Online Project Management Tool Request
I was contacted on Tuesday via Twitter for a recommendation of a good online project management tool. I tend to shy away from specific tools and haven’t reviewed many of the options available these days.
So, I’m outsourcing this request for help to you. Please take a look at Rebecka’s email here and leave a reply with your recommendation. Let’s have some back and forth too, if something isn’t clear let’s ask the follow-up questions to get it clarified. Thanks!
Hi Josh,
Thanks for helping me out in my research.
We are looking for a web-based solution.
We have a staff of about 20 people and we have multiple workgroups. The reason we are seeking project management software is because the work of each workgroup intersects with each other….either in content etc, or the utilization of a staff person’s time (staff are assigned to multiple projects) and we need to make sure we aren’t overloading ourselves.
Each workgroup may have multiple projects/events that need to be completed, and then each project/event would have a set of to do items. In an ideal world, each workgroup would have 1 person responsible for maintaining their timeline/todo list.
Staff want to see the big picture of what’s happening and when. Staff also want to be able to see the tasks associated with each item so they understand the time/resources involved (the goal: to not add work onto a already busy time). It would be good to be able to “toggle” between seeing ALL project/events, and then be able to “drill down” to seeing the details associated with that. Ideally one would be able to see that in a list view of a monthly calendar layout.
Lastly, the more export options the better. While it will be the responsibility of each workgroup representative and our manager to use the pm software regularly, they will need to be able to share the content with others in their workgroup (we know we have people who will be resistant to having to learn new software/visit yet another site).
We don’t need something that includes document collaboration etc.
Let me know if you have any questions of clarification.
-Rebecka
Dec 2nd, 2009 at 7:25 am
Hi Rebecka,
I have been experimenting around with a iPhone based app, Liquid Planner http://www.liquidplanner.com/
I am using it only to get information from the field quickly and efficiently into the office in as close to “real time” as possible, so I have no idea if it will or will not work for the purpose you have in mind, but so far, I have been impressed…. Might be worth looking into.
And while I am at it, I have a pet peeve, especially prevalent with software people…… You mentioned a web based SOLUTION.
Software or hardware alone are inert things…. A tool and nothing more. The ONLY solution to a problem (as does the original underlying cause)comes from people who can run the tool.
And worth keeping in mind are some words of wisdom from my high school shop teacher- “A fool with a tool is still a fool….. Just a more productive one…”
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta, Indonesia
http://www.getpmcertified.com
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Based upon your note and the comment of another on this page, this will be one of the apps I explore more deeply. Also, your pet peeve has been noted and was actually a topic of conversation prior to deciding to press forward with locating a tool to help us work more efficiently.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 8:01 am
I believe that most of the project management tools on the market can do what Rebecka is looking for. I’d suggest to take a look at our pm tool – Comindwork, as it can be customized to the exact needs, features turned on and off on demand. There is a free version to test our services, pricing depends on the amount of active projects and desired features.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 8:02 am
I received this from Pietro Lualdi via LinkedIn and Twitter:
“HI Josh, about Online Project Management tool, i would recommend to have a look on Atlassian Studio, IRA and Confluence!”
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chris Reply:
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
JIRA
http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 8:28 am
Hello Rebecka,
I’m assuming that your group does knowledge work. If that’s the case, is there any way that you can reduce or completely avoid the multitasking that you say they are doing?
The simple truth is that human beings do not multitask well, and are much less productive when we do:
http://www.hooversbiz.com/2007/11/28/multitasking-cognitive-hell/
http://www.hermanmiller.com/MarketFacingTech/hmc/research_summaries/pdfs/wp_SirenSong.pdf
http://www.ejise.com/volume-12/volume12-issue1/Bannister_and_Remenyi.pdf
Are all of your people in the same physical workspace? If so, is there a common are in which they can gather around a whiteboard or wall where sticky notes or index cards can be used to show the work that people are doing?
If you were able to reduce or eliminate multitasking, you would find that an automated PM solution probably isn’t necessary.
Dave Rooney
The Agile Consortium
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Hi Dave. We are spread across the country and are seeking a calendar/todo solution that allows everyone to be able to look at the work as a big picture and small. So basically we are seeking a virtual wall with everyones sticky notes/note cards.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 9:46 am
Hello Rebecka,
I believe AceProject would be a good fit. It allows you to create projects, divide them in phases, and create tasks for each of those phases. Tasks are assigned to people. Simple enough.
Then, you can see your team’s workload, display it in a table, a Gantt chart, a calendar. You can also see just the one project at a time.
Take a look at the demo: http://demo.aceproject.com
Or create a free account (it’s free for 5 users): http://free.aceproject.com
Feel free to contact me fore more info.
Karine Simard, PMP
Email: karine.simard@aceproject.com
Phone +1.418.907.5227
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Karine,
I just took a loot at the demo site and this looks very promising! I’ll be exploring this in greater detail with a colleague. Thanks so much!
-rebecka
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
Hi Josh,
Your requirements look surprisingly similar to the requirements we recently received from a company that contacted us on LinkedIn that appears to be a perfect fit for VPMi.
They were looking for a project management software package that was simple enough to start with today and yet had the features around portfolio management, resource management, program management, and governance that they planned to grow into in the future.
They (like so many SMB businesses) are flocking to VPMi for our simple, sensible, and secure approach to PPM. Most users only pay $10/month, the site is easy to navigate with many dashboards, we offer integration with MS Word, Excel, and MS Project, and the support we give them after the sale is second to none.
They can take a look at the home page of our web site and watch videos of yours truly taking them step by step through our solutions (and explain in English what makes VPMi unique among SaaS PPM solutions).
This has been our life’s work for the last 11 years and we have 30,000 users around the world including enterprise implementations at Monsanto, Express Scripts, E*TRADE, 1-800-Flowers.com, Scottrade, and many other forward thinking global companies that accept only the best for their PPM needs.
Best Regards,
Nick Matteucci, Co-Founder VCSonline.com
LinkedIn ID = nmatteucci | Email = nmatteucci@vcsonline.com
VPMi = Simple + Sensible + Secure SaaS Resource and Project Management Software
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 10:39 am
Hi,
reading your requirements, ZCOPE (www.getzcope.com) could be a tool suitable for you. It highly focuses on collaboration and on the essential in project management (no planning overkill). It’s also easy to switch between the big picture and own tasks.
If you have any questions you may visit the website’s FAQ pages or contact us under support @ getzcope.com
Good luck for your search,
Constance
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Hi Constance. Thanks for sharing this. I’ll be looking (given Josh’s endorsement) with a colleague in the next week!
-rebecka
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 12:02 pm
From @zcope via twitter
@pmstudent I recommend ZCOPE… I really like working with it – and I was a lazy pm tool user previous to working with this company
1 hour ago from web
in reply to pmstudent
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Its hard to stay current on updates ect. I think this will be one our challenges.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Wow!!! Thanks to everyone for sharing! I’m going to review each of your suggestions with a colleague. This has been really helpful.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Let’s add all the services at PM Opinions to the list as well…
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
If you have a windows server box you also have the licens to set up an internal SharePoint (wss) solution.
Dux Raymond Sy has wrote a very nice book about setting up your own homemade project management system:
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596520151
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Unfortunately this option wouldn’t suit us. Thank you for the idea and resource though. Who knows what the future would bring.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
From dmickey @pmstudent Josh, I’ve started using TeamworkPM http://bit.ly/YA7LN and like it very much. It suits my projects well, with good UI.
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I quickly looked at the website (which I liked) and this is another application that I will be exploring in greater detail with a colleague. Thanks!
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
You may want to look at @task. There are a lot of tools out there, and the features/functionality tend to overlap somewhat.
Based upon what you’ve mentioned are requirements, @task would be a great fit. We’ve also won the Codie Award for best Project Management Tool 2 years running. We’re also the #1 recommended tool on TopTenReviews.com for on demand pm software.
If you have additional questions, you can reach out to me or any member of our team at salesteam(at)attask.com
Thanks and good luck!
Steve Underwood
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Hi Rebecka,
I’d like to second the recommendation for LiquidPlanner. The big thing that drew me to LiquidPlanner almost 2 years ago was that it allowed me to assign tasks to resources across multiple projects and get a real sense of who was overloaded and what deadlines were at risk. I was never able to do this by posting everyone’s MS Project files side by side and my agency didn’t have the budget for project server.
I appreciate Dave Rooney’s comment about multi-tasking but the reality is that people do get spread over multiple projects and there needs to be a good way to prioritize tasks over projects and make sure critical deadlines are met. This is just one thing that LiquidPlanner does really well, feel free to check out more of it: http://www.liquidplanner.com/
-dina
http://thecriticalchain.blogspot.com/2009/05/story-of-my-never-ending-love-affair.html
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Rebecka Anderson Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Very helpful Dina. Thanks. I’m definitely going to check out liquid planner. Your situation sounds similar to ours and I share yours & Dave’s perspective re: multi-tasking, and the reality of being spread across multiple projects.
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Dina Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Great, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have as you check it out.
-dina
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Hello,
Primavera P6 has a web feature that shows dashboards and is an enterprise management application. You will need one Client user to establish and maintain securities, enterprise structures, OBS, Calendars, etc…
It is easy to build your own schedule and then link to other projects with ease. Also you can import and export MS Project files like they were candy. Same with other type formats like excel.
Good luck.
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Dec 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
http://www.activecollab.com
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Dec 21st, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hi All,
If you are looking for a robust On Demand Gantt Chart based project management solution, then i would recommend taking a look at the DreamFactory Suite, offered by DreamFactory Software.
The DreamFactory Suite has 8 web-based applications that dramatically enhance workgroup productivity. Use the Suite to manage your projects, share documents with your team, collaborate on key business data, submit timesheets, synchronize data across platforms, and track progress with detailed reports.
About DreamFactory
DreamFactory Software is the world’s leading publisher of rich web applications for cloud platforms. Our products combine the agility of on demand delivery with the performance of desktop applications. The DreamFactory Suite delivers enterprise class project, document and data collaboration software to over 3000 businesses using Windows Azure, Intuit QuickBase, Cisco Connect, and Salesforce.com.
Happy Holidays!
Best,
Adam
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