With RationalPlan, Romanian company Stand By Soft, Ltd enters another desktop planning tool into the race. This project management software is offered in three variants: RationalPlan Single Project, RationalPlan Multi Project and the freeware RationalPlan Viewer. The prices are, depending on version and number of licenses, between $20 and $90 per user.

The multi project version can be launched and trial-tested on the manufacturer’s website without installation, using Java WebStart. Since even the multi project version saves data exclusively in a unique file and not in a database, the tool is best suited for project managers who have to manage more than one project with the same staff. Management of multiple projects with different project leaders, who have to access plans simultaneously, is not supported.

WBS

After starting the application, the first thing you notice is the control concept of RationalPlan. At the beginning, the steps that need to be followed step by step are shown on the left side of the application. The planning starts here with the definition of the work breakdown structure. In contrast to competitor applications, a Gantt chart is here, correctly, not visualized. This way the user is made to really concentrate on the project contents. The actual data entry is done as in other tools, in the form of a table, which can be customized according to the individual demands.

Planning

All four standard relationships between the work packages can be defined. During our tests, however, the tool could not handle a “finish to finish” relationship without error. It either did not keep the set time frame, or even pushed work packages to before the beginning of the project.

The critical path as well as the comparison with one of ten base lines can be visualized in the Gantt chart. The calculated buffers (total buffer and free buffer), however, cannot be shown.

Resourcen

Resources can be designed with the typical base data and detailed availability during the course of the project. For the data entry, a very well thought out and comfortable entry mask is available. Resource hierarchies are not included in the tool.

The tool allows an overloading of the staff. The overloading will be marked in red in a respective view and can be manually adjusted by the planner. An automatic, tool-supported leveling of the resources is not available.

RationalPlan offers the possibility, in the multi project version, to save several projects in a single file. This way, the tool can also show capacity across more than one project. As mentioned earlier, because of the lack of a central database, the application is limited to one project manager having several projects. Nonetheless, for smaller departments who have to manage several projects in parallel, this concept is well-suited, especially if you do not intend to invest in the technical infrastructure (data bank server) or in an administrator.

Reporting

The tool offers views for the entry of the progress of the project. Dedicated reporting is not offered.

Import/Export

RationalPlan can read and write Microsoft Project files. Additionally, data can be exported as a csv file, and subsequently processed in Excel. The tool also offers a so-called “Privacy Export.”

Privacy Export creates a copy of the plan and filters out non-public data. This way, cost sets and remarks and similar elements can be filtered out. This version of the plan can then be distributed to respective stakeholders.

User Interface

The interface uses the project guide. You can change between different views. For new or infrequent users, an additional information page can be pulled up. Toolbars are available to show or hide other information and rows. In general, working with the tool is fun and can be done without difficulty after a very short time.

Documentation

The application offers the already mentioned project guide including the information view. Additionally, there is a context-sensitive help function in the form of a website http://www.rationalplan.com/tutorial/index.html

Since the tool does not pose many problems and is easy to handle, the available documentation can be considered sufficient.

Conclusion

RationalPlan is different in several respects from typical Microsoft Project derivatives. The differentiating features are, however, (especially in the single project version), insignificant. Whether this is enough to persevere against the strong and partly free competition is the big question. The multi project version is surely interesting for smaller departments. The Privacy Export is also a very useful feature. If these are not your deciding criteria, you should also check out the free tools while looking for a suitable solution.

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