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Looking for project management solution - MSProject?

15 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2007-07-24 07:52
Bob Trimpe
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I manage a group of technical writers. Current management tool is an Excel srpeadsheet. Volume has become such that I need a more sophisticated tool to track hours, due dates, budget. I also need to be able to generate charts that report total hours for all users, be able to graphically represent capacity problems and contrast desired vs actual schedules.

Is MSProject the tool I need? Any other suggestions?

Regards,
Bob Trimpe
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Replies

Mon, 2007-08-27 15:41
#1
Andrew Dick
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You should look at

www.microplanning.com.au

Microplanner X-Pert is a good tool and it works in the network view and is easy to use and gives very accurate results

Andy
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Mon, 2007-08-27 03:20
#2
Daniel Limson
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Try AMS Real Time, See link below

http://www.amsrealtime.com/products/projects.htm

Cheers,
Daniel
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Tue, 2007-07-31 02:44
#3
Oliver Melling
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Bob,

Primavera is too powerful for your needs and it’s easier to get support on MSP than it is for Spider.

Get MSP standard, not even a new copy, get MSP 2002 and do as Niclas says, put each project as an indiviual WBS element in a master project, resource the activities, run histograms that show a resource overload, show them your boss and tell him to put a job vacancy in the local paper.

HTH

Ol
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Mon, 2007-07-30 09:23
#4
Nicolas Igersheim
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HI all,

Bob, as I understand it, your Excel tool does not go into
the detail of the different projects;
Therefore I suggest, use MSP (alas)
and input each project as a different task.
This should allow you to track resources and loads
just as you wish

hth

Nicolas
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Mon, 2007-07-30 03:25
#5
Anoon Iimos
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looking for Project Management Solution? First, look for a good Project Manager, the tool will follow...

i still prefer San Mig Lite!

cheers
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Wed, 2007-07-25 12:05
#6
Vladimir Liberzon
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Yes, Dieter, I know these questions since 1993 when Spider Project was initially launched. Now it is used by largest Russian companies (like Russian Aluminium - largest aluminium company in the world), Russian Ministry of Defense and Accounting Chamber, and many large and small companies around the world. I don’t think that this kind of questions will be asked in this case. Usually it is a problem of IT people that chose software for large enterprises and don’t want to take any risk.
MSP has very poor resource management capabilities but in this case the number of resources is low and resource conflicts are rare. I am not sure that it is the best solution but it is fast to learn and cheap.
There is no need to manage portfolio in this case. It will be easier to create one multiproject that will include all current projects.
Spider Lite has more useful functions (skill scheduling, resource constrained schedule optimization, unlimited number of cost components, ability to set and to use corporate norms, power - no limits for anything, etc.) and is even cheaper. But it is not known in the USA, you are right.
When I wrote about Spider I just wanted to tell that the task is simple even for Spider Lite (most easy and cheap software in Spider Project family).
Regards,
Vladimir
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Wed, 2007-07-25 11:39
#7
Dieter Wambach
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Vladimir
As my experience is limited to three of the current tools, the others are obsolete since many years, I can just give an opinion on those three and typical behaviours of management.
MSP, if your focus is on resource-planning with multiple projects might become a nightmare.
Spider might be much more efficient. I don’t know it. But I assume some remarks from management, e.g. Russian Spyder tool, will it still exist in five years? Can we get planners, support.... I’m sure you know those questions better than me.
Bob’s role would be easier with a well known tool. This was my concern.

Regards

Dieter
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Wed, 2007-07-25 11:04
#8
Vladimir Liberzon
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Dieter,
the task is simple and I am sure that it does not make sense to throw away money that are needed for bying Primavera tools. MS Project Standard may be sufficient, Spider Project Lite (for 450 Euros) will certainly do all necessary things better than Primavera.
And you know that no tool will guarantee that the data that were used are correct.
Regards,
Vladimir
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Wed, 2007-07-25 08:23
#9
Dieter Wambach
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Hi Bob

At a first glance Primavera maybe would mean to shoot with cannons against sparrows. MSP cannot really handle that people work in different projects or you’ll need the enterprise solution, which would with all required tools be more expensive than Primavera.

For such a resource planning to be considered:
- Admin work, holidays, training, sickness ...to cover all working time
- Roll/qualification concept, because at first you know which qualification required, technical-, scientific- .. writer to do a roadmap-planning
- What-if scenarios
- To convince management, that the result of your planning with excess of capacity is correct, a good name - Primavera - is better, than "I found a good software-house which has an excellent tool for a low price" or a good tool with no real representative in your country. This I had to experience rather frequently already. This would be a good argument for Primavera again.

Hope, this will help you.

Regards from Germany

Dieter
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Wed, 2007-07-25 07:34
#10
Bob Trimpe
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WOW, thanks for the thoughtful responses.

A little background - I have three writers who may have two or three active projects going at a time. I currently manage their schedules using an excel spreadsheet, a cell for each week, all the writers projects lined up one under the other. By placing an anticipated value in the weekly cell for each writer’s projects, I can graph the manpower requirements for the group.

I need a way to demonstrate that my needs have exceeded my manpower. If I have more projects than manpower for a given week, the graph shows it. In reality, however, the the project timelines become longer (and my projects go late). I ran into trouble because it does not reflect my actual workload - only the desired work to be done for a week. I need to be able to reflect actual workload spread out over more time (for scheduling purposes) but be able to demonstrate to my boss the excess capacity demands week by week.

Hope that’s not too confusing. I’m new to the site, so I don’t know if I am able to posts pictures that illustrate.

Regards,
Bob
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Wed, 2007-07-25 02:47
#11
Charleston-Joseph...
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Hi Bob,

What you need is a project management system and procedure approach.

MSP, P3 or any software will not solve your problem.

While it is true you need any one of the above mentioned planning software, the project team approach is still efficient and combined deliverables with excel charts.

If you need further elucidation, please let me know.


Cheers,

Joseph
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Tue, 2007-07-24 22:42
#12
A D
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Hi BOB,

I totally agree with Dieter. It seems that team size is small and there are not different type of resources.

MSP is the best tool in this case.

P3 takes time to learn and not that user friendly as MS Project.

Otherwise, you can try "SAFRAN Planner" also. Its free download (38 MB) is available at

http://www.safran.com/Downloads/Planner%20Eval.exe

Cheers,

Raviraj A Bhedase
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Tue, 2007-07-24 15:51
#13
Dieter Wambach
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Hi Bob
it depends on how many resources you’ll have to plan and for how many projects they work the same time. If not more than about 10 people and just one project a time, MSP is ok. If there are more projects per person or more persons I have some doubts on the results.
P3 is getting more and more obsolete - by pricing policy too. So it wouldn’t be the best idea to start with - for my opinion.
For resource planning in IT area - many small projects, resources working on multiple projects - I had very good results with P3e/P5.
Unfortunately I don’t know other software. There may be other better or similiar, but cheaper tools as the one Alexandre mentioned.

Good luck in your choice!

Dieter
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Tue, 2007-07-24 08:08
#14
Brad Lord
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hi Bob

Primavera P3.1 would do this for you, it is alot more powerful than MSP and can handle any amount of activities, very good at resourcing/cost control, you can export resource and cost information into a csv file which you can open up in Excel, have a look at www.primavera.co.uk

hope that helps

regards

brad
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