GanttPRO vs. HCL Notes

Projects are a lot easier to set up with GanttPRO than most tools that support a WBS, so although I've used GanttPRO for very simple projects, it's great for projects with complex WBS' and/or dynamic backlogs (using Agile methodologies). I've used it for long-running projects with multiple phases, where I needed to set up high-level plans for downstream phases (for budgeting) that got updated and modified based on outcomes from upstream phases.

I often work with teams from other country and regions, hence HCL Notes is a very useful platform for internal company management operations. It standardized organisational work standards in most of the offices worldwide. HCL Notes also enables chat with other team around the world that I find very helpful when initiating conversation or just want to have a quick update rather than sending emails and waiting for replies. However, HCL Notes is not very efficient in web browsing and user still need to use other internet service providers.

Incentivized

• Ability to add sub-tasks and change the colour coding to help organise work that needs to be done
• The option to link different tasks together (task dependencies) which helps visualise what else needs to be done along side the current task
• Viewing the duration it may take and the progress chart to help quantify and visualise your progress

Incentivized

• It has a really strong and robust database that's extremely scalable and holds up well to thousands of users and many different environments.
• It has a really good enterprise-grade framework for development custom database applications
• All of the custom database applications along with the email all have a nice uniform look and feel so their easy-to-use.
• I really like how it's developed and supported on every client OS (Windows, OSX, Linux)! The competitors definitely do NOT offer this (M$).

Incentivized

• GanttPRO doesn't allow to add a subtask to the subtask taking away customization and flexibility for different use cases
• GanttPRO extends the tasks to the date of the subtask, so if the task as a whole takes longer than the subtask then you need to state it as such
• GanttPRO doesn't let you assign the materials to the tasks

Incentivized

• Notes' backwards compatibility sometimes gets in the way. Menus are cluttered with extraneous, outdated options and features that modern users will never use, and Preferences are often difficult to navigate for those coming from Gmail or Outlook. We have greatly simplified this via Policies, but users still find it daunting to go through all the options that are available.
• The IBM Notes client for Windows & Mac is essentially the Eclipse Java development platform...so it is HUGE. Performance initially was very slow but IBM has done a good job of speeding things up. As IBM moves more toward cloud-delivered applications, this will not be as much of a problem.
• Notes and Domino can be complex to manage for administrators who are more accustomed to ActiveDirectory, Group Policy, etc. Editing a notes.ini file to add a feature, or working with XML files by hand to create a SmartUpgrade kit can be daunting to those coming from more modern administrative roles.
• Some users claim to "hate" Notes mail. While I have heard this less and less over the past 10 years, we have had 3rd party software offer plugins to Outlook and it's rare to see any for Notes.
• The client update process should be automated more. I would like to see the Notes client update quietly and quickly more like an Adobe software update. If an update fails it should automatically try again without prompting the user over and over.
• Notes multiple language spell checking is a downloaded add-on Java-based resource that has to be deployed in a convoluted way that is difficult for users to grasp. Therefore any foreign language spell check updates must be done individually per Notes client by IT, which is unfortunate. I would prefer to see that be a "live download" update option for users to get directly from IBM (don't make me download it and put it on my network).

I've been in IT business and as a Programmer/Developer for 20+ years with too many programming languages experiences/back ground (C/C++/Visual Basic/Basic Program/Unix/COBOL/Java). Also with 18+ years with Lotus Notes/IBM Domino, I am still and always think Lotus Notes is the best RAD platform available!. When the time where resource is very limited and the expectation is very high and the turn around is too short, IBM Domino/Notes is the platform to use and it's the only choice available.

Intuitive interface, clean, and nice design. As an online app, the data can be viewed on Windows PCs, Macs, and tablets. It saves the data very quickly (depending on the Internet speed) as if it is a locally installed application. Training is minimal, plus there is an extensive range of learning videos and topics in the GanttPRO learning center.

Incentivized

Easy to use for the user, most of the apps we developed, there is not much need for user training. Most of the times, we just do a demo to the users group and they can pick up from there.

The support for GanttPro is very good. I have no troubles reaching out for their customer support whenever I have questions, they respond almost instantly. I just hope that they will have live chat support for a real-time support experience on the user-end and can answer the questions in real-time.

I've been using the production for a very long time and very happy with it. Also, all the online resources and forums for notes is very friendly and easy/quick for getting help. I found out that compared to Microsoft or Oracle or any other platforms, IBM Notes online forum is the best I have seen.

Implementation is easy and smooth if the requirement is well gathered/documented. Notes is a RAD platform, all projects in Notes is simple in the implementation step.

GanttPRO is easy to use and just works. If you need to do something quickly or do a small project then GanttPro is a great tool to use. If you are managing a large project then I would consider using Microsoft Project even though it is a more substantial investment overtime.

Incentivized

Outlook has been considered for years as a replacement platform. Pricing and support staff made it prohibitive. Our long-time use of Microsoft Office productivity suite naturally led us to consider the adoption of Office365. A recent investigation told us that Azure Cloud services propel an O365 solution to the forefront. Early adopters in international divisions have paved the way for Azure and O365.

Incentivized

• For class purposes, I would say that my project is running smoothly and I am able to keep my team on task.
• I like that you can blow up the Gantt chart and show everyone exactly where you are at with each task.

Incentivized

• Over the years, we have lost countless hours of productivity from the thousands of crashes we have experienced.
• One benefit of IBM Notes is that it is very simple to train a new user on. Many people prefer and are familiar with Google tools, but those that use IBM Notes have very little trouble acclimating themselves.

Incentivized