Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0

Aimed at those who won't put up with limits in their project management software, Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 provides an excellent all-around package for getting control of time, resources, and budget. With excellent built-in Web and collaborative capabilities, this is a program that can simplify any busy manager's life.

To get started, Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 bundles the KickStart tool, which lets even those new to project management software get going productively. In testing, this wizard asked us a series of questions about project phases, goals, people, potential obstacles, and the like, with extensive help from a built-in library of sample entries for many different industries. (If you have been using Microsoft Project, Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 supports importing and exporting to .MPJ files, which is another way to start.)

Communicate with professional-quality reports and graphics. Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 combines ease of use, power, and affordability. With Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0, you can create schedules graphically, as well as point and click to create relationships between activities. It is ideal for resource planning and control on small- to medium-sized projects.

Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 features extensive support for the two traditional views for tracking a project: Gantt charts, which show a time line of various tasks, and PERT charts, which show logically connected diagrams of tasks along with dependencies. We liked the support for distributing a variety of reports over the Web using HTML. The product also allows managers to e-mail reports to other team members, plus you can add hyperlinks to any report or view.

Another notable feature included here is the ability to define custom resources (for instance, costs per employee, based on skill sets and project roles), "activity codes," and even specialized calendars. The control over costs in Primavera SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 is certainly one of the product's strengths. You can track every cost associated with a project and see exactly where you are with your budget at any point within the project cycle.

Finally, at a time when most printed manuals are being downsized in favor of online help, we appreciated the Primavera SureTrak Project Manager's 500 pages of tutorials and documentation. Overall, Primavera's product delivers a well-thought-out project management package, one that can be used effectively by beginner and expert alike to track even large projects effectively. --Richard Dragan

Anticipate obstacles:
See how rescheduling one activity affects the predecessor and successor activities in the Trace Logic window of PERT. As you encounter project delays or resource shortages, SureTrak automatically displays the downstream effects on the rest of the project, and most importantly, on the critical path.

Send it in writing:
Print out what you see on-screen as a report or save as HTML format. Choose from over 40 industrial-strength reports, or create your own. Emphasize deadlines, communicate priorities or clarify responsibilities by embellishing with graphics, vivid colors and attention getting fonts.

Send it faster:
Get the latest priorities and schedule changes to your team members quickly using e-mail. Freely distribute Primavera's easy-to-use Primavera Post Office to project team members. They'll see their assignments and update their work, indicating when activities started and how much work remains. When project updates are received, audit them for accuracy, approve them and automatically merge them into the schedule - without any dual entry.

Send it farther:
Share graphical reports and layouts in HTML format. Communicate assignments, deadlines and project status with project participants at all levels in all locations with the Primavera SureTrak Web Publishing