Ch. 11: Additional Case 1

Selecting Project-Management Software

Background

You work in the proposal department of Allied Marine Services, a small manufacturer of electronic equipment used in civilian and military boats and ships. Currently, your company does not use project-management software in creating its Gantt charts; instead, a graphic artist draws them. You think that project-management software might help you complete the charts more quickly and less expensively. You ask your supervisor if he will let you spend a few hours searching the Internet to learn about the software: what kinds of programs are available, what they do, how easy they are to use, and what they cost.

Your Assignment

To complete this assignment, perform the following tasks:

  1. Study Chapter 11 on proposals.

  2. Using a search engine, find the sites of three manufacturers of project-management software. Review a few pages from each site and learn about the software.

  3. In a 1,000-word memo to your supervisor, describe the different products and recommend whether your company should download demo copies and try them on its next proposal. (See Chapter 9 for a discussion of memos.)