Oct 1, 2006
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Comparing Microsoft Project to Web-Based Project Management Software
Thinking about buying collaborative project management software?
If you are benchmarking or comparing Microsoft Project to newer web-based project management software (like Vertabase Pro), here are 3 key factors to consider when reviewing this type of project management software.
1. Difference in Philosophy.
Microsoft Project’s philosophy keeps the traditional project management paradigm but patches the tool with collaborative features. It has many robust project planning and resource allocation tools. However, it is very much a project manager’s tool. It is geared towards people with training both in project management methods and in using Microsoft Project project management software itself.
A good example of this is that the collaborative features in the software are not real-time. Information needs to be pro-actively published either by the project manager out to the team or from team members back to the project manager. Practically speaking, the project manager and team members work on their local copies of MS Project and then submit or publish their work to the server.
This adds in an additional layer of adoption and is an extra task that managers and team members need to manage on a project. It does add in some collaboration to the information flow of project management but it reduces some of the benefit of having collaborative project management software by adding a barrier to the flow of information (and it creates more work).
Web-based project management software like Vertabase Pro takes out the layer of pro-active submitting and publishing. Information is published instantly and available in real-time, dynamically changing as factors on the project change. Project information can still be controlled by managing user’s access levels (that is, what they are allowed to see and do in the project management software). But the barrier to adoption, the extra layer of work created in tools like MS Project, is eliminated.
2. Multiple Components.
Microsoft does not offer Microsoft Project as an ASP or Software as a Service model. To use Microsoft Project project management software a company needs to buy multiple components and host it themselves. These components include desktop copies of the software, a copy of the server software, non-project manager licenses, Microsoft Sharepoint Server software and MS Windows Server software.
Project management software like Vertabase Pro, which is native web-based software, can be purchased on an ASP (also called On-Demand project management software or Software as a Service -SaaS). Licenses to use the software are purchased on an annual basis and it runs on any browser or operating system. That means the project management software can work on Mac OS or Windows operating system. It can work using Microsoft Internet Explorer, Apple’s Safari browser or even Mozilla Firefox. Further, there are no additional components to buy or install.
For people who do want to manage and host their own installation of the project management software, some web-based products offer versions that can be installed on a company’s internal network. Unlike the SaaS model, to run the project management software this would require the purchase and installation of several other software components. Though, in the case of Vertabase Pro, it is still a far smaller number of “parts” than with Microsoft Project.
3. Training and Support.
Training and support must be purchased separately for Microsoft Project project management software. In many cases, training for Microsoft Project can cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Since the software is designed for more experienced or professionally trained project managers, the training is important for people to get the most out of the project management system.
If people don’t get trained properly or if there is not a culture or politics enforcing use of the project management tool, the tool can quickly fall into dis-use.
Support is a la carte with Microsoft Project Server. It needs to be purchased separately or on a per-incident basis. Support calls for Microsoft Project project management software are often handled much like other customer support calls from larger software vendors.
Training and support are included with every purchase of Vertabase Pro project management software, as it is with other web-based project management tools. In some cases, the tools are so intuitive that training is not even needed. Some software, like Vertabase Pro, also include video’s on using the project management software and extensive online help files to get the most out of the application.
Training, though, is not just about using the software. Training and support for project management include making sure that a company’s workflow and processes are organized to get the real benefits out of whatever project management software is used.
Companies like Vertabase Pro provides this hands-on project management consulting both in the set-up, and in the training and ongoing support of users of the project management software.
Whether you use Microsoft Project or some other application, make sure you have all your ducks in a row so that you can see the significant benefit project management can have on your organization.
These 3 critical factors should help you review and compare project management software. We invite you to take a test drive of Vertabase Pro. Or, if you have other questions on Microsoft Project and how it compares to other project management software, feel free to contact us.
[...] Most project managers plan projects using some form of project management software or a Microsoft Project like tool. Even those that don’t use any project management software will, at least, use a spreadsheet like MS Excel to list all their tasks and keep note of their status. (These can get pretty complicated -as complicated as some project management software, with a variety of Excel Macros and built-in MS Excel functions set to automatically track and calculate the overall health of their projects.) [...]
A recent post looks at issue tracking online. This is another good area to compare alternatives to MS Project and web-based project management software.
http://www.vertabase.com/blog/online-issue-tracking-collaborating-on-projects/