Best PIM for project management?

Posted by Hugh
Apr 23, 2012 at 06:45 PM

Hugh wrote:
>I’ve used Merlin, and it’s certainly very good indeed for small to medium-sized
>projects. The people who developed it are, as far as I know, project management
>specialists, and started Merlin as a sideline. Their hands-on expertise shows. It
>has three chief merits in my view: an excellent user-interface that takes into
>account all kinds of possible project complexities, the ability to handle multiple
>projects across the same resources, and the facility to use it as a “container” for all
>the files, notes and digital encumbrances any project accumulates. It also, unlike
>some project software, doesn’t try to be too clever; it leaves plenty of discretion
>with the user. If I was back managing bigger projects as I once was, I’d seriously look
>at Merlin (certainly better than MS Project was when I was in that line of
>work).
> >But… for personal project management, I think it’s too big. (I’m assuming
>that “project management” means Gannt charts - otherwise on the Mac platform a task
>manager like Things or Omnifocus would probably be adequate.) The main Mac
>alternative to Merlin is Omniplan, which is simpler for smaller projects, easier to
>learn and use than Merlin and has the reputable Omni Group behind it. When Omniplan can
>sync straightforwardly with Omnifocus it will be the zealous small project/task
>manager’s dream.
> >Except… Omniplan can’t yet handle multiple projects. As a
>gun-for-hire, what I want a project management application to tell me above anything
>else is—if I take on Project A with deadline X whilst also working on Project B with
>deadline Y, am I going to be overloaded in Z weeks’ time? I’ve looked for this
>extensively and I’ve found several half-there alternatives, such as Pagico. But no
>simple, not-too-expensive project management application for the Mac platform
>that I know of can really give me the answers I need yet, I’m sorry to say.

To correct what I wrote above - Omniplan can now handle multiple projects, as of an update a couple of weeks ago. The procedure seems slightly convoluted, but it would enable resources, or in my case, a single resource, to be levelled across several different projects.