Wrike Blog

When it comes to planning your very first project, you may not know exactly where to begin. How do you accurately predict how long tasks will take? How do you translate stakeholder expectations into concrete deliverables? What if something goes wrong? Just because you're a rookie project manager doesn't mean you can't execute like an all-star. Follow these six steps to create a foolproof project plan and lead your team with confidence. Note: The specifics of how you'll plan your project...

  There are a few concrete business elements that remain consistent across all organizations, regardless of industry. Emails and meetings generally fall in that category. One element that is often overlooked but almost always takes up time is the approval process. Documents, deliverables, content, purchasing requests, etc. all need to go through an approval process to make sure they adhere to the expectations and quality guidelines the company upholds for their staff and customers. When...

Poor planning can doom your project before work even begins. Changing expectations, shrinking budgets, and frustrating miscommunications can derail even the simplest project—and make life stressful for everyone involved.  A thorough project plan can prevent scope creep, overblown budgets, and missed goals. But actually sitting down and planning a project can be an overwhelming task. How do you accurately predict how long tasks will take? How do you translate stakeholder expectations into...

Even before contracts are signed or budgets set aside, every new project begins with a plan. And in order to cope with the chaos that will come with the work, leaders must have a complete and well-thought out project management plan in hand. This will be a document that predicts the timeline of how long work will take, who the main stakeholders are, what deliverables are expected and when, contingencies in case of emergencies or delays, and details that should help any manager deal wit...

If you're trying to plan your project calendar for the next month, quarter, or even year, you might be debating the best method to capture your madness.  . You're probably looking for a calendar that can capture all your tasks, their deadlines, assignees and show you where you have some wiggle room.  . As long as you've graduated past the classic (but inefficient) pen, paper, and ruler approach, there are three ways to build a digital project manager calendar that workers rely on d...

When studying project management, you've probably come across lots of tools and tips that you've wanted to try out, only to forget them a few weeks later. If you’re wrapped up in practicing the big-picture principles of project management, it’s easy to forget the little details that make the best project managers worth emulating. This article and infographic lists 10 project management best practices that are often forgotten. Every time a new project starts, review this list to make sure...

Where can you go to talk Gantt charts, work breakdown structures, and Agile workflows to your heart's content with other project management aficionados? The internet, of course! There’s a treasure trove of valuable information available online for anyone looking to sharpen their project management skills.  But where do you start?  We’ve compiled a list of over 80 of the very best online resources for project managers, including online training sites, podcasts, ebooks, tools and templates...

Product management is no walk in the park. Part strategist, part analyst, part marketer, part business executive, the product manager balances business objectives with customer needs to create innovative products that users love.  The best product managers are constantly learning and improving the way they work. If you’re just starting a career in product management or just want to understand more about the role, these seven best practices, collected from product management experts on Quo...