[Sigia-l] RE: Project Management Software for MacOS X

[Will Parker]

On Jul 19, 2005, at 2:16 PM, Todd Warfel wrote:
> On Jul 19, 2005, at 4:06 PM, Will Parker wrote:
>
>> My take on the state of project management software on the Mac is  
>> that there ain't none -- at least, not if you're looking for a  
>> large, generalized toolbox aimed at running large, complex projects.
>>
>
> Hmm. So, what about AESoft's FastTrack Scheduler 8?
> http://www.aecsoftware.com/products/desktop/fasttrack/newfeatures/ 
> fts8mac.asp?bhcp=1
>
> They even have a MS Project conversion option. If the project file  
> is a version that won't work with the built in converter, then you  
> can upload it to their site and they'll send you a converted file  
> within an hour or so. At least, that's been my experience.
>
> There's also another application called Merlin. It's pretty nice as  
> well.
> http://www.projectwizards.net/en/merlin



I stand *happily* corrected! FastTrack does indeed look like a very  
capable Project competitor. (I'll check Merlin when I have some  
additional time.)

Thanks, Todd!

I do, however, still stand by my warnings against attempting to  
capture and manage too much data. The problem with heavy-duty project  
software like Project is that *some* managers are tempted to use it  
to track every aspect of their projects, critical or otherwise.  
That's fine for the manager, but it's not so much fun for his  
reports. More importantly, the project management process can  
distract both manager and managed from the project work itself (see  
http://www.chrisglass.com/journal/downloads/TPSreport.pdf).

That's why I recommend industry-specific project tools where they are  
available. Since a tool for tracking, say, website development  
projects is designed around a specific set of tasks, the user will  
not be tempted to capture irrelevant data, but instead will be  
encouraged to focus on proven critical issues.

Of course, the other alternative is to provide well-behaved managers,  
but it's easier to build intelligence into the software. };->

- Will

Will Parker
macartisan at mac.com
http://www.channelingcupertino.com

"Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not  
tried it" - Donald Knuth