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Will Omniplan output to pdf or print [now available in v1.1] Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Merged several duplicate threads into this one.
 
Quote:
OmniPlan for iPad is a bargain at its current $50 price.
Seriously! $50 dollars is a bargain. I respect what they do and there is no doubt great value but calling this software a bargain at this price is a seriously flawed assessment of the current and likely future prices of mobile software. I hope for your sake Omni, you're have a backup plan if the market does not end up where you expect it will.


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(and we charge them less than an hour of professional consulting time would cost).
I think this comment provides great insight into your value proposition. Whilst it may be an accurate comparison of values, I doubt that many of your customers rationalize their purchases the same way.

I am a very big fan of great UI and thoughtful functionality without bloat so I hope that Omni has many successful years ahead but I fear for your governance based upon these comments.
 
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Not everyone needs compatibility with Microsoft Project, or to be able to send plans to people who don't have OmniPlan
One more comment... are you saying that more of your customers work in groups where everyone can afford a copy of this software than those working in groups where one person (likely the project manager) has a copy?

To say nothing about the pervasion of Windows/Linux in pretty much every industry I know off...
 
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Originally Posted by Ken Case View Post
Not everyone needs compatibility with Microsoft Project, or to be able to send plans to people who don't have OmniPlan. You can share plans live using the device, either on its screen or by projecting to a large screen.)
That is, of course, absolutely true - but there *is* a substantial community of project managers out there who want both iPad project management tools *and* an ability to share their work with MS Project users. It *is* important to know whether you're intending to implement the ability to deal with MS Project files, even if you can't deliver it right now. It's not just about collaboration with non-iPad or Mac users - it's about being able to work in corporate environments that are Windows-based. For the most part, project management involves working with others, and that's what makes it such an issue.

It may be that your business model allows you to be successful without this kind of feature, in which case you're entitled to go for it. But, and I know I'm repeating myself, it *is* important to know if that's the case.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Case View Post
OmniPlan for iPad is a bargain at its current $50 price. We’re not looking for impulse buys; we’re selling to serious customers who are willing to invest in their own productivity (and we charge them less than an hour of professional consulting time would cost). Note that on the Mac, OmniPlan sells quite well at $200—which is far less than similar software costs on other platforms.
If you're aiming at professional users, then you have to acknowledge that they don't work in isolation, recognise the corporate landscape in which many of them work, and support it. Yes, you charge less than an hour of consulting tie, but if they have to invest significant extra time to find ways to get their data to other people, that's a significant cost.

But, as I said earlier you know your business, and I'm not about to tell you how to run it - I would simply ask that you tell us whether some ability to interact with MSP data is coming or not. Please.
 
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Originally Posted by nick101 View Post
It may be that your business model allows you to be successful without this kind of feature, in which case you're entitled to go for it. But, and I know I'm repeating myself, it *is* important to know if that's the case.


...- I would simply ask that you tell us whether some ability to interact with MSP data is coming or not. Please.

+1

I like to underline this fact!
 
Must just be a simple oversight. What's the point of a timeline if you can't communicate it to the people that are supposed to execute it? As a program manager working in a Windows based fortun 500 company my job is coordinating global teams of people to harmoniously achieve the desired goals. We have weekly meetings, statuses are updated, contingency plans are implemented adjusted, then readjusted. All this coordination happens through weekly project plan updates and task list going to individuals. The communication mechanism is the beloved PDF document hosted on a SharePoint site.

No PDF export, suggesting the desktop version be used, that's got to be an oversight. PDF is such a fundamental and generic mechanism for business communications these days. That would be like Apple forgetting to provide a charger with the new iPad then telling people just bring it back to the store and we'll charge it for you. I guess that would work... no wait, that totally doesn't work. Guess I'll stick with SG Project Pro for a while. Great app but missing any notion of resource leveling. It does allow you to export some awsume reports to PDF in Dropbox. That's exactly what I need. Then I move from dropbox to SharePoint. Perfect.

Another thought, does OmniPlan have the ability to Airprint to a printer? Then another third party app could be used to redirect to PDF.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Case View Post
OmniPlan doesn't do everything it could do or will do, but we feel its essential core functionality is in place, letting people collaboratively edit and update project plans. (Not everyone needs compatibility with Microsoft Project, or to be able to send plans to people who don't have OmniPlan. You can share plans live using the device, either on its screen or by projecting to a large screen.)
Ken, I can't believe you said this! I'm not sure if it's arrogance or ignorance, so until I know for sure ill assume the latter and try to correct you.

How many serious project managers (your declared target market), do you know who work in an environment where they either don't need to share their plans at all, or if they do, only need to share them with Omniplan users?

If you happen to work for a corporation which had adopted Omniplan exclusively (and by implication have also adopted Macs exclusively; unheard of in my industry), AND only ever have to share internally, then your statement will apply, but I'd suggest you'll struggle to find many people in that situation, and will bet that the moment you find a PM who needs to share outside his own organisation, which I'd think would be 99.9% of all PM's, there'll be not one who can manage properly without pdf, and almost as few who can get away with not sending/receiving MS Project files.

Sharing on screen is no solution; that's not sharing, it's presenting, which is a much smaller need. The fact that you mention it at all makes it look as if you are on the defensive regarding this issue.

Sharing via Omniplan for Mac is no solution; if I'm able to get to my Mac to share (i.e read, edit or create files useable by my clients), why would I need Omniplan on my iPad?

That's why I think import/export is core functionality that it was a mistake to release without. It wouldn't be so bad if I knew it was coming, but you refuse to say it is (I don't need to know when), and worse still, suggest in your FAQs that I may have to buy the app again if you do add it, as undoubtedly you'll concider it a major new feature.

Saying "if it doesn't do what you need, don't buy it" is logical enough in itself, and is exactly what I'm doing, but sidesteps your responsibility to deliver software that satisfies the core needs of your target market. It's the bit that smacks of arrogance, as it can be read as "you may be right, and the majority of our target market may agree with you (if we bothered to ask), but we're doing OK without you thanks.". Better to say "yes, we know it's essential, and it'll come, but we misinterpreted the needs of the market this time; sorry".

Last edited by MacBerry; 2012-06-11 at 06:00 PM..
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacBerry View Post
That's why I think import/export is core functionality that it was a mistake to release without. It wouldn't be so bad if I knew it was coming, but you refuse to say it is (I don't need to know when), and worse still, suggest in your FAQs that I may have to buy the app again if you do add it, as undoubtedly you'll concider it a major new feature.
I agree with much of what you've written here, but just to clarify they have stated export is coming (re-read the new thread title), "Will Omniplan output to pdf or print [not in 1.0, but coming]" which was updated by an OmniGroup forum admin when they merged these threads.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by damorrison View Post
I agree with much of what you've written here, but just to clarify they have stated export is coming (re-read the new thread title), "Will Omniplan output to pdf or print [not in 1.0, but coming]" which was updated by an OmniGroup forum admin when they merged these threads.
OK, but there's no way for anyone reading the thread to know that's an Omni statement, and it tells us nothing about MS Project support or whether we'll be charged for this "major upgrade". If that's concidered adequate communication, then they have something seriously wrong in their culture.

I know they don't want to promise stuff they may not be able to deliver, which is perfectly reasonable, but PDF support at least can't be in doubt as possible or even possible quickly, and surely can't be in doubt as a required core feature either. Sometimes when you make mistakes, you have to promise to put them right, no matter how nervous that makes you.

Last edited by MacBerry; 2012-06-12 at 02:07 PM..
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by skwirl View Post
Now that 1.0 has been released we don't plan on stopping! We'll definitely be working on adding import/export options as well as other features that have been requested.
Go back a page, and the above is a quote from an Omni employee saying import/export are being worked on.

I suggest you email them your requirements so they are considered. For me, PDF is useless, I need an image export of Gantt charts and RTF/Doc export of the resource plans and costs.
 
 


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