Others say...

"Good Idea, Poorly Executed"
Summary: I am torn between giving this two and three stars. Given all the "one star" ratings, which I think are too harsh, I'm giving this three stars, but really, I think of it as 2.5 stars. It's not something I can recommend, yet I use it, and it's the best implementation yet of the Franklin Covey system. But it is plagued by quality control problems, and you can run into problems that range from minor usability issues, to crashes, and even minor damage to your Outlook data file.

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I've been a huge fan of the Franklin system since before it was Franklin-Covey. I have searched for years for a good electronic implementation of it, and have even worked hard to try to get Outlook to mimic some of its features.

The PlanPlus for Outlook add-on actually comes very close to fully implementing the FC system within Outlook, which is extremely convenient, as it integrates all your contacts, email, tasks, etc. in one environment. But as other reviewers have stated - and as I have personally experienced over years and years of using different versions of FC software - software quality is NOT something they understand. It's very frustrating.

In my case, I don't even try to get the Palm conduits to work, and using Outlook 2003, I run into various issues ranging from the occasional outright crash, to Outlook "disabling" the FC software after it crashes on quitting (extremely common), to serial number "key" problems, and more. PlanPlus definitely is doing lots of stuff behind the scenes to Outlook when it installs, and given their penchant for writing poor software, this is scary, and can result in some extremely nasty problems. You do NOT like to see Outlook launch, warn you that the file was not properly closed, and then start rebuilding it. So far, I haven't seen any clear data loss, but it scares me, and that's one of the big three no-no's of software design ("Do not frighten the user!").

All that being said, when it DOES work, it's actually a darned good implementation of the Franklin-Covey system. I like having the FC system of symbols for task management, and the task organizer is fair for managing daily vs master tasks, prioritizing, etc. By integrating with Outlook and automatically carrying forward uncompleted tasks, it eliminates much of the need for touching every task every day. There are some shortcomings - for instance, you can't select multiple tasks and perform a mass action - but I don't find they get in the way too much.

Some of FC's weekly capabilities, such as the Project Compass and Projects windows, are intriguing, and I actually have used their weekly approach (versus the "daily" approach of just tasks). But for the most part, their implementations are tantalizing for what they could be, and fall short of being truly workable as designed today.

I have a hard time recommending this software, but if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Franklin-Covey fan, and are willing to put up with the bugs (and a sort of Russian Roulette game when you install it, as you might be the unlucky one who has REAL problems), it's worth looking at. There is a demo version available from their web site, but if you install it, realize that uninstalling it completely may be difficult, although I personally have had no problems after uninstalling it on various machines.

I keep hoping that someday they'll get it right, and this is the closest they have come so far. They develop at an astoundingly slow pace, however, so don't hold your breath waiting for the next revision!

..Chris..

"One star is generous but -5 stars not an option..."
Essentially corrupted and clobbered a basically sound computer. And I can't kill it. Like the BLOB it keeps coming back. This is the worst software experience I've had in 22 years of computing.

"0 Stars, or Less. EXTREMELY slow and unstable."
Like most other reviews, I wish I had read before buying.

I was told by a colleague that Plan Plus would slow down my computer; but liked FC paper planning, so bought anyway.

BIG mistake.

I purchase 2.0 and then upgraded to 3.0 in January. I guess I'm the sucker that was born twice.

Pro's:
1. FC paper planning process on computer
2. Weekly review/planning process
3. Included daily and weekly quotes

Con's:
Everything else; seriously.

-Stability: Crashes routinely.
-Speed: (or lack thereof... extremely slow)

In short, makes computer extremely unstable, extremely slow to open and respond to simple tasks, and is a memory hog (~30K-50k mb while running).

And I have a decent computer; Dell Inspirion with 512mb and Pentium 4 2.2ghz processor.

RECOMMENDATION: Save your money; unless you own FC stock.

"v3, when will Franklin Covey learn?"
I have tried several versions of this software over the past years with the latest being v 3.0. This includes installations on both Palm and Pocket PC PDA's. My experience is that this company does not know how to do quality control on software. I excused it on earlier versions but this has gone on too long. Synching with your PDA seems to create random problems including random duplication of tasks to deletion of tasks. These tools are supposed to save you time, not create more work.

I really do like Covey's approach to planning and I do (mostly)like the interface. There are some deficiencies on the interfaces but the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.

The bottome line - don't waste your money on this software.

"I don't use everything on it, but what I use, I like"
I had always thought this software was costly and really overkill until I got my Pocket PC and wanted to get more out of it. I have used the Franklin Covey Day Planner and really enjoy how it has gotten me to prioritize my tasks and keep information at hand, and so finally caved and bought the software.

Plan Plus must be used with Microsoft Outlook (not Outlook Express), so make sure you have that on your computer before getting started.

First, several things I like about Plan Plus: it puts everything on one page-your calendar, a small monthly calendar where you can one-click to any day's schedule, a view of today's schedule, a look at your inbox/preview pane, and today's prioritized tasks. It's great. The prioritized tasks, for anbody not familiar with the Franklin Covey system, allows you to create new tasks (and have them recur), set due dates, and prioritize them (A=Must do, B=Normal priority, C=Not important) so that you can easily see what needs to be done. What most people don't always realize in life is that important tasks (i.e. long-term planning) are not always urgent, while some urgent tasks (email messages/ telephone) are not always important. I also enjoy being able to sync these tasks with my Pocket PC and take that wherever I go.

Things about Plan Plus that I don't really use. I don't use Power Notes, which allow you to write directly on the note and scribble anything you want. To be honest, I have yet also to really utilize the goals and compass aspects of the software.

I have never had Plan Plus make my computer crash, although my computer is relatively new (Pentium 4). It takes about five seconds to load, and another five seconds to call up all of my tasks. You decide whether that's too long for you.

In short, I like Plan Plus, and I'm glad I bought it, but at the regular price of $80, I'm not sure it's exactly a steal. If you can find a used copy or a discount, however, I think it's worth it in productivity and functionality.