Hello, I am new to project planning/management. I know noting about these things. I recall that when Microsoft Project for Mac came out many years ago, I played with it and found it useless. I am looking for software (iOS/Mac/both) that allows me to keep track of the progress of my project(s), is easy to use, has nice graphical user interface, not so expensive or free, better have both iOS and Mac OS version. Don't need collaboration. Any suggestion?
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Which project planning/management software do you recommend?
- Thread starter hajime
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I'm using Merlin Project on my Mac. Great app IMHO, but no iOS version.
On iOS I have been using QuickPlan Pro, but I really need much more screen estate to set out a project planning.
On iOS I have been using QuickPlan Pro, but I really need much more screen estate to set out a project planning.
Have done extensive research on this for past few months. Merlin I think has better view options than Omni - such as Gantt charts, WBS, Mindmap. However, Omni has better report features and projection tools. With Merlin you can also include documents as such.
Others worth considering are:-
itask- https://www.itaskx.com/en/index.aspx
project planning pro - http://planningproapp.com/#desktopmac
concept draw -http://conceptdraw.com/products/
Project Libre (free) -http://www.projectlibre.org/product/projectlibre-open-source
Others worth considering are:-
itask- https://www.itaskx.com/en/index.aspx
project planning pro - http://planningproapp.com/#desktopmac
concept draw -http://conceptdraw.com/products/
Project Libre (free) -http://www.projectlibre.org/product/projectlibre-open-source
Depends on what you are trying to do.
I often spend an amount of time working through scenarios with my sales reps on a custom project putting together a mind map of what they need to deliver for the customer, basically I force them to go through the seven stages of Initiation, Definition, Design, Build, Test, Deploy and finally Close. Under each of these stages I outline the major activities required for the custom project they need to deliver to satisfy the customer's requirements, I then spend some time cleaning this up using iThouthtsX which is a mind mapping tool which has the nice feature of being able to draw this in a simple picture and produce output in a number of formats including PDF, PNG, Word, Excel, Powerpoint which I use to get everyone to agree on the concepts and rough plan.
When everyone agrees that this is what we are going to do then I take my iThoughtsX mind map and export this into a MS Project XML file which I import directly into Merlin and use this to produce the master schedule. Of course this is only part of the suite of tools a project manager needs, this and the Office suite to produce documents/plans/reports/logs will go a long way.
I might just add that I use iThoughtsX for a whole range of purposes to document processes during the project, brainstorming sessions, define and finalise requirements, record meetings as it allows me to group thoughts and produce output that can be shared, etc. I also used to overlook this process as part of working with a group and organise ideas but gradually found it a valuable step to getting things done for me. Your mileage may vary.
I often spend an amount of time working through scenarios with my sales reps on a custom project putting together a mind map of what they need to deliver for the customer, basically I force them to go through the seven stages of Initiation, Definition, Design, Build, Test, Deploy and finally Close. Under each of these stages I outline the major activities required for the custom project they need to deliver to satisfy the customer's requirements, I then spend some time cleaning this up using iThouthtsX which is a mind mapping tool which has the nice feature of being able to draw this in a simple picture and produce output in a number of formats including PDF, PNG, Word, Excel, Powerpoint which I use to get everyone to agree on the concepts and rough plan.
When everyone agrees that this is what we are going to do then I take my iThoughtsX mind map and export this into a MS Project XML file which I import directly into Merlin and use this to produce the master schedule. Of course this is only part of the suite of tools a project manager needs, this and the Office suite to produce documents/plans/reports/logs will go a long way.
I might just add that I use iThoughtsX for a whole range of purposes to document processes during the project, brainstorming sessions, define and finalise requirements, record meetings as it allows me to group thoughts and produce output that can be shared, etc. I also used to overlook this process as part of working with a group and organise ideas but gradually found it a valuable step to getting things done for me. Your mileage may vary.
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Ithoughtsx is a superb app. Has so many uses from project mapping, mindmapping, process mapping, Organisational charts etc. Really like the export features available also.
This along with omnigiraffe make for some wonderful desktop powered applications for work and or study.
This along with omnigiraffe make for some wonderful desktop powered applications for work and or study.
Merlin has everything you'll need and a lot you don't need but you pay a very high price. You can download and try the full version for 30 days. However, if all you want is to produce Gantt charts then try 'Roadmap planner' from the App Store at just a fraction of the cost of more feature rich applications.
It allows you to allocate resources, task people, add timeframes. You can then Export it for example in excel or project format.
I recently started using the mind mapping techniques (using MindNode), so I apologize if my noob answer is incomplete...
IMHO You are right, it is a combination of brainstorming and sketching the outline of a project. Sometimes, it's not obvious to start thinking in Gantt charts right away - in that case a mind map could be a handy tool to first set out the rough ideas and arrange them on paths that link the main parts.
I used it first to help create a 20 minutes screencast. I ended up using just my mind map during the live recording, so that was a good first impression. I intend to take this approach further.
Perhaps a good read here
I wish they would add the ability to offer PERT/NetWork charts/WBS views. It is however easy to use and nice layout despite the lack of some features mentioned.
I use MindNode to take a project or work stream that I need to map out and pull together all the pieces, and people and timing. Everyone is different but for me it helps bring things together and provide some clarity about all the parts of the puzzle before I start assigning dates and responsibilities.
I have OmniOutliner but I don't use it nearly to the degree that others do.
I have been an owner of OmniFocus for a long time and have a love/hate relationship. It's a great tool to assign contexts but you can only assign one. The interface is great on almost every platform. It captures a lot of the information I need on a project. I can send e-mails to my OF inbox and process. There are a lot of great things that it does . . . and a few that drive me crazy. I often have a lot of tasks assigned to others and find that keeping track of those can be a real pain (I am open to some help if anyone has suggestions).
I have OmniOutliner but I don't use it nearly to the degree that others do.
I have been an owner of OmniFocus for a long time and have a love/hate relationship. It's a great tool to assign contexts but you can only assign one. The interface is great on almost every platform. It captures a lot of the information I need on a project. I can send e-mails to my OF inbox and process. There are a lot of great things that it does . . . and a few that drive me crazy. I often have a lot of tasks assigned to others and find that keeping track of those can be a real pain (I am open to some help if anyone has suggestions).
You're right and I had it. Merlin Mobile is more a viewer than a real planning app, and in the meantime requires a subscription.BTW: Merlin does have a mobile option.