Insperity OrgPlus

OrgPlus Professional is an attractive and intuitive solution to managing organization charts. The program strikes the perfect balance between providing a basic structure for the charts and allowing users to customize charts to suit their needs.

The interface is well-organized and features functions and icons that will be familiar to users of such programs as Word and Excel. Mouse-over descriptions provide hints for functions that aren't so obvious. The charts can be created freehand or, more efficiently, using data imported from flat files, Excel, ODBC, SQL Server, LDAP, or Active Directory. Charts can be set to automatically update from the data source, eliminating the need for manual maintenance. A variety of templates allows users to customize the appearance of the charts, and employees can be color-coded to denote different statuses. Employee photos can be added, and alternative views allow employee information to be displayed without becoming unwieldy. Large organizations will find the ability to create subcharts very helpful for managing numerous employees and departments.

The program offers a variety of ways for users to share their charts, including one-click Web publishing and the ability to easily convert the charts into Word or PowerPoint documents. Printing options include the ability to create large wall charts as well as booklets with tables of contents. OrgPlus Professional installs and uninstalls with ease; the trial period lasts 30 days. Users will likely want to keep this one around; the functionality and ease of use make it a great option for organizational chart management.