaborate via text or video conferencing. It also helps to eliminate the constant sending and receiving of emails among team members.
Users can access this software from a range of devices. However, there are still some issues with the desktop application and the chat application. Google is working towards resolving these problems.
Conclusion
Google suite offers marketing project managers free and simple tools that not only help them start and complete projects but deliver high-quality projects too. However, some of the tools are not very sophisticated.
If you wish to commence a project and you are in search of free and simple tools to use, Google has got you covered. Check through the tools and download them.
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