Open Workbench is an open source desktop project management application that focuses upon project management scheduling needs. This program is intended for the Microsoft Windows platform. It differs from Microsoft Project in that it focuses upon effort-based scheduling rather than the typical duration-based scheduling. The program allows users to complete many of the full-featured tasks that other open source software does not, including resource management, project scheduling, project planning, and review functions.
According to the developers “an Open Workbench plan is built up from estimates for the tasks of work. Estimates are tied to the resource assigned to the tasks. Duration is then driven by the number of hours each resource will work per week to cover the total number of hours required for the tasks. Open Workbench is best suited to groups that estimate total work effort based on the estimates for all the tasks associated with a project and then create a staffing plan and schedule for those estimates.”
The extensive list of features offered by the developers is:
* Define projects and create associated work breakdown structures with activities, phases, tasks and milestones
* Create dependencies as finish-start, start-start, finish- finish or start-finish
* Create subprojects and link them to master projects
* Create and manage inter-project dependencies
* Manage advanced task properties such as fixed duration, dependency lag, imposed start/end dates and charge codes
* Schedule tasks manually or automatically using Auto Schedule
* Automatically schedule tasks forwards or backwards
* Schedule across linked master and subprojects
* Schedule to general or individualized calendars
* Define resources as people, equipment, materials or expense
* Assign resources to tasks
* Configure resources on tasks with uniform, fixed, contour, front or back loading
* Track status, percent complete and estimates to complete
* View Gantt charts (both detail and roll-up), PERT charts and the critical path
* Conduct earned value analysis
* Define, compare and reset project baseline setting
* Can read Microsoft Project files
If this does not fit the needs of your business, there are also product document management solutions with open source functionality.
Overall, Open Workbench will do the trick if you need project management software. While I have a preference for open source software that combines ease of use with functionality, I don’t really have a need for some of the more complex project management functions this program offers. It is a good option for startup software companies that need to carefully track projects, but don’t yet have the capital to sink into other project management software options.
