Project KickStart Pro for Windows

User Reviews

• Project KickStart intuitive, great planning module

  hotburd1/2/2010

  Pros

  The project planning wizard is a great feature, makes the software invaluable. Many of the programs on the market take you straight to the Gantt chart for building a schedule. Helped my think of things I overlooked, Nice logical process.

  Cons

  Interface could be a little jazzier, but not a deal breaker. The interface is very intuitive, I never felt overwhelmed by the software.

  Summary

  I really liked Project KickStart. It was intuitive to use, has a helpful project planning wizard, Gantt chart, status reports, etc. Earlier reviewer mentioned software bugs but honestly I didn't have any problems. Saw that my build date is later than the previous reviewer and the publisher's posting mentioned earlier problems had been fixed. If you're overwhelmed by Microsoft Project or feel you want a less expensive program, I recommend you check-out Project KickStart. My project plan was a tradeshow for recruiting volunteers for a school district. They liked the concept and it was implemented.

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• Project KickStart Pro version 5 -- *severe* problems

  davidm3219/23/2009

  Pros

  Project KickStart software takes you through the key project planning steps one at a time. At the end you get a Gantt chart -- a clear and attractive graphical display of all project tasks in a calendar format.

  Cons

  There's only one problem. If you try to edit the tasks you have set up, the software goes haywire. You'll be fighting with it all night to make simple changes.

  Summary

  Some bugs: -- Changing the duration or start date of one task sometimes, but not always, changes the duration of the following task. -- You can enter a delay or "lead time" value between tasks in a task information window, for example 1 day to let paint dry. However the schedule does not display the value you entered. When you re-open the window, the lead time value has been changed by the software. -- You can make or break links between tasks, which indicates that one task cannot start until the previous task is finished. However breaking the links between two tasks often breaks the links in all the tasks that follow, forcing you to reset all the links manually. -- Copying and pasting a "phase" (or set of tasks) loses all the essential information, including task duration and links. Rather than copy and paste, it's almost worth retyping the whole thing. I could go on and on. Experience in Software, Inc., has a lot of work to get this turkey off the ground. This is a very promising software package, but wait till the version after 5.0.1 (dated 06/10/09) before you consider buying.

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