Web Project Management Software
Before the Internet came along, project management software was not as useful as it is today. In order to get data into the software, many people had to fill out paper forms and send them to a central location where data entry clerks typed them into the project management software. Having two data-entry steps increased the likelihood that errors would be made, and the time lag between knowledge of events and their recording in the project management software.
In order for everyone involved in a project to know what others were doing, paper reports had to be printed and distributed. This distribution process was also a source of friction in the information distribution process. But that has all changed with ubiquitous Internet access and Web project management software.
Even project managers on sites in the most remote corners of the world can access the Internet via satellite connections, if no better connection is available. Given access to Web-based project management software, they can track a project's progress in real time, add or modify data as soon as they become aware of changes, and compare notes with other members of the project team worldwide. It would be hard to find a project management software package that isn't Web-based today.
When evaluating Web project management software, you need to look at several key factors.
The number of simultaneous users the program will allow is a function of how much you are willing to pay. Vendors will often bundle licenses, or "seats", pricing $X for Y licenses. It's important to match your project staff count with the license bundle you buy, to avoid paying for more licenses (or seats) than you need.
Real-time collaboration is a key feature of Web-based project management software. It enables a team of project participants to chat, upload diagrams and documents that all participants can view at once, and even edit one another's documents as if they were laid out on a group worktable.
An "issue tracking system" in project management software allows participants to quickly enter information about delays, accidents, and other "issues" that crop up and require rapid alerting of others. The issue tracking system also allows everyone affected by an issue to see, in real time, where remedial work is and how the issue is affecting the overall project schedule.
Web-based project management schedule has sped up the flow of critical information immensely, making the project management professional's job much easier and bringing more projects to successful conclusions.