Microsoft Corp. is preparing a new version of its project management software, Project 2010. According to one Canadian industry analyst, it may well compel customers in a way that its predecessor, Project 2007, simply didn’t.
“There wasn’t any really compelling reason for moving from 2003 to 2007,” said Morgan Chmara, senior research analyst at London, Ont.-based
Info-Tech Research Group.
Available via public beta later this year, Project 2010 includes a number of enhancements designed to make the software easier to use and easier to deploy.
On the usage front, Microsoft is giving the technology a ribbon makeover, incorporating the multi-level interface that’s already used in other Microsoft Office products, including Word and Excel. The company is also making the software look and feel a bit more like the popular Excel spreadsheet program, to help people feel more comfortable with the software, said Chris Capossela, a senior vice-president in Microsoft’s business division.
“We started with a laser focus on project managers... but for them to be successful we need to take a much broader view of project management itself,” he said during a keynote at Microsoft’s Project Conference 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz. (His speech was streamed live online.)
To that end, the new version supports enhanced reporting capabilities designed to make it easier for everyone from the project manager herself to IT managers and chief executives to benefit from the software. “The only way we win is if we take the broadest view possible,” Capossela said.
One Canadian company seems particularly interested in the new iteration:
Western Principles, a Vancouver-based IT consultancy specializing in project management software. A Microsoft partner, the firm has high hopes that Project 2010 will help it attract more customers. “It’s project management for the masses,” said Rob Williams, Western Principles’ president.
