Have I Got A Project For You

Project management is complicated, time consuming and ultimately directly results in the bottom line. Project managers make big money in many industries, because it is their skill sets that make or break the project, from both the dollar side and the roll-out or completion of the project.

So, my project was to take Microsoft Office Project 2003 for a ride. I wanted to see if Project could manage my meager projects.

First, let's take a look at what I look for in project management software. Besides the obligatory Gantt Charts and Resource Charts, I want software that's easy to use. I want to be able to take my resources, be they a hammer, a conference room or a person and divvy up their days by the minute. I want software that is intuitive.

I want software that will save me time, which is money. I want software that will be easy to use (do you see a developmental thread starting to be woven?).

I want interoperability with my databases. I don't want 4,000 screens and pop-ups. I want easy to read, short, to the point prompts. I want to spend my time managing my project, my managing my project management software.Well, Microsoft Office Project 2003 has it all. It has Gantt charts, resource leveling, graphs, statistics, interoperability with all things Office, screens upon screens, pop-ups, instructions, just about everything you could want in a project management software package except one small trifle thing.

It's just not easy to use. Oy!

I would have to take a class on how to use the software, or invest mucho hours in figuring out how the software works, before I would have software that could run my project. Then, after all is done, I probably have an elephant gun to take down a chipmunk. Reminds me of a Monty Python bit, but I digress (and show my age).

Project is just difficult to use. When you install the world into a system, with every bell and whistle turned on, then you have to understand them all, and need to use them all, and ultimately, you spend a great deal of time playing with the software, instead of using the software.

Here's a brilliant idea " Sell the entire package modulized so that you install or activate little itty bitty granules. This way, Project (and for that matter, any Microsoft product) would and could be used by a larger audience with a faster return on investment for the user-base.I now have to clock the 22.5 minutes I spent on this project, as soon as I figure out how.