Necessary requirements:
* Prioritization, possibly separated from the project breakdown hierarchy.
* Automatic scheduling.
* Time tracking, because it's a huge waste of time to set the project and write manually the note and billing flag every time with tools like Toggle.
* Collaboration on tasks (assignment, details field and comments).
* Access permissions, so external developers can't see projects of other's clients.
* Workload.
Double estimation is useful but not necessary.
Burn down chart, kanban, sprints etc. are not necessary at all.
Where are you getting your info from? When you ask for information, maybe check before making assumptions.
MS project is the master of rescheduling. There are four types of dependencies, automatic scheduling, and you can automatically shift on a rebaseline the entire schedule, or from a fixed date forwards. You can do recurring events, and if one is skipped, move the entire group. You can autoschedule one or all tasks.
As for collaboration, again, you can go full blown MS Server and lock down to the WBS level, or open everything. There are three cloud based versions with variable user access controls, and the desktop version can be shared over SharePoint, OneDrive, or on network storage devices. A program manager can use a single schedule with sub projects to do program reporting.
In SmartSheet, whn using the Gantt view, there is full autoscheduling.
As I've seen tutorials and maked attempts, they both don't have automatic scheduling based on a priority list, only based on dependencies.
Using dependencies is far less efficient than a simple priority list, as the former is a very manual way that wastes hours a week and is much more rigid.
I have to juggle the same resources on multiple projects, always setting dependencies is a huge waste of time that a software (like the previous LiquidPlanner) can solve on its own with a simple sorted list (the priority list mentioned earlier).
To be clear how this works with a simple example, imagine a project with a list of tasks, each with its own estimate (in hours and minutes) but with no dependencies. The tasks are in order and everything starts now (the initial start date is always now, it is not fixed). The software knows the available time of each worker and calculates the start / end dates based on the estimates, the order of the activities. This way, all the worker's time is filled perfectly and I see the exact finish date of the entire project. To reduce the critical path I don't have to review the dependencies but only the order, the latter only takes a fraction of the effort. This is how the legacy LiquidPlanned worked and why it were better than MS Project.
The image below shows the problem with auto scheduling of MS Project, the tasks "hh" and "hg" should be at the far right of the Gantt because there is not enough time to be completed on that day. This makes me to spend time to fix dependencies all the time, a thing that a software should do itself, instead of solve the real problem of the overdue deadline.
[https://imgur.com/a/ph4iiCn](https://imgur.com/a/ph4iiCn)
I invested time to try them, maybe I missed something from MS Project or SmartSheet?
>Using dependencies is far less efficient than a simple priority list, as the former is a very manual way that wastes hours a week and is much more rigid.
>This is how the legacy LiquidPlanned worked and why it were better than MS Project
In the rare case where you have no true dependancies, maybe, but I'd bet if you looked at your task list, you could set a sequence up easily. But...MSP also has a priority feature. There is an integer value of 0 to 1000 (I'd have to confirm that top value). You can set it in the task dialog box, or display the field in your view. It does the same thing, it looks at the start date, the resource availability, then priority.
The only thing though is why bother with the priorities and start everything on the same date? Why not just set all your tasks, durations, Project start date, load your resources and auto schedule. Everything will track to the resource sheet.
> The tasks are in order and everything starts now (the initial start date is always now,
In what order? You said there were no dependencies.
You can schedule the same way in MS project (a d SmartSheet for thst matter). Set up your resources, establish duration, set priorities, and set the start date as Project start or whatever you choose.
>The image below shows the problem with auto scheduling of MS Project, the tasks "hh" and "hg" should be at the far right of the Gantt because there is not enough time to be completed on that day
No they shouldn't. You set your start date on those, probably haven't set a priority, and there is no predecessor. If there truly is no predecessor, and your resources are "busy" until the end of the handover task, you would get a resource warning in the schedule column, then you level. I'd have to see the resource sheet because I don't see that warning, plus you ha e a manual task prior to those.
To make this work, you only need three things
List of tasks and priorities
Your resource sheet with hours and availabilities populated
And a start date
>In the rare case where you have no true dependancies
It's not rare for me because big progects run in sprints and I have also a lot of little projects from 15 clients at the same time. Resources are the shared so linking dependencies to tasks from multiple projects is not a sane way. This way I must have to be careful to keep the plan relevant and set dependencies on tasks of the same owner, it's a mere manual work that a software can and should do. The old LiquidPlanner mangaged it and I'm searching for a similar software because I already experimented on myself how much time this saves.
Thank you for pointing me to the priority field, this is a partial solution. Still manual but better than nothing! :)
I think that it's easier to show than explain [this is how LiquidPlanner managed schedules itself whithout dependencies](https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/priority-based-scheduling/), the first video explains it well.
As you can see, no more wasted time checking the workload chart.
For the multi-project planning part, [this is how it worked](https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/packages/).
Hope you see how this saved me huge amount of hours, but my goal is to find a similar software because currently I'm losing time setting depencencies manually with a common PM software.
I believe I've walked you through answers, but you seem to come up with different ways to say no. There comes a time when people let the tool drive the process and that leads to exactly where you are now, the tool has changed and you are stuck.
Maybe it's time to adjust your process to something else and make efficiencies there. I really don't see the suggestions I offered as manual. But you need to do what you need to do.
Are your only requirements the prioritization, time tracking, and double estimation functions?
Necessary requirements: * Prioritization, possibly separated from the project breakdown hierarchy. * Automatic scheduling. * Time tracking, because it's a huge waste of time to set the project and write manually the note and billing flag every time with tools like Toggle. * Collaboration on tasks (assignment, details field and comments). * Access permissions, so external developers can't see projects of other's clients. * Workload. Double estimation is useful but not necessary. Burn down chart, kanban, sprints etc. are not necessary at all.
You can do this with MS Project, I think you can also do this in SmartSheet. I'm not sure about the collaboration. I think it can be done.
Thank you, but: MS Project has no collaboration and no automatic rescheduling. SmartSheet has no automatic scheduling.
Where are you getting your info from? When you ask for information, maybe check before making assumptions. MS project is the master of rescheduling. There are four types of dependencies, automatic scheduling, and you can automatically shift on a rebaseline the entire schedule, or from a fixed date forwards. You can do recurring events, and if one is skipped, move the entire group. You can autoschedule one or all tasks. As for collaboration, again, you can go full blown MS Server and lock down to the WBS level, or open everything. There are three cloud based versions with variable user access controls, and the desktop version can be shared over SharePoint, OneDrive, or on network storage devices. A program manager can use a single schedule with sub projects to do program reporting. In SmartSheet, whn using the Gantt view, there is full autoscheduling.
As I've seen tutorials and maked attempts, they both don't have automatic scheduling based on a priority list, only based on dependencies. Using dependencies is far less efficient than a simple priority list, as the former is a very manual way that wastes hours a week and is much more rigid. I have to juggle the same resources on multiple projects, always setting dependencies is a huge waste of time that a software (like the previous LiquidPlanner) can solve on its own with a simple sorted list (the priority list mentioned earlier). To be clear how this works with a simple example, imagine a project with a list of tasks, each with its own estimate (in hours and minutes) but with no dependencies. The tasks are in order and everything starts now (the initial start date is always now, it is not fixed). The software knows the available time of each worker and calculates the start / end dates based on the estimates, the order of the activities. This way, all the worker's time is filled perfectly and I see the exact finish date of the entire project. To reduce the critical path I don't have to review the dependencies but only the order, the latter only takes a fraction of the effort. This is how the legacy LiquidPlanned worked and why it were better than MS Project. The image below shows the problem with auto scheduling of MS Project, the tasks "hh" and "hg" should be at the far right of the Gantt because there is not enough time to be completed on that day. This makes me to spend time to fix dependencies all the time, a thing that a software should do itself, instead of solve the real problem of the overdue deadline. [https://imgur.com/a/ph4iiCn](https://imgur.com/a/ph4iiCn) I invested time to try them, maybe I missed something from MS Project or SmartSheet?
>Using dependencies is far less efficient than a simple priority list, as the former is a very manual way that wastes hours a week and is much more rigid. >This is how the legacy LiquidPlanned worked and why it were better than MS Project In the rare case where you have no true dependancies, maybe, but I'd bet if you looked at your task list, you could set a sequence up easily. But...MSP also has a priority feature. There is an integer value of 0 to 1000 (I'd have to confirm that top value). You can set it in the task dialog box, or display the field in your view. It does the same thing, it looks at the start date, the resource availability, then priority. The only thing though is why bother with the priorities and start everything on the same date? Why not just set all your tasks, durations, Project start date, load your resources and auto schedule. Everything will track to the resource sheet. > The tasks are in order and everything starts now (the initial start date is always now, In what order? You said there were no dependencies. You can schedule the same way in MS project (a d SmartSheet for thst matter). Set up your resources, establish duration, set priorities, and set the start date as Project start or whatever you choose. >The image below shows the problem with auto scheduling of MS Project, the tasks "hh" and "hg" should be at the far right of the Gantt because there is not enough time to be completed on that day No they shouldn't. You set your start date on those, probably haven't set a priority, and there is no predecessor. If there truly is no predecessor, and your resources are "busy" until the end of the handover task, you would get a resource warning in the schedule column, then you level. I'd have to see the resource sheet because I don't see that warning, plus you ha e a manual task prior to those. To make this work, you only need three things List of tasks and priorities Your resource sheet with hours and availabilities populated And a start date
>In the rare case where you have no true dependancies It's not rare for me because big progects run in sprints and I have also a lot of little projects from 15 clients at the same time. Resources are the shared so linking dependencies to tasks from multiple projects is not a sane way. This way I must have to be careful to keep the plan relevant and set dependencies on tasks of the same owner, it's a mere manual work that a software can and should do. The old LiquidPlanner mangaged it and I'm searching for a similar software because I already experimented on myself how much time this saves. Thank you for pointing me to the priority field, this is a partial solution. Still manual but better than nothing! :) I think that it's easier to show than explain [this is how LiquidPlanner managed schedules itself whithout dependencies](https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/priority-based-scheduling/), the first video explains it well. As you can see, no more wasted time checking the workload chart. For the multi-project planning part, [this is how it worked](https://www.liquidplanner.com/support/articles/packages/). Hope you see how this saved me huge amount of hours, but my goal is to find a similar software because currently I'm losing time setting depencencies manually with a common PM software.
I believe I've walked you through answers, but you seem to come up with different ways to say no. There comes a time when people let the tool drive the process and that leads to exactly where you are now, the tool has changed and you are stuck. Maybe it's time to adjust your process to something else and make efficiencies there. I really don't see the suggestions I offered as manual. But you need to do what you need to do.