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MILESTONES, ETC. 4.5
Dave Searcey

KIDASA Software, Inc.
1114 Lost Creek Blvd STE 300
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 328-0168, fax (512) 328-0247
1-800-765-0167 sales only (Shaun Barbera, Sales Mgr)
List price $199. Call the 800 number for direct sales price of $169
For WIN 3.1/NT /95 (16/32 bit), workgroup and network modules

Test Configuration:

486/33 w/8MB RAM.

Requirements:

4.3MB HD, 2 MB RAM Requires SHARE (in autoexec)or VSHARE. Installation is smooth and allows the user to define default directories; however, NO UNINSTALL routine is included. Starting a new project is not intuitive; setting up a new schedule requires several steps from pull down menus to design the schedule look. In the Windows standard operations, “NEW” file is normally followed by the question of “TEMPLATE?”. Not so in Milestones. You specify “Open”, then specify “Template.” There are no wizards or on-line tutorials. But I really had little difficulty using the “Getting Started “ tutorial booklet. The full manual is well planned, although some graphics are fuzzy.

Features:

Milestone, Etc. is a smart, user-friendly scheduler. Its major strengths are pop-up smart blips for icons, double click editing within areas, 32 different symbols + make your own symbol editor, and floating text easily moved. Milestones allows you to make an easy schedule by putting a symbol on the page at a start date, then dragging the symbol across the calendar display to the end date. The dates are displayed graphically just above the symbol and at the bottom on a status bar.

 Schedules can depict start, intermediate and stop points, but multiple schedule lines cannot be assigned to one row. For instance, one person (listed on the left column) may not have more that one project per row. Dependency relations (pre-requisites) are shown as vertical connect lines, and adjustable (drag to change) dates also move the dependencies. So when the schedule must “slip”, you easily drag the changed milestones to the new dates. Original milestone dates are left in place, but the dependency relationships move with the new dates.

 Outlining with adjustable levels of detail (expand/collapse) and automatic Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) provide sophistication for more complex projects and presentations. 14 templates are provided and easily adapted, including construction project, product development, conference room, routine maintenance, employee schedule, and contract proposal. Milestones supports OLE 2.0 and copy/paste. The function listed as “Merge Schedule” means overlay multiple schedules, not merge data and dependencies as in MS Project. Import/Export is supported to MS Project, Timeline and other database formats.
 
 

Weakness:

This is not true Project Management. No resource/personnel modules exist to tie in as sub-projects. Nor is there a full-graph feature to make Pareto charts or use data to create different graphs. Unfortunately, Windows-standard keystrokes and mouse indications are not followed. You can select multiple objects (such as a starting point, connecting line and end point), and then cut, copy or paste using combinations of ALT/CTRL keys and mouse clicks. I had hoped to use the familiar CTRL Z,X,C, and V keys. I found the absence of CTRL-Z (Undo) really a problem. The ability to select multiple objects by dragging and then perform cut/paste or move functions would enhance the usability. Standard import/export to other project managers appears complicated, but possible, although I did not try it. Strengths: Excellent scheduler; easy and intuitive to adjust/edit schedule dates. Easy to modify colors, shapes, formatting of schedules. KIDASA has toll support, but claims a less than 1 minute wait, with tech questions available via AOL or Compuserv. Regular newsletter for registered users is mailed out. Possible uses include planning the vegetable garden growth seasons to Boeing’s schedule of new aircraft development, with sales managers, contract proposals and office personnel training schedules in between. I found it pretty nifty and easy for most scheduling needs. A further, short review is in PC Computing magazine, Dec 95, p. 248.