With the emergence and acceptance of the enterprise project management (EPM) model, many organizations are standardizing on project management tools and methodologies. For a large number of companies, this involves purchasing volume licenses of Microsoft® Project. Two problems arise: first, many users don't need the full functionality offered by Microsoft® Project. Second, project managers are increasingly frustrated by unauthorized modifications to the files they author and maintain.
The solution to both of these problems is to provide Microsoft® Project to the group of users who truly need it (project creators) and to provide project viewers for the rest of the users (project consumers) who only need access to the information in the file. The use of project viewers results in significant cost savings and is a much better match between the needs of the users and the solution that is provided.
When selecting a viewer, you should make sure that the solution you choose is high quality, low cost, and easy to use.
Two Unpleasant Side Effects
With project management tools on everyone's desktop, two problems emerged.
First, despite the discounts for volume and site licenses, many organizations are paying for much more functionality than they actually need. Additionally, the early adopter discounts are disappearing in favor of a subscription model that counts installed licenses, regardless of how and if they are being used. The price of EPM is going up annually, and many organizations are feeling the strain financially.
Second, giving non-project managers the ability to modify project plans is often dangerous. The authenticity of the "real" master project file is cast in doubt the moment another user makes a modification to a copy of the project plan. Project managers are frequently frustrated with the wide scale distribution of Microsoft® Project licenses.
Microsoft's EPM Solution
Microsoft® offers an expansive and impressive EPM solution that addresses many of the "access" problems described above. Access to project files can be restricted to the right groups of users, and those only needing to view the project information can do so with a less expensive client access license.
For some organizations, Microsoft®'s EPM solution is near perfect, and we strongly recommend it in those cases. For many other organizations, the Microsoft® EPM solution is not ideal for a number of reasons:
- It requires a significant financial investment. Microsoft® Project Server goes far beyond the desktop project management application. It is a large, distributed, three-tier enterprise application and requires at least one dedicated server running Microsoft® SQL Server and SharePoint Services.
- It requires a significant IT investment. The deployment and transition to Microsoft® Project Server in an organization is itself a significant project, requiring executive sponsorship and a dedicated project team.
- It requires a serious commitment to EPM methodologies. The organization must commit to standardizing on a centralized, coordinated way of planning and executing their projects. Many organizations are unwilling or not yet prepared to make the changes necessary for this transition.
The Solution: Steelray Viewer
Thousands of organizations have found a better solution: providing Microsoft® Project to the group of users who truly need it (project managers) and providing project viewers for the rest of the users (project consumers) who only need to access the information in the file.
Microsoft® Project was designed for creating, tracking, and modifying project files. It is a complex application that requires training and project management skills to be used effectively. A viewer, on the other hand, should be intuitive and easy to use for anyone, whether or not they use Microsoft® Project.
How Steelray Viewer Helps
Significant Cost Savings
The primary benefit of using a project viewer is the significant reduction in license fees that it brings. In most organizations, between 30% and 80% of the Microsoft® Project licenses that are purchased are delivered to users (project consumers) who can use a project viewer instead. A project viewer license is typically less than 10% of the cost of a Microsoft® Project license, so the cost savings can be dramatic.
The Correct Tool for Your "Project Consumer" Users
Project viewers prohibit the user from modifying the project file, so the problem of users modifying copies of project files is eliminated. This in turn tends to increase the willingness of the project managers to share the project file, which increases collaboration and communication throughout the organization.
Why It's the Compelling Choice
Steelray Viewer is the leading viewer for Microsoft Project and Primavera. Steelray is a compelling choice for enterprise customers for several reasons:
- Steelray Viewer is high quality, low cost and easy to use.
- Steelray doesn't clone the Microsoft® Project or Primavera user interface. Instead, it is the only project viewer to offer true innovation. Steelray invented the Microsoft® Project .mpp viewer, and we are constantly introducing new and innovative features (true navigation, built-in search engine, Excel support) that aren't offered in any other product. Steelray was designed from the ground up around navigation, making it the world's first and only project navigator or browser.
- Steelray is used by thousands of organizations across the globe. Steelray is the best choice for enterprise installations. We support silent installation, site-wide license keys, and a simple licensing process.