Does anybody have any experience with project management software on the Mac?

We currently use MS Project 2010 on Windows, but our CEO uses a MacBook Pro and I must now use an iMac. One alternative is Parallels or VMWare, Windows and carry on using MS Project, but it isn't the friendliest of tools and I'd prefer to use something native if possible.

I've looked at OmniPlan, but that is a non-starter, it can't cope with shared resources across sub projects or even sub projects full stop.

What I need is the following:

Master project view of all projects in house

Sub-project files with the individual projects

Shared resource pool with all employees (employees generally work on 40 to 50 different projects a year, many concurrently), so we need to do resource planning across multiple projects - I can't say one resource has 25% on each of 4 projects for the next month, if there is a sudden problem on one project, I need to pull him from the other projects and see him concentrate on one project and all the other projects then reflow to cope with the missing resource.

The master project view is important, because the CEO wants to keep track of all the projects in one view, but if it is all done in one huge project file with thousands of lines, it means that the individual project managers can't work on their projects when somebody else has the file open.

On Windows, that would generally be MS Project + Project Server.

I am currently looking at FastTrack Schedule 10, which is cross platform, which would help, but it can't read Project 2010 files, only up to 2007 and if we get more licences now, it would probably be for Project 2013. I've tried saving the MS Project files in 2007 format and that works, but 2010 moans about compatibility and that resourcing won't work properly.

Does anybody else have any experience or can suggest another product that would meet our needs?

The only other full fat MS Project style app I know of on Mac is called Merlin. Don't know if it will fit your requirements though.

Have you looked at any of the 37 Signals offerings? I've only used Basecamp from the bottom end of the chain as it were, but their reputation is for really great.

FastTrack looks like it might be a bust. You can't open a Mac file on a Windows machine and vice versa! You need to export and import between them!

I tried Merlin, that isn't any better. It can read MS Project files and it can cope with sub projects, but it can't do both at the same time (i.e. it can't read a multi-project master file from MS Project).

Have you considered running Project on Bootcamp or Parallels?

Yep, that is probably the way we will have to go. But that is an additional couple of hundred Euros for Parallels and Windows for the Macs and the MS Project licences are more expensive than the Mac equivalents - I am starting to understand why...

Does everyone have to use Project? That will reduce the cost if you can trim out those not needing to use it. I did an internet search and there are loads of alternatives but they may not all do what you want. Though if it is looking expensive then it might pay to spend some time looking at the alternatives and seeing what can be left out. Though you need to consider longevity, if the app you decide on is never updated or is no longer supported you might have to revert to Project again with all the additional costs.


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The problems are I need all the features and I need it today, at the latest! The problem is the project managers have access to Windows, the reviewer of the plans has a Mac. As far as I can see, there is no Mac software that can read MS Project files that use shared resource pools and sub projects. There are two than can work with shared resource pools and sub projects, but they can't cope with MS Project files that have those features enabled.

We have decided to put MS Project on the Terminal Server and go that way.

you could use virtualbox on the mac it works very well and is free

then a oem copy of windows which shouldn’t cost a great deal

then the cost of the other software ...

It seems that the best option is stick with Project and run it on a virtual desktop on the mac however you can do it. It is only one machine that needs to be changed so should be simpler than any other route. Good luck.

You can't use OEM versions of Windows on a VM, it needs to be a full copy.

WINE not an option?

Apparently it is garbage right now