Hello Nabs,
One of the most comprehensive articles on the subject of Project
Management Software comparison is the following (the homepages for the
software packages mentioned are listed at the end of this answer under
"References"):
A Buyer's Guide: Selecting Project Management Software
http://www.4pm.com/articles/selpmsw.html
As there is no one-fits-all solution, the article breaks up the task
into different types of projects and Project Managers:
1. PMs Managing Smaller Projects Largely Within One Functional Area
"For under $100 there are products like: TurboProject, Milestone
Simplicity, Project Vision, Quick Gantt. (...) With a bit more of an
eye to enhancing your tool use in the future Microsoft Project 2000
and Primavera's SureTrak may also be appropriate tools for this
level."
2. PMs Managing Larger Cross-functional Projects for Executives or
Clients
"The software cost takes quite a jump in price to the $300-$500 level
and the learning curve for these software tools are much steeper than
the first level. The big market shares belong to Microsoft Project and
Primavera products."
3. PMs Managing in a Multi-project Environment
"Software for these multi-project users runs from $400-$20,000 with
network versions to run on your LAN and team communication
capabilities galore. (...) Microsoft Project 2000 (with Project
Central) Primavera Project Planner [1] and other products, Open Plan,
Cobra, Enterprise PM, Micro Planner X-Pert."
The following page is similar:
Selecting Project Management Software
http://www.projectmanagertraining.com/art_software.html
"Project management software that will run on your PC or network is
available at many different levels of sophistication and at prices
ranging from $25 to $10,000 or more. All the packages will produce
pretty Gantt and PERT charts. If that's all you want, there is not
much sense in spending more than $25. (...) It's best to decide what
kind of user you are"
The article differentiates the following three levels:
- The Multi-project Environment
- Mid-range Project Managers
- "Pretty Pictures"
Another very good overview:
Project Management Tools (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
http://web.mit.edu/pm/tools.html
I hope this helps!
----
References:
Microsoft Project
http://www.microsoft.com/office/project/default.asp
Reviews of Microsoft Project Standard 2002 at ZDNet UK
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/review/43/1/2000.html
"Managers who don't use Office XP may prefer a package tailored for
their businesses, such as construction, sales or manufacturing. But
for general use, you can't go wrong with Project 2002."
Review of Microsoft Project 2000 at ActiveWin
http://www.activewin.com/reviews/software/apps/ms/project2k/conclusion.shtml
"Microsoft Project Central is really the ultimate companion for
Project users and is packed full of features users haven’t even dreamt
of yet. The only problem is that it requires NT4 SP3 or greater and
IIS (...) Finally Microsoft Project 2000 is really state of the art
project management software that leaves other competing software
solutions in the dust!"
Micro Planner X-Pert
http://www.decisivetools.com.au/xpert.htm
Primavera Project Planner (P3) - Primavera
http://www.primavera.com/products/p3.html
Open Plan Project Management Software
http://www.welcom.com/content.cfm/node/22
Review of Open Plan at ProjectMagazine
http://www.projectmagazine.com/july00/oplanl1.html
PlanView
http://www.planview.com/index.asp
Cobra
http://welcom.com/content.cfm?node=24
Review of Cobra at SoftScout
http://www.softscout.com/A556CC/softscout.nsf/0/D8FC7A15C0EA202D86256CA8007A0E3F?OpenDocument
"Cobra's strength lies in its ability to handle diverse cost
management needs for commercial enterprises and government
contractors"
----
Publications:
Albeit dated, the following publication may be of interest:
"Tools of the Trade: A Survey of Project Management Tools"
Project Management Journal, September, 1998, 29(3), 20-27
(co-author, J. Wayne Spence).
Reprinted in Project Management: A Managerial Approach by Jack R.
Meredith and Samuel J. Mantel, Jr. (Wiley, 2003)
And:
"Do the Features Support the Functions: A Survey of Project Management
Tools"
PM Network, March, 2000, 14(3), 69-73.
You can find contact information of the author at:
http://business.baylor.edu/directory/details.aspx?personID=162
You can also order the following book:
PMI Bookstore - Project Management Software Survey
http://pmibookstore.org/productdetail.asp?productid=2848
----
Additional links:
Google Web Directory - Computers > Software > Project Management
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Project_Management/
Project Management Software
http://www.project-management-software.org/project/
Newsgroups:
- alt.comp.project-management
----
Footnotes:
[1] For a direct comparison of Microsoft Project vs Primavera (P3),
see the following opinion:
PlanningPlanet Forum
http://planningplanet.com/forum/forum_post.asp?fid=25&Cat=4&Top=955
"I have been a user of both products for 7 years now and below are
some of my personal view on the matter.
1. Both are effective scheduling softwares.
2. MS Project is more user friendly in terms of data [inputting]
especially entering resource data.
3. P3 is more powerful in terms of transferring data and in organizing
data. It gives you a wide latitude in terms of reporting features.
4. Depending on the extent of Project Management consciousness in your
company, I believe P3 is suited to a company which is very mature. But
for not so extensive and not so complex projects, MSP can do the job
as well."
----
Search strategy:
I especially searched for newsgroups threads discussing your question
using the following service:
Google Groups
http://groups.google.com
Also, my search covered sites that mentioned more than just one
Project management software title.
Search terms:
comparison "project management software"
primavera "microsoft project" "project vision"
"Microsoft Project" review
"Open Plan" Project Management review
"Primavera Project Planner" Project Management review
Microsoft Project 2000
primavera "microsoft project" "project vision"
primavera vs ms project
"project management software" overview |
