Alternative for MS Project? OpenProject 15.4 plans work packages automatically

The open source project management software OpenProject has been updated to version 15.4. The new features include an automatic planning function for projects that can determine the project start date. The developers want to establish their tool as an alternative to Microsoft Project. The new version also allows PDF reports to be created from work packages and meeting results to be documented directly in the agenda.

Automatically schedule the start of a project

In the new version, OpenProject has two different modes for project planning. When creating new work packages, manual planning is active by default, allowing users to define the start and end dates themselves. Alternatively, users can select the automatic mode, which determines the earliest possible start date for the newly created work package based on existing relationships to previous or subordinate work packages. Users can also independently create work packages that only have an end date.

After the project management software was given recurring meetings in the previous update, OpenProject 15.4 allows the corresponding results to be entered for each agenda item. This should make it possible to track decisions, tasks or open questions after a meeting. Results that users have assigned to a work package during a meeting can also be viewed when the respective package is called up in the meeting tab. In future, it will be possible to transfer open agenda items to the agenda of the next meeting without entering the results.

PDF documents in contract format

In addition, OpenProject users can now export the description of work packages as a PDF document formatted for use in German contracts. With this option, the developers are primarily targeting users from the public sector. Previously, only attributes and descriptions of work packages could be transferred together to a PDF file. This function is still available. Furthermore, users can now be mentioned in replies with quotes in the activity tab of work packages so that they receive a notification.

In total, OpenProject 15.4 brings around 80 feature updates and bug fixes, the details of which are listed in the release notes. With this update, the developers are no longer providing a Docker build for the ppc64le architecture; x64 and ARM64 remain unchanged. For on-premise users, the update will be incremental via the previous versions; users of the cloud-based Enterprise version will receive version 15.4 automatically. The new functions are also included in openDesk's project management module. Most recently, the Super Productivity task management module received support for the Kanban workflow.

(sfe)