Project Management software/methodology?

[TAW1]

Hi there!

I have a small, home-based web development business (in partnership with my sister and a friend). And we use independent contractors. We do alright with small projects -- but when there are larger sites and a number of folk working on things, our critical path management leaves something to be desired. :o

What do you use to keep track of what needs to be done, when, by whom?

Do you use your own home-brewed system? (We use an Excel spreadsheet but our system isn't working adequately.)

Have you found software that assists you in your development life cycle?

Any help you might offer will be apppreciated!

THANKS!

T.

[Kegtapper]

Try MS PROJECT
it can also set timeframes for completion, and it can be integrated into Outlook to remind you.

[Travis Jones]

You might want to take a look at AceProject. It is a web-based project management software. I have been using it for a while and it is a great alternative to M$ Project :-)

They offer a free version (ads free) with all features.

http://www.aceproject.com

[Kegtapper]

You might want to take a look at AceProject. It is a web-based project management software. I have been using it for a while and it is a great alternative to M$ Project :-)

They offer a free version (ads free) with all features.

http://www.aceproject.com

My software is already completed 6 years ago for the law department. Nothing existed before then. That project is only for standard offices. Law Offices contain much more of database functionality and PIM integrated. This was done on a SQL 7 server, and 8 locations around the US.

The legal staff needed more fields than anything currently available today. Not charts and timesheets, but integrating MINUTES from Court Sessions and Lawyer dialogs.

[MartyMcFly]

Maybe you could just try using Outlook. I use a mixture of Calander and Tasks to ensure I do everything I need to do. I then keep a Excel spreadsheet so that I can use reference numbers for each case. It is important IMO to have good nomenclature yourself, such as reference numbers, acronyms for different events.

For example, say you call a project P1 - in Outlook you can filter your view in tasks or Calender to show items that contain P1 in the Subject. (View - Arrange by - Current View - Customize Current View - Select Filter and the rest is self-explanitory). This method allows you to view tasks and events for a specific project easily. You can also use the journal to keep a time line history of events and the like, such as meeting notes, phone calls ....

MS Project is ok, but more for Project planning, than keeping the Project together on the fly, although that's just my experience.

If you use Outlook, you could get a Windows PDA, to keep your information at hand, in fact, you actually get, (or at least did when I bought mine) MS Outlook included with the PDA software.

In my opinion, it depends whether your after a planning tool or organisational tool, I assumed it was the latter.