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We suspect that there are probably people out there who have been thrust into the role of project manager with no real idea what they're doing. RationalPlan Multi Project is the perfect program for such people; it's a full-featured project management tool that walks users through the entire management process. Although its capabilities are befitting an experienced project manager, it's the perfect solution for novices who need some guidance.
The program's interface is plain and won't be winning any beauty contests, but it's extremely easy to navigate. Each step of the project management process is listed in a tree hierarchy on the left side of the interface, and users simply move through each of the steps to complete their project planning. There are places to enter general information about the project, set schedules, and explore assumptions, constraints, and risks. Users can create a work breakdown structure, schedule tasks, and assign resources. The program offers a variety of different views and charts to help users track each project's progress and cost. We liked that the program contains serious project management tools but that it seems to be designed with novice users in mind; optional project guide details can be displayed at the top of the interface, explaining each component of the program, and the online Help file is well-written and thorough. Overall, we think RationalPlan Multi Project is a great choice for project managers of any experience level.
RationalPlan Multi Project installs and uninstalls without issues. We recommend this program to all users.
Editors' note: This is a review of the full version of RationalPlan Multi Project 3.17. The trial version is limited to 20 tasks.Publisher's Description
From Stand By Soft:
RationalPlan Multi Project is a project management software designed to help both project managers and teams to create consistent project plans, allocate resources and analyze workload, track work progress, estimate projects' costs and manage budgets. Whether your applications are in the area of construction, engineering, services and consulting, software development or any other business field, RationalPlan can help you to complete your projects on time and within budget.
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All versions:
3.0 starsout of 4 votes
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Current version:
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Results 1-4 of 4
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"opened project mpp file, did the job & is free"
Version: RationalPlan Multi Project 4.0.4
Pros
Opens mpp files, saves as xml, export to excel, print to pdf printers
Cons
no edit mpp file
Summary
good tool, opened the MS project mpp file that OpenProj could not
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"Sort of "so what?""
Version: RationalPlan Multi Project 3.17.1
Pros
Has a little bit of useful guidance - that is it does the step by step logic for parts of the Planning processes
Cons
No real business smarts. Not best practice compliant. Over-simplifies the project process. Seems to purport some MS Project functionality as its own. Really poor grammar throughout the guidance.
Summary
I won't be as hard as the previous reviewer (who suggested the reviewer was drunk) but I have trouble seeing a 5-star product in here!
Hey - some of the features here could be useful keeping track of some basic project info. And well, for a numpty Project Manager, the guidance may be useful.
However, there's no real business smarts there as far as I can see. For example, the assumptions and constraints don't track to risks, there's not an issues register as such and much of the functionality is just exactly what MS Project does for you anyway ... Is this an MS Project substitute?
The risk profiles are not ISO compliant (that is they don't have the standard categories of impact and probability), and that would be enough to count it out of any Government site.
Another little issue is, I'm not clear as to whether the output files are going to save as MS Project files, part MSP or all Rational Plan.
In general the guidance is very poorly written.
However, the biggest problem I have is that the blurb/ marketing could give the unsuspecting client the impression they had done everything they need to do to manage a project successfully. This module covers maybe one and a half of the 9 domains of the US Project Management standard (PMBoK) and maybe two of the components of the British standard (PRINCE2) . That's fine but the blurb should say so!! -
"Are you kidding? This sucks!"
Version: RationalPlan Multi Project 3.17.1
Pros
There are no pros.
Cons
The whole thing. Waste of time.
Summary
The Cnet editor must have been drunk when he gave this thing 5 stars. I downloaded the stupid program based on the review and all it did was waste my time. The instructions don't make sense - whoever wrote them hasn't completed 3rd grade Englishl. The program itself works like some freshman's Excel 1.0 class project. Don't waste your time. And editor, give me a break!
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"a Microsoft Project equivalent at fraction of the cost"
Version: RationalPlan Multi Project 3.16.1
Pros
ability to work with multiple projects sharing common resources, nice/straight-forward guide which gets you through project's steps, email integration, works on Mac too (even Linux)
Cons
non-standard licensing method
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