It is a software system available to everybody under GNU GPL i.e. free software. It is developed using Java programming language and it works under any operating system like Windows, Mac and Linux. It provides a Gantt chart which is used for scheduling of tasks. Resource management is also easily done as it provides resource load charts.
It also provides report in MS Project, PDF, spreadsheets formats as well. The features of the system are Gantt chart, PERT chart generation, PDF and HTML reports, Resource load chart, MS project can be imported and exported and data can be exchanged easily with spreadsheet applications.
Extension Tools
There are various third party extension tools available for the GanttProject in order to increase its functionality. Some of the extension tools have stopped development whereas some of them are not open source i.e. they are not available freely and user has to pay one-off cost to buy them.
Some of the extension tool support multi-project collaboration but the integration with the tools can’t be commented. There are some projects i.e. GanttProject at Web which is related in some aspects to GanttProject. The project is available at SourceForge website. It is developed in python, HTML and CSS through which a HTML chart and summary can easily be generated.
Cross platform Tool
As it is developed using Java language, it can used on any operating system. It majorly focuses on project scheduling and management. The software system is available at free of cost and is open-source i.e. the source code of the project can be downloaded so that it can be modified as per the requirements.
It provides Gantt chart which breakdowns the structure and define milestones for the project. It also contains resource allocation by assigning the task to the team members. The reports from the system can be saved as PNG images or PDF formats. The projects can be shared with colleagues using WebDAV.
Features
The personnel section can utilize the system by adding team members for a project and assign task to them accordingly. The team leader also can enter email addresses and phone information for each team member and assign those roles and responsibility. It includes a milestone feature through which the task can be assigned by providing them all the details and deadline.
The files are saved in xml format which makes it very easy to view them on internet and can be easily transferred to other programs. The installation of this package is pretty simple and straightforward.
Additional features
The software would be very useful for an experienced and expert individual of Project Management theory. It has various options like project charting, task building etc. However should be knowledge about bar graphs and different charts otherwise the individual might get lost in the whole scenario.
When compared it with Microsoft Project, it can export and import easily with different programs. The system also provides of breaking down the project into a hierarchical or tree view and each tree view can be accordingly assigned. The individual can set up dependencies of the task as well.
