RationalPlan

Found it better than MS Project for project management!

I am using Rational Plan as a MS Project substitute and have greatly benefitted by all its features. It helped me manage the tasks better.

Great project management software.

My partner and I build large custom homes. By using RationalPlan, we can queue the subs and make the entire process go more quickly. It is a great tool, but like any tool, you have to use it. It is not magic.

Franklin Automation

We have not gotten to the point yet where we are utilizing the resource management tools, but given that we are typically managing 3 - 4 projects at any given time this is definitely the goal. What would be most beneficial at this time is to have some way of entering and accumulating data. Currently I have to set-up project spreadsheets with all of my cost codes down the left margin and dates across the top so that I can enter time sheets and accumulate hours for each job cost code for all projects. With the accumulated sub-totals I can then update my Gantt charts on Rational plan from time to time. It would be great if I could enter this time sheet data directly into Rational Plan instead of having to create and update these summarizing spread sheets.

Good alternative to Project

I have been RationalPlan Multi for several years now. I find it to be a good alternative to MS Project. I have little issue with importing project files that others have worked on. My issue is that it will only save files back out in Project XML format instead of .mpp format. This does make collaborating with others using MS Project difficult at times.

Review

Great for Multiprojects

Simple tool for project planning and management

If you're looking for ease-of-use project planning and management tool, this can be it! You can manage multiple projects at the same time, be able to estimate the project durations and costs, and assure that you can stay track on your targets.

Excellent alternative to MS Project for small businesses

As a small business, the cost of MS Project is difficult to justify. Rational Plan offers a good value alternative that allows you to create your own Gantt charts and read and edit those created in using MS Project.

Solid Project Management Tool

Students who use a macbook and cannot load MS Project need to rely on a solid management tool to perform their scheduling and cost management. It is a lifesaver for those students who rely on a macbook.

Simple Scheduling

Bill's MyReview

I think this is the best project management software for the Mac at an affordable price. It is easy to use with most of the features found in the Microsoft project management softwareI am still wishing for a PERT Chart

Quite positive

We are using RationalPlan already several years and this tool enable to make project plan quite easy way, unlike MS Project, which require much more ecperience/time. So there is much value for money.

Great Product

Great alternative to Microsoft Project. Excellent value also. Easy to use and all the features you need.

Great application

I have used Rationalplan for a few years now and been extremely happy with it. It covers all my project management needs.

Software which impresses

OK, so it takes a little time to understand how it works, but then... Clients have been very impressed with the outputs and I discover more features with each project I start. It is excellent value for money and the updates just keep rolling in so that I always have the most current version. One of the best software purchases I have ever made - a great investment.

Provides what I need

My main use for a project planner is to manage dates, and resources somewhat. RationalPlan allows me to do this, and it also allows me to track changes and decisions over the course of the project. It's easy to use and provides the features I need the most. It's not complete, and there are a few features I would like to have (text import, cell highlighting), but overall it does the job and does it well.

RationalPlan was the easiest project planner I could find

I don't need project plans very often. I just want a basic outline and gantt chart with lags of various types. For me, the complex planners on the market are not worth the money or the time to learn.

I don't use all the features of RationalPlan, either, but it has worked for me now, and I know I will not outgrow it.

Very happy

I am a Sales Manager for Steelmaking equipment and using notes as an essential software for my organisation.
I was looking for software which could link to notes and would be easy to use and efficient as well.
After all of them have shown their limits, I have tried Rationalplan for multiple projects and found it so easy to use. I was especially happy to see that it fully works with MS Project files.
And for this great software, the price is really afordable.
Super, thanks for your great work.

Suitable for professional use!

Suitable for professional use!

Great Product!

Great product

Rationalplan is a great, flexible planning software package. It doesn't have the big brand name on it like MS Project, however, it offers superior performance and more functionality, in particular the possibility to schedule work at a percentage of someone's time - a big gap in that big brand product. Customer support is really good and helpful, with knowledgeable staff.

good functional project management software

I have used RationalPlan for almost a year to design and present projects for existing and potential customers. Entering tasks for WBS and Gantt charts is straightforward with several options presented to schedule and link tasks together. Printing reports to a pdf format has been very useful and enabled a clean Gantt chart presentation.

Excellent For Production Scheduling

I purchased Rational Plan after trying all the big web based names because the program is inexpensive and does simple scheduling very simply. I run a small custom architectural metal shop and the program has all the features I need for a simple production schedule including fabrication, external vendor timelines and installs. Being able to add resources and get realistic estimates on delivery dates has been key for me. Thanks!

Great Option for Small Business

I'm not a project manager, but often need to review project plans from clients, or plan out project timelines etc. In every case over the past couple of years, Rational Plan has been the perfect tool for the job.

Great software for start-up company

We are using RationalPlan to manage our three big projects. It is really simple and powerful tool for everyone. Lot of options inside give us a choice to precisely control all changes of time line project. Great value for the money you pay.

Very Effective Project Management Tool

I work with a lot of different customers and am constantly importing and exporting project plans (converting from MS Project). RationalPlan allows me to effectively and efficiently work with the plans in this mixed environment. I find it an essential tool for my business.

The Best Planning Software for Linux

I have trialled several planning software applications and have find that RationalPlan is the best I have come across. I am using the Single version, which is free for Linux users, for other OS there is a charge. There is MultiProject version which is not free.

Gantt Chart
Too many of the software I have looked at is too much like MS Project 2003 which looks very 1980's. Presentation is always an important issue for clients and indeed colleagues, and RationalPlan certainly ticks the right boxes as the colour of the bars can be changed in the Settings/Options. Trying to fit a gantt chart and data columns onto an A4 or A3 can always be a frustrating exercise, which ever software package you are using. In RationalPlan, however, the best way is through Reports/More/Gantt, where there are the options to help you to manipulate the image to fit on the size of paper.

There is one item that does puzzle me, is that the Gantt report option is hidden under "More" and not displayed in the drop-down menu.

Data
Data import is easy and anyone familiar with this type of project planning applications should not find it a problem. For beginners resource input will always present some problems, but trial and error should sort these out.

Data can by exported to xls either the whole data or through reports, for manipulation.

One of the annoying aspects of some planning software and versions of MS Project was the default setting for resource hours on the task duration which was Effort Driven resulting in the duration changing when the hours changed. In RationalPlan I am pleased to say that the default is Fixed Units, the changes which do not have an impact on the duration.

Customer support I have found is excellent having used it several times.

I would not hesitate in recommending RationalPlan as a planning software to Linux users.

Project management done absolutely in right way

Not at all bad for small projects but I am still searching for "the one"!

As a sole-trader consultant I have been searching for an app that enables me to plan and manage projects that sometimes involve other consultants but sometimes just involve me and a whole load of people who are research subjects. After being led close to suicide by some other PM software (too complex, too "techie", only suitable for people who have nothing else in their lives!) I tried the add-on version of Rational Plan for Google docs and was impressed. So I bought the standalone Multi-Plan version. It worked very well for those projects where there was a good expectation of the steps laid out at the outset actually being the ones that were followed when the project started! The support from the team was excellent and my overall experience was good and I would recommend it to people who are actually running "manageable" projects. Having used it I realised that much of my work does not really fall into this category and, in much of what I am doing , the steps only emerge from the previous steps. In this case, the program is not very useful but I think that would be the case with any PM software I used. My dream is to have a single screen dashboard for all the components of Outlook so that I can see at a glance for a single project who is involved in it and in what capacity, that tasks that they have to do and the timescale, the e-mails associated with the project and the calendar entries for upcoming actions. It is really a cross between PM and CRM. Rational Plan comes close to the PM side of it.

Very good project management software for the Mac OS

Good but can be better

First of all I'm not a gantt expert. I just share my thoughts.
I have a big problem: On Linux last version is troublesome: in the gantt visualization, the mouse arrow blocks itself when passing on the gantt chart, while it goes smooth on other parts of the window.
Another thing I find bad is when I change tasks duration/resources/manhours. I would kike it to be in "full manual" control if I want. Beacuse sometimes automatic adjustments simply don work.
For the rest It is a GREAT product.

Everyday essential tool

Rational plan has helped to transform the way that we run our manufacturing operation. Our facility has a real mix of make to order and long term forecast demands being placed on equipment. There are several additional and variable constraints that make capacity planning software consistently fail. To overcome any lack of visibility from failing to plan we have found no greater tool than the simple flexibility, and ease of use that comes with Rational Plan.

My Digital Right Hand

I publish a lot of digital projects. They require detailed planning and ensuring that all the steps are followed. I would be lost without my RationalPlan software, which allows me to first plan the work, and then work the plan time and again successfully.

Functional, Complete, In Depth, Project Management Software. Very Nice

This is a full featured easy to use Project Management software that helps create a WBS and assign/track resources.

Rational Plan Better Supports Compliance Agility Than MS Project.

I'm not patience enough to jump through all the required configurations with MS Project and was looking for an alternative which was still compatible but better served our hybrid AGILE approach. My first project with Rational Plan let do many of the assumptions my way and help me arrive at project estimate of 18,300 hours . . . I spent less time on the completed plan than my failed attempts with MS Project . . . I'm not an expert with either tool. Isn't it great, I don't have to be to get results.

Rational plan

Have used Rational Plan now for 3 years, and found it an invaluable tool to assist the business, both with accounting and invoicing

Rational Plan Multi and single

Rational Plan has been an invaluable tool. With the right amount of features for our everyday business needs. Its laid out very clean and easy to navigate. There may be more powerful software out there, but they come with complexity, tedious data entry and often very time consuming to maintain. For us its a balance between what we need and will use. Rational Plan fits the bill perfectly, it also comes down to how much effort needs to be put into a software for it to be a useful tool. Rational plan solves these issues. I would highly recommend this software for those who need the nuts and bolts of a project management software, with minimal effort to use and simple to maintain. Support has also been terrific, quick replies, friendly and right there when you need them. We use both Multi and Single versions. The Multi version allows me as a planner of projects to look at all projects on our plate in one place, with the ability to juggle numerous projects and manage the resources needed. The Single version allows a user to focus on the tasks at hand for a single project. Pricing is very reasonable. If our story sounds like yours, you should give it a try. I don't think you will regret it. ~ John M.

RationalPlan Multi

Project Management has always a balancing act, sometimes taking a great deal of time to accurately schedule projects, manage resources etc... For years we have used MS Project for doing just this. That is until we found RationalPlan, and we haven't looked back. This software is truly a hidden gem. It offers similar power to MS Project, with a simplified layout, client organizing, work breakdown, scheduling, Gantt chart's etc. etc. It also supports import and export of MS Project files, so for those clients who use MS Project, transferring data back and forth is quite simple. In closing, RationalPlan allows us to plan and communicate with our clients very clearly and has far exceeded our expectations. We now use this software daily for multiple projects, and always have a clear view throughout . It does seems to take far less time to accurately set each up. We have begun to roll this out to our company and have not run into any issues regarding this transition. All in all I cannot say enough about this software and company. The support staff is extremely responsive and friendly. Thank You for a great product.

Excellent program

An excellent alternative to Microsoft Project

I've been using RationalPlan-Single for close to 6 years now, and am still a huge fan. To me, Microsoft Project is not an option, both from being a Mac user and for the licensing cost, and honestly, I don't need all the bells and whistles. I'm not a professional project manager, but I do need to build WBSes and Gantts on a regular basis, and also sometimes need to open project files sent by customers.
Generally speaking, although the interface has its peculiarities, RationalPlan is pretty straightforward to use, and more than enough for my needs. There have been odd glitches in the past (corrupted save files used to be an issue), but those were worked out over time, and I feel the current version is stable and reliable.
All in all - enthusiastically recommended.

Great scheduling software

Best alternative to MS Project or Primevera!

I own a small business and can not afford expensive software so I looked for a while for a scheduling program that would work but wasn't too expensive. I had learned Primevera Project Planner in college but that is an enterprise level program with a hefty price tag. I tried several free programs before I came across RationalPlan. RationalPlan is full featured, easy to use, performs well and is reasonably priced. As with all project planning programs I have tried my only complaint is with the printouts. It's a chore to get the schedule to print out nicely. I'm sure this will improve in future versions and I look forward to using RationalPlan for the foreseeable future.

good but...

It's good value for money but the options to print the Gantt diagram are confused or non existent. There no options to limit the dates for the printing (ie. I want to print form january to september eventhough the Project goes to december), there is no option to copy the diagram to another application, so we have to print in PDF and then copy it, etc. It's not friendly for report elaboration.

Good Software

I have been using this software to develop project plans for my business...its ease of use and its functional capabilities make it a great tool to develop complex (and even simple) project plans and over all management of planning an budgeting. I would highly recommend this software to anyone who wants an alternate to microsoft....

I have been using project management software since 1983 (CPM or critical path project management software even before microsoft project).

Very good software at a reasonable price

I was able to provide it to many people in the organization for a reasonable price, with the assurance of knowing that it incorporates good, solid project management principles.

Rational Scheduling

Does everything I need it to. Does whatever I would be using Micro$oft Project to do but at a price that anyone can afford.

Very nice and easy to use

My company was looking for a new project management software and RationalPlan kept popping up to the top. I was able to get a demo copy immediately (a big plus) and began using it right away. I was impressed. It was easy to use which is important because many of our end users need to get up and running quickly without a huge learning curve for all the bells and whistles. One of the features I really like is to be able to lock a date on a task or milestone when dependencies are enabled. Our last software kept moving this date which quickly became a nightmare. We needed the dates locked. I recommend this software.

Rational Plan Review

I have been a paid user of rational plan for a number of years. My experience has been nothing but positive. It's more than a cheaper alternative to Microsoft project. It goes almost you're to toe with it. The interface is still not as polished, but they keep improving and their customer service is spot on. I really recommend it to those needing project planning power but want better value for their money.

Special Events

It has been a great addition for our special events and maintenance projects.