Looking for a Project Management Tool.

[MH9]

Hi People, I am a Dutch Business IT student and I am doing an assignment at a Dutch IT-company to graduate.

I am looking for a Project Management Tool, but on the internet there are way too many options for me to investigate.

I am looking for a tool the Project Managers can use to report information to the manager of the department (their manager). The information can be entered only by the Project Managers, because the developers have their own planning tools. In other words the PM's will keep obtaining their progress info just like they are doing now: chasing via phone and email.

I was hoping somebody on this forum may have tips for a Management Tool that has the following characteristics:
-The software provides reports to the department manager on issues, such as schedule, dealine and budget overruns, for multiple projects.
-Only the Project Managers use the tool as a log, the developers themselves dont enter data.

Hope you understand what I mean, (if not, ask and I will try to describe my problem a little clearer) and hope maybe one of you can give me an option to investigate!
Thank you for thinking along with me, Greets!

[michprojman]

Greetings from mid-America

If I understand you correctly then somthing like SharePoint might work for you. If I am not understanding you correctly send me a PM and we can have the discussion offline.

T

[MH9]

Greetings from mid-America

If I understand you correctly then somthing like SharePoint might work for you. If I am not understanding you correctly send me a PM and we can have the discussion offline.

T

Thanks. I'll add it to my list of tools to research! It wasn't on the list of PM-tools I found on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...ement_software). I will let you know if it fits the criteria of my assignment. Thanks for thinking with me!

[tessa]

You can check out the free tool called "PlanningForce Express Planner" which you can find in my "signature".

This will surely compensate all your needs

[iliana]

Hello! I suggest you to take a look at www.teambox.com, great for managing and leading projects for students or proffesionals because is easy and fun to use.With this project software you are able to review progress, resolve any special problems that have come up, and ensure that the schedule is on track.

[Jeff Gordon]

From what you said, it seems to me that Wrike could be a very good option for you (http://www.wrike.com/).
Besides being one of the top applications on the market and having a very impressive selection of features, it has something that could work really well for you.
It has a very good customizable notification, allowing you to receive updates via email, or live activity stream immediately, or as a daily summary.
It has one of the most advanced email integrations, so you can do nearly anything you want without even having to login by simply composing an email or replying to notification.
It uses Flexible Structures, which mean that you can have nearly any structure you like, based around projects, departments, user groups or anything else you can think of. It also allows you to share the data between users selectively, so every user sees only what he supposed to see.
There is a backlog feature that allows you to use Agile techniques effectively, and also can be used as a storage space for ideas.
Quite importantly, you have unlimited viewers for free with any package, who cannot change data, but are allowed to view and complete tasks assigned to them, and receive notifications.
Hope it helps!

[teamfort]

Projectile is basically a mix of Basecamp and Freshbooks. It does all you need for managing projects, invoicing, time tracking, etc. Very simple too, I totally recommend it. http://www.projectile.com/

[myrrha]

Binfire has cool features you may find useful and helpful for your project management.

Please visit website:
http://www.binfire.com/

[strixstrigoi]

I advise eTaskamn. It's convenient in term of instruction and place. I mean it's a FREE web-based and has non-complicated functionality. I rarely stay in the office so when I need to assign a project or task to my subordinate, I access this site wherever I am. You can try it too.

[garryburks]

Being a project manager and handling more than one project at time requires flawless tools. I really trust Microsoft Project 2010. I've been using it for a while now and it's really improved my management skills and portfolio management. The visuals are great and tools like resource management really make a difference.