I'm currently trying to research the top 3 or 4 resource management software tools out there. Would anyone have any suggestions on what they might be or where I could start researching. Saving Changes...
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Andrea Toponi, PMPCEO & Co-founder| Allinance srlPregnana Milanese, Milano, Italy
Well, I have faced out with a similar problems last year. I'm currently work in ppm consulting company and many customers ask me about resource capacity management. I will try to explain you my experience.
Depending on your customer needs of course, I would like to point out 2 things:customer maturity in PM contents and in tool experience could be the bigger concerns in deployment a similar tool.
By the way, I worked with:
- Ms Project Server 2007
- Ms Portfolio Server 2007
- CA Clarity
- Project Objects (www.projectobjects.com)
- Daptiv PPM
Well, CA is the best-of-bread, but I cut off it from the list because is too expansive and too complex to set up if u have no many days to work for.
Project server 2007 is very improved since 2003 version, but up to day I think it's a 'genaral purpose' software: it's the cheaper, it covers all the 9 areas of PMI with no particular honors. The resource Capacity analysis in not bad (thanks to their embedded multidimesional report engine) but you can't run on line simulation or online 'what-if'. Furthermore, to perform a deep analysis about workload, skill availability, make or buy and so on, you have to set all projects up in deeply: create a project, create task, build the project team, assign resource to tasks, save and publish your projects.
Portfolio Server 2007 (formerly UMT) is really effective if adopted in combination with Project Server 2007, becouse, due to MS acquisition , the old UMT Plannig Module was dismissed. Right now, the same concern about Project Server is living: no way to run online simualtion about resources workload!
I think it is one of the MUST TO HAVE in a resource management system.
Well, I find very intresting 2 web-based systems as Project Objects (www.projectobjects.com) and Daptive PPM (www.daptiv.com): the first implents the '5-click-to-create-a-project', a fast way to create projects and assignments in order to quickly assess the resource capacity. very good in resource analysis and quite good in online simulations.
With the second I have a lit experience, but what I have found very effective is the chance to perform a real online simulation about workload along all the portfolio. Not so fast, instead, in projects creation.
I'm so sorry for this long post :) (it's due to my bad english) and feel free to ask me more.
Ciao!
andrea Saving Changes...
Vladimir LiberzonR&D Director| Spider Project TeamMoscow, Russian Federation
Nadeeka,
what are your resource management requirements?
Do they include project portfolio resource constrained scheduling? Do you need skill scheduling when the software assignes resources basing on their skills and project tasks skill requirements? Do you need to consider not only labor but also financial and material supply constraints? Do you need to determibe Critical Chain and feasible resource constrained floats?
Resource Management software is too broad definition.
Tools that were mentioned in Andrea's message do not do most of the listed tasks though they will supply you with reports on resource usage and resource requirements.
Please specify your needs.
Best Regards,
Vladimir
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I also like Daptiv (formerly eProject), for many of the reasons Andrea mentions. If you look at Daptiv and like it, I recommend also looking at Bijingo (www.bijingo.com). It is an Australian piece of software that has many of the same advantages and capabilities as Daptiv, plus some unique features of its own. Saving Changes...
