Catalog / Project & Email Tools Cheatsheet
Project & Email Tools Cheatsheet
A comprehensive cheat sheet for project management and email productivity tools, covering essential features, shortcuts, and best practices.
Project Management Tools Overview
Asana
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Description: Asana is a web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. Key Features: Task management, project timelines, team collaboration, reporting, integrations. |
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Common Use Cases: Project planning, task assignments, progress tracking, meeting management, and bug tracking. |
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Pricing: Offers a free plan for small teams. Paid plans add more features like advanced reporting and custom branding. |
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Pros: User-friendly interface, strong collaboration features, extensive integration options. |
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Cons: Can be overwhelming for simple projects, pricing can be steep for larger teams. |
Trello
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Description: Trello uses a visual, card-based system to organize projects and tasks. It’s known for its simplicity and flexibility. Key Features: Boards, lists, cards, checklists, due dates, attachments, and Power-Ups (integrations). |
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Common Use Cases: Agile project management, personal task management, content calendars, and team collaboration. |
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Pricing: Offers a free plan with basic features. Paid plans provide advanced checklists, custom backgrounds, and more storage. |
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Pros: Simple to use, highly visual, flexible for various project types. |
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Cons: Limited built-in features compared to other tools, can become disorganized with complex projects. |
Jira
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Description: Jira is a project management tool designed for software development teams. It offers robust features for issue tracking and agile project management. Key Features: Issue tracking, agile boards, customizable workflows, reporting, and integrations. |
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Common Use Cases: Software development, bug tracking, sprint planning, release management, and customer support. |
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Pricing: Offers a free plan for small teams. Paid plans include more users, storage, and advanced features. |
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Pros: Powerful issue tracking, customizable workflows, strong integration with other Atlassian products. |
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Cons: Complex setup and configuration, steep learning curve, can be expensive for large teams. |
Email Productivity Tools & Techniques
Email Clients
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Gmail |
Popular web-based email service with robust features, integrations, and spam filtering. |
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Microsoft Outlook |
Part of the Microsoft Office suite, offering email, calendar, contacts, and task management. |
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Thunderbird |
Free and open-source email client with extensive customization options and add-ons. |
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Apple Mail |
Default email client on macOS and iOS, known for its simplicity and integration with Apple ecosystem. |
Email Management Techniques
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Inbox Zero: Aim to keep your inbox empty or near empty by processing emails regularly using methods like deleting, delegating, deferring, and doing. |
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Time Blocking: Schedule specific times each day to check and respond to emails, avoiding constant interruptions. |
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Email Filters & Rules: Automatically sort incoming emails into folders based on sender, subject, or keywords. |
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Unsubscribe Ruthlessly: Reduce email clutter by unsubscribing from newsletters and promotional emails you no longer read. |
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Use Templates: Create pre-written email templates for common responses to save time and ensure consistency. |
Email Productivity Tools
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Boomerang |
Schedule emails to be sent later and track email responses. |
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Mailtrack |
Real-time email tracking to know when and how many times your emails are opened. |
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Grammarly |
AI-powered writing assistant to improve grammar, spelling, and style. |
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Todoist |
Task management app that integrates with email to turn emails into actionable tasks. |
Advanced Project Management Techniques
Agile Methodologies
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Scrum: An iterative and incremental framework for managing complex projects, often used in software development. Key components include sprints, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives. |
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Kanban: A visual system for managing workflow, focusing on limiting work in progress (WIP) and improving flow. Kanban boards use columns to represent different stages of a process. |
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Lean: A methodology focused on minimizing waste and maximizing value. Principles include identifying value, mapping the value stream, creating flow, establishing pull, and seeking perfection. |
Critical Path Method (CPM)
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Description: A project management technique used to determine the longest sequence of activities that must be completed on time for the project to finish on schedule. |
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Steps:
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Resource Management
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Resource Allocation |
Assigning the right resources (people, equipment, materials) to the right tasks at the right time. |
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Resource Leveling |
Adjusting the project schedule to balance resource demand and availability. |
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Resource Smoothing |
Optimizing resource usage without affecting the project timeline. |
Collaboration and Communication Tools
Team Communication Platforms
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Slack |
A messaging app for teams, offering channels, direct messages, file sharing, and integrations with various tools. |
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Microsoft Teams |
A collaboration platform that combines chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. |
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Discord |
A voice, video, and text communication app, popular in gaming communities but also used for team collaboration. |
Video Conferencing Tools
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Zoom |
A video conferencing platform with features like screen sharing, recording, and virtual backgrounds. |
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Google Meet |
A video conferencing service integrated with Google Workspace, offering easy access and seamless integration with other Google apps. |
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Skype |
A video calling and messaging app, offering free calls and instant messaging. |
Document Collaboration
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Google Docs/Sheets/Slides: Web-based office suite offering real-time collaboration, version history, and easy sharing. |
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Microsoft Office 365: Cloud-based version of Microsoft Office, providing collaboration features like co-authoring and shared workbooks. |
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Dropbox Paper: A collaborative document editing tool with real-time co-editing, task assignments, and rich media integration. |