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PC Reviews: Microsoft Project Professional 2002

 

Microsoft Project Professional 2002 Screenshots





The Final Say!

Gameplay
N/A

Graphics
N/A

Sound
N/A
Value
9.0

Microsoft Project Professional 2002
 - reviewed by Tory Favro
Review Date: 27 August 2002
Review Score: 9.0/10 
Distributor: Microsoft

"The premiere organising and tracking tool for business"

Microsoft Project Professional 2002 is  ideal for managers and other professionals to track and mark the progress of work being carried out across several fronts at the same time. Project at it's very essence is an organising tool, designed to enable a team to be approaching the same goals at the same time if required.

With this version of Project, the program's integration into both Excel and Outlook have been vastly improved, resulting in more concise reporting methods utilised within the workplace.

This version of the software is jam packed full of features that will bedazzle users when they get their hands on the software. As always, impulsegamer.com tries to demystify some of the more hardcore Microsoft Products in order that the casual user can get an understanding of what the software entails and whether it's worth spending that money on.

In essence, Project is all about organising and the average person would probably not have a real need for this software. Let's take the same person into the business environment where planning is concerned and it's a whole new ballgame. Depending on your needs will determine whether you purchase the Standard or Professional edition. Whilst there is a substantial price difference between the two, I personally would suggest that if possible the Professional edition be purchased for the sheer functionality of it over the standard edition.

Project is designed to let team leaders and management track the overall progress of a team from one localised source. Area managers can submit updates that are easily understood by everyone on the team as the system is designed to enforce that everyone inputs data the same way.

Security is also taken care of in the new version of Project in that access to different areas of information can be controlled so people only see data that is relevant to them and affect fields that are only relevant to their particular tasks.

A nice touch to the software is that your data can be viewed as a series of flowcharts that let everyone know where the work is at a glance and is exceptional for presenting progress outside of the immediate work area to others who might not have their finger on the pulse of the workload. However the only failing here is that the report view of a project is enabled using a Gannt chart with Pert views only hinted at in the help file. I found this to be a very slight downside to an otherwise fabulous program.

Despite the power of Project, the system requirements are well within the capabilities of most office PC setups:
 

System Requirements
- Pentium III or higher
- Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000
  Professional, 2000 Server, NT 4.0
  Workstation or NT 4.0 Server

- CDROM or DVD-ROM Drive
- Super VGA (800x600) with 256 colours 
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing
  device
Memory Requirements
-
Windows XP - 176MB RAM
- Windows 2000 - 96MB RAM
- Windows 2000 Server - 192MB RAM
- Windows NT 4.0 Workstation - 80MB RAM
- Windows NT 4.0 Server - 160MB RAM

- Hard Disk 310MB on system drive.
 

Project is now simpler to use with with centralised templates and enterprise resource management from a centrally located database. Everyone has access to the information they need when they need it. Management will also benefit with a portfolio overview of projects  and there is support for web bases access to the information. This can be accessed immediately for at least one user as there is a server/single client license included with each copy.

In summary, Project is a must have for those requiring to coordinate efforts in order to achieve cohesive goals. It's smart, intuitive and fairly easy to pick up and use. Support is amply provided on the Microsoft website in the way of updates and tutorials.

Recommended.

- Tory Favro

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