Ganttproject alternative software#
Ganttproject alternative free#

A free and open source tool like GanttProject can be installed on every machine, and the Gantt file can be shared on a server using WebDAV. One of the reasons many engineers dont have access to MS Project is due to the cost. So, tracking using a tool like GanttProject is as essential as using it for planning. A tool that shows the critical path is handy here (see an example of the critical path in the next section). Tracking the project outside the tool poses problems, such as not knowing the impact of delayed tasks, or the tasks that are ahead of time. Many projects use tools during the planning phase, but when it comes to tracking, these tools are abandoned. The project manager does not own the schedulethe team does. Getting a buy-in from all project team members is the key to success. The project manager plays a key role during planning, by asking the right questions on the effort it takes to complete a task, the dependencies with other members or teams, the potential delays involved and the risks that can be foreseen. Planning should be practical and detailed, and take into consideration all the constraints. Proper planning is the first step towards successful project execution.

Ganttproject alternative software#

For example, a software tester going on a two-week Himalayan trip during the last month of a project in test phase has a different impact than if his vacation was during the first half of the project. There are options for a project holiday calendar and per-resource holiday calendar, where the project manager can define holidays when no resource will work, and also the option of a separate calendar for a resource. This clearly shows the duration of a task, the start and end dates, dependencies between tasks, and the critical path (the set of tasks that are dependent on each other, with delays in one of the tasks impacting the end date of the project). They allow you to get an overview of the project visually, by presenting the schedule as a Gantt chart. PM tools have a lot of advantages when it comes to project planning and tracking. Planning a project without considering the holidays and vacation of individual task owners only leads to trouble, right from the beginning. One of the fundamental problems of planning a project in a spreadsheet is that you never know when an engineer (or task owner) is overloaded or not available (vacation). And even when done, there is no alert when your plan is flawed. However, computing duration, starting and ending dates manually for each task is a sheer waste of time. Users find Excel easy to use, as they can control every cell, and there is nothing behind the scenes for them to understand. At some workplaces, applications such as Microsoft Excel are used for task tracking and PM! Spreadsheets are not really meant for this.