SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 Description:

Aimed at those who won't put up with limits in their project management software, Primavera SureTrak 3.0 provides an excellent all-around package for getting control of time, resources, and budget. With excellent built-in Web and collaborative capabilities, this is a program that can simplify any busy manager's life. To get started, SureTrak 3.0 bundles the KickStart tool, which lets even those new to project management software get going productively. In testing, this wizard asked us a series of questions about project phases, goals, people, potential obstacles, and the like, with extensive help from a built-in library of sample entries for many different industries. (If you have been using Microsoft Project, SureTrak supports importing and exporting to .MPJ files, which is another way to start.)

SureTrak features extensive support for the two traditional views for tracking a project: Gantt charts, which show a time line of various tasks, and PERT charts, which show logically connected diagrams of tasks along with dependencies. We liked the support for distributing a variety of reports over the Web using HTML. The product also allows managers to e-mail reports to other team members, plus you can add hyperlinks to any report or view.

Another notable feature included here is the ability to define custom resources (for instance, costs per employee, based on skill sets and project roles), "activity codes," and even specialized calendars. The control over costs in SureTrak is certainly one of the product's strengths. You can track every cost associated with a project and see exactly where you are with your budget at any point within the project cycle.

Finally, at a time when most printed manuals are being downsized in favor of online help, we appreciated the SureTrak's 500 pages of tutorials and documentation. Overall, Primavera's product delivers a well-thought-out project management package, one that can be used effectively by beginner and expert alike to track even large projects effectively. --Richard Dragan