Replies

1. 
   JerraldHayes | Aug 10, 2005 05:58am | #1

   scooleen I had never even heard of Shared Plan until I read your post earlier this evening. Sooo I went through their site and downloaded the demo and I am impressed enough that if I can figure out what the bugs I encountered are all about I am probably going to purchase a single Pro license so that we can test it out in the real world. I was impressed and what really turned me on was that the program worked in a network diagram mode and not just a Gannt chart. I like working with network diagrams so much that I still on occasion use the now ancient version of MacProject Pro. However what we really use is AEC's Fasttrack Schedule 8 but Fasttrack is a Gannt Charter with no network diagramming mode which is why I will on occasion go back to using MacProject Pro for individual projects that have lots of dependencies.

   There are two bugs that I think I came across as I was demoing the program. 1.) I couldn't open the sample files by clicking on them in the Finder. I had to open the program and then open them through the File menu. 2.) When I closed a project file it also quit the program completely. Did you experience any of those behaviors? We're running OSX 10.4 Tiger here.

   That said there are tons of features in the program that I really like and I'm very interested in and there is one thing that I don't like and a little concerned with. I run through the program again tomorrow night and then give you a report on the features I like and I'm interested in but will mention to night what I don't like.

   It seems to me going through it this evening that the Resources are or can't be shared by different project files so consequently I have no way of knowing from within the program if one of my resources is over allocated between two different projects. You can tell if resources are over allocated within a specific project but not across multiple projects although there is a work around to that and it the same kind of work around we use with Fasttrack. That is we run only "one project" which is in reality the project of running all our projects. In other words we run from one project file and that file has different sub projects that are in reality each a client project. So the one file essentially aggregates all our different projects. Make sense?

   Anyway I let you know more of what I think tomorrow but I think I'm really going to like this program. Thanks for calling it to my attention. How did you find out about it?

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1. 
   ZooGuy | Aug 11, 2005 03:24am | #4

   >> I couldn't open the sample files by clicking on them in the Finder.From the Finder select the data file, then in the menu click File / Get Info. Click on the Open With option, choose Other, then browse until you find the SharedPlan program.

1. 
   JerraldHayes | Aug 11, 2005 04:45am | #5

   That's not the problem becuse that's how the files are set by default. The problem seems intermittent though. Sometimes they open, sometimes the program hangs and doesn't repsond and I need to force quit it. And when the program does start up you get a blank untitled document and not the file you clicked on to open. And you then have to open the document you want via the File menu.However that said, the hanging part of the problem could be a problem with this machine and not the application in that just a week and a half ago I experienced some mysterious kernal panic problems. I haven't run the program on the Powerbook yet.

   Edited 8/10/2005 9:49 pm ET by JerraldHayes

2. 
   JerraldHayes | Aug 11, 2005 12:21am | #2

   Well according to the press release on their site it appears SharedPlan 2.0 is hot of the shelf but from poking around the web the problems I mentioned discovering last night, (1.) I couldn't open the sample files by clicking on them in the Finder. I had to open the program and then open them through the File menu. 2.) When I closed a project file it also quit the program completely.) were there with SharedPlan 1.0 so this upgrade didn't address them. Still I think this is is pretty kool program and we're going to buy a license and test it out a lot more thoroughly.

   Things I really like. The Pros:

   • You can easily switch back and forth from network diagram to Gannt Chart
   • You can publish and distribute schedules to iCal.
   • You can publish a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed to you project or sub project information.
   • You can "Publish Assignments To Resources.. " which means you can Email select resources their task information from with the program.
   • It's inexpensive. So....
   • You can purchase bundles or additional licenses to distribute to all you project contributors so everyone can get in on the planning.
   • It's cross platform. Mac OS X, MS Windows, and Linux.( I haven't checked out how it run under Windows yet, just Mac Tiger).
   • I like that in the Task Editor you can assign a Risk level to a particular task. Priority too but I interpret that to mean the Priority of the quality of the work in a task and not the Priority of when it should be done which is really determined by the Critical Path algorithms.

   Cons:

   • Sometimes getting the program open and running is sometimes clumsy and cumbersome and its files open slowly. (It also sometime fails to respond when opening).
   • Closing a file quits the program.
   • You can't have multiple project or sub project windows open at the same time. ( That may not be a bad thing for a lot of people since it prevents misinterpreting or confusing projects)
   • I want a quicker and more precise way to zoom in and out on large network diagrams than having to go up to the View menu. In The Task Editor I am confused as to how they are using or interpreting Lead & Lag Time. I'm thinking their using Lead Time where it represents the overlap you can have between two tasks that have a dependency. In other words task two can start when task one is 50% done or something like that but I'll have to see just how that works.

   Anyway I'm really liking this program and I'm thinking if things work out as I put this through it paces we could very easily end up going this way.

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3. 
   bigdog | Aug 11, 2005 01:50am | #3

   I started with (the "Ancient", as Mr. Hayes says) MacProject Pro.  Thought it was great, and still do for it's shear ease of use, and display.  I liked it's drag and create activities features.  Still use it occasionally, on the OLD Mac, a 165c Laptop.  It works great.

   Along came Microsoft, with it's "Microsoft Project for the Mac", they basically gave it away (<$100.) if you could show prove of a competitors PM software.  I got it, more complicated, but more powerful.  Liked it. 

   Switched to IBM / Windows systems some time ago.  Again, Microsoft Project, but in a windows version, and SureTrac (premavera) and it is powerful, but takes some time to master.  Now use both, depending upon what my contractor at the time is using.

   Good luck, I may have to check out this one you are thinking about, especially with it's various system compatibilities.  I use both Mac/Win.

    

    

    

4. 
   jrnbj | Aug 19, 2005 05:50am | #6

   Just an observation, but unless you really need lots of bells and whistles, or have a client who demands all those dependencies,etc., you can manage petty good size jobs with Excel....fast, much cheaper than MSProject, and works pretty good if you tweak it a bit....