Apple Mac- Project Management

A post in my series about the "old days", circa 1984...  when I started being a tech user and traveling extensively.  It isn't many years, but my career spans the dawning "computer age", and as a result I enjoyed a unique perspective on it all.

One of our departments most important efforts was the implementation of new products across the 5,000 restaurant system.  We were about to roll out a significantly complex and important product in 1991.  My role was to lead an implementation that touched virtually every act within the field and support center, and I wanted to be sure everyone was delivering their best effort.  This is where the Mac came in.

Microsoft Project Gantt Chart

We had picked up a copy of Microsoft Project Manager for Mac for a ridiculously low price, and went to work with it.  In my experience no one had heard of a Gantt chart at that time, so this was really advanced for most of us.  But the benefit was that it showed a significant level of preparation, complexity and interdependence of tasks.  We populated the project starting with a meeting of over 90 people, demonstrating the size of the undertaking.



For me, this software and computer made the use of computers essential to everything I later did.  Up until this period, many managers were making conscious decisions about whether or not to invest the effort to learn the use of computers.  For me, the math was simple, with many more years to retirement, I had to come to grips with the beast, so I did with a vengeance.