Microsoft has split its Project management software into two versions for this release. Project Standard (reviewed here) is for standalone desktop use, while Project Professional (£694.59 ex VAT) uses the new enterprise features of the 2002 release.

The server functionality has also been separated and sold as an additional component (Project Server, £555.50 ex VAT). This is billed as an upgrade to the collaborative functions introduced in Project 2000 by the bundled Project Central product.

However, separating it effectively removes the collaborative features from the standard version unless you buy the server product as well, which is an expensive option for the same functionality.

At least you get some new features with SharePoint Team Services, such as document sharing and issue tracking. Documents and issues can be linked to specific project tasks, and Project Server introduces new enterprise functionality when used with Project Professional.

You get corporate standardisation with centralised templates and enterprise resource assignment from a central database. Skills-based resource assignment means you can specify the skills required, and have resources assigned to match.

Senior managers will benefit from a portfolio overview of all projects, and web-based access is supported. A server/client access licence is included with the Standard and Professional packages, and five licences come with the Server product.

Changes to Project itself include a wizard-like set of task-specific options. This feature helps people who are new to project management applications, but is of little use to existing users.

The general design has also been changed to fall in line with the latest Office XP styling and there's a similar product activation requirement.

In spite of the changes, the basic operation of the core product is the same. It remains easy to access for people who occasionally manage projects, but lacks the sophisticated tools to satisfy professional project managers.

You still construct projects using Gantt charts, which should be considered as a 'report' view of a project, not a design interface. Projects are best constructed and analysed using Pert (Program Evaluation and Revue Technique) with forward- and backward-pass analysis.

The last two terms aren't even defined in the help system, though, and Microsoft's implementation is a non-standard variation of the accepted norm.

Project does offer a network diagram (or Pert chart) view, but omits important information, such as earliest and latest start dates, and draws all links the same so that finish-to-finish links appear as finish-to-start, for example.

True ladder tasks, where parallel tasks are linked by their start and finish points, aren't supported because you can only join them with a single link.

This means that correct lead-lag dependencies can't be shown if, for example, a task laying a mile of pipes can start two days after trench digging has started but won't finish until five days after the trench is completed. Work Breakdown Structure codes are supported, but diagramming tools aren't included.

You need Microsoft's Visio 2002 and the downloadable Visio WBS chart wizard to create a graphical representation.

Microsoft's Project is now much easier to learn with the addition of the new project guide interface, but existing users will find the arguments for upgrading unconvincing.

The Professional version offers enhanced collaboration and resource sharing, but Microsoft has done nothing to address the fundamental limitations of the Gantt chart-based architecture and still hasn't delivered charting features that competitors have been offering for a decade.

Price: £416.54 (ex. VAT)

Minimum requirements: Windows 9x/ME/2000/NT4.0/XP; Pentium 75MHz; 32Mb Ram; 204Mb free hard disk space.

Contact: Microsoft 0870 601 0100
www.microsoft.com/office/project/