Microsoft updates project management software

Microsoft has launched Project 2000 - an update of its project management software - along with a Web-based companion product, Project Central.

Project Central has been added to give the software a company-wide reach, so that everybody from individual contributors to the president of a company can be involved in project management.

According to Bob Crissman, group product manager for Microsoft Project, the software will appeal to knowledge workers who find themselves managing projects without any specific training to do so.

Crissman said: "Just like there are generally accepted accounting principles, there is a defined project management methodology, and if you're not a project management professional you won't know about it. This will give knowledge workers access to the methodology."

Crissman explained the update is more scalable and has more features than its predecessor. He said: "In Project 98, users had to take data out of the application and use Excel to manipulate it. Now you can slice and dice the data within Project 2000."

Project 2000 is priced at £430 and includes one licence for Project Central. Additional licences for Project Central cost £150 each