Enterprise Grade Project Management Tools?

Gustavo asks: "My company is climbing the CMM ladder and the need for enterprise grade project management tools is growing. Currently we use a mix of MS-Project schedules and Excel spreadsheets, but this doesn't scale when one has a large pool of resources being used on several projects. Moreover, there being Project and Excel files are now scattered all around making it difficult to keep them up-to-date. One option is to go for the MS-Project Server but I was asked to find out if there is something free that we could use instead. Can you help me?"

"What I'm looking for is some web tool in which everyone involved in a project could make changes in their task's status. (Things like number of hours worked and percent completed.) Preferably, all data should be kept in a relational database for easy data gathering and reporting.

MrProject is a nice app but it's Linux only (so far) and doesn't seem to allow for resource sharing among projects.

ToutDoux, another Gnome app, promised much more, but its development stalled a while ago.

I looked at some of the project management tools I found at Freshmeat, like SiteScape, EPIWARE, ITMS, and A.C.E., but none of them satisfied my needs.

MimerDesk is a web-based groupware environment that has a very promising project management tool. It's not complete yet, but it's the best I could find so far.

So, what do your companies use for project management and how is it going?"

Comments

The hot new trend..

[E_elven]

The Post-IT Information Management System developed by the up-and-coming 3M corp. Incredible flexibility and stability. Has beaten all MS products in recent tests.

Place where I work

[Sir Haxa1ot]

I work as a lead Enterprise Software Architect for a major Fortune 500 company, which through re-organization and prudent management managed to streamline operations, provide the best value and quality of service to its customers and excel in the field. We use a big txt file with write permissions stored on the server that everyone has access to. Whenever the developer or manager completes the project, they are adding a line to that .txt file with description of what was done.

CIMM

[bhima]

Sorry I don't, because my company has adopted the The Capability Im-Maturity Model (CIMM).

Currently we are at "-2. Contemptuous Arrogance"

Mostly, I think, due to corporate reaction and interpretation of the FDA 21 CFR part 11 guidelines for Electronic Records and Electronic Signatures.

I'm having trouble determining who has the head up their arse further, but so far I think it is our corporate regulatory division. The only thing I can say about their interpretation of Part 11 is "Taliban".

Soon I'll have to have a long beard and a have memorized the Qur'an to have write access to CVS/VSS.

But hey all of this looks good to our internal auditors!

You know..."God will roast their stomachs in hell at the hands of Faithful."