Project management software

Microsoft Project 2000 showing a simple Gantt chart

Allegedly, the first software support tool for project management was developed by Datasaab for their computer D21 in the early 1960s. It was tailored to support the PERT model. Nowadays project planning software is widely used and abused.

The software industry research company, Gartner (http://www.gartner.com/), periodically publish the "Project Management Software Magic Quadrant Report", a review of major packages (2002 report in pdf here).

Problems with project management software

• Few packages are built around a sound project management method. What is even worse, e.g. Microsoft Project encourages counterproductive behavior by inexperienced project managers by offering as the default start-up view the Gantt chart. This encourages too early focus on task identification and scheduling vs. proper formulation of project objectives and final deliverables. So, such packages implicitly force upon an unsuspecting user an unsound project management process.
• To make things worse, many packages offer advanced visual formatting capabilities, which make it possible to produce nicely-looking but completely nonsense documents.
• Many packages also offer e-mail integration, which encourages automatic assignment of tasks and due dates. This universally leads to counterproductive, date-driven behavior (see: critical chain) and may contribute to improper setting of team members' performance expectations.

Proprietary non-internet packages

Critical path support

• Microsoft Project -- a part of Microsoft Office, [1]
• Primavera -- a high end solution, [2]
• Artemis -- a high end solution, [3]

Critical chain support

• ProChain (add-on to Microsoft Project), http://www.prochain.com/index.asp
• Sciforma, http://www.realization.com

Open source software

• GanttPV -- project scheduling software for Windows & Mac, scriptable w/ python. http://www.pureviolet.net/ganttpv/
• PHProjekt -- an open-source, internet-based groupware suite, http://www.phprojekt.com/index.php
• DotProject -- open-source, internet-based, in early development, http://www.dotproject.net/index.php
• MrProject -- was a part of GNOME but MrProject has been renamed as Planner (See next entry). There is no new development on MrProject and all new development is now done on Planner.
• Planner -- a GNOME tool for planning, scheduling and tracking projects and is released under a GPL license. This evolved out of the MrProject code. The current developers of Planner include the original developers who now work for Imendio http://www.imendio.com/ . Planner uses an XML file format or PostgreSQL database to store the project details and is written in C programming language. See http://www.imendio.com/projects/planner/ for more details on where to get the code or how to join mailing lists.
• KPlato -- a project management application KOffice suite (in early stages of development), http://www.koffice.org/kplato/
• Project/Open -- open-source, internet-based "Project-ERP", with an emphasis on project collaboration and financials, http://www.project-open.com/
• Gantt-Project -- written in Java for all OS http://ganttproject.sourceforge.net/

Proprietary internet-based

• Basecamp -- http://www.basecampHQ.com
• Infowit Creative Manager -- http://www.infowit.com/
• Project.Net -- http://www.project.net
• eProject -- http://www.eproject.com
• Projectplace -- http://www.projectplace.com
• TrioProject -- http://www.trioform.com/project_management_software.htm

External links

• Directory of project management software -- http://www.infogoal.com/pmc/pmcswr.htm
• Open Directory "Top: Computers: Software: Project Management" -- http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Project_Management/

Books

• Eric Uyttewaal. Dynamic Scheduling With Microsoft(r) Project 2000: The Book By and For Professionals. ISBN 0970827601
• George Suhanic. Computer-Aided Project Management. ISBN 0195115910
• Richard E. Westney. Computerized Management of Multiple Small Projects. ISBN 0824786459

See also

• list of project management topics
  • Project accounting