12/27/2022 0 Comments Ganttproject file extension![]() ![]() Teaser versions are offered in what is known as the freemium business model. Some of the articles mix fully open source software with teaser versions and freeware. There is such a wide array of options it should be easy to pick one, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. How hard can it be? Just a quick Web search brings a ton of stuff. You are looking for an open source project management tool. These tasks often have to be done by different people with the requisite skills and in a very specific sequence.Įliminating teaser versions, freeware and abandonware The tasks may be racking and stacking, connecting to the network, assigning an IP address, installing the OS, installing the Web server and hardening, namely, removing unneeded software and accesses, and changing default passwords. Let us say you have to install a new Web server. More importantly, this will result in finger pointing and recrimination, spoiling the all important ingredient for project success -teamwork and morale. People will assume that someone else is doing a particular task and you will come to know of it only after the fact. Otherwise, some number of tasks will be at risk of falling through the cracks. But if there are more people involved, whether it be your own team members or even subcontractors, then some type of planning and keeping the team informed as to who is assigned to do what and when is crucial. ![]() Who needs to do what and in which sequenceĮven if you are the only person who is going to do all the work for a project, it helps to plan ahead. With the help of a Gantt chart your team can develop a shared vision and work like a well-oiled machine. It can talk less and get more accomplished. In other words, if the team talks project ‘lingo’, then it can communicate and coordinate more effectively. Getting your team members to think in terms of predecessor and successor tasks, resource levelling, critical path, milestones and planned versus actual costs will train them and pay off when you have to take on larger projects. If the high cost of project management software is what is holding you back, open source software can help. Trying to manage anything beyond this using a spreadsheet is asking for trouble. Spreadsheets may be OK for small, well-understood projects to be done by one or, possibly, a couple of people who have a track record of good coordination. You can keep adding to the list and keep checking off the ones completed. Train your team to take on bigger projects in future Helping you see the entire project at a glance with all these linkages built-in and visually laid out is the Gantt chart. Project management tools really help you to lay out all the tasks, their durations and whether some can be done only after the predecessor tasks are done. The total time taken for a project is based on the time taken for each task, and whether some of the tasks can be done side-by-side. So, first and foremost, we want a tool to help us plan, monitor and control the schedule very tightly. Even among these two, when the schedule slips, project costs tend to go up because more time means more work. To be ‘on time’ and ‘under budget’ are the two key factors for a project’s success - everything else is secondary. This would have helped prepare the foundation with bolts placed to match the holes in the base of the machine well before it arrived. You could have asked the machine manufacturer to send you the foundation drawing in advance. If you had done some planning, you would have realised that the foundation should be ready before the machine arrives. You will lose the opportunity to use the new machine and satisfy your customers as well as increase your sales. Without advance planning, after the machine arrives, you may realise that it takes at least a week for the concrete foundation on which it has to be placed to set. Let us say that your sales are increasing and you have ordered a new machine for your factory. This will become more obvious with a practical example. People don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan ![]() It should also have a clearly defined beginning and end. Every project should have a well-defined purpose or end goal. Your team may require different skills for this, and so you may have to co-opt from other teams or sub-contractors to complete the project. However, if you want to add an extension to your factory, you can manage it as a project. For example, if you have a factory, your production work happens every day. This article is the start of a series on open source project management tools.Ī project is kicked off to accomplish a specific goal, which is different from the usual day-to-day operations of a business. Is the high cost of commercial project management software holding back your team from gaining valuable skills to take on larger projects? Open source can help. ![]()
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