Frequently Asked Questions

What is LiquidPlanner?

LiquidPlanner is online project management software designed to help teams of all sizes manage complex projects. It represents a radical new approach to project management—with an innovative scheduling engine and collaboration tools that keep teams and projects on track.

Why is the company called LiquidPlanner?

All complex projects have one thing in common: they are exceptionally fluid. Resources change, timelines evolve, and priorities shift. LiquidPlanner is unique in that it allows teams to capture this fluidity in their project plans. It flexes to match real-life change and works the way real teams work rather than imposing rigid and unrealistic schedules based on ideals. We could have called it FlexiblePlanner or RealisticPlanner, but you can see why we didn’t.

Does the world really need another on-demand project management solution?

In short, yes. Unlike other project management tools currently available, LiquidPlanner recognizes the evolving ways in which teams work and has taken a necessary new approach—one that integrates an innovative scheduling system and real-time collaboration tools to keep teams on track and on schedule. LiquidPlanner is the only on-demand project management tool that gives teams the power to manage change and uncertainty.

Who is LiquidPlanner designed for?

LiquidPlanner helps teams of all sizes manage complex projects. It is robust enough for the enterprise user yet simple enough for small businesses that may not use a project management tool due to cost or complexity. An easy comparison is that LiquidPlanner is more user-friendly than Microsoft Project yet much more comprehensive than most task management programs. It keeps teams on track without the need for time- and energy-consuming status meetings and is ideal for collaboration with contractors or other remote resources. That said, LiquidPlanner is effective and easy to use for individual task management, too. So it’s smart, friendly, and well-rounded. You can’t say that about all software types.

What types of project is LiquidPlanner good for?

LiquidPlanner can be used for any type of project planning, from IT and software projects (agile, scrum, waterfall) to marketing projects, research projects, manufacturing projects and more. You could even use LiquidPlanner to plan a remodel of your home! LiquidPlanner's flexibility lets you organize and manage your projects any way you like.

How much does it cost?

LiquidPlanner is free for small teams of up to three users. There is also a free program for educational use and 501(c)(3) public charities. There are two payment options for everyone else: $25 per user per month when you pay up front (a 28% savings!) or $35 per user per month if you’d rather pay as you go. 

Who’s behind LiquidPlanner?

LiquidPlanner was founded in 2006 by Charles Seybold and Jason Carlson, both former senior managers at Expedia.com. Bruce Henry, a former Senior Director of Quality Management at Expedia (with degrees in both Physics and Mathematics), serves as LiquidPlanner’s Director of Rocket Science. The rest of the team consists of alumni from Intel, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, T-Mobile, and beyond, including a stellar advisory board of software, engineering, and business development specialists.

What is the significance of the tagline, “trust your schedule”?

Uncertainty in project schedules is inevitable, but unmanaged uncertainty destroys projects, costs companies millions in lost revenue, and undermines teams. LiquidPlanner uses ranged estimates and a patent-pending probabilistic scheduling engine to show you the likelihood of completing a task or project by certain dates. When you update progress on a task, the uncertainty around it narrows, thereby creating a more accurate project schedule—a schedule you can trust. LiquidPlanner is the only online project management tool that allows you to see and manage uncertainty in this way. More >

What does LiquidPlanner allow users to do?

LiquidPlanner supports users completely through the planning, execution, and analysis phases of complex projects. Users can plan project scope and timing, create task lists, set global and individual priorities, view and modify schedules, analyze project trajectories, manage resources, create complete project documentation, capture discussions about projects and tasks, upload documents, and more . Just about the only thing we can’t do for your team is a coffee run.

How is LiquidPlanner different from other project management tools?

LiquidPlanner is the only online project management tool that allows you to see and manage uncertainty in your project schedule. This is a critical advantage since unmanaged uncertainty is notorious for killing projects, right along with team morale. Unlike other solutions, LiquidPlanner uses ranged rather than single-point estimates to allow best- and worst-case scenario estimation for how long you think it will take to complete a task. Since this is how most people actually think and work, it helps manage expectations within teams and create realistic timelines. LiquidPlanner’s probabilistic scheduling engine also shows you the likelihood of finishing a task by certain dates. This means you get a schedule you can trust even though you don’t know for sure how long each task will take. No other solution does this. More >

How does LiquidPlanner’s scheduling engine work?

Here’s the simplified version, step by step:
1. You enter a new task along with a best- and worst-case estimate of how long you think it will take to complete.
2. The scheduling engine applies behind-the-scenes statistical math to tell you the likelihood of finishing that task by a certain date. The timeline for each new task automatically impacts all subsequent tasks in the project schedule.
3. Every time you update progress on a task, the uncertainty of that task’s timeline, and therefore the overall project schedule, narrows. Since each individual task estimate is more accurate, the overall schedule is more accurate.
4. LiquidPlanner tells you how likely you are to hit your project deadline, as well as any major milestones along the way.

What are ranged estimates and why are they important?

A ranged estimate is a best- and worst-case scenario for how long it will take to complete a task. For example, if you were charged with the task of writing FAQs for the Press section of your company’s website, you might enter a ranged estimate of 3-8 days in LiquidPlanner, not knowing exactly how long it will really take. Every time you update progress on that task, the uncertainty in your original estimate narrows (in this example, shrinking your estimate to 2-4 days), making the schedule more accurate. And since most of us think about time in ranges, ranged estimates work like we work. They set realistic expectations and timelines that help teams work better, and more happily.

What kind of training is required to use LiquidPlanner?

None, other than a general understanding of web navigation and perhaps a quick look at the help topics in our Forums. For those who want to waste no time getting up to speed we offer free online training sessions on a regular basis. Since the point is to make project collaboration easier and more efficient, we worked hard to create a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use. As with all new things, it may just take a little getting used to.

How many customers can LiquidPlanner serve at a time?

LiquidPlanner can serve many thousands of customers at a time. Its servers are well equipped for large numbers of users and high-bandwidth data transfers.

Is LiquidPlanner robust enough for enterprise project management requirements?

Yes. Teams operating within enterprises will find LiquidPlanner invaluable for planning and executing key projects on a day-to-day basis. LiquidPlanner can also be used in conjunction with, or as an extension to, other types of enterprise management tools.

What collaboration tools do you provide to users?

None, other than a general understanding of web navigation and perhaps a quick look at the help topics in our Forums. LiquidPlanner provides a complete project environment—one that is both social and data-driven. All team members view the same set of project information so everyone is on the same page at any given time. Wiki-like commenting features allow teams to capture the vital conversation threads that go along with projects and tasks. LiquidPlanner’s document-sharing feature allows teams to upload specifications, graphic files and screenshots, spreadsheets, and more. And personalized dashboards give insight into all the activity taking place in the workspace in real time.

Who does LiquidPlanner most closely compete with?

LiquidPlanner offers a features set that’s unlike any other solution on the market. For some teams, it will replace traditional project management software that offers organization and planning features but lacks the fluidity of LiquidPlanner. For others, it may be their first foray into project-specific software and will replace spreadsheet, word processing, and email for managing projects. Most of our customers happily report that LiquidPlanner is something of a sweet spot solution: much more intuitive and easy to use than Microsoft Project yet far more robust than simple task management software. That spot suits us just fine.

How is LiquidPlanner funded?

LiquidPlanner is currently privately funded.

Who do I contact for press/analyst inquiries?

Please contact Robert Nachbar (Kismet Communications) at (206) 427-0389 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .