Product Overview
PlanBridge is Microsoft Project add-in that contains features for export and import of project data to Excel. As well the software implements scenarios for easy exchange of the exported documents with project team members. Also the product has some useful features for management of construction and industrial projects.
Advantages of the product
Use all advantages of Microsoft Project
MS Project, which has been recognized as an unquestionable leader among desktop project management systems, is responsible for common project management problems. PlanBridge is on top of the Project, providing project communication, helping in collaboration and tracking.
Wide range of data categories
With the help of PlanBridge you will be able to automate collection or provision of various sorts of project data:
- Information about content and structure of project tasks;
- Tasks parameters stored in the tasks fields of MS Project;
- List of every task's assignments;
- Assignments parameters, contained within MS Project assignment fields;
- Timephased (daily, weekly, monthly) data of the task assignments;
- Contents of the project resource pool;
- Resources parameters, contained within the fields of MS Project resources.
Various means of data transfer
Transfer of the project information can be achieved by various means: via corporate network, e-mail, file exchange services, cloud storages.
Ease of learning and implementation of the system
Project participants submit data to a project manager in the form of Excel documents initially generated by PlanBridge. Since MS Excel interface is familiar to the vast majority of PC users, working with the exchange documents will not require any specific knowledge from your team members.
Solution’s affordability
Let’s take a look at PlanBridge’s cost compared to the cost of systems that provide similar server-based or SaaS solutions, based on the example of an organization that incorporates one project manager and a team of 20 members. The results of comparison are presented in the table:
| Project management software | Cost (for 1 manager + 20 project team members) |
|---|---|
| MS Project + PlanBridge | $1 400 ($1 000 + $400) |
| Clarizen | ≥ $4 000 /year |
| MS Project Server | ≥ $20 000 |
As you can see from the table, cloud services (for example, Clarizen system) require regular payments for their use, and the size of payment depends on the number of licenses.
MS Project Server, in its turn, has a wide range of features and a very high cost. Along with the Project Server license itself, it includes the costs for underlying platform products (SharePoint Server, SQL Server, Windows Server) and licenses for the clients’ connections (CAL).
This example shows that using the combination of MS Project + PlanBridge is more cost-effective than its alternative solutions.
Security of operations with project information
Due to flexible settings of PlanBridge, a project manager can protect the data of his project from incorrect changes. The project manager is able to provide for involved parties the possibility to access or modify only information that is necessary for him.
Your company’s data confidentiality
Unlike the cloud services (SaaS), whose owners have full access to project data, PlanBridge does not require storing your data on devices of the software’s developer, or on the side of third parties.
Besides, it is not possible to use cloud services in organizations with high level of security (for example, defense industry enterprises) in which Internet access is forbidden. Global network access is optional in order to use PlanBridge, because data collection can be arranged via corporate network of your organization.