Microsoft Project

If you need to keep track and record of your activities in a daily basis, this platform is a must have!

Project Planning , Cost Calculation, Cost Control , Optimizing resources to optimize project output ,

Well, Its hard to dont be pleased with using any Microsoft softwareç

I use Microsoft's Project to track the individual items that I need to manage for a major project. The best parts of MS Project are that it evolved into the easiest to use Gant chart generator out there. My personal business calls for me to track several programs at one time and as an Instructional Designer/Architect, I tend to "chunk" projects into smaller, easier to accomplish bites. The Project lets me do that and helps me track my progress in completing the chunks of the larger project that I have to complete. I like that the interface allows me to enter the data about the project into what looks like a spreadsheet. The software then generates a Gant chart and helps me track where I might have finished ahead of schedule or where I might slip if I don't pay attention.

My main gripes about MS Project involve a lack of flexibility. I can't easily rename column headings because they're locked into Microsoft's view of what a project should look like. This is only a minor annoyance. That said, at times I often expect MS Project to behave more like MS Excel where I can manipulate and edit cells with ease, which you can't because the columns are locked to function only one way. Finally, I would like to have row separators that let me know where one project ends and another begins. I do this because I'd like to have a tool that lets me view all my projects in one place. Changing dates is also an annoyance because the date fields always default to the point in time in which you started the project and so if you expect the date fields to default to "today's date", you might have to make adjustments. It would be nice if the date defaulted as expected (today's date).

Tips:
1. You can roughly rename the titles of cells, but the contents will always function according to the locked nature of the cells.
2. If like me, you want to track multiple projects in one MS Project file, simply color code the different projects with the cell highlight function.

I have used this program for over 5 years and it is one that only improves the more familiar you become. Updates have been positive and it continues to become more powerful