14 Applications for Project Management and Collaboration

nice list. maybe you need to check dotProject or flyspray they are usefull too.

Great List. Sharepoint could also be added to the list for more of an enterprise solution (even though I am not a big fan).

We have been using basecamp for quite a while but the lack of Gantt chart is it’s major drawback.

We’ve been trying out 5pm (http://www.5pmweb.com) which is pretty good, in fact I only heard about it through banner advertising on this site!

Just what I need. Thanks DD!

Most of these tools doesn’t have the full feature package needed, so you’ll need to use 2-3 tools, like to-do tool, time tracking tool and collab tool, but it is great that there are tools like ActiveCollab, Clarizen, Comindwork that have all the features you can think of )

I have been using basecamp for a while but from your list I have discovered clockingit which seems very interesting. I will definitely give it a try!

Great article, but you missed the one I use: Goplan.org

Excelent list!

dotproject has been ported and updated to web2project and it’s really good these days

Thanks for the list! I’m most intrigued by the open source solutions – as a “small time” I can’t start dishing out $8/month here; $10/month there; $14/month over there; it will add up quickly. I also like the idea of installing the app on my server and having a more personalized feeling of a central location for those I’m working with to come and collaborate on a project.

I do agree with Interactive Red. 5pm wasn’t mentioned here but is totally worth checking.

Guys, thank you ever so much, found a perfect time tracking tool now! Brilliant stuff.

Nice list for people who can’t make a choice. My project just started and we’ve choosen for a forum to discuss, dropbox to share our files (up to 2 gb) and wiki for documentation. We also use Google Agenda for appointments and stuff.

But after seeing this list I’ve noticed we don’t have a tool to maintain a to-do list. Perhaps I’ll send in this URL to my projectmates!

Thanks anyway

I missed Google sites (http://sites.google.com)

Nice list. I tried Project Pier, which is a good option, but there simply isn’t enough activity or continual development in the community. So I use a port of Activ Collab customized to look like Basecamp – as AC used to be open source for a time. Only thing left to do with it is incorporate AJAX. Works great, looks great.

Nice list, 6 months ago I did almost the same research you are showing here, and I came to the same conclusion.

I also have ProjectPier installed in my server, it is free, it has almost the same functions as Basecamp or ActiveCollab (actually it is a modified version of ActiveCollab 0.7) and I can control everything. The only thing it doesn’t have is document group editing (I use Google Docs for that) and a good time tracking, but I don’t really need that.

I would understand why some people will be inclined to pay for such a service, but if you are a freelancer or a small company, ProjectPier is everything you need.

dotProject is fine too, but I found it too complex for clients to understand.

I thought flyspray was a software bug-reporting system, but I could be wrong and it might be used for any sort of project management.

Another great tool for Project Management would Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (integration with Microsoft Project 2007 is there as well).

I’ve used Clocking IT and Basecamp. I didn’t like either one that much, but I thought that Clocking IT has an edge over Basecamp.

I use Google Apps all the time. It’s great!

@Arturas: I agree completely with you. We use ProjectOffice.net (www.projectoffice.net) that offers PM, wikis, issues integrations all in one… And we payed only $0.99 per user per month.

Is there a free web-based project management tool that older, tech-averse people could embrace?

I’ve used many of these and found that most of them either A) have very strange workflows built into them or B) lack time-tracking capability, which to me is half the reason to use a PM setup. Those apps that do track time seem to come up short in the actual management areas; it always seems to be a trade off. I’ve yet to find a single app that contains the features needed for full project management, so you end up having to use multiple apps to accomplish what a single one really should (see Arturas comment above).

Out of all the ones mentioned, I’d have to say Basecamp or activeCollab are the most robust, but even these can be highly frustrating to use.

I’ve used many of these, but have never found one tool that does everything I need it to. I’m in the process of reading Leo Babauta’s Zen to Done eBook, and we’ll see what kind of new philosophies it introduces me to.

I’ve considered developing my own application, but I think with the market flooded already with so many useful apps, I would have to bring something truly unique to the table. Until I figure out how to deliver on that uniqueness, that project will be on the back burner.

Thanks for the post, it introduced me to a couple new applications that I’ll definitely be checking out.

Nice list. Should come in handy.

I agree with Arturas. You should be able to go to one location for all your project management needs. Project Insight is feature rich and easy to use. It has AJAX throughout and an interactive Gantt chart for quick editing.

This out performs all of the tracking tools listed above..It actually tracks how long you spend on a certain document.

I’ve been using Creative Pro recently – of the tools I’ve used so far, I like it the best – it has a lot of the features you need for project management.

I am a big user of Backpack and Creative Pro (although og lately i kinda fell behind with it) for my own stuff. We use basecamp for our 4 man design team.

I’m a big fan of Project Pier ~
Really great article

Well this is interesting! Ten minutes ago, I finally decided upon a collaboration tool and selected OnStage. I am an attorney who wants an easy and secure way to post documents for client review, send short and easy messages, and store client documents while their case is pending so they can review them at their leisure (and stop calling me for a copy of blah because they lost their copy or email); and a calendar with court dates and due dates. I already have practice management software that takes care of time mangement, billing, etc., so we’ll see how this goes!

Kumail,

Do you think that Ta-Da List and RTM are project management or collaboration tools? I have to disagree with you. I would recommend to take a look to the list from Wikipedia for such tools.

I recently signed up for deskaway, seems good! Easy to use.

I have used “5pm” and find it awesome.

Nice list!
@jonlee – if you are looking out for a free management tool, then DeskAwai is the best. It is providing a free account for lifetime, your account will never expire.

I’d like to introduce you our project planning software: Planningforce.
You should really test it, you can anticipate risks and constraints, manage unlimited resources and projects and many more.

Planningforce!

You might also check out assembla.com. It has a lot of tools for managing software development projects, including svn and git source control, trac, ticket and milestone management, a wiki, etc…

Well, this post is just perfectly timed, I have been looking for a good open source project management system for a little while now. Thanks for the compilation!

Great post! I’m glad to see Klok getting some love. I not only use it for my freelance work, but for personal projects too.

I’m a huge fan of ActiveCollab – we use it for just about everything. I personally found it to be much more feature rich than Basecamp. It’s odd to me that there’s no “hosted version”, but the tool itself is awesome.

Good List. i appreciate the efforts

The comments and the original post illustrate a trend that I find amusing. There are so many online PM applications. When we started looking into the PM market we quickly found about 40 competing products. And we find new ones all the time. We stopped keeping the list. That is why we concentrate on add-ons to the best of breed (Google Docs, Basecamp, others to come).

I expect that in 4 years there will remain only 6 or less. The numbers are made up, as all predictions, but I sure hope this insane fragmentation will end and we’ll get one truly fantastic PM (with gganttic providing addons to ))

Michael

iplotz.com also has collaborative and project management capabilities within the application, which allows rapid creation of mockups and wireframes for website, iphone and software development.

Firstly that is nice list. Of course there are many more tools/implementations better or not, but it is nice to see like an article and people can see something interesting and also comment and start discussion about usability of them. Thank you! Just 0,02$ as comment, I use OpenProj and FreeMind, but now I ma trying to adjust web-based application.

Thank you for this list, because i will use one of them for my diploma, perhaps

i tried for the life of me to get projectpier to work but xoops and another local server i was running didn’t have php5. so frustrating! trying opengoo and klok

Thanks a lot!

I’ve been looking for some time now, for a tool to manage our projects, and Collabtive looks awesome!!!

Cosmin.

never used such stuffs before.
now thinking to give a try to as many as I can to know which one suits my needs best.
any way thanks

Good list. I’ll check them out. Thanks. Those who need to manage software development projects should also check out Code Roller where project management and collaboration features are built in to this web application where the deliverables of each phase of the project are authored. For example, when the release gets frozen, the analysts are automatically tasked to review the requirements.

I’ve been looking for a PM app similar to basecamphq, but with a built in ticketing type system to assign single tasks with priority for weeks, but haven’t found it yet. Some good options here, but the search goes on.

On a side note, in my search I thought I came across an app that reads incoming mail and can assign a task based on that. The more I thought about that, the more it makes sense. Almost every email leads to a task. It might just be to renew a domain name, reset a password, update a website, etc, etc. If I could set an app to automatically create tasks when they come from certain addresses, or TO certain addresses (as help desk software does now), it seems that in and of itself would be a time saver. No need to filter through a bunch of emails, they will all be tasks.
Was I imagining the base concept of this, or did I see it somewhere?

Hey guys!

what about VCSonline and their products? They should be good in PMS industry? What do you think of their apps and services?

thanks!

Good list ans stuff… Thankz.

all products listed have a very limited functionality. Thanks for the effort.

That’s really a fantastic post ! I added to my favorite blogs list..Thanks

I have been reading your blog last couple of weeks and enjoy every bit. Thanks

Wonderful list there.. some I’ve never come across before, very useful, Thanks

You have missed PMP HQ http://www.pmphq.com. PMP HQ is easy to use web-based online project management and collaboration tool. It includes calendar and gantt charts to aid visual representation of projects and their deadlines. It supports multiple projects and subprojects. PMP HQ is SaaS offering providing integrated project management features, issue tracking, and support for multiple version control options. Currently PMP HQ provides user interface in more then 30 languages including English, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and many more. With simple pricing model without “per user” or “per project” charges, PMP HQ is an affordable and attractive alternative to costly in-house deployments.

Hey, don’t leave out http://nokahuna.com/ really simple and great little project-task manager.

You could also add Wrike.com to your list. It’s a project management app that is integrated with email and has Gantt charts with drag and drop support.

Great list! Do have a look at http://xp-dev.com as another project management and collaboration platform. It has a goot set of features.

v. nice soft…

Remember the milk is cool, i like their logo!

the established provider – Projectplace.com – is not on the list, but the greatest of tools. Used it for 5 years – can´t live without it…

I didnt see projectcentral.com on the list either. It is a great resource.

tj

Great article. I was looking for online project management applications, and this article was the first ranking in Google.

Thanks for the insight!

Great list. There are a lot of good options to choose from. May I also suggest taking a look at Intervals for onilne project management and collaboration?

Missing Teambox, a twitter-flavoured project management tool. Similar in many ways to Basecamp, but open-source.