What's Your Schedule Like?

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What's Your Schedule Like?
Andrew Makar, PMP (August 25, 2005)

Microsoft Project is the dominant desktop scheduling software in the project management community, but it’s not the only game in town. Many project managers are turning to open-source alternatives, due to cost pressure or personal preference. Here’s a closer look at two of the more popular open-source project scheduling solutions.

A majority of project managers consider Microsoft Project to be the de facto standard for scheduling software. And at $599 per license, Fortune 500 organizations can invest in the industry standard tool, while many smaller organizations might not find it as cost-effective. However, cost pressures are a reality in both large and small organizations, often resulting in a limited number of software licenses for project staff. In some cases, project managers are forced to manage projects with makeshift tools, and are not able to leverage the benefits of project scheduling software.

In lieu of project scheduling software, project managers often rely on Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint software to develop schedules and communicate project status. There are other alternatives, however. Two open-source project-scheduling packages — GanttProject and Open Workbench — provide a cost-effective option to Microsoft Project, Excel or makeshift tools. Here is a comparative look at these two increasingly popular open-source scheduling solutions.

GanttProject

GanttProject is an open-source project-scheduling tool that develops project plans and reports project progress using Gantt charts.

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September 2010:

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