Omniplan or ItaskX - current versions

[archimacpro]

Hi - Need a project planner. It seems to come down to Omniplan3 or iTaskX

Any suggestions as to which one is better?
Price is not really an issue - just want the best one.

 

[campyguy]

Neither, coming from a long time PM app user and Omni Group pro app owner.

iTaskX is a buggy POS app that needs to just die, and I wouldn't use it if they paid me. OmniPlan is a feature-gimped PM app, relative to the 3 PM apps I use regularly - 2 Windows and 1 Mac. I routinely check for better/other options, and iTaskX just can't handle real-world files as it's routinely crashing or putting out crap output with OmniProject having only a minor subset of what Merlin Project or FastTrack Schedule are capable of.

The two Mac-compatible PM apps I use are FastTrack Schedule 10.2 and Merlin Project. I use FastTrack on Windows, but the Mac app is completely feature-for-feature compatible with the Mac version. My other PM app, for which there isn't a Mac version, is Primavera. Both FastTrack and Merlin Project get regular updates.

FWIW, Omni Group is an awesome company, and their products are top-notch. IMHO the only weak link in their portfolio is OmniPlan - it's nice to look at but more competent options are available IMHO.

My GF manages several work projects in an industry that has nothing to do with mine - construction design and construction - but has plenty to do with resource management, delegation, and CRM - and her recommendation is Daylite (by marketcircle). I'm starting a new retail company in the next 90 days, independent of my existing business, and I'm hiring an attorney and my GF to manage its resources with Daylite as a back-end - I didn't tell her about my new business and evaluated Daylite on my own.

 

[archimacpro]

Neither, coming from a long time PM app user and Omni Group pro app owner.

iTaskX is a buggy POS app that needs to just die, and I wouldn't use it if they paid me. OmniPlan is a feature-gimped PM app, relative to the 3 PM apps I use regularly - 2 Windows and 1 Mac. I routinely check for better/other options, and iTaskX just can't handle real-world files as it's routinely crashing or putting out crap output with OmniProject having only a minor subset of what Merlin Project or FastTrack Schedule are capable of.

The two Mac-compatible PM apps I use are FastTrack Schedule 10.2 and Merlin Project. I use FastTrack on Windows, but the Mac app is completely feature-for-feature compatible with the Mac version. My other PM app, for which there isn't a Mac version, is Primavera. Both FastTrack and Merlin Project get regular updates.

FWIW, Omni Group is an awesome company, and their products are top-notch. IMHO the only weak link in their portfolio is OmniPlan - it's nice to look at but more competent options are available IMHO.

My GF manages several work projects in an industry that has nothing to do with mine - construction design and construction - but has plenty to do with resource management, delegation, and CRM - and her recommendation is Daylite (by marketcircle). I'm starting a new retail company in the next 90 days, independent of my existing business, and I'm hiring an attorney and my GF to manage its resources with Daylite as a back-end - I didn't tell her about my new business and evaluated Daylite on my own.

OK - I'm already having to wrap my head around ERP -Netsuite- later in the year. Fasttrack looks nincer.I need multiple projects as we are building 18 houses so far, this year 2017, and a massive new factory - hence the ERP.

 

[campyguy]

OK - I'm already having to wrap my head around ERP -Netsuite- later in the year. Fasttrack looks nincer.I need multiple projects as we are building 18 houses so far, this year 2017, and a massive new factory - hence the ERP.

NetSuite? Ugh. Oracle's marketing team is in full swing pushing that garbage. The #1 cloud-based ERP/CRM solution that nobody I know or work with uses… I related "NetSuite" to my GF and she had not nice things to say, sorry that I mentioned it to her… She hates JS with a passion, and JS is the main reason I've passed on Oracle's "solutions" over the years since they sucked up Java. The persons I've met that like/prefer NetSuite are paid representatives, and my peers have told me they sneak out the back door when the NS sales reps walk through the front door.

I use Primavera when my clients require it and Merlin Project or FastTrack most of the time with Merlin being my preferred resource manager for Mac clients and internal work (using Merlin Server for cross-platform work, including iOS devices), and FastTrack when my clients are Windows-only. All 3 manage resources smoothly/easily, including international currencies. I've used Merlin and FastTrack on 20 simultaneous projects and never had an issue, FWIW - don't let the former app's low version number fool you either in that I was using version 2 iterations over a decade ago. My first Primavera project was a light rail project some 23 years ago, and I wouldn't hesitate dialing in either Merlin or FastTrack for that work or any other project unless the client required it. Cheers!

FWIW, I use Autodesk's Buzzsaw for my drawing tracking.

 

[archimacpro]

NetSuite? Ugh. Oracle's marketing team is in full swing pushing that garbage. The #1 cloud-based ERP/CRM solution that nobody I know or work with uses… I related "NetSuite" to my GF and she had not nice things to say, sorry that I mentioned it to her… She hates JS with a passion, and JS is the main reason I've passed on Oracle's "solutions" over the years since they sucked up Java. The persons I've met that like/prefer NetSuite are paid representatives, and my peers have told me they sneak out the back door when the NS sales reps walk through the front door.

I use Primavera when my clients require it and Merlin Project or FastTrack most of the time with Merlin being my preferred resource manager for Mac clients and internal work (using Merlin Server for cross-platform work, including iOS devices), and FastTrack when my clients are Windows-only. All 3 manage resources smoothly/easily, including international currencies. I've used Merlin and FastTrack on 20 simultaneous projects and never had an issue, FWIW - don't let the former app's low version number fool you either in that I was using version 2 iterations over a decade ago. My first Primavera project was a light rail project some 23 years ago, and I wouldn't hesitate dialing in either Merlin or FastTrack for that work or any other project unless the client required it. Cheers!

FWIW, I use Autodesk's Buzzsaw for my drawing tracking.

The Netsuite does indeed seem to be well marketed. I would prefer something server based, but so many conflicting opinions. Dynamics 365 is probably too complex. And once again it's cloud based. I need a great inventory & manufacturing ERP. Any other suggestions - please? Just downloaded Fasttrack, so I'll work on that for a week & see how that goes.
Our drawing tracking is no probs, with Archicad.But I do need a good ERP.

 

[campyguy]

But I do need a good ERP.

We use odoo - open source and cross-platform, it's been around for years, is active in its development and support, and has a worldwide license. The latest stable update was issued about 2 months ago, and it's solid.

A few years ago I read on Forbes that ERP software would be "going away", so I looked at solutions like odoo - and its Python-based platform. But, I'm getting more into using CRM-based apps and farming out the accounting and resource management as I'm getting too old to manage every little bit in addition to the design and approval work.

Some of my peers use Acumatica, which allows you to pick and choose the resources you want to deploy AND allows either a cloud-based, hybrid-based, or server-based deployment. I may opt for this solution, using a server-based deployment, as some of my work is done in a couple of spots that have no internet access and I don't need every single option that so many of the ERP packages pretty much force upon its users. I do like Acumatica's options too.

Check back with me in 2 months or so on this one. Happy New Year!

 

[archimacpro]

Thanks for your advise. Fasttrack seems OK so far. Will look at Odoo & Acumatica. We had some Netsuite quotes of around $100,000 to implement, and then $25,000 PA.