Project Planning
Early last June, I commented that I release often against a pre-defined plan. The plan can change at each iteration in the light of changes. Nevertheless, I like to have some kind of plan so everyone knows what to expect, when and I can charge my time against pre-declared tasks. What tools do I use?
For very simple projects, I just use Excel. However, for more complex projects I need to keep track of weekends, holidays and other dependencies. Microsoft Project is OK and I have used it on some projects. However, I have worked on a few onsite projects where equipping everyone with MS Project is too expensive. I have been working at home for over a year now. Again, I don’t really want to have to buy a MS Project license.
Instead, I have used Open Workbench on my last few home working projects. It’s open source and free to use - even for the enterprise.
Here are some tips for using Open Workbench. If, like me, your main role is ‘doing’ rather than planning then just stick to using the Gantt Chart view. Changing the number of displayable months isn’t that intuitive - just double click the month header to change the number of weeks/months displayed. To add resources (again not instantly intuitive), double click the cell in the table at bottom left of Gantt chart view. You can also add task durations to the view by using View…Edit View. Other than this, everything else should be intuitive. I have found the best way to share plans is to print them to PDF via something like (free) PrimoPDF.
Use of Open Workbench isn’t just limited to work. I even used it to plan our wedding two years ago!
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