USEFUL PLATFORMS TO USE

Hey guys! As I mentioned in the live session this post is created for all of us to introduce platforms or apps, or any tool that you used or have used that can be useful for others while working on PMWC. Hope we can all contribute!

Estefania

Tourism and Hotel Management, None

Published Oct 05, 2020

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Estefania

Tourism and Hotel Management, None

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Hannah Mccurdy-Adams

6 months ago

I'm particularly interested in programs that visually represent timelines/calendars (e.g Gantt charts). I want the program to have these characteristics:

1. Free/Open Source Software

2. Can incorporate relationships between tasks that can automatically update (e.g one task needs to be complete before another task can begin, so both task timelines are updated when there is a delay in the first task, multiple tasks need to finish at the same time and all connected task timelines get updated when there is a delay in one of them, etc).

3. Flexibility in the timeframes represented (e.g days, weeks, months, years).

4. Security (e.g password protection, encryption).

5. Can be used for multiple complex projects.

6. File storage incorporated (or whatever keeps documents in the same place) that can be edited by multiple people at the same time.

These are some of the best programs I've been able to find, but I'm struggling to compare all the options.

A) Spreadsheets (Missing #2, partially #3, and #6 doesn't really apply):

From what I understand, gantt charts in spreadsheets cannot incorporate automatic updates to tasks related to one another (#2). I think it's difficult to cover multiple years if you use dates to calculate timeframes unless you convert dates to a # of time intervals, like days (#3). This video describes the limitations of spreadsheet Gantt charts well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HtdWMzcU-M&ab_channel=teamgantt at around time 3:45.

B) Google (Missing #2, #4, and partially #3):

I only know of Google Spreadsheets to be able to do this (see A). I worry about Google's poor security (#4).

C) Box (Missing #1, #2, and partially #3):

I think a spreadsheet would be used in this system (see A). There is no free option.

D) TeamGantt (https://www.teamgantt.com/, missing #1, likely #4, and partially #5 and #6):

I think I generally like this one, but it's free version includes only 1 project and 3 team members - too small (#1, #5). I know nothing about their security protocols (#4). I'm not sure how flexible its file sharing system is (#6). I do really like the TeamGantt feature that lets you easily see the amount and timeline of tasks assigned to each person (around time 4:28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HtdWMzcU-M&ab_channel=teamgantt). I have a feeling many of the same sentiments would apply to other online gantt chart subscription services (ClickUp, Monday, Instagantt, etc).

E) Has anyone tried Gantt project (open source software, https://www.ganttproject.biz/)?

Beth Robinson

6 months ago

It is not going to be everyone's thing, but I just saw this tweet about a R package for gantt charts that look interesting https://twitter.com/IntegratEcology/status/1315705396158316546

Hannah Mccurdy-Adams

6 months ago

That is neat and quite pretty. Unfortunately, it looks like it may have issues with #2, 5, and 6.