Is MSProject the best resource for staying on top of your projects? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on two things, and you would be well served to be guided by one rule.
Thing 1: Never let the management of a project overtake importance to the project itself. Don't spend more time than necessary, and don't spend less.
Thing 2: Don't forget thing 1.
Rule 1: A good project manager does well to remember that the best way to organize, coordinate and execute projects is to spend less time "behind the screen" and more time "out on the decks". By putting yourself into the process you have better understanding of who is doing what, whether you are giving them all the resources they need to accomplish the task on time and within budget, what it is your end user customers really are asking for, and finally, when you do sit back down to your ships log for the day, it may be MSProject you finally enter your metrics & goals into, or it might be a simpler process (such as a spreadsheet, or common WWW posting
I've recently been investigating a tool called Evolve which is great for web based companies and has a really good web interface. It also interfaces with MS Project. Take a peek at that one.
Most tools cause more work than necessary for today's rapid time to market projects. Every PM candidate I interview readily admits that MS Project is cumbersome and only used to give pretty reports to execs like me. At least they are honest.
I let my PM play around with Project while I use my own Excel template to monitor issues that arise. Track critical actions & their milestone dates; detail tasks that ensure those bigger actions will happen; and determine accountability.
From there, you need honest group communications. Post a version on the web with a service like OnProject.com so its accessible to all from anywhere. You can even have discussions.
Log issues as they arise and rate them according to the risk they present. Worry about all of them, but concentrate only on those that will materially affect your metrics: budget, time, quality and robustness.
I score 0-5 for issue severity (0 is cosmetic, 5 critical) and 0-5 for likelihood of being done on due date (0 is Done, 5 can’t ha
There is no software tool that can replace experience & sound judgement. The most appropriate tool is one that the rest of the the project audience/team understand. Usually it means 2 tools: project mgmt & presentation.
What's the best project management tool?