Microsoft Project Archives

MOOS Project Viewer 3.2 – Support for Microsoft Project 2016 Files

MOOS Project Viewer version 3.2. adds support for opening Microsoft Project 2016 files. Further more the application now also supports files containing Estonian or Turkish characters.

After several months of development a major version was released that adds support for reading Microsoft Project 2016 files. Users can now open .mpp files generated with any version of MS Project including the latest one.

For those users that need to open .mpp files and see their content in a graphical way – just like in MS Project – then MOOS Project Viewer is the right solution. If no editing is needed then the price of a Microsoft Project license is not justified. Even more users will have the possibility to open the files on any operating system (Windows, Mac OS X , Linux) as the product is platform independent.

Multiple views are available and the files can be opened from external storage services as MOOS Project Viewer is integrated with Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive. This way users can access the projects from any location and at any time. Printing is also available allowing users to generate customized reports.

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By Lucian Ioan|2023-05-25T07:42:06+00:00August 18th, 2017|Microsoft Project, MOOS Project Viewer|0 Comments

How Does RationalPlan Position Against its Competitors?

RationalPlan Project Management Software While publishing our products over a specialized reviews directory we were asked: “How do you position yourself against your competitors?“. To summarize it the answer would be: “RationalPlan puts the accent on productivity and tries to be as easy to use as possible: straightforward and intuitive“.

The Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule)

Compared to other products it has the same power but it is more affordable to the users. If you compare for example RationalPlan Single product with Microsoft Project standard version you get 80% of the functionality at 20% of the price. There was a customer – whose name I can not mention without his approval – that after buying RationalPlan he wanted a refund because he was not finding certain features available in MS Project. After explaining him where he can find that functionality we also recommended to keep the product. A few days later we received this answer: “Now that I get to know RationalPlan better, I wouldn’t want to miss it anymore. You helped me save a lot of money by “preventing” me from buying MS-Project 🙂”

Embedded project guide

Project management applications tend to be a little bit more complicated and require some training for users to understand how to use them. There are special terms and notions that need additional explanations to understand them. RationalPlan offers an embedded project guide that takes users step by step through the whole process of initiating, planning and controling a project. It is great for a novice or accidental project manager but has the power and the tools to assist an experienced one. Once users get used to the software they can hide the project guide, increase the workspace area and create their own pattern in using the product.

Works everywhere

RationalPlan was developed to work on any operating system: Windows, Mac OS X, different Linux flavors. Even more with the cloud service module it can run directly within the browser no matter what the underlying operating system is.

Great support

One of the main aspects that RationalPlan believes in is the client satisfaction. That is why customer support is a priority. RationalPlan is not a big brand and people do not know it that much but anyone that gets to work with it prefers it over the competitors. Here are just a few testimonials to confirm the customer satisfaction.

However the final verdict is what the users say about RationalPlan products!

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:02+00:00May 27th, 2015|Microsoft Project, Project Management Software, RationalPlan, Reviews|1 Comment

RationalPlan 4.6 – Project Reschedule, Invoice Generation and SkyDrive Storage Integration

Stand By Soft is pleased to announce the release of RationalPlan version 4.6. RationalPlan is a project management software that puts the accent on productivity, ease of use and fast learning. Current version comes to support this ideology by offering the possibility to easily reschedule the project. More than that the integration with SkyDrive storage service offers increased collaboration and productivity.

RationalPlan is a project management software that was designed to help different types of users starting with newbie project managers, continuing with users that need an environment to handle multiple projects and up to companies that need a distributed solution with concurrent access.

Important changes for this version:

Added the possibility to generate project invoices
Automatically reschedule uncompleted tasks
SkyDrive storage service integration
Added the possibility to roll up tasks
Documents management module
Added the option to remember usernames and passwords when working with RationalPlan Server product
Better integration with Microsoft Project
Improved administration area within the RationalPlan Cloud solution

At users request it was added the possibility to generate project invoices. Hence it became a must to have the possibility to manage company’s financial details like tax ID and tax rate. And since RationalPlan customers come from different locations on the globe with world-wide clients it was also added the possibility to apply the tax rate only for certain clients.

Sometimes a project can be put on hold for various reasons. But when it resumes the initial plan is not valid anymore except for the already executed tasks. In this situation a reschedule is required starting from a new reference date. This is now possible in RationalPlan. Already completed tasks will remain at the initial location, while partially completed tasks will get splitted and rescheduled along with the uncompleted ones.

After Google Drive and Dropbox storage integration in version 4.4, RationalPlan continued with SkyDrive storage integration. Users can now manage their projects without worrying if their data is safe on their local hard-drives. All they need to do is to keep their files stored on any of the above three storage hosting solutions. (more…)

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:07+00:00September 27th, 2013|Cloud Project Management, Microsoft Project, News, Project Management Software, RationalPlan|Comments Off

MOOS Project Viewer 3.1 Integrates With Google Drive Storage Service

Stand By Soft is pleased to announce the release of MOOS Project Viewer version 3.1. The major feature in this version is the integration with Google Drive^TM. Users can now also open Microsoft Project files that are stored on a Google Drive account and not just local files from their computers.

The biggest advantage of using cloud storage services is that the files can be accessed at any moment in time and from any location. Plus the files can also be shared within the company, or even more can be shared with external project stakeholders.

When a project plan is created and needs to be distributed to the team members the best solution is to use a fast and easy to access system like Google Drive. The generated project file can be stored within the company account on Drive service and each member that needs to have access to that file can open it directly with MOOS Project Viewer. This is a cost effective solution if the team members only need to see the project details and do not need to make changes to it.

The integration process between MOOS Project Viewer and Google Drive is done is few very simple steps. The users need to activate the service just once and the application will never ask anything again. (more…)

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:07+00:00September 18th, 2013|Microsoft Project, MOOS Project Viewer|Comments Off

RationalPlan 4.4 – Integration With Google Drive and Dropbox Storage Services

RationalPlan Project Management Software version 4.4 is ready for the public. Current version offers support for opening and saving files from/to Google Drive and Dropbox platforms. Plus it was added the possibility to handle Microsoft Project 2013 files along with a new look for the web-based module.

Important changes for this version:

Dropbox integration
Google Drive integration
added recurrent tasks
support for Microsoft Project 2013 files
new web based interface for Server
export projects to .xls format files
automatic email notifications on Server

On users increased need to have access to their projects from multiple places, version 4.4 added the possibility to open and save files automatically on external locations like those provided by Google Drive and Dropbox storage services. This is a huge advantage because users can now manager their projects without worrying if their data is safe on their local hard-drives. All they need to do is to keep their files stored on any of the above two hosting solutions. Opening and saving is done as easy as working on local computers but with the advantage of data backup and availability, as long as you have an Internet connection. In case of concurrent access from multiple users on the same data, the Server products should be used. (more…)

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:07+00:00May 28th, 2013|Cloud Project Management, Microsoft Project, News, RationalPlan|Comments Off

MOOS Project Viewer 3.0 – Support for Microsoft Project 2013 Files

Stand By Soft is pleased to announce the release of MOOS Project Viewer 3.0. Current version adds support for opening Microsoft Project 2013 files. At the same time the application now offers native integration with Ubuntu operating system.

After several months of development a major version was released that added support for reading Microsoft Project 2013 files. Project managers can now also open .mpp files generated with the latest version of MS Project.

It is well known that Microsoft did not develop a viewer for its Microsoft Project product as it did for the rest of Microsoft Office suite. However certain companies have employees that only need to view files. In this case a logical and practical approach would be to reduce the costs by using an appropriate product. This is the case when MOOS Project Viewer becomes a helpful tool: it gives companies a real solution to reduce costs. (more…)

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2017-08-17T12:18:36+00:00May 21st, 2013|Microsoft Project, MOOS Project Viewer|Comments Off

MOOS Project Viewer 2.9 Integrates With Dropbox Platform

Dropbox The team behind MOOS Project Viewer just released version 2.9. This version comes with a new feature: integration with Dropbox. Users can now also open Microsoft Project files that are stored on a Dropbox account and not just local files from their computers.

The biggest advantage of using a cloud storage service is that the files can be accessed at any moment in time and from any location. Further more the files can also be shared within the company, or even more can be shared with the project stakeholders.

When a project manager creates a project plan that needs to be distributed to the team managers or even to the entire team the best solution is to use a fast and easy to access system. In this case the generated project file gets stored within the company account on Dropbox and each member that needs to have access to that file can open it directly with MOOS Project Viewer. This is a cost effective solution if the team members only need to see the project details and do not need to make changes to it. (more…)

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:08+00:00March 13th, 2013|Microsoft Project, MOOS Project Viewer|Comments Off

MOOS Project Viewer 2.7 Added Team Planner View

MOOS Project Viewer version 2.7 added a new view from Microsoft® Project – the Team Planner view.

Project managers struggle with seeing clearly and quickly what their team is doing at any given point in the project schedule. Using Team Planner view in Microsoft® Project Professional 2010 you can see at a glance what tasks have been assigned to resources. According to Microsoft the main idea behind Team Planner is combining the power of the Gantt chart with the simplicity and familiarity of the Outlook calendar.

NOTE: Team Planner is a feature available only with Project Professional but starting with version 2.7 it is also available in MOOS Project Viewer.

The latest version can be downloaded from the official download page.

By Tiberiu Ghioca|2012-02-15T20:45:25+00:00February 15th, 2012|Microsoft Project, MOOS Project Viewer|Comments Off

Project Management Software Alternative for Microsoft Project

One of the most used project planning software of all times is Microsoft Project with millions of users worldwide. The product is used mainly by companies to manage projects in almost any activity area. However the users base does not end here and the software package is also used for educational purposes or for personal use.

In the past there were very few project management tools hence a poor competition and for this reason the prices for such tools were high. In the last years the software market has grown rapidly such that at this moment there are hundreds of such products: some of them have just some basic functionality while others offer a full solution to manage projects. For this reason the prices have dropped significantly.

What to look for when searching for a Microsoft Project alternative

However many users still use Microsoft Project despite the high price. Why? Simple: Microsoft Project is still considered as the “de facto” standard in project management and many project plans are stored in its format. The biggest problem in migrating to another project scheduling software is the conversion of existing data to the new format. For this the new adopted product must be able to successfully read Microsoft Project files. Even more if it is needed a Microsoft Project integration then the new product must also be able to export data in MS Project Data Exchange format.

Another important factor in deciding what alternative to Microsoft Project to choose is the list of available features. It must supply some powerful tools like Gantt charts, scheduling mechanisms, resource management, cost management, etc. If it provides even additional features like running on multiple platforms, support for collaboration or even the possibility to handle multiple interdependent projects that is even better.

One major problem that users have with MS Project is the fact that they do not always need to modify projects. Many times they only need to view the projects or even less to see what they have to do. OK you might say that some printed reports will do the trick but this is somehow limited. Instead of using some static reports it would help a lot more to have a dynamic view over the projects: on short a Microsoft Project viewer.

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By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:12+00:00July 11th, 2011|Microsoft Project, Project Management Software|Comments Off

MOOS Project Viewer 2.4 – A New Microsoft Project Viewer Version Available

Stand By Soft is pleased to announce the release of MOOS Project Viewer in French language. Besides this major change some other features were added like support for estimated task durations, more columns for tasks and support for MS Project 2007 .mpp files that were obtained by converting them from Microsoft Project 2010.

Here are the most important changes added to this version:

Added French translation
Added support for estimated task duration values
Added more columns for tasks including baselines
Support for 2010 to 2007 .mpp files conversion

MOOS Project Viewer is a cost saving solution for project stakeholders to view project details in a dynamic way and not just using static reports. By adding French language support the developers from Stand By Soft hope to better serve French users needs to view Microsoft Project files.

Estimated values for tasks duration is an important indicator regarding the status of the project. It helps project managers to easily see which tasks are still not a certain fact and which are well established. This is possible to be seen now with the current version of MOOS Project Viewer.

All tasks columns that are available in Microsoft Project 2010 are now also available in MOOS Project Viewer. This includes columns like baselines and all corresponding data (start date, finish date, duration, work, cost). This way users can see them not only on the Gantt chart but also in more detail on the table.

Certain problems where solved related to MS Project 2007 .mpp files that where generated by exporting them from Microsoft Project 2010. Companies that have purchased both version of Microsoft Project – 2007 and 2010 – and that are using just 2007 files for compatibility reasons will now be able to correctly view them.

MOOS Project Viewer allows you to open, view and print mpp files and it is running on any Java enabled platform including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

It is available at http://www.moosprojectviewer.com and can be downloaded from http://www.moosprojectviewer.com/download.php.

Stand By Soft develops software specialized for the project management area. Its main product RationalPlan is a project management software that follows the general recommended guidelines from project management domain. It has been developed to help small and middle sized companies to plan and manage their projects.

About Stand By Soft
Stand By Soft was founded in 1997 as a software company specialized in building desktop applications and components.
Contact name: Lucian Ioan
Address: Aleea Parului, Nr.4A, Craiova, Dolj, 200346, Romania
Email: marketing@rationalplan.com
Phone: +40727159969

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By Tiberiu Ghioca|2022-11-18T10:20:12+00:00May 13th, 2011|Microsoft Project, MOOS Project Viewer|Comments Off