I think this is a great point that is brought up since technology has greatly impacted our ways of working. Like Dr. Simon mentioned, gantt charts have become more popular including Microsoft project that has made it more easy to coordinate tasks and assignments and not require meetings with sticky notes. It has helped make the project management aspect much more digital and transparent to all those working on the project. Trello is also another common management app that businesses use to coordinate their tasks and organize their deadlines either from a PM perspective or contributor perspective. 

This is a very good method for the purpose of brainstorming and visualizing the tasks. I believe it is much easier to have team members collaborate in person than virtually. Plus, the idea of moveable sticky notes lets the team rearrange the order to their liking which may open discussions. Once a “finalized” version is made, then it should be transferred to a computer program, such as Project Professional, so it can be accessed virtually for any additional changes along the way. In a way its double work, but meeting in person creates a think tank and helps the team to bond.

We used that idea you had mentioned in college! The only downfall to this idea was that we had to take pictures of the wall and then upload those pictures to a Google Drive folder and periodically look at the pictures to make sure we were getting everything done. 

For my capstone project, we used monday.com ( https://monday.com) as a way for us to allocate tasks to group members and to see the progress made. Since we used it in 2020, there have been many updates made to the website that allow for other project groups to make better use of it. For each task, you are able to assign people (other group members), the due date, priority, and timeline (see picture). This was very helpful when we transitioned to online learning during the start of the pandemic. In my opinion, I like this much more than a Gantt chart (which we also had to use for our project) since it is much easier to view. I highly recommend this to everyone!!

When we did the planning process for my Senior Project we started by breaking up the overall project into smaller portions and then listed all the steps and tasks that would need to be done for each portion. For example, one of the portions was the circuitry and the steps included calculating the resistor and capacitor values, designing the actual circuit, testing the circuit, and then soldering it onto a PCB board. Once each portion had all the steps identified, we used Microsoft project to make a Gantt Chart so we could plan how long each step would take and which ones could be delegated to team members so different components of the device could be worked on at the same time. 

Breaking the overall project into smaller components and having a rough idea of what steps needed to be done for each portion, made the Gantt Chart planning portion a lot easier since we weren't deciding the steps from scratch. 

The summer of 2020 I completed an internship with the Navy that aimed to spread this type of thinking to the Department of Defense to improve productivity and make it easier to get the opinions of all employees, not just upper management. Because of COVID, these classes could not be done on white boards with sticky notes in person but had to be done with online tools. Miro is the website we used to create sticky notes; we ranked them using the Fibonacci sequence and put them in order based on how hard and how much time it would take to complete them. This website allows multiple users to contribute at the same time, and it allows you to screenshot the pictures to either save them where everyone has easy access or convert them to sticky notes in person. The company itself implemented these tasks for their employees using Trello, which allows you to create sticky notes with instructions, assign tasks to specific people, add due dates to be completed by and upload attachments when completed that everyone can access. Overall, in an online world these worked well for team members that are not in the same location, and I would use them again if I worked in a virtual setting. I attached the URL here if you were interested in looking at them! Thank you!

https://miro.com

https://trello.com

When working in a group project virtually recently, we had to come up with a different way of finding a solution to organization and participation without it feeling rushed, isolated, or unorganized. 

How our group did our project was first did individual research, came together, brain stormed, someone wrote down our key points in a document that needed to be achieved. We then each personally ranked what we thought was most important and how much time was needed for each. In doing so we were able to compile everyones thoughts and come up with a middle ground in discussion which had everyone actively participate since we all had to contribute what we thought was most important in the goals and then how long it should take. 

After establishing a timeline with the group and goals to be met, we used Microsoft project to make a Gantt chart, and it was easy to utilize in a Google Meet because we could also see the shared Gantt chart, everyone gave in input. It was the easiest and fastest solution we could think of being virtual and also the short time we had overall to complete the group project. 

Technology has advanced the ways it is possible to organize tasks. Using electronic databases, allows team members to share one space and communicate via a shared cloud server. Additionally, teams can create an online calendar and sync it with each members schedule. This would allow the group to organize tasks efficiently/view each others availability. There are also various apps that are specialized for creating notes and reminders. Gantt chart, is another common electronic tool that is used to effectively organize tasks. Gantt charts effectively assess project duration, resources needed, and organization of tasks and the order of each. 

I agree there should be one place virtually for ideas and notes to be accessed too. Technological advancements through apps such as google drive, Microsoft teams, etc. There are also Gantt charts as Dr. Simon mentioned before and other collaborative virtual resources. These have made the brainstorming process easier and more modernized. However, in contrast with some of my peers, I believe there's a significance with how brainstorming is done "the old-fashioned way" by writing stuff down and feel like these technological advancements should go hand in hand with that method as opposed to replacing it. You grasp things better when you write them as opposed to typing them because it activates more areas in the brain/memory. So technology definitely improves and makes it more effective but writing it down is just as important. 

I believe this is a good visualization method, however, it has no concrete implications. With that being said, many companies follow a motto which is "if it is not on a controlled document, it didn't happen". This phrase comes especially into play with sticky notes. The documentation aspect is there, but it isn't in a controlled fashion. This means that the document has met the standard and can only be changed through change request processes. This provides structure to the project when planning. Since it is written down, the task will be assigned/done. In today's day and age, technology can be used in this process. There are various tools that others have mentioned including Microsoft Projects. However, in my experience, what I have found most useful, as @cb447 has mentioned, is teams. My team specifically uses the notes section to keep track of the status of each project assigned to my team. This way if someone were to be on vacation or out of the office for a long period of time, the rest of the team members have an idea as to the status of their projects for anyone in need of the information.

Technology provides a lot of different ways to make the planning process easier and more efficient. Tools like Microsoft Office provide a lot of different ways to achieve goals mentioned in the original post. Teams makes it easier to assemble the project team no matter where they are, Word makes it easier to brainstorm ideas, list them, and share them with everyone else on the team, and the project management app allows you to plan projects by creating Gantt charts. These tools are also created so that they can be used across multiple devices, and so that all your work is synced from one device to another. Plus, they also track projects and project progress automatically. Through tools like these, project planning and execution become much easier and effective.

Hello,

When it comes to planning a project, several methods and techniques can help to organize tasks. The following techniques and methods can be utilized through software. Project management software is an essential tool for organizing and allocating tasks, setting deadlines, and tracking progress. Gantt charts are a popular way of visualizing a project schedule, while Kanban boards offer a visual way of managing tasks as they progress through different stages. Mind mapping software can help with organizing ideas and tasks visually, while collaboration tools like Google Workspace or Microsoft Teams allow teams to work together on project planning and task management in real-time. By using these methods and techniques, project managers can plan tasks effectively, allocate resources efficiently, and track progress to ensure project success.

As technology advances, there are new ways to be more effective when it comes to organization. For example, there are many collaborative tools that companies use to help teams communicate better and be more organized. A collaborative schedule is a great way to help team members know what others are up to. For example, let's say one team member wants to reach out to another, but they are not responding. If they were to check the collaborative schedule, they will see that they are in a meeting and will most likely respond once their meeting ends. There is also some software that helps with organizing tasks for a project. One that I am familiar with is Microsoft Projects, but there are multiple different tools that can basically achieve the same tasks. There are also virtual whiteboards that team members can use collaboratively and can brainstorm ideas that everyone can see in real-time as if it was in person. Other software that I have also used is Microsoft teams and slack because it makes it easy to share screens, share files and communicate with other team members. Especially during the pandemic, companies had to improvise new ways to communicate and be organized since no one was in the office. New technology has helped huge companies still be productive while working online and still completing projects.

One way to improve this method for organizing tasks is to organize them by time, by using a Gantt Chart. In a Gantt chart, major steps of the project can be given their specific deadline and once that is decided then the minor tasks to complete the major one can be decided. Once each minor and major task were decided then it can be chosen on how many people would be needed to complete it. Each member's skills and experience would be decided and allocated to the task they could strive in and help the most. For example, for my capstone project we brainstormed out major milestones to hit and their correlation with one another. Once that was set we then made the minor milestones to achieve the major and then assigned the specific people to their specific tasks. For some tasks they needed to be overlaid with one another but overall they had their own specific person to each task.

Great point! It's always important to look for ways to improve processes and make them more efficient. With the technological advancements we have today, there are many tools available to help with project planning and organization. For example, project management software like Asana or Trello can help with task assignment, progress tracking, and team communication. Additionally, there are virtual whiteboard applications like Miro that can replicate the sticky note brainstorming and organization process in a digital format. By using these tools, we can improve the planning phase of a project and increase the chances of success.