(1) Explain your problem, don't simply post "This isn't working". What were you doing when you faced the problem? What have you tried to resolve - did you look for a solution using "Search" ? Has it happened just once or several times?
(2) It's also good to get feedback when a solution is found, return to the original post to explain how it was resolved so that more people can also use the results.
I have been asked what software is available for the non PM type person who has no skills at planning or scheduling. The object is to draw simple bar charts with many milestone types. MSP has been ruled out as "too difficult to learn" and using XLS/PPT was "too cumbersome". Is their anything between MSP and XLS/PPT that is a simple drag/drop for activity bars/milestone (various shapes)? Milestone Professional?
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Hi Kevin
If they are just going to use it to draw pictures of bars then excell is as good as anything - simple to use but practically worthless.
Asta do a lightweight piece of software called Easyplan that will let you drag bars on the chart and set simple links but does not reschedule onto a critical path - again practically useless but it can be saved into PowerProject v11.
A word of warning though - do not install easyplan on the same system as powerproject they will corrupt each other.
Best regards
Mike Testro
Reminds me of a time back in Vietnam when, once a month, we enlisted men would be woken at 5 a.m. to attend a "training" session, complete with printed handouts and overhead slides.
One morning one of us asked the lieutenant how come we had to do this but the "lifers" didn't. He explained that they, too, went through training, only "it's a bit different."
"How's it different?" the questioner asked. Before the lieutenant could answer, someone from the back of the room shouted:
"SMALLER WORDS AND BIGGER PRINT!"
That was kinda the end of training for that day.
Fraternally in project management,
Steve the Bajan
Good laugh Andy, I did suggest paper and pencil, but that didn't go over too well! I will look into CS Project. I was in disbelief on MSP, but if no solution is found, then I foresee an XLS proforma.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Kevin
I was going to suggest CS Project by Crest software, it's easy to pick up and use, our site and management staff use it without too much trouble, even without training as it's reasonably intuitive ..... but if MSP is too difficult then maybe that would also be ruled out?
Paper and pencil maybe?!
Or you could send them some form of standard proforma in Excel, they fill it in and you paste in to the likes of MSP to produce the gantt chart?
Email: PPadmin@planningplanet.com
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