Will Project Work for Us - Scheduling Issues

[Karin]

We have small projects, requiring a certain number of man hours at certain
skill levels. We have multiple projects going on at the same time, requiring
rotation of employees from project to project. We currently use Excel to
create schedules, but it's very difficult and time consuming. I'm having a
difficult time discerning if Project is the right vehicle for us, or if we
need to look for a more schedule oriented package. Can anyone offer advice?

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Karin:

Project is, at its heart, a scheduling engine. If scheduling is what you
want, then you couldn't choose a more appropriate tool.

 

[davegb]

Karin:

Project is, at its heart, a scheduling engine. If scheduling is what you
want, then you couldn't choose a more appropriate tool.

Project will do all the things you list, but it ain't for free. I don't
mean the software purchase cost, I mean the learning curve. Project is
not intuitive for most of us, and takes quite a bit of time to get to
know and use successfully. Even when you know it, it takes a fair
amount of time to properly maintain and interpret a schedule. Frankly,
I doubt it'll save much time over what you're doing now, properly
implemented. What it will do is give you a lot more bang for your buck,
you'll get a lot more useful information for planning and controlling
projects. But I always warn my clients that the returns don't show for
6 to 12 months. And then only with a well-planned implementation' not
just of scheduling, but of Project Management.

Hope this helps in your world.