In working out your responses to the Discussion Question, you should
choose examples from your own experience or find appropriate cases on the Web
that you can discuss. Credit will be given for references that you make to
relevant examples from real companies. Please make sure
that you cite and reference all your outside sources properly, as per the
Harvard Referencing System.

Two
project management programs have been suggested for use in this module:
Microsoft Project and OpenProj.

Microsoft offers a free 60-day trial of Microsoft
Project 2007. The retail price for Microsoft Project (standard version) is
$599.95. Microsoft Project runs on Microsoft Windows XP (with service pack 2),
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (with service pack 1), or a later operating
system. Installation support is free, as is some support after installation.
Further support can be purchased as a pay-per-use service or on an annual
subscription. Documentation and tutorials are readily available. A server-based
version is also available. You can access Microsoft Project using the University
of Liverpool online library linkhttps://portal.liv.ac.uk, by following these steps:

1. Log on using your user name and password.
2. Click on the Apps Anywhere link.
3. Install the CITRIX application on your computer if it is
   not already installed.
4. Click on
   Office> Project 2007.

OpenProj
1.4 is available as a free download from the Internet. OpenProj has fewer
features than Project-ON-Demand, which is software that you can access for a
monthly subscription fee of $20.00 per user. OpenProj runs on Linux, Unix, Mac,
or Windows computers. Limited documentation exists regarding OpenProj, and
support may be available only if newer versions are released.

You are a
project manager in a newly established construction company. The company
comprises 12 team members working under two project managers. The company’s
chief executive officer (CEO) is not keen on investing too much in a project
management software tool without being convinced about the value of such an
investment. Which project management software tool would you recommend to the
CEO and why? Discuss the parameters that you would consider while making your
choice.