Resources and products

Welcome the Tactical Project Manager resources section. Here you find resources and products that help you improve your project management skills. You also find digital downloads like project templates and checklists.

Project Template Pack

The complete set of documents I’ve used in my projects — and all my projects were completed in time and budget. Readers found these templates to be real lifesavers!

What templates are included? The project timeline (Gantt chart), the highly praised budgeting form for estimating and tracking actuals, my to-do list, RAID template, risk log, project charter and more. Click the link to learn more about the templates.

Managing a Project Budget (Video Course)

Do you want to take on more responsibility and manage bigger projects? Then you must learn how to manage the costs in a projects.

My video course will get up to speed quickly, so that you can manage a budget. You will see lots of examples (with screenshots) on how to prepare and present your budget. In addition, you will learn tips on how to stay in budget.

The 80/20 Guide to Microsoft Project

My new eBook shows you how to use MS Project in real-life projects. From entering tasks, using dependencies, planning a budget, using resources to ongoing activities like tracking effort and costs. Straight to the point, easy to understand. No experience required!

Guide to Earned Value Management with Microsoft Project

This practical 70-page guide shows you how to get started with Earned Value Management (EVM) in Project! Using examples from construction, we take you through the entire process: Configuring Project for EVM, setting up resources, adding dependencies, adding costs and tracking the project. Then we calculate the EVM metrics and display those in easy-to-understand graphs that can be presented to a customer.

Project Budgeting Form for Excel

This is the Excel solution I use for estimating and tracking cost in my projects (IT projects in the 1-2 million $ range). It is also included in our Project Template Pack. Use the sheet to estimate labor cost, travel cost, material expenses and CapEx in a simple and transparent way.

Jessica, a project manager, recently write this about the sheet: “I planned out the budget for a very large project in about an hour. Normally this would have taken me all day”. This is the best proof that you are getting a great tool that will save you time. Note: You need to be familiar with Excel to use the sheet, in particular with formulas.

Project Startup Checklist

Planning a new project is hard. Lots of things you have to take care of, and your name is on the line. So you want to do it right without wasting time. The project startup checklist walks you through every step of setting up a new project.

Ultimate Guide to Project Management

Are you new to project management? Then you might find this helpful. My ebook, the Ultimate Guide to Project Management shows you all the steps to start your project successfully. The great thing is that it’s absolutely free and you can download it here.

Here’s what you’ll find in the guide: How to start your new project, creating a solid project plan, estimating effort, communication tips, team building – and a lot more!

Certification Preparation

If you are planning to take the PMP or CAPM exam, you want to choose a good preparation program that gets you “up to speed” so that you will pass the exam in the first attempt. Many readers of Tactical Project Manager have told me that they like Velociteach very much, a US-based training provider. Check out Velociteach’s online course program (this is an affiliate link, meaning I get a commission if you sign up for one of the programs)