Easy Projects .NET

There are many kinds of Software tools to harness the potential, project managers need to take the next step beyond the development of the project and project managers most now focus on the project management software tools. Each software tool has strengths and weaknesses upon the requirements and project developments. The undertaken passages will describe the some project management software tools features. Easy Projects .NET is a project collaboration software system that was specifically designed to make web-based project management, task tracking and team collaboration hassle free and straightforward. The easiest all-in-one web based project management software. Whether you are a marketing department or an IT department, or whether you are an administrative assistant or a project manager, or perhaps your business is designing furniture or designing software - Easy Projects .NET will make your life easier! This directory of Project Management Software will assist you in finding the project management solution that is right for your situation. The directory includes: project management software, bug and defect tracking, project accounting, project estimating, project portfolio management, project scheduling, requirements management, and resource planning and scheduling software. Microsoft Project plans to share with your colleagues online simply login and import. Anyone in your team can login from anywhere in the world at any time, to see their tasks and enter their progress to date. And you can see the current status real-time, at every minute of the day. This helps keep your projects on track. Like Microsoft Project, ProjectManager.com allows you to create task lists, assign resources and dependencies. But unlike Microsoft Project, you can view your Actual, Planned and Baseline progress all at the same time. You can also view the project status on your very own customized Project Dashboard and when your team fill-in timesheets, expenses, risks, changes and issues - the dashboard automatically updates, giving you the status of your project real-time. One of the limitations of MS Project is that it's installed on the desktop, so it's difficult for your team to collaborate on a single project plan. You constantly need to be sending each other project files to load, making the process slow and error prone. But using this new innovative software, you can import your MS Project plans just once and everyone in your team can view it online. You can then set the security levels, so each user can view / edit the plans based on your personal preferences. This way, you can all work on the same plans at the same time. It's quick and simple to import your MS Project plans and start collaborating today.

Strengths of Microsoft Project plans

This innovative software includes all of the commonly used features that MS Project has to offer, and more - so why buy MS Project? It saves you the expensive up front licensing costs and it offers you the collaboration features you need to succeed. Project management software is a term covering many types of software, including scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration software, communication, quality management and documentation or administration systems, which are used to deal with the complexity of large projects.

1 Tasks or activities of project management software 1.1 Scheduling

One of the most common tasks is to schedule a series of events, and the complexity of this task can vary considerably depending on how the tool is used. Some common challenges include: • Events which depend on one another in different ways or dependencies • Scheduling people to work on, and resources required by, the various tasks commonly termed resource scheduling • Dealing with uncertainties in the estimates of the duration of each task • Arranging tasks to meet various deadlines • Juggling multiple projects simultaneously to meet a variety of requirements

1.2 Calculating critical path

In many complex schedules, there will be a critical path, or series of events that depend on each other, and whose durations directly determine the length of the whole project (see also critical chain). Some software applications (for example, Dependency Structure Matrix solutions) can highlight these tasks, which are often a good candidate for any optimization effort.

1.3 Providing information

Project planning software needs to provide a lot of information to various people, to justify the time spent using it. Typical requirements might include: • Tasks lists for people, and allocation schedules for resources • Overview information on how long tasks will take to complete • Early warning of any risks to the project • Information on workload, for planning holidays • Evidence • Historical information on how projects have progressed, and in particular, how actual and planned performance are related • Optimum utilization of available resource

2. Approaches to project management software 2.1 Desktop

Project management software can be implemented as a program that runs on the desktop of each user. This typically gives the most responsive and graphically-intense style of interface. Desktop applications typically store their data in a file, although some have the ability to collaborate with other users (see below), or to store their data in a central database. Even a file-based project plan can be shared between users if it's on a networked drive and only one user accesses it at a time. Desktop applications can be written to run in a heterogeneous environment of multiple operating systems, although it's unusual.

2.2 Web-based

Project management software can be implemented as a Web application, accessed through an intranet or extranet using a web browser. This has all the usual advantages and disadvantages of web applications: • Can be accessed from any type of computer without installing software • Ease of access-control • Naturally multi-user • Only one software version and installation to maintain • Typically slower to respond than desktop applications • Project information not available when the user (or server) is offline. • Some packages do allow the user to "go-offline"

2.3 Personal

A personal project management application is one used at home, typically to manage lifestyle or home projects. There is considerable overlap with single user systems, although personal project management software typically involves simpler interfaces. See also non-specialised tools below.

2.4 Single user

A single-user system is programmed with the assumption that only one person will ever need to edit the project plan at once. This may be used in small companies, or ones where only a few people are involved in top-down project planning. Desktop applications generally fall into this category.

2.5 Collaborative

A collaborative system is designed to support multiple users modifying different sections of the plan at once, for example, updating the areas they personally are responsible for such that those estimates get integrated into the overall plan. Web-based tools, including extranets, generally fall into this category, but have the limitation that they can only be used when the user has live Internet access. Some tools allow team members to check out their schedules (and others' as read only) to work on them while not on the network. When reconnecting to the database, any changes are synchronized with the other schedules.

2.6 Integrated

An integrated system combines project management or project planning, with many other aspects of company life. For example, projects can have bug tracking issues assigned to each project, the list of project customers becomes a customer relationship management module, and each person on the project plan has their own task lists, calendars, and messaging functionality associated with their projects. Microsoft Project Standard 2003 Trial software enables you to evaluate the product on your system before making a purchase decision. Trial versions contain all Microsoft Project features, but can only be used for a limited time.

Microsoft Office Compatibility:

• Microsoft Office interface Navigate intuitively with the familiar Office interface. • Excel and Outlook Import Easily import and leverage data from Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook to start a Microsoft Project plan. • Smart Tags Get automatic, contextual suggestions alerting you of alternative scheduling options. • Presentation Wizard Transfer project data smoothly to Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft Visio. • Add-In for Visio diagramming Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) chart in Visio from Project 2003 data. • Built-in online help Use Office Online to get training, templates, and more. Planning and Tracking Tools: • Gantt Charts, Calendars, Network Diagrams, and Task Sheets Present project data in versatile views. • Additional project templates Jump-start common projects and promote consistency. • Interactive, Step-By-Step Planning Aide Set up and manage projects effectively with the Project Guide. • Multiple Baselines Track status over project life cycle with 11 full baselines. • Add-In for comparing project files Compare two versions of the same project and report the results. Reporting and Information Sharing: • Printing Wizard Easily format and print concise project plans. • XML Reporting Wizard Generate an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file from project data to create custom reports. • Project information sharing Share project-related documents using a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services workspace (Requires Microsoft Windows Server 2003).

Resource Management:

• Resource availability graphs Evaluate resource workload and availability, and resolve over-allocations. • Resource information import Import resource information from Microsoft Active Directory or a Microsoft Exchange address book. VPMi Professional includes everything VPMi Express has PLUS everything your organization needs to achieve better team, customer, and partner collaboration including: 1. Service requests (Idea creation) 2. Project management software 3. Earned value management 4. Microsoft Project integration 5. Enterprise Project Management Workflow 6. Post project assessments/scoring 7. Resource management software 8. Program management 9. Portfolio management 10. IT Project management (Support) With VPMi Professional web-based project management you can start for free today No minimum number of users: No large capital expenses for software or servers. Free to try for 30 days and unlimited users. Cancel at any time. Lowest competitive cost for full PPM: Start a pilot for only $30/month (first month is FREE). Add as few or as many employees, suppliers, and customers every month with no commitments. Download your data at any time. Cancel at any time. Only pay for people that use the system that month: Low monthly costs (less then 1/2 of next nearest competitor). Average end user only pays $10/month. Many users do not even need paid accounts: Only pay month to month for those that need to use the system. Lower customer service and management costs: Reports download to Excel, Word, and MS Project for easy emailing. No servers to purchase and setup: One stop shop for all project status, reporting, and billing information. No software footprint or compatibility/upgrade fees: Eliminates IT project management servers, software management, procurement, setup, maintenance, and energy costs. No dedicated technical support needed on-site: VPMi Pro is a web-based project management solution so there are no desktop costs. Working with tools you own & know saves training, startup time, and money: Software service is web-based and supported remotely as part of the low user cost. Eliminate expensive redundant systems: Integration with Microsoft Project insures quick transition from existing plans to VPMi. Security is extraordinary and requires no further investment: Consolidate and eliminate expensive IT project management, timesheet, help desk, resource management software, and other tracking systems. Eliminate wasteful meetings: VPMi Pro online project management uses banking standards for secure communications. Guaranteed service levels (5 9's) insure users have access to their work. One online project management source of reporting and projects saves teams time and the company money: Eliminate needless meetings with online collaboration and status reporting. Resource management software shows who has availability without making phone calls and guessing. Improve customer loyalty through project portal and collaboration for more follow on engagements: Manage more projects with the same number of people. Resource management software shows Supply vs. Demand of resources over time to see who has excess capacity and who is overbooked. Cancel and Fast Track projects quickly: Enter issues and feedback 24/7 with VPMi's online project management capabilities. Automatic mail updates to teams eliminate confusion and project administration. Customers can also enter change requests and new service requests for improved opportunity capture/delivery. Meet goals while lowering staff levels: Projects at risk or in fact going over their allotted budgets and timelines can be quickly put on hold or canceled while high business value projects with the best returns can be prioritized and optimized. Resource management software shows you if you have the resources to execute on your portfolios. Filter, download, and port into existing systems: Going through mandatory budget and staff cuts? VPMi has demonstrated improve efficiency and project accountability with less staff. Supply and Demand resource management software shows how many people (by role) you need to meet your demand. What-if allows you to eliminate functions and people under/not utilized. No capitalized purchase expense : Data screens allow sophisticated filtering and all download into MS Word and MS Excel for porting into new/old systems. Our resource management software reports integrate with email and MS Excel. Save money when auditing projects: Since the VPMi Pro is a web based project management solution there is no need to capitalize the expense (software as a service). Teams can utilize best practices without spending money building their own processes : Projects are easily audited with included project management tools. Customers save time and money in compliance functions like Sarbanes Oxley. Included project management tools utilize Project Management Institute (PMI) PMBOK best practices for easy recognition of forms and terminology to project teams.

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