ProductPlan

When people evaluate software, they often want the one that help them manage everything in every conceivable way. This means complexity, training, and an inability to replace a resource without losing the plan and updates to it.

I like ProductPlan due to its simplicity to start using and ability to share dynamic views quickly with others. No training is necessary to quickly build a detailed road map. It also allows you to learn as you build, so you can quickly add new features or details without having to start building again. Often tools that help you manage everything as so feature robust, it is impossible to use all features without extensive use and training and then it’s impossible to show to others that are not already versed with the software. I also like the template road maps as they allow you to consider other details that you may overlook if you were to start from an empty page.

I did not like that I could not upload a spreadsheet to build an initial road map. I also would like to be able to assign budgeting amounts and be able to report on spends easily but that would add far too much complexity to this simple tool. It has also been impossible to persuade management to expand the use of this tool due to budgetary constraints and competitive purchasing rules. love the ease of sharing road maps and plans, however our security team does not approve of using open links without security, so it becomes tedious at times when a non-licensing members wants to share with more team members or others.

The software Pro's are the following:

* Ease of use (good intuitive design) and less steep learning curve compared to MS Project and if you get stuck there is excellent, responsive customer service,
* Creating a product/project roadmap can take a matter of minutes once a standard template has been created.
* The roadmap is a great communication tool for teams and can be integrated into an existing project management environment like a SharePoint site which allows users from geographical locations and various parts of a larger organization to review the plan at their leisure.

Like any roadmap software the cons include it is not a critical path tool like MS Project, some work must be done to show the text on the various charts so it is readable, limited output is available for example for presentations etc. I consider a working tool to get the job done and it excels.

The tool is easy to use, can aggregate multiple roadmaps into one master plan in a nice and compact manner that's easy to read and understand. I also like that it's an online tool, so now download or install is required.

Some of the editing functionality can be finicky for users.

The swimlanes are well built out which makes it easy to move tasks especially if you have multiple teams that you manage.

The scroll becomes slightly difficult to adjust to initially but you will get used to it soon. Overall the software is good to use.