Project Management Software

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jay Fogleman on March 8, 2008 at 7:22am

Hi Cary,

It sounds like you've already got a good handle on your requirements.

One suggestion that I would make is this: If your documents will eventually need to look good on paper, it might be better to develop them in Google Docs pages that are possibly embedded in your wikipages. This approach would give you the advantage of being able to organize the pages in an online site but eventually be able to print them out and put them in a binder.

There are some technical issues with this approach, specifically the Google documents will have to have each collaborator specified in order for them to be able to edit each one, but you will get simultaneous editing and inline commenting added in the bargain.

Jay Fogleman

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Permalink Reply by Steve O'Connor on March 8, 2008 at 8:47am

Have you looked into open source groupware such as dotProject or Phprojekt. They have many components including forums, chat, messaging, calendars, and more. They also have mechanisms for delegating, coordinating, and managing many subtasks. I think Phprojekt has a wiki module as well. There are other options--open source and commercial.

Alternatively,you might consider TikiWiki which is a very feature rich (some may argue bloated) wiki based CMS.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Pass on March 8, 2008 at 9:16am

Cary,

I'm personally a huge fan of wikispaces. They have a large number of widgets that you can add to any page to best meet your needs.

One of the great things about using Google Docs. is that you can put a link up to your doc on the wikispace.

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Permalink Reply by Jay Fogleman on March 8, 2008 at 11:51am

Hi Carey, Andrew, and others.

I also like wikispaces, and agree with Andrew that widgets can be used to beef up a wikispace. (In my class wiki, we post pdfs and word docs, and use embedable objects such as chatrooms and whiteboards).

It sounded like you were already leaning toward pbwiki, which as far as I know is also good. If you decide to use a wiki as your foundation, you can link to Google docs as Andrew mentioned, or you can embed a Google doc into a wiki page i.e. have the Google document appear as an editable document within a frame on the wikipage. Either way, the documents you produce can easily be downloaded into Word for printing, which is NOT the case with wiki pages.

This arrangement also allows documents to be simultaneously edited by many people, which is not possible on a normal wiki page, where only one person can safely edit a page at any given time.

Hope this is helpful.
Jay

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Permalink Reply by Eric Jefcoat on March 8, 2008 at 10:12am

If you need project management software then you want the Queen Mary of all collaborative web apps, which is Basecamp. It has integrated synchronous (though the free chat is limited to 4 participants at a time) and asynchronous communication tools through Campfire (web chat), Writeboards (collaborative writing), Backpack (group calendar), and it's own file sharing and discussion board forums.

Its interface is elegant and simple. Plus, it's free for teachers! I've used it in my class, and the students really enjoy it and get a lot out of the collaborative piece.

Basecamp is the flagship product from 37Signals.com. They believe in simplicity and open communication, (the latter of which can be a bit of a snag from time-to-time in education).

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Permalink Reply by Anna Smith on December 17, 2008 at 11:24pm

I would suggest a Project Management Software which Share Microsoft Project schedules with team. Includes Project Portfolio Management, Issue Tracking, Risk Management, Timesheet Management, Document Management, Calendar Management, Forums, Reports and Project Dashboard.

A good hosted Project Management software that suits my EPM needs is called valleyspeak project server, which I found at http://www.valleyspeak.com. One of the main reasons why I like the software is the fact that I could continue to work in Microsoft Project 2007 while sharing my Microsoft Project plans with my teams.

ValleySpeak Project Server is a hosted project management solution which can be used by Project Managers to publish, control and execute projects in real time, while continuing to make full use of Microsoft Project 2007.

Because it is a hosted service, I did not have to buy expensive software or deal with installation and maintenance headaches. The functionality that I have with valleyspeak to manage my geographically dispersed teams works well for me. We also evaluated Basecamp and some other solutions but were not impressed.

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Permalink Reply by Harriet on December 18, 2008 at 6:09pm

To add another web-based program to the mix, Zoho is as big a project management program as you would need...and I personally love Google docs for quick and easy collaboration.

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Permalink Reply by PM Hut on February 2, 2009 at 7:20am

Hi Cary,

About the collaboration/project management software that you want to use, pbwiki is good, but probably it is not exactly what you want in case you're going to use the collaboration tools a lot. I suggest you take a look at one of the articles I've published a while ago about the ideal project tool, which will probably highlights the features that you should expect from an online collaboration/PM tool.

Now most of the online tools are paying services, but since you're using the tool for non-profit/educational work, you might be able to negotiate this service for free.

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Permalink Reply by Hlynur Hauksson on February 2, 2009 at 8:42am

I'm trying out www.wetpaint.com. It is very simple to use (office like controls...that works) and has good forums. Also good support for viewing new changes.

BR.
Hlynur

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Permalink Reply by S. Penderel on February 2, 2009 at 10:50am

I've used the large majority (90%) of the software listed above and wouldn't recommend any of it. 2 programs work best.

MS Groove http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/groove/default.aspx?ofcresset=1

Base Camp http://www.basecamphq.com/

Currently I utilize both systems and have found them to be quite equal.

Beyond "collaboration" you will want to utlize a good system for meetings. My educational software company utilizes the SCRUM method of management.

Take Care.

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Permalink Reply by Lesley on February 2, 2009 at 12:24pm

I would check out a site Planzone, which is an online project mgmt software. It is free if you have up to 5 users working on whatever you project is. Site is www.planzone.com

I like it because it has a to-do list, project timeline, wiki, document space, etc. all in one. you can even have it send you updates by email or rss feed.

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Permalink Reply by Maylyn Tan on April 26, 2009 at 10:29pm

Thanks for the suggestion to planzone. It looks awesome but I find the interface a bit confusing. I have exploring several PM solution and find that www.deskaway.com is the easiest to use. But with limited reporting feature.

Does anyone know @task?
Or some open source hosted options with easy going learning curve?
Thanks.

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