Tom,
Thanks for your input.
From what you say, maybe they do need some kind of PM software... not
sure.
More details:
This non-profit group (that I belong to but don't manage), puts on a big
event (large parade) each year and the production time stretches over 5
months and involves the work of a handful of part time organizers
overseeing some 30 or 40 volunteers (basic manpower). A part time
office manager tries desperately to keep track of it all for the
organizers.
There are many disparate and critical elements along the way (Numerous
organizational meetings, permits to secure, supply ordering, etc.) in
making sure the work done by many volunteers is planned, coordinated and
is accomplished. I guess keeping track of expenses as it relates to
budget is a lesser capability that might be useful but not as critical.
The office manager has always specifically wanted to have some big
picture time line ability but hasn't known how to best do so. She
asked me because I work in IT but I have never used any such software.
Given those details, which of your previous recommendations do you think
would be the best to pursue?
If they want timeline capability, seems like maybe they need more than
spreadsheets and docs?
On the other hand, as they only have Word processor, Excel and basic
membership Access database skills, and would be boggled by complex
enterprise level software, maybe that is all they can do... ?
db
Tom Piwowar wrote:
Microsoft Project is a schedule and resource management program. It
focuses on things like CPM (Critical Path Method). I doubt you need that.
I think that for managing an event you really need something like a good
PIM. Something that manages to-do lists and calendars.
I read an article recently where the author interviewed the 10 most
productive people he knew. He found that they did not even rely on
something as fancy as a PIM. They used word processing or spreadsheets to
manage their to-do lists.
On that theme and if you need something that multiple people can access
simultaneously from many locations you might find that Google Apps is all
you need. It has a nice way to manage multiple calendars. You can post
to-do lists as text documents or spreadsheets. You can keep track of
expenses with the spreadsheet.
It's very easy if you've ever used Microsoft Project. It basically lets
you create a list of tasks, assign a duration, who is assigned to it,
what other tasks it depends on, etc. Then it will draw a nice Gantt chart.
And you can then track progress as the project moves along. I'm not sure
exactly what features you're looking for, but for what I've needed it's
pretty simple. And, since it's free, it costs nothing (besides a bit of
time) to try it out.
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