Quality Management Plan Template: Fill & Download for Free

In one of our latest blog articles, we published 50+ free project management templates. Here are some suggestions:1. Project CharterThe foundation of all project management documentation lies in the project charter, a document that clearly defines the purpose and objectives of the project, the project’s scope, roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders, and other vital elements. A well established and comprehensive project charter will ensure that no high-level questions are left unanswered.The project charter serves as the reference document during the duration of the project management process so that all those involved can access critical pieces of information necessary for keeping the project on track, such as project constraints, authorities, high-level budget figures, risks, and justifications for undertaking the project in the first place.PROJECT CHARTER TEMPLATESProject Charter Template by FilestageThis free project charter template from Filestage keeps all the essential information in one simply stated spreadsheet. Sections include General Project Information, Roles And Responsibilities, Project Outcomes/Constraints/Risks/Contingency Plans, Schedule of Deliverables, Project Methodologies and Resources, and contact Information For All Parties Involved. Each section includes expandability for additional entries and notes.Project Charter Template by Excellence In Financial ManagementOn his website, Excellence in Financial Management, Matt Evans provides a free excel project charter template. This particular template is filled in with examples, a feature that is especially useful for people new to project management. The basic headers include all of what one may expect in a project charter template and a little extra.Project Charter Template by Memorial UniversityThis two-page project charter document template provided by Memorial University has a much softer look while still containing sections for entering the essential information relevant to your project. Relevant points of contacts are listed first, followed by the stated need (project justification), and the project description and budget. All other relevant information follows.2. Project PlanA project plan is related to a project charter but in a much more detailed way. Where project charters stop, project plans begin. A well thought out project plan will take all conceptual details of the project into consideration before any actual execution begins.A project plan is your tool for thinking the project through from start to finish, taking into consideration all factors and stakeholders such as stages, and steps within stages, needed to achieve the project goal, task scheduling, responsibilities assignment, protocols formulation within each stage of the project, quality control measures, comprehensive cost estimation, and phase by phase risk assessment.PROJECT PLAN TEMPLATESProject Plan Template by FilestageFilestage’s document-based project plan used varying colors to denote different key sections necessary for an effective project plan. Fields are populated by responses to key questions intended to drive towards the essential components of each category. For example, the primary question for the Task Scheduling section is “What are the phases, tasks, and subtasks?”Project Plan Template by ProjectManagerThis nine-page project plan template is an appropriate choice for complex project planning. The table of contents appears on the second page, after the document control portion of the project plan. Document control provides a chain of custody from document owner to approvers so that all the appropriate boxes can be checked before the plan proceeds.Project Plan Template by AtlassianA simple and straightforward project plan template provided by Confluence provides all of the primary, most necessary components. This is an appropriate template for small or individual projects not requiring an enormous amount of detail.The document first identifies the team members, then defines the problem space, the hypothesis, and relevant background information.3. Project ScopeThe bounds of the project are delineated within the project scope, a statement that defines scope inclusions and exclusions, or in other words, what will happen and what can’t happen. In the process of using a template to determine scope, the shape of the project boundaries will begin to form as the scope becomes more specific.A good template will help you make your scope specific and measurable. Project stakeholders must have a tangible measure to determine what is within or outside of scope. Once you’ve identified and defined the project scope with specificity, it is ready to be approved or revised.PROJECT SCOPE TEMPLATESProject Scope Template by MyPMThe scope statement template provided by MyPM identifies the boundaries of the project and allows space for some other detail as well. This template is an excellent choice for managers who may not see the need for a whole suite of project management documents and would prefer some to be consolidated into dual-purpose items.Project Scope Template by NHS EducationThis NHS Education template illustrates a good example of an organization-specific project scope template. Each category is accompanied by an explanation and directions for what kind of information to provide. This type of template is most suitable for a project that’s low risk and more conceptual in nature.Project Scope Template by The State Of ColoradoThis comprehensive seven-page project scope packet provided by the state of Colorado complete with table of contents shows how detailed project scopes can become. While not all the information in this particular example is necessary in project scope, the additional information makes communication and expectation maintenance easier to achieve.4. Project Status ReportThe key to communication during the iteration of a project is a well defined, but not cluttered, project status report. A project status report is a dynamic document produced or updated on a regular basis that provides critical information to stakeholders and keeps communication fluid between all team members.A project status report serves as an indicator of progress made throughout the project, identifies hiccups along the way, and avoids missed steps via clear and updated documentation. It is one of the best ways to keep all parties involved accountable. A well-written project status reveals helpful information while avoiding extraneous, irrelevant detail. The following project report templates will help you get started.PROJECT STATUS REPORT TEMPLATESProject Status Report Template by The California Department Of TechnologyThe comprehensive status report template created by California Department Of Technology investigates every component relevant to whether or not a particular project is on track. It asks critical questions such as “Is the project on track to achieve the objectives in the approved timeframe,” while also providing data tables to be populated with relevant supporting information.Project Status Report Template by Ontario Local Health Integration NetworkA concise, yet detailed project status report template provided by Ontario Local Health Integration Network highlights the most essential information needed to get a concrete idea of the project’s status. This easy to use template begins with a color-coded project progress estimation that ranges from “on track” to “not started”.Project Status Report Template by MicrosoftThis Microsoft Office project status report template uses color and shade to quickly highlight the essential elements of the project concerning progress status in areas such as project overview, budget overview, and risk and issue history. A good option for small business with smaller scale projects, this template is clean and straightforward.5. Project ProposalOften, your project requires approval or sponsorship, financial or otherwise, from stakeholders. To adequately inform key participants about your prospective project, and supply them with all the information necessary to make an intelligent decision regarding approval, a project proposal is needed.A project proposal usually comes in a document or pdf format with a table of contents listing all sections included. A typical project proposal will consist of components discussing requirements, scope, budget, and any other pertinent information needed for stakeholders to decide on the project. Proposals can be as short as one to two pages or as long as hundreds of pages.If you are interested in more templates, feel free to read the whole article: https://blog.filestage.io/project-management-templates/.

As a project manager, you have to take the reins and guide your team to success. But we all know that project management is a delicate science. So if you’re going to succeed, you have to call on the best project management tools out there. Here’s the ultimate list of project management tools.FilestageFilestage is project management software that empowers teams of clients, coworkers, and stakeholders to simplify their review and approval workflow for documents, images, and videos.Key FeaturesUsers can directly annotate videos, PDFs, images, and audio files in any browser. Reviewers can annotate without registering.Users can exchange files and information with their teammates, clients, and partners as if they were in the same room.At each stage of your review, communication is clear and transparent.Users can give their feedback processes a clear structure, which can accelerate the speed of projects.Pros:Great CommunicationFilestage really does facilitate simple, effective communication, so the entire team stays updated and happy. Say goodbye to frustrating feedback rounds!Impress Your ClientsThe feedback and review process can be frustrating for everyone involved. ButFilestage will really impress your clients and make a great impression.Cons:Missing mobile and desktop appAt the moment, Filestage isn’t offering a dedicated mobile or desktop app but can be used on any device.Project Management Software - ProjectManager.comProjectManager.com is a piece of project management software that’s designed to help teams plan, track, and collaborate online. It aims at becoming a central hub that helps teams drive value and achieve greatness for each of their projects.Key FeaturesThis tool offers a range of flexible project views that cater to the preferences of your team members.Task lists drive transparency and help team members understand their tasks and responsibilities at a glance.ProsThis tool is easy to use from the get-go.The support and product teams are helpful and attentive.ConsReporting can be challenging and rigid.It can be time-consuming to maintain projects that are iterative in nature.BrightpodBrightpod is a piece of project management software that aims at taking the chaos out of managing marketing projects and helps project managers (and their teams) focus on what matters.Key FeaturesBrightpod empowers project managers to create workflows that help speed up similar projects and make them easier to plan.Project managers can also call upon a suite of time-tracking tools and timers to estimate how long their project will take, and what the final bill will be.ProsMarketing workflow templates make it easy for project managers to slash time and get their projects rolling.Its real-time activity reports for each team member drive transparency and offer useful insight into productivity.ConsSome users explain that the tool can become expensive, depending on how busy the project schedule is.The tool doesn’t currently offer an automatic, built-in timer. So time has to be logged manually, which can lead to inaccuracy.AsanaAsana is a piece of project management software that makes it easy for project managers to organize and plan their workflows, projects, and more. Project managers keep projects on schedule while they boost the overall quality.Key FeaturesThis tool offers simple UI that makes it easy to set priorities and deadlines while they assign tasks and structure projects.Visual project plans help project managers see how the project is progressing over time, which helps eliminate roadblocks and maintain an agile approach.ProsThis tool makes it easy to create strong links between team members, which eliminates the gaps in communication that often appear among team members.Asana offers integrations with a range of popular tools, which opens up new functionality and the potential for marketing project managers.ConsSome team members complain that notifications are too frequent, and that they can quickly become an issue in inboxes.The free version of the software no longer offers searching and reporting, which affects the functionality available to non-premium users.Intrigued by Asana but looking for something a little different? Take a look at our top alternatives. Stuck between choosing between Asana or Trello? Check out our deep dive into Trello vs Asana.WrikeWrike is a piece of project management software that powers up project managers will full visibility and control over their tasks. So it helps make project management more comfortable and productive.Key FeaturesReal-time reports give project managers insight into the status of all projects.Workflows can be streamlined and managed to track how the team is performing, and how projects are moving along.ProsThis tool can help reduce miscommunication and common errors between team members, thanks to the transparency it delivers.Users can quickly and easily find a visual of a project, in order to get a complete overview.ConsThis tool is difficult to configure and get started, which can have an impact on its overall efficiency and suitability.On one hand, the speed and volume of updates is positive. On the other, teams can get lost and fail to take advantage of new features.ProofHubProofHub is a piece of advanced online project management software that gives project managers full control over their tasks. It aims at becoming the central place for all of your projects and communications.Key FeaturesKanban boards simplify the way project managers define workflows, view tasks, and manage their teams.White-labeling means that businesses can personalize the ProofHub account to accomodate the look and feel of their brands.ProsThe cost of ProofHub is reasonable, which can increase the profitability of projects.Proofhub is intuitive and easy from the get-go, which results in small learning curves and improved efficiency.ConsSome users report that this tool is too simple and lacks key features (e.g., workflows and requirements management).This oversimplicity results in the tool being inappropriate for large teams and complex projects.Do you value creativity above all else? Here’s a closer look at the best software for creative project management.ClarizenClarizen is software that gives project managers the ability to manage work, automate processes, and collaborate across their enterprise. So this tool offers a single, intuitive solution.Key FeaturesThis tool is very simple to configure according to the specific needs of each business, which increases efficiency.The UI is also highly configurable at every level (according to a range of dynamic rule sets).ProsThis tool is highly customizable, and it helps project managers create custom processes that accomplish company goals.Clarizen’s reporting is also lauded by users, who appreciate its robustness and depth.ConsThe pricing structure is an issue for some users. They complain that caps on custom fields can only be overcome via an upgrade.Given the complexity of the tool, the steep learning curve is an issue, which can lead to some team members getting confused and feeling left behind.BasecampBasecamp is a tool that aims at giving project managers and their teams everything they need to get work done in one place. Billed as a calm and organized way to manage projects, this tool is rich in features and functionality.Key FeaturesThe tool offers sophisticated to-do lists that can be commented on and shared.Message boards and real-time group chat provide a place for the team to congregate. So they can discuss their progress and any issues related to the project.ProsThe platform seamlessly integrates with a range of tools, in order to offer new functionality and enhanced convenience for project managers and their teams.Compared to alternatives, the tool scales well, which means it can help project managers control complex projects with multiple team members.ConsIts vast functionality means that there’s quite a steep learning curve, so onboarding new members can be very time-consuming.While the ability to invite clients to the platform works well, outside users will often find themselves confused and intimidated.TrelloTrello is a flexible tool that’s free and easy to use. It helps project managers and their team members simultaneously keep an eye on both the bigger picture and the minute details.Key FeaturesTrello’s system of boards, lists, and cards is very intuitive, and it offers project managers a lot of options.The platform’s kanban system is fun to use, and it provides a sense of accomplishment as tasks are moved along the board.ProsThis tool is very customizable. Even the free version offers project managers a robust task-management system.The onboarding process is very simple, and it only takes new users a little while to get used to it.ConsIt lacks the ability to automate common tasks, which can reduce efficiency and increase the number of manual tasks that must be performed.It’s very difficult to link cards between boards, which can cause some headaches and reduce transparency.Looking for a free piece of software? Read our post on the best free project management software.If you’re interested in more project management tools, follow this link: Top 75+ Project Management Tools for Your Projects | The Project Success Blog.

Stakeholder management is no easy task. An experienced project manager understands the difficulties that can arise when managing people. This can happen because, individually, each team member has their own personality, perspective, and priorities; and, as a group, they are impacted by broader trends within the workplace.The Power/Interest Grid helps you to position your stakeholders onto a grid, depending on their power over your project and their interest in it. This makes it easier for you to segment your stakeholders, so that you can manage and communicate with them more effectively. For example, you might want to provide frequent and timely updates to one group of relevant stakeholders, while keeping communications to a minimum for the others.Here’s a clear example of the Power/Interest Grid from Mind Tools:Here’s a breakdown of the four different groups within the Power/Interest Grid, and how you might deal with them:High power, low interest: You’ll need to satisfy these stakeholders with quality work, but avoid boring them with frequent updates.High power, high interest: You’ll need to engage these stakeholders fully, and try as hard as possible to satisfy them.Low power, low interest: These stakeholders should be loosely monitored, but they don’t need to be provided with constant updates.Low power, high interest: These stakeholders should be kept in the loop and they’re a useful resource when it comes to collecting feedback and input.Strategy and planning are a big part of stakeholder management, but so too is choosing the right tools for the job. You need to choose high-quality tools that will excite and energize your stakeholders rather than frustrate them.It’s always worth creating a specific plan, and it helps to use a template to get you started. You can learn more on key tools and get a free stakeholder management plan template from Stakeholder Management | The Project Success Blog