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RationalPlan Reviews & Product Details - Page 2

RationalPlan Overview

What is RationalPlan?

RationalPlan is a project management software that follows the general recommended guidelines from project management domain. Its main goal is to make the process of planning projects as short and as straightforward as possible, guiding novice project managers through each step but offering enough tools to those more experienced. It was designed to assist project managers in developing plans, allocating resources, tracking progress, managing budgets and analyzing workload. Useful for project planning, project scheduling and project tracking. If you are working in the area of construction, engineering, services&consulting, business, software development or even working on a simple student project then you can use RationalPlan. It will help you to complete your project as scheduled, on time and within budget. If you have projects that are interrelated that is certain tasks from one project depend on other tasks from the other projects then you should opt in for a Multi Project version. Even more... you should choose a Multi Project version if you have resources that are working in multiple projects. Otherwise the Single Project version is enough. For more powerful features and increased collaboration the Server version is the way to go. Here are some key reasons for using RationalPlan Project Management Software: * manage your company's projects and share resources between them * provides a clean way to break down your project, build schedules, allocate resources, and manage budgets * get resources and finances under control (realistic cost estimates mechanisms, screening cash-flow time distribution for tasks and resources) * gives you a step by step project guide that walks you through the project management process so you can lay down a project plan immediately * track project evolution regarding task's completion, time and costs * brings project's critical issues to your attention The application is covering project management area from WBS construction, project planning and scheduling to critical path management, overallocated resources detection, project and task tracking, cost estimation.

RationalPlan Details
Languages Supported
German, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian
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Product Description

RationalPlan is a powerful project management software designed to help both teams and project managers to create consistent project plans, allocate resources and analyze workload, track work progress, estimate project costs and manage budgets.

How do you position yourself against your competitors?

RationalPlan puts the accent on productivity and tries to be as easy to use as possible: straightforward and intuitive. Compared to others it has the same power but it is more affordable to the users. If you compare for example RationalPlan Single product with Microsoft Project standard version you get 80% of the functionality at 20% of the price. We have a customer whose name I can not mention without his approval, that after buying RationalPlan he wanted a refund because he was not finding certain features available in MS Project. We explained him that he has that functionality and recommended him to keep the product. His answer was: "Now that I get to know RationalPlan better, I wouldn't want to miss it anymore. You helped me save a lot of money by "preventing" me from buying MS-Project :-)"


Seller Details
Year Founded
1997
HQ Location
Craiova, Dolj
Twitter
@rationalplan
5,861 Twitter followers
LinkedIn® Page
www.linkedin.com
3 employees on LinkedIn®

Tiberiu G.
TG
Overview Provided by:
Product Manager at RationalPlan

Recent RationalPlan Reviews

Jan N.
JN
Jan N.Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
4.5 out of 5
"Planning is organizing, not programming!"
When I want to "plan", I should not think about how to use a software packet. This should come by intuition. And, that is how I feel when I use you...
DA
Dave A.Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
4.5 out of 5
"Great Software for Project Management"
I really like this software. It has a WBS portion to help construct your project ans it also has a Risk management Area. These are 2 features that ...
LL
Luv L.Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
4.5 out of 5
"Simple and easy to use"
Ability to export to PDF and also to MS Project via XML.
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RationalPlan Media

RationalPlan Demo - Project info
Enter basic project details
RationalPlan Demo - Working calendars
Establish the working calendars and week patterns
RationalPlan Demo - WBS structure
Create your WBS structure of your project
RationalPlan Demo - Gantt charts
Plan your projects using intuitive Gantt charts
RationalPlan Demo - Working with baselines
Track your project evolution using baselines
RationalPlan Demo - Resource leveling
Manage the resource workload
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Have you used RationalPlan before?
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23 RationalPlan Reviews

4.6 out of 5
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23 RationalPlan Reviews
4.6 out of 5
23 RationalPlan Reviews
4.6 out of 5

Overall Review Sentiment for RationalPlanQuestion

Time to Implement
<1 day
>12 months
Return on Investment
<6 months
48+ months
Ease of Setup
0 (Difficult)
10 (Easy)
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RW
Lecturer
Higher Education
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

I have over the last 4years, have used RationalPlan software successfully as a teaching aid for Project Management at James Cook Univeristy. I find it is well supported, intuitive to use and the students are confident and competent in its use in less than one hours tuition, which allows teaching and learning to be a more rewarding process for all. Students have been able to successfully develop highly detailed and well constructed plans with the use of this tool.

The steps take away anxiety with the software's inbuilt guides and hints and its ability to quickly transform schedules into budget costs which non-accounting students are very pleased with. At the end of the subject they are very proficient with this project tool and have found it easy to translate into other industry compliant project software.

I would highly recommend this as a great tool for teaching project management & planning. This tool delivers at a fraction of the cost what other much more expensive software does. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

I have none and find this latest version smoother to use than previous and have found that each upgrade is delivering a better finished product and very good value. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

Teaching Project Planning to Tertiary students.

Students who have utilised this class have gone on to use the software in developing plans and schedules for group assignments in other tertiary subjects and in planning their PhD.

In teaching, this tool delivers the ability of much more sophisticated software at a level that reduces anxiety in students and allows better learning to be acquired. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

David M.
DM
Director
Real Estate
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

As a project manager we use GANTT charts to understand where we are. We run RationalPan our own server and it is fantastic value for money. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

There is nothing really to say here, if you know and like Microsoft Project then this fits the bill and exceeds. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering RationalPlan:

Trial the software, import an existing Microsoft project plan and play. You wont go back! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

We run multiple engineering and construction projects and use RationalPlan to control everything from concept to close out.

The additional enhancements like risk control are a value add that we find extremely useful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Rick S.
RS
Environmental health researcher; visiting research scientist
Research
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

I need a project planning/mgmt tool that is simple to use, fast to learn, and has the basics. Something that allows me to create project timelines, with lag times and other standard constraints and interdependencies. I do not have time to learn the more complex tools, and rationalplan has filled the void for me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

It looks like it's built in Java. Does not use the OS X interface elements, such as the Save dialog box. It works though and it is usable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering RationalPlan:

as noted in product review Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am just trying to manage simple research projects in which I have very few people working on the project, and so just want to get a basic idea of how lag times and other interdependencies will effects when major project phases are likely to complete. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Steve F.
SF
Manager
Automotive
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

An easy-to-use project management tool with dependencies and a gantt chart for a tiny fraction of the MS project price, and it doesn't slow down my poor bloated laptop. It generates pdfs and it's file can be viewed by anyone with a free viewer Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

Filters on the different columns could be easier to use, and so could levelling resources; however, they are just a thing to learn and they work fine once you do so Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering RationalPlan:

Buy it Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

I have used this program for building a school with a large team and for a personal task list that had complicated dependencies, and everything in between. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sandra K.
SK
Project Manager, Project Management Office
Hospital & Health Care
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

This tool, unlike many others my organization investigated, is based on sound project management principles. the sidebar "Project Guide" walks the user through the basis process of setting up, planning, and controlling the project. We were especially impressed that the WBS view keeps the focus on the tasks, before moving on to identification of predecessors and dates. It also offers the functionality of assigning and leveling resources at the correct stage of the project scheduling process.

Once you have experienced the right-click functionality to indent/outdent tasks, add predecessors, etc., you might not want to ever go back to MS Project.

The email support is reliable, fast, and friendly, regardless of the time of day.

The free Viewer allowing users to open MS Project files is fantastic. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

Some of the language used to describe Fixed Units vs Fixed Work tasks is somewhat awkward.

we have also found that it does not play well with WebEx, which we use to train remote users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering RationalPlan:

If you are a non-profit organization, this is the number one best, most cost-effective tool for managing project schedules. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

Our organization conducted an exhaustive search of project scheduling tool vendors. Our criteria included:

- Based on sound project management principles

- User-friendly interface

- Lower cost than MS Project

- User/administrator support

- Most of the functionality described below:

Must have Features:

- Gantt Chart view

- Automatic duration/finish date calculation

- Manual date entry option

- Import function

- Reports

Nice to have features:

- Non-working time calendars

- Multiple dependency types

RationalPlan was the only tool that met all these criteria. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Research
UR
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

Fully featured. Easy to learn. Does a full import of mpp files. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

As far as I can tell, I cannot export to mpp files. I guess it is doable through a xml file, but this is implies an extra step I don´t want my colleagues to have to do. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

We work in development of scientific equipment in an operational setting. The group includes scientists, many using Macs, and engineers, mostly using windows and microsoft project. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JM
Owner
Utilities
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

This is the best alternative to Microsoft Project I have seen. It is much easier to use for either a very simple project or to expand as much as you wish for more complexity. I have used many planning software products going back many years to when these programs were only on mainframes. I have a small business now and use it for keeping things on track and also to estimate projects. I would recommend this to anyone. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

Not much. I have a little trouble printing portions of a project. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering RationalPlan:

If you, like me, want project management functionality for small to medium sized projects, and only spend a portion of your time on project planning, I would recommend this program. It is easy to use, and easy to make changes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

Exploring how to manage my time on multiple projects.

Estimating project durations and cost.

Staying on track with projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Tiberiu Ghioca of RationalPlan

Thank you, Joseph! We are glad that you like it.

CR
CIO, Head of Software Engineering
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

RationalPlan is a lightweight and fully featured alternative to Microsoft Project at a fraction of the costs. For our company it was important to get a system which fits into the existing IT budget and allows collaboration throughout the company. Therefore we choose to use RatioinalPlan server which fulfills all our current requirements. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

A few years back we had some issues with the upload of projects to the server. However all these issues could be solved after we reported them to the very friendly development team.

Sometimes we find a missing feature but there is often a way around it - or we suggest it to the RationalPlan developers (some of them then find their way into the an upcoming release). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

We now have a consolidated and therefore efficient and effective planning environment used by all employees at our company. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services
AI
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

It works as a very competent project management tool, and is free on Ubuntu for single-use. It will open and save MS Project files - which helps with sharing plans. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

Could do with additional analytics (unless these are on more expensive version)

No full open-source edition (esp for Windows) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

Planning relatively simple projects and sharing with other teams Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

ER
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about RationalPlan?

Value! MS Project is a hugely expensive piece of software. I needed something better than a spreadsheet but couldn't justify Microsoft's juggernaut. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about RationalPlan?

The learning curve. This is the same with whatever software I chose but the documentation was a little lacking (MS Project is well documented with books etc to supplement the manual). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is RationalPlan solving and how is that benefiting you?

Ongoing planning and scheduling. Spreadsheets weren't good at moving tasks about. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.