Project Scheduler 6 Version 1.5

Prepared by:
Scitor Corporation

Prepared for:
Public purchase

Application:
Financial analysis:
Environmental impact analysis: ---
Waste management/P2:
Environmental cost listing/database: ---
Cost estimation: ---
Alternative product/process comparison: ---

Project management

Elements of control:
Cost control
Resource control
Estimating control ---
Schedule control
Scope control ---
Risk control ---

Development date and updates:
The system was introduced in 1983. Project Scheduler was the world's first DOS-based PM application. It was also among the first to allow multi-project management, and incorporate a graphical user-interface into the application. Project scheduler 6 version 1.5 was released in late 1993.

Public availability:
Available

Purpose and current use:
Scitor Corp. started its operations as a consultant to the Aerospace industry. Project Scheduler has users in both Federal facilities and in private industry, including pharmaceuticals, consulting, insurance, construction, and engineering.

Cost information:
$695 for lan-ready individual units or, $2835 for a 5-user license. Prices are subject to change.

System requirements:

Software summary

Size and complexity of projects:
The system is not modular in structure and is designed for mid to high-end project management. It is limited by the maximum number of activities (20,000)and resources per project (10,000) that it can handle. However, the system includes a number of features typically found in high-end PM systems, including variance analysis and multi-project planning.

Other compatible systems offered:
None

Nonquantifiable information:
Each task (activity) has a field for entering unlimited notes. Parts of these fields can also be displayed on the Gantt chart.

Features of Project Scheduler for Windows include the following.

Life-cycle stages covered

Raw material acquisition ---
Manufacturing stage
Use/reuse/maintenance ---
Recycle/waste management ---

The system is designed to typically consider only the manufacturing stage of the life cycle. The WBS allows tasks to be arranged by life-cycle phases. Up to 10 WBS levels can be defined. However, the only life-cycle stages of interest would be those occurring during the span of the project. The system is not meant for life-cycle cost analysis.

Type of costs considered

Conventional
Potentially hidden ---
Contingent ---
External ---

The system is designed to consider only conventional costs in various levels of detail. Other cost categories could be considered through adding appropriate activities. These activities could be isolated or grouped using the coding mechanism. There are 10 different cost fields, in which 7 are user-defined. This will allow users to detail additional cost categories, including hidden, contingent, and external costs.

The resource table allows users to enter a standard rate along with five alternate costs for each resource. This may be a way to analyze the effects of factoring in hidden and external costs into resource costs. Up to 10 inflation schedules can be saved. Overhead costs can be factored in using a custom formula that multiplies standard data fields by the values assigned by the formula. User-defined mathematical formulas can be established at the project, task, and assignment level to automatically reflect the appropriate markup, discount, or custom calculations. This can be utilized to factor in estimates of contingent or liability costs.

Method of cost estimation

The system is not designed for cost estimation.

Generation of financial indicators

Net present value (NPV) ---
Payback period ---
Internal rate of return (IRR) ---
Benefits cost ratio ---
Other ---

Project Scheduler does not have any such financial functions, but it can interface with other software systems (e.g. MS Excel) that do offer these functions.

Ability to include environmental costs

User friendliness and flexibility

The system imports and exports data using ASCII files or via its ODBC interface. It also reads files in Project Scheduler 5, Microsoft Project extension (.MPX), and comma-separated variable (.CSV) format. The ODBC support allows users to export and import specific project data fields to other ODBC capable networking applications such as spreadsheets and relational databases.

The multi-project planning, 10 levels for WBS (also OBS and RBS), resource tables, and the user-defined cost categories afford users with the flexibility to enter life-cycle and environmental cost information in a number of different ways.

User-support

Project Scheduler comes with a tutorial manual, a user's guide, an addendum covering changes in Version 1.5, and a reference manual. The program includes on-line help, sample project files, and indexes. Scitor offers unlimited free(but not toll-free) telephone support. They also support a CompuServe forum. Consulting and training services are also offered at extra charges.

Limitations

Project Scheduler does not provide any step-by-step context-sensitive guidance with building project plans. It does not include default cost categories for covering potentially hidden, contingent, and less tangible costs.

Basis for evaluation:
Based on information package received from Scitor Corp. in April, 1995.

Contact information:
Scitor Corporation
393 Vintage Park Drive
Suite 140
Foster City, CA 94404

Rick Garner (Sales team)
415-570-7700
415-462-4301 (FAX)

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