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Project Management Software?
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Posted by Dr Andus
Jun 29, 2013 at 10:25 AM
Garland Coulson wrote:
>It looks like RationalPlan is
>desktop software rather than cloud-based?
Yes, it’s a simple, no-nonsense desktop PM software, but it sounds like it could do the things you described (it can email tasks to collaborators and I recall there might be a free project file viewer for others).
I see Workflowy is more of an
>outliner than a project management system.
No, I wasn’t suggesting Workflowy as a PM system. It’s more for ad hoc task development (“work breakdown structure”) during the implementation of the project. Such as when you realise while you’re carrying it out that the task you planned is actually composed of another 10 tasks etc., etc., or that a different task is required altogether.
Rather than messing with my big project plan in RationalPlan at this small level of detail, I just use Workflowy. Incidentally, since my project has to do with writing, there is an overlap between the task management function and actual outlining, which is why Workflowy is particularly suitable.
But my PM needs are very basic, mostly I’m just managing myself, as an academic…
Posted by Hugh
Jun 29, 2013 at 03:37 PM
johnmcde wrote:
You might want to try Org-mode. Org has a sophisticated system for
>clocking time, etc. and Org is a wonderful single pane outliner.
>Org-mode is a major mode of Gnu-Emacs which is free and available on all
>major operating systems.
>
>John
I looked at Org-mode four or five years ago. Learning it appeared likely to demand time that I could not then afford. Maybe this was simply because it didn’t seem to be in the MS-Project type of framework with which I was familiar. Has it become more user-friendly since then?
Posted by MadaboutDana
Jun 29, 2013 at 03:43 PM
My own favorite remains open-source prog GanttProject, which is very powerful and easy to use: one of those nice apps with “enough, and no more” (to quote Dr. Seuss).
That’s when I’m not using Excel or Numbers ;-)
More at http://www.ganttproject.biz
Posted by JerryNotts
Jun 29, 2013 at 06:17 PM
Garland Coulson wrote:
Hugh wrote:
>
>>Second, what do you mean by ‘time tracking’? Most Gantt-chart based
>>applications will enable you to record actual progress against the
>plan,
>>and indicate resulting knock-ons. Anything more automated might require
>>a dedicated time-tracking application.
>
>Primarily, I want to determine the profit at the end of a client
>project. So if I and my team each track our time, and I can see how long
Look at To-Do-List http://www.abstractspoon.com/
This only tracks time, gives you spaces to describe the task and sub-tasks down to many levels. Time cost can be set-up and estimates of time to spend. You can enter things like the start date, deadline and best of all has buttons to click each time you start and end a task. It has reporting functions as well.
I use it with my team almost daily. Its very configurable and intuitive to use. Each option does what it says, can be set to start when Windows starts so always running in the background. The developer started it as a programming exercise and it does not seem very well known. It is being constantly improved, does not appear to have any bugs. You really just need to download it an start using it.
For me it’s simplicity and use is’ its appeal. It’s FREE. By the end of the first day’s use you probably know everything you need to know about it.
Jerry
Posted by MadaboutDana
Jun 29, 2013 at 06:27 PM
Funnily enough, I was going to suggest that, too. You’ll also find Android and iOS clients on the main CodeProject page (http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5371/ToDoList-6-7-B6-Beta-Release-An-effective-and-flex).