Organization and accuracy are crucial in any business. During my early days in the retail hardware business, projects were planned on pen and paper. Inventory specialists did physical counts of the store’s inventory twice a year (in those days, we were not computerized). Tracking the time invested in business activities was largely guesswork.

This chapter looks at several powerful, free options for planning projects, and keeping track of inventory, human resources, and billable time. Here’s a quick look at the software programs covered in this chapter:

Project Management

• ProjectLibre: An open source program that is compatible with but an alternative to Microsoft Project
• Gantter: A free web-based project management solution that can be accessed anywhere

Human Resources Management

• FreeHR: A free program for managing human resources such as employee records and schedules

Inventory Management

• ABC Inventory: A free, robust program for inventory management

Time Tracking

• My Hours: A free, web-based time tracking solution ideal for solo freelancers

ProjectLibre: An Open Source Alternative to Microsoft Project

ProjectLibre is an extremely useful program for creating and managing company projects. It’s capable of everything from simple projects requiring only a few tasks to complex projects involving multiple colleagues.

Here are a few facts about ProjectLibre at a glance:

• Alternative to: Microsoft Project
• Website: www.projectlibre.org
• License: GNU
• Current Version: 1.5.9
• Operating Systems: Cross-platform
• Potential Savings: $589.99

ProjectLibre is described on the software provider’s website as the open source replacement for Microsoft Project. With the standard version of MS project costing almost $600.00, it’s certainly worth trying out.

Feature Highlights

According to the website, ProjectLibre has been downloaded over 1,700,000 times and was named Computerworld’s “Best Open Source Software.” Here’s a quick look at the features:

• Compatibility with Microsoft Project 2010
• User interface improvement
• Gantt chart
• PERT chart
• Network diagram
• Earned value costing

ProjectLibre relies on Java to work, so you should make sure that the latest version is installed on your computer. After downloading and installing ProjectLibre, you’re ready to start a new project (Figure 6-1). The project can be given a name, the name of project manager, start date (it assigns the current date by default), and any relevant notes.

Adjustments can be made in the Project Information dialog box (Figure 6-2). Under the General tab are settings such as start and finish dates, status, the expense type, project type, etc.

The workspace shows the tasks of my project on the left as data in a spreadsheet, and on the right graphically represented as a Gantt chart (Figure 6-3). A Gantt chart is essentially a bar chart that illustrates the start/finish dates of tasks in the project.

ProjectLibre Support

A great way to become familiar with ProjectLibre is to open the Help menu and cycle through the Tip of the Day window (Figure 6-4). If you join the ProjectLibre Community, you’ll have access to the blog posts, discussion groups, and user groups.

There are a number of YouTube tutorials that are very helpful in learning this program. Also, there is a PDF of the ProjectLibre User Guide that can be downloaded from this URL: http://adte.ca/pdf/ProjectLibre.pdf.

Gantter: A Free Web-Based Project Management Solution

Gantter is a free project scheduling tool from Smartapps.com. It’s similar to ProjectLibre in most respects, but because it’s a web-based application, it can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet.

Here are a few facts about Gantter at a glance:

• Alternative to: Smartsheet
• Website: www.gantter.com
• License: Proprietary SAAS
• Current Version: 3.0
• Operating Systems: Web-based/Cross-platform
• Potential Savings: $14.00 per month

Like MS Project or ProjectLibre, Gantter is capable of scheduling projects both simple and complex. Because it is web-based, it appeals to those who prefer working in their browser (there is a desktop version available in the Chrome Web Store for $9.99).

Feature Highlights

Gantter offers a number of useful features, making it a worthy web-based application for project management. Here’s a look at a few:

• Supports over 20 languages
• Attach files and links directly from your favorite cloud storage provider
• Import and export MS Project files
• Organize your schedules better by customizing task and Gantt chart colors
• Autosave feature prevents loss of changes made
• Gantt chart
• PERT chart

Gantter is available in four editions: one for Smartapp.com, one for Google Drive, one for Google Apps, and the paid desktop version (Figure 6-5). All Gantter files are compatible with all editions of Gantter.

In this example, I’m creating a sample project in which I will first design and then hire a contractor to build a display rack for selling printed digital artwork in a local gift shop. Figure 6-6 shows the settings under the General tab where the project is given a name and start date, and options for the calender. The other tabs are for formatting parameters such as industry type, length of a working day, resources, etc.

The properties of the tasks that comprise the project can also be set. Like other project management software, dependencies can be put into place (Figure 6-7).

In the Gantt chart view of the project created (Figure 6-8), the order in which the tasks must be completed is indicated by an arrowed line. Two of the tasks indicate that there are resources connected, which in this case is the contractor who will actually cut and finish the cabinet-grade wood, and then assemble and finish it.

For better organization, the text, background, and Gantt chart views can be color-coded. This can be especially helpful for highly detailed projects. For example, each task delegated to a specific person can be one color, the tasks delegated to another person can be another color, and so on.

Another advantage Gantter offers is that the project schedule can be exported as a PDF file and then printed.

Gantter Support

Gantter offers ease of use, but there is plenty in the way of support. The Help page has tons of information to help the new user get started. The tutorial videos are especially helpful in seeing Gantter in action (Figure 6-9). You can also turn to the Gantter Community if you have questions that aren’t addressed in the other resources.

FreeHR: Free Web-Based Human Resource Software

FreeHR, a program from the Isys Group, is very useful for managing the aspects of company employees, such as performance evaluations, vacation schedules, and other records. Everything is stored in the cloud, so it can be accessed anywhere.

Here are a few facts about FreeHR at a glance:

• Alternative to: Zoho People
• Website: http://freehr.com/
• License: Proprietary SAAS
• Current Version: Unspecified
• Operating Systems: Web-based
• Potential Savings: $39.00 per month

According the FreeHR website, the core will always be free, but paid modules with advanced features are planned for the future.

Feature Highlights

Although FreeHR doesn’t include modules for payroll or recruiting, it does offer a number of features to help manage your employees’ records and schedules, such as the following:

• HR Information at a glance: See the state of the company or employee at a glance.
• Employee self-service: Employees can request vacations, sick days, and absence online.
• Messaging alerts: Receive notification when action is required from you.
• HR charts and graphs
• Role-based security: Choose what information employees and managers can access.
• Documents: Save time and paper by using FreeHR to manage employee documents online.
• Powerful Reporting: FreeHR includes 20 standard reports such as employee list, length of service, pending requests, etc.

An employee record can include basic information such as the employee’s name, job title, employee number, photo, phone number(s), e-mail, start date, probation period, etc. (Figure 6-10).

You can be notified of certain events, such as anomalies in an employee’s time and work. It will track frequency of tardiness, time left early, insufficient work for shift, etc. (Figure 6-11).

Performance booking allows you to schedule and detail performance reviews (Figure 6-12). There are options for Company Review, Team Review, Induction, 3 Month Review, or Add New.

There are also booking events for addressing areas such as discipline, grievances, training, vacations/holidays, sick days, and leave of absence.

FreeHR Support

You’ll probably get many (if not most) of your questions answered on the FAQ page (Figure 6-13). However, there are paid support packages available at various rates, depending on your needs.

Although there aren’t very many at this writing, a few overview videos can be found on YouTube.

ABC (Always Better Control) Inventory: A Free Option For the Small- and Mid-Sized Business

ABC Inventory from Almyta Systems is a free inventory management program for Windows. It might be just the solution for a budget-minded small warehouse or distribution center.

Here are a few facts about ABC Inventory at a glance:

• Alternative to: InFlow
• Website: www.almyta.com/abc_inventory_software.asp
• License: Proprietary Freeware
• Current Version: 3.0
• Operating Systems: Windows
• Potential Savings: $14.00 per month

ABC Inventory can be installed on as many workstations as you wish, but you won’t be able to link them together to read and write the same information (an upgrade to the paid version is required). Of course, if managing inventory is handled from a single workstation, this won’t be an issue.

Feature Highlights

ABC Inventory is a robust program. As you can see, it has a long list of features making it a worthy program to try:

• Single user (multi-user available in the commercial version only)
• Multiple companies
• Multiple Warehouses for a company
• Multiple currencies/currency rates auto-update
• User-selectable decimal places for currency
• Multiple logos
• User-selectable decimal places for inventory units
• Password protection
• Screen and report permissions by user or group
• Screens and reports customizations
• Export data to Microsoft Excel, Word, HTML, and text functionality
• Copy to New company function/Company backups
• Restore Last function/Restore Any function

After installing ABC Inventory, it’s a good idea to open the sample XYZ, Corp. entry to learn your way around the program, as it’s rather complex. When you’re ready, you can create a real company with clean data (Figure 6-14). To create a new test, choose New Company with Test Data. You can also link to an existing networked company.

New items can be added to the Inventory Item Master List. Parameters such as category, package type, manufacturer/model, and other pertinent information can be input (Figure 6-15).

New items can be added to the Inventory Item Master List. Parameters such as category, package type, manufacturer/model, and other pertinent information can be input (Figure 6-16).

ABC Inventory Support

The Help tab offers a tutorial on navigating through the menus (Figure 6-17). Although support is not offered for the free version of ABC Inventory, there are one or two video overviews on YouTube. The software documentation can be accessed from this URL: www.almyta.com/v3/.

My Hours: A Free, Web-Based Time Tracking Tool for the Solo Freelancer

The importance of keeping track of billable time spent working on client projects can’t be understated. It’s amazing how much billable time can be lost if it’s not tracked correctly. My Hours is an easy-to-use, web-based program that any freelancer should try.

Here are a few facts about My Hours at a glance:

• Alternative to: Bill4Time
• Website: www.myhours.com
• License: Proprietary Freeware
• Current Version: Not Specified
• Operating Systems: Web-based
• Potential Savings: $30.00 per month

My Hours is free for solo users, and for teams is a bargain at only $2.00 per month for each user. Since it’s web-based it can be accessed anywhere, making it a very useful and convenient solution for tracking time.

Feature Highlights

My Hours has a number of features to help you manage billable time efficiently:

• Start and stop the timer with a single click. Stop to work on other projects, take breaks, etc. and then resume when you’re ready.
• Your time sheets will always be up to date.
• Set up your clients, projects, tasks, and hourly rates with ease.
• Export your report to Excel or CSV format, print it, or e-mail it.

The Manage Client function allows you to set up the client (or company) name, contact person, e-mail, phone number, and address (Figure 6-18).

The Manage Project function allows you to set up the name of the project, the client’s name, indicate if the project is billable, the hourly rate, and any additional notes (Figure 6-19). The time log of each project can be edited, such as setting the duration of the project.

When working on a project, just click the Start button to start the counter (Figure 6-20) to track the billable time. You can stop the counter when you need to work on another project, take a break, etc. When you’re ready to resume, just start the counter again.

The dashboard (Figure 6-21) shows you at a glance an overview of the billable time of each project, the percentage of billable time of each client, task, etc. Reports can be output as an Excel or CSV format, printed, or e-mailed.

My Hours Support

My Hours is very easy to use; just navigate to the Getting started tutorial under Resources (www.myhours.com/resources/gettingstarted), as shown in Figure 6-22. The My Hours team can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].

Summary

This chapter looked at two no-cost project management solutions. ProjectLibre is an open source, cross-platform program. Gantter works like ProjectLibre in many respects, but is web-based and can be accessed anywhere.

Next, you looked at FreeHR, a free human resource solution for managing employee records, vacation schedules, sick leave, and other aspects of human resource management. The next item you looked at was ABC Inventory, a free (and complex but capable) program for managing inventory; this program can be a great option for a warehouse or distribution center. Finally, you explored a free, web-based solution for tracking time, an indispensable solution for solo freelancers who need to keep track of every billable hour.

In the next chapter, you’ll look at several free solutions for creating websites, as well as web browsers.