Gantt charts and project management
Posted by graham.smith
on 8/24/2005
graham.smith
8/24/2005 7:27 pm
To move this to its own thread.
I have downloaded Milestones simplicity 2004 and it seems to offer no way of importing data either directly or through the clipboard.
It offers a nice range of options for custom drawing Gantt charts, but no project management tools.
JCVGantt used as a stand alone program or as a MindManager addin, offers more project management tools, but very limited graphics tools to make customised gantt charts. However, version 2 of JCVGantt is out next month, but I have no idea of features.
Concept Draw offers similar tools to Milestones simplicity, and in some ways is more advanced, but the Gantt feature is broken. Smart Draw offers Gantt charts, but in fact all they provide are time line symbols that you place inside a table to create your chart - no links to dates.
The Gantt project http://ganttproject.sourceforge.net/index.php seems to offer a free full blown project management tool, but this is over the top for what I want.
I think I am going to go with JCVGantt, and hope that v2 offers a bit more flexibility in presentation.
I do like MindManager for throwing projects together, and the link in one direction to JCVGantt give some simple project management tools, and the link in the other direction moves dates and tasks into Outlook. Mind Manager also gives me a route to move a Brainstorm model into a Gantt chart.
Unless anyone has suggestions for another low cost simple project management/gantt chart program.
Graham
I have downloaded Milestones simplicity 2004 and it seems to offer no way of importing data either directly or through the clipboard.
It offers a nice range of options for custom drawing Gantt charts, but no project management tools.
JCVGantt used as a stand alone program or as a MindManager addin, offers more project management tools, but very limited graphics tools to make customised gantt charts. However, version 2 of JCVGantt is out next month, but I have no idea of features.
Concept Draw offers similar tools to Milestones simplicity, and in some ways is more advanced, but the Gantt feature is broken. Smart Draw offers Gantt charts, but in fact all they provide are time line symbols that you place inside a table to create your chart - no links to dates.
The Gantt project http://ganttproject.sourceforge.net/index.php seems to offer a free full blown project management tool, but this is over the top for what I want.
I think I am going to go with JCVGantt, and hope that v2 offers a bit more flexibility in presentation.
I do like MindManager for throwing projects together, and the link in one direction to JCVGantt give some simple project management tools, and the link in the other direction moves dates and tasks into Outlook. Mind Manager also gives me a route to move a Brainstorm model into a Gantt chart.
Unless anyone has suggestions for another low cost simple project management/gantt chart program.
Graham
jackcrawford
8/24/2005 11:50 pm
> Unless anyone has suggestions for another low cost simple project management/gantt chart program.
I remain a fan of ProjectKickstart which has unrivalled connectivity with other apps. May not fit your definition of "low cost" though.
Jack
sub
8/25/2005 1:26 am
Jack, thanks for the excelent sum-up.
For me too, but I also found that the Java implementation makes it rather slow.
Yes, plus there's a plug-in for Excel; I actually just bought Mind Manager X5 Pro at a promotional price (15% off plus free upgrade to the next version coming this fall --sound familiar?). All this time I had been using the MM 2002 giveaway from PC Plus.
http://www.mindjet.com/us/purchase/pre_release_promo.php
I am currently trying out Adept Tracker; at $79 it can read/write MS Project files and even offers a free viewer.
http://www.shareturn.com/adepttracker/product.asp
BTW, how was your experience with Achieve Planner?
alx
The Gantt project seems to offer a free full blown project management tool, but this is over the top for what I want.
For me too, but I also found that the Java implementation makes it rather slow.
Mind Manager also gives me a route to move a Brainstorm model into a Gantt chart.
Yes, plus there's a plug-in for Excel; I actually just bought Mind Manager X5 Pro at a promotional price (15% off plus free upgrade to the next version coming this fall --sound familiar?). All this time I had been using the MM 2002 giveaway from PC Plus.
http://www.mindjet.com/us/purchase/pre_release_promo.php
Unless anyone has suggestions for another low cost simple project management/gantt chart program.
I am currently trying out Adept Tracker; at $79 it can read/write MS Project files and even offers a free viewer.
http://www.shareturn.com/adepttracker/product.asp
BTW, how was your experience with Achieve Planner?
alx
graham.smith
8/25/2005 2:44 am
To add to this list, I have just come across TimeLineMaker at www.timelinemaker.com.
Its a fairly simple, but at the moment it seems the most effective tool of the tools I have tried, at making a simple timline.
The spark for looking at this was the need to produce a Timeline for 15 years of ecological survey work, what survey work was done when when the subsequent reports were published and to highlight and annotate key points.
This drifted a little into Gantt charts and project management programmes, because the drawing tools I had available required too much manual input. So while TimeLinemaker doesn't really fall into the this project management thread, it does look a very useful program.
Graham
Its a fairly simple, but at the moment it seems the most effective tool of the tools I have tried, at making a simple timline.
The spark for looking at this was the need to produce a Timeline for 15 years of ecological survey work, what survey work was done when when the subsequent reports were published and to highlight and annotate key points.
This drifted a little into Gantt charts and project management programmes, because the drawing tools I had available required too much manual input. So while TimeLinemaker doesn't really fall into the this project management thread, it does look a very useful program.
Graham