Open source project management software has certain advantages: being able to change the code to your liking and taking advantage of the knowledge of others are two of them. Also the one that is free. As a disadvantage, open source software requires advanced programming knowledge. If you do not have an IT team in your company, you may need the help of specialists in the software itself, a service that is usually paid.
Think about it before making a decision, but if you finally opt for this type of tool when purchasing project management software, we show you below a list of five selected ones. All are streamlined processes in your SME.
At the end of this article you will find the analysis that we have carried out to choose each one. It has not been easy, but we hope to help you in your search. They are arranged in alphabetical order and in each one we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the software, which you should compare according to your specific needs.
Table of Contents
GanttProject : Veteran Project Planning Tool
GanttProject, created in 2003, is one of the oldest tools on this list. In the last 16 years it has gone through several versions, the most recent one was released in January 2019 (Gantt Project 2.8.10). You can download it from the provider or through one of the registered code repositories, such as GitHub or Source Forge.
Users can export data in .csv and generate reports in PDF.
Advantages: It is a very solid product and, since it is free, the provider makes it clear what is included and what is not. For example, your FAQ page (in English) clearly states that GanttProject cannot perform resource leveling. This clarity about the capabilities of the product shows that the team tries to meet the needs of its users.
In addition to the frequently asked questions, the provider offers different of support resources (in English) , such as volunteer-created video tutorials and a support forum.
Disadvantages: it is not possible to measure the duration of the tasks in hours, only in days. Although this disadvantage is not unique to GanttProject, it can discourage teams from needing to manage small projects where tasks are completed in less than a day.
Upgrade price: not applicable
Mobile apps: not applicable
Suitable for: p MALL and medium – sized companies that need oversee the planning of large projects that have dedicated IT staff to monitoring the housing, maintaining the server and software updates.
Suitable for: p MALL established companies that need a robust management solution projects that have IT technical staff familiar with the Linux operating system. This way they can manage hosting, software updates and server maintenance.
Is It A Project Management Or Task Management Software?
Products that meet the above criteria are evaluated according to this definition of project management software:
This check verifies basic project management capabilities and suitability for the category.
Products are classified as project management software if they contain all of these main functionalities:
- Task management: creating tasks, setting deadlines and assigning tasks to users. Monitoring the progress of each task until its completion.
- Collaboration features: provision of a centralized workspace that allows multiple users to communicate, discuss and coordinate.
- Document management / file sharing: file sharing capability and storage in a central repository, with version tracking and change history.
- Project planning: configuration of scope, budget and deadline criteria. Project division into individual milestones and tasks. Definition of critical path and identification of dependencies, limitations and key resources.
- Report / Dashboard Creation – Ability to display charts, tables, data presentations, and activity streams. Tracking of actual and planned estimates of time and costs.
