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An Open Office Policy
Dr. Andrew Makar is an IT program manager and is the author of the Microsoft Project Made Easy series. For more project management advice, visit the website TacticalProjectManagement.com.
Project managers use a host of communication applications, and most call on commercial solutions such as Microsoft Office to meet their needs. Open-source office suites are a low-cost alternative, with some limitations. Here is a review of one popular solution that satisfies three questions that must be asked when evaluating the open-source option.
In addition to project scheduling tools, project managers rely heavily on spreadsheets, word processing, email, and presentation software to communicate and manage projects. Microsoft Office and Corel's Word Perfect Office are two commercial packages available to project managers. Depending on the package, a new user's license can cost between $300 and $600. These costs may be containable for a five-person sales office; however, across a larger organization, the investment in upgrading or replacing office software becomes difficult to justify. Open-source office suites are emerging as alternatives to these commercial office solutions.
Before diving into the open-source solutions, project managers should consider three key questions when evaluating open-source office productivity software:
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Does the open-source product have comparable functionality to commercial products and are they as easy to use?
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How do I share the documents with other project stakeholders who use commercial office packages like MS-…
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