Project Management Software

For most of us involved in any project managements, whether ICT or non-ICT related, we will most frequently want to use a project management software that is easy to understand and use, and produces great reports for inclusion into the final submission.

This can be very frustrating when trying to source for a proprietary app such as Microsoft Project that will likely cost you an arm in process. I discovered long ago the joy of free open source software (FOSS) when it comes to searching and determining what apps are best suited to the kind of project we are managing. And it is a gold mine out there in the world of FOSS, which hundreds of apps that can provide a rich source of such apps.

Project management software fall under three major categories: desktop applications, web-based services and web-based systems. For now I will focus on the desktop applications that are installed on your PC and among the best that I can recommend for its simplicity and export capability is Gantt Project. It has good features and accessories for a free product which is distributed under a GNU General Public License, which means you can download it for free.

The major features that come with this software are the creation of task hierarchy and dependencies and generation of PERT chart. You can put in a percentage complete bar, inside that timeline of that particular stage making it easy to see the progress of the project. You can add as many tasks as you need, as well as assign personnel and resources to each task.

It enables addition of team members for a project and assigning them to tasks when you set them up, capture their e-mail addresses as well as phone numbers for each person, and assign them a role in the group. It also includes a Milestone feature which is very useful, giving an end goal to aim for with a fixed time.

Looking at the export document format types, it will not disappoint. It allows you to export your work either as a PNG or JPEG image file; CSV file; HTML file with theme support; PDF report with theme support or even better as an Ms Project (.MPX extension) file.

You can download Gantt Project here.

Another FREE app is the TIMIOS Gantt Chart Designer. It is easy to use, with a wide range of bar types and colours and shades, linked tasks, easy printing options and a copy and paste of chart into Ms Office documents or web pages. It is absolutely free and the current version is which you can download here.