What is our primary use case?
Our company uses the solution to get realistic estimations to properly distribute resources. We have a huge portfolio and use the online premium version. One current project is with a client who has 150 users.
The solution estimates workflow for concurrent activities, links dependencies, and automatically modifies plans based on date updates. The plan is assessed based on different criteria such as the schedule or budget.
Built-in dashboards provide an overview of our portfolio, programs, and projects. There is a general work view and an overall progress view that combines all projects.
What is most valuable?
The integration between Teams and the solution is fantastic. Previously, the cloud version was not available so we kept standalone files on our PCs. Now, everything is in the cloud so we can ask Teams to update their activities in the plan which automatically reflects on everyone's plan. Team effectively cooperates with the plan without every user needing licenses for the solution.
The built-in dashboards are powerful because they show both project and overall progress.
What needs improvement?
The solution could offer waterfall options for agile and sprint planning. Agile is available but is still maturing. We want to clear project backlog and would like different views for sprints. It would be easier to choose the type of project at the beginning and have different layouts or mechanisms that are specific to it. Jira offers something completely different than the solution.
Popups for allocated resources would be helpful. Currently, allocated resources or activities are listed on the left side. Activities that are big or are being performed across 100 to 200 days should include tips, advice, and alerts as popups to keep us on track.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable so I rate stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is dependent on licenses. For that reason, I rate scalability a five out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I have only contacted support a few times in my entire career. I was trying to receive a backup of previous plans because I lost the current plan.
Based on my experience, I rate support a seven out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The setup is pretty easy and might take one week.
Resource education is sometimes complicated. The most difficult thing to do is control or assign resources and it is especially complex for very long projects. If you have many resources for the same activity or concurrent activities with overlapping resources, then fixing the allocations is very difficult. Some users avoid assigning resources because of this issue but resource assignment an important step.
I rate setup a seven out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution in-house. Ongoing management is handled by four team members.
What was our ROI?
Customers might not realize their ROI because they are immature in using the solution. They have the license so their users have to work with it. Most of the time, they just rely on the access sheet. They don't often realize how the solution could improve their work flow.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is based on a licensing model and is reasonable. I rate pricing a nine out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is a very extensive software that has many features, capabilities, and functionalities. Training and knowledge are important because most users are not aware of even the most basic things. Awareness is important and will have an impact on long-term use.
I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
*Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.