What is Microsoft Project 1.1?

Trailing its introduction last year of Microsoft Project for Windows, Microsoft has brought its highly regarded graphical project-management package to the Mac. The Mac version's striking resemblance to its Windows sibling is a calculated aim on Microsoft's plan to meet the needs of organizations heavily invested in Project for Windows, which has already enjoyed considerable success. But despite its rich feature set and impressive flexibility, Microsoft Project will have limited appeal to users who expect Mac applications to drive like Mac applications rather than Windows applications.

Connoisseurs' Tool

With its custom reporting capabilities and flexible scheduling algorithms, Microsoft Project is a project-management tool for connoisseurs. As such, it delivers more depth and features than its chief competitor, Claris' MacProject 2.5. However, MacProject does a much better job of following conventional Mac interface guidelines.

Microsoft Project's chief strength is its flexibility. For one thing, its scheduling algorithms give users finer control over constraints than do those of MacProject. MacProject users are limited to As Late As Possible and As Early As Possible constraints, for example, whereas Microsoft Project supports a total of eight constraints, including Finish No Later Than and Must Start On.

In addition, Microsoft Project provides more options for entering scheduling information than does MacProject. Spreadsheet jockeys can use a table view that works much like Excel's. You can also enter information in standard data-entry forms or in PERT or Gantt charts.

Project's multiple data-entry options smooth the transition for users switching from other project-management tools. The program supports forward and backward scheduling as well as WBS (work-breakdown structure) assignments.

Project also offers the advantage of a batch updating capability that simplifies data entry and tracking by allowing you to process multiple contiguous or noncontiguous tasks simultaneously.

Like MacProject. Microsoft Project supplies a manual method for adjusting resource allocation as well as a resource-leveling routine that automatically adjusts task durations when resources are overallocated. The latter is especially useful for projects that are too complex for manual adjustment. Unlike MacProject, however, Microsoft Project doesn't provide interactive resource leveling, a feature that provides recommendations for resource leveling hut leaves the final decision to the user.

To allow project managers to view project data in a variety of ways and at various levels of detail, Microsoft Project provides excellent support for custom tables and filters. Any data field can appear as a table. Custom filters let users specify what tasks and resources are to appear in a view. Project's extensive and well-designed filler editor allows you to create an almost limitless variety of custom reports.

Presentation-quality output is another of Project's strengths. The program lets you select colors, symbols, patterns, and custom bars for charts as well as manipulate border styles, fonts, and shading.

Furthermore, Project provides several specialized cost- and schedule-reporting options that are not found in MacProject, including earned-value analysis, variance analysis, overtime, and variable-costs accrual.

Project's outlining capabilities are a boon for organizing projects in hierarchical levels that identify summary and subordinate tasks. By collapsing and expanding summary tasks, users can create reports that show different levels of detail.

Avoid the Clutter

Despite these impressive credentials, however, Microsoft Project's lack of regard for standard Mac interface conventions makes it a less than intuitive program. Unlike Claris' tool, Project is limited to a single window that acts as the portal to all project information. It's possible to split the screen into two different views of a project's data, but Project doesn't provide individual windows for each function (such as PERT and Gantt charts), as does MacProject. Project's single split-screen approach frequently results in a cluttered display, especially on small monitors.

Another annoying characteristic involves units of measure for items such as standard and overtime rates. Choices for these items do not exist in forms or tables. Rather, you must enter rates as $40/h (40 do11ars per hour). Also revealing Project's DOS-based heritage, the half-time resource allocation requires you to type [.05] after resource names. These conventions are consistent throughout the product and are easy to get used to, but that doesn't make them any less frustrating. Subproject links are another problem: You must type them from memory, using full pathnames. There's no link command that displays a standard file dialog box containing a handy list of eligible files, as there is with MacProject.

The Bottom Line

Microsoft Project is a powerful projectmanagement tool brimming with features. Professional project managers looking for a way to tune the scheduling process to a fine degree as well us create a wide variety of custom reports will find Microsoft Project to their liking. For shops in which PCs are predominant and Project’s Windows-based sibling is firmly entrenched, the Mac version will be a snug fit. But for the majority of Mac users, who rely on standard operating conventions for their applications, the program's nonstandard interface is likely to be a decided disadvantage.

Rasmus, Daniel W. (January 1992). Microsoft Project. MacUser. (pgs. 73-75).

Download Microsoft Project 1.1 for Mac

Architecture

Motorola 68K

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II