As a project management tool, especially with more straightforward timelines and components, ProjectLibre is a great alternative to some of the costly PM software tools. I have managed many projects with both MS Project and ProjectLibre, and I think ProjectLibre is a great alternative, especially when I've worked in regions of the world where users cannot afford other PM tools.
I believe SmartDraw is a great tool for small- to mid-sized organizations for simplifying the production and management of org charts. We've also had the PMO experiment with the use of some of their flow charts as well. If an organization has an HCM with the capability of producing (good!) org charts, that is likely the best option... but many that I have used in my 30-year HR career don't. So there is definitely a need for SmartDraw in the market!
I rated 8 because its simple to use and easy to create network topologies quickly. I liked the drag and drop option which makes designing the network topology and flow chart easier. In general its does what it needs to.
There are a lot of discussions online about it, and a customer addition based manual. While that can lead to some confusion, I am not the kind of person who likes talking on the phone. So it is easier to go online with ProjectLibre!
They are always very helpful, we get computers every two years and I have to call them to move the license from one computer to another and they do it with a smile in their voice!
We decided to go with ProjectLibre because it is a free tool and there is a great community that supports us in case there are any questions or concerns about the software. This has allowed us to be able to invest time without having to worry about licensing costs or anything else.
We have used Corel Draw and Adobe Acrobat. Both of those tools were good when they came out but the abilities of SmartDraw far outweigh both those tools. Corel Draw was also more complex to operate and do tasks, as was Adobe Acrobat in which some basic tasks took additional steps to complete.
SmartDraw has provided good return for our internal purposes. Using it to understand an organization's structure and inner workings has been valuable. On the client side, creating steps and businesses processes has also been a big plus. It has helped decrease confusing reporting structures and has provided a detailed map for individuals to understand where they fit within their organization.
Unfortunately, SmartDraw has been somewhat inefficient with some of the more complex projects on our plate and has really deterred certain employees from even wanting to use it.
