ProjectLibre is open-source challenge administration software program enticing to IT professionals resulting from its cost-effective answer. It’s an alternative choice to industrial challenge administration software program, however is it higher? That relies upon.
The one strategy to discover out the worth of ProjectLibre is to make use of it to handle a challenge, and we did simply that. Alongside the way in which, we received to see the totally different challenge views and options it gives. From that we had been in a position to establish the place it succeeds and the place it fails as project management software.
We’ll additionally have a look at a ProjectLibre various, which is competitively priced and gives a strong suite of challenge administration options in addition to plugging a few of the holes present in open-source software program. Which is the perfect instrument for managing initiatives? Let’s discover out.
What Is ProjectLibre?
ProjectLibre is a free, open-source software program various to Microsoft Venture. There are lots of Microsoft Project alternatives available on the market and for good purpose. Microsoft is tough to make use of, not collaborative and costly, particularly when shopping for licenses for a big workforce.
Whatever the legitimate criticism of Microsoft Venture, it’s a preferred instrument utilized by many organizations that handle initiatives in a waterfall or conventional methodology. To compete with that, ProjectLibre has to match Microsoft Venture’s complete options.
In fact, typically customers get what they pay for. Within the case of ProjectLibre, its challenge administration options are restricted. Being open supply means it’s low-cost, however that comes with out skilled buyer help and software program with efficiency points.
ProjectLibre has some issues in widespread with Microsoft Project, such because it’s an inherently uncollaborative platform, it’s a desktop utility and there’s a studying curve to make use of it correctly. Add to this the problems discovered with open-source software program and customers is perhaps keen to spend a bit of bit of cash to get a challenge administration software program that really helps them ship initiatives on time, inside finances and assembly high quality requirements.
One challenge with ProjectLibre is safety. Enterprises and even smaller corporations wish to know their knowledge is protected. ProjectManager, an award-winning challenge and portfolio administration software program is SOC 2 compliant, ProjectLibre is just not. Our software program may also work on Mac, Home windows and Linux working methods. Whereas ProjectLibre can as nicely, being an offline challenge administration software program, it may possibly’t collaborate throughout these totally different platforms.
Open-source software program attracts individuals who have a extra hands-on relationship with know-how, reminiscent of IT professionals. ProjectManager is versatile sufficient that there’s no-code-required automation for many who don’t wish to get below the hood of their computer systems, but additionally our software program has an API that permits it to collaborate with developer communities.
Customers have the instruments to develop, implement and handle their bespoke integrations, connecting our software program to any system their workforce makes use of to create organizational transparency, extra dependable knowledge, higher reporting and Gantt charts with model management, which isn’t discovered on ProjectLibre. Why not discover out for your self? Get began with ProjectManager as we speak totally free.
ProjectLibre Views
Not satisfied? That’s comprehensible. We’ve solely made a cursory move at ProjectLibre. It’s time for a deep dive. First, let’s have a look at the totally different challenge views it gives. Like Microsoft Project and ProjectManager, ProjectLibre has a number of challenge views.
- Gantt Chart: Shows duties on a timeline with bars representing the length of every activity, together with activity dependencies, milestones and highlighting the critical path
- Process Utilization: Focuses on the allocation and utilization of assets throughout duties, together with useful resource allocation and work distribution
- Useful resource Utilization: Much like activity utilization, however emphasizes the assets moderately than the duties
- Process Sheet: Tabular view that lists all duties in a spreadsheet-like format, with activity particulars, reminiscent of length, assets, and so forth.
- Useful resource Sheet: Lists all assets used within the challenge, together with identify, kind and price
- Community Diagram: PERT chart (program analysis and overview method) shows duties and their dependencies
- Calendar View: Shows duties and milestones in a calendar format, helpful for occasion administration
- Useful resource Graph: Graphical representations of useful resource allocation over time
- Price View: Overview of challenge prices and finances, together with value monitoring and stories
- Baseline View: Exhibits deliberate schedule and prices towards the precise status of the project to watch progress and efficiency
ProjectLibre Options
Views and options are related, however not the identical. Let’s take a second to overview the important thing options that make up ProjectLibre.
- A number of Venture Views: As famous above, ProjectLibre had Gantt charts, calendar, value and different challenge views
- Useful resource Administration: Useful resource allocation for monitoring and administration of human and nonhuman assets, plus useful resource utilization, which gives insights into workload
- Process Administration: Process breakdown to place bigger initiatives into extra manageable duties and subtasks
- Price Administration: Price range monitoring to keep away from value overruns and price reporting to trace bills and monetary efficiency
- Import/Export: Helps importing and exporting Microsoft Project files (MPP) in addition to XML and CSV recordsdata
ProjectLibre Plans and Pricing
The underside line for many who select open-source software program reminiscent of ProjectLibre is value. It’s arduous to beat free. ProjectLibre is free to obtain and set up on desktop computer systems. It gives entry to all core functionalities, reminiscent of Gantt charts, activity administration and resource management.
Nonetheless, some plans value cash if further industrial companies and help are required. For instance, ProjectLibre Enterprise has extra superior options and enterprise-level help, which is designed for bigger organizations and contains cloud-based entry, enhanced safety {and professional} help. Contact ProjectLibre for pricing.
For these utilizing the free or enterprise-level plan, ProjectLibre accepts donations and sponsorship. That is its primary income stream, which funds ongoing improvement, enhancements and help.
It seems to be as if the free model of ProjectLibre is a restricted challenge administration software program. To keep away from the problems that open-source software program has and improve to raised options and help, customers must pay. However how a lot you’ll be able to anticipate to pay is a thriller decided by ProjectLibre.
To get these superior options and safety on a collaborative platform, why not strive ProjectManager? Our value is aggressive and the identical for large and small organizations. We have now a versatile instrument that works throughout conventional, hybrid and agile methodologies on Mac, Home windows and Linux methods with challenge and portfolio administration instruments. Customizable reporting and real-time challenge and portfolio dashboards assist observe variance to maintain initiatives on time, inside finances and assembly high quality requirements.
Execs and Cons of ProjectLibre
We’ve solely touched on the problems with ProjectLibre, which is a Microsoft Project alternative and open-source software program product. As with every software program, there are professionals and cons to utilizing ProjectLibre. For these on the lookout for an outline of every, we’ve listed them beneath.
Execs
- Price-effective for people, small companies and organizations with restricted budgets
- Cross-platform compatibility works with Home windows, Mac and Linux methods
- Gantt chart with dependencies, essential path and baseline
- Detailed activity and resource management tools for creating, assigning and monitoring duties, managing and allocating assets
- Appropriate with Microsoft Venture MPP recordsdata
- Group help by way of on-line boards that appeal to builders and customers
- Versatile views of stories, activity particulars and extra
- Common updates and enhancements contributed by the open-source neighborhood
Cons
- Restricted superior options, reminiscent of superior project reports or refined useful resource leveling
- No real-time collaboration, which is a limitation for distributed or cross-functional groups
- Efficiency points when dealing with massive or complicated initiatives, the software program can change into sluggish
- Technical help is proscribed, usually counting on neighborhood help for troubleshooting
- Much less polished and never intuitive consumer interface in comparison with industrial merchandise
- Useful resource administration options are much less refined than these present in different challenge administration software program merchandise
- Fewer built-in integrations with in style productiveness and collaborative instruments, reminiscent of Slack, Microsoft Groups, Google Workspace, and so forth.
- Lacks version control, making it essential to manually handle and consolidate totally different variations of challenge recordsdata
- No cloud options for storage or collaboration, requiring exterior options for file sharing and backup
FAQ
For many who wish to scan the fundamentals, listed here are some ceaselessly requested questions on ProjectLibre with quick, exact solutions.
Is ProjectLibre free?
Sure. The essential software program is free, nonetheless, for extra superior options and help, there’s a value.
Does ProjectLibre help collaboration?
No. ProjectLibre has no built-in real-time collaboration options.
Does ProjectLibre have a cell app?
No. There isn’t a devoted cell app.
Is ProjectLibre SOC 2 compliant?
No. ProjectLibre is just not SOC 2 compliant, which is a web-based safety protocol. ProjectLibre is solely a desktop utility.
Can ProjectLibre handle portfolios?
No. ProjectLibre doesn’t have devoted portfolio management instruments.
ProjectManager Is the Finest ProjectLibre Different
For ProjectLibre customers to get the superior challenge administration options discovered on ProjectManager, they’ll need to pay. It’s now not a free various. Even then, ProjectLibre prospects will discover the software program falls quick. There’s not the extent of safety and encryption that customers wish to defend their knowledge. There are not any portfolio administration options. There’s no cell app for iOS and Android gadgets. There are not any collaborative instruments to attach distributed and cross-functional groups. What does the cost for an enterprise-level ProjectLibre get a consumer? A Microsoft Venture various with all the issues related to that irritating challenge administration instrument. ProjectManager has all of the options of ProjectLibre, together with importing and exporting MPP recordsdata and extra to plan, handle and observe initiatives in actual time.
Handle Tasks, Packages and Portfolios
ProjectLibre is okay when managing one challenge at a time, however add only one extra and it’s out of its league. Our project portfolio management software options enable customers to group and arrange initiatives, handle assets throughout a portfolio and gather useful challenge knowledge and generate stories for extra insightful selections. Portfolio dashboards observe initiatives throughout six key metrics multi function place. Gantt charts are like highly effective portfolio roadmaps that present all of the initiatives on a timeline. Filter by assignee, challenge supervisor or buyer to make forecasts and spotlight key metrics for stakeholders. Generate customizable portfolio stories to spotlight standing, buyer, precedence and extra.
Maintain Groups Working at Capability
Venture managers want actual useful resource administration instruments. Our Gantt charts enable them to schedule human and nonhuman assets and their related prices, onboard workforce members and set their availability to make assignments quicker. Then steadiness the workload to maintain everybody productive with out eroding morale. Simply toggle over to the team page or the color-coded workload chart to get a reside overview of the workforce’s useful resource utilization. It’s straightforward to see who’s overallocated and underutilized. Then steadiness the workforce’s workload proper from the web page. Groups are completely satisfied that they’re not overburdened and managers are completely satisfied to fulfill challenge objectives and goals.
These are just some of the options in ProjectManager. However there’s extra. In contrast to ProjectLibre, we have now safe timesheets that assist with payroll, but additionally observe labor prices. Threat administration options establish and observe points till they’re resolved. Automated and customized workflows frees groups to deal with extra vital duties whereas guaranteeing high quality with activity approvals. Get actual challenge administration software program and ship profitable initiatives.
ProjectManager is on-line challenge and portfolio administration software program that connects groups whether or not they’re within the area, within the workplace or anyplace else on this planet. They’ll share recordsdata, remark on the activity stage and keep up to date with e-mail and in-app notifications. Be a part of groups at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software program to ship profitable initiatives. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
