How to Manage a Multi-Player Project Online

It seems like many people, and businesses, are tightening their belts.  We’re also seeing more companies taking their business online.  It’s a way to save time and money.  And if they’re doing it right, it’s more productive.  Imagine this: the employer is in Virginia, one of the employees is in California, and a client in Europe. Different states, different countries, different time zones.  How can they be on the same page on the same project?

There are so many web-based project management applications out there…how do you choose the one right for you and your company?  Well, I’ve done some research for you – to save you time and money!

Good project management should include the ability to: track time, track projects and the tasks included, a calendar function, the ability to communicate within the system, share files, notification of status updates and have multiple users.  The bonus of using a web-based program is that the developer provides automatic upgrades.

Here are some of the available web-based options.  You decide which one has the right price, right features, and right fit for you!

ActiveCollab is a project management & collaboration tool that installs on your server or local network, and can be accessed by others through a password.  ActiveCollab offers a 30-day free trial.  Their prices run from $249 per year for their Small Biz package to $499 per year for their Corporate package.

In one of my previous Blog posts I discussed myClientSpot.  It’s not only a great program to use while traveling…it’s also great for conducting your daily business.   It allows you to populate the calendar with project and task deadlines, and client events.  You can track assigned tasks, view retainers, add comments on projects, and upload files.  Try it free for 30 days.  Their packages range from $15 per month for 10 users/10 projects to $149 per month for unlimited users/projects!  It is sold month-to-month so you can stop when you want to.  As a bonus, it can be accessed on mobile phones as well.

ProjectBubble lets you view your projects at a glance, see who’s collaborating, check due dates, and share files and screenshots. Invoices are created in just a few clicks that your client can download as a .pdf or pay online.  They offer a 15-day free trial.  There are three packages – Freelance gives you 1 user/unlimited projects/1 GB for $12 per month, Team gives you unlimited users/projects/3GB for $24 per month, and White Label gives you unlimited users/projects/50GB for $99 per month.

And lastly, there’s Wrike, which advertises itself as practical project management.  This company gives you the ability to manage an unlimited number of projects, sub-projects and tasks.  It also includes an interactive dashboard, micro-blogging, real-time activity streams and instant email notifications. Wrike works perfectly with any email client, be it Outlook, Gmail, BlackBerry or any other. Share files, prioritize long lists of tasks and rearrange them in seconds.  And finally, go mobile with your iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry.  Check out their free 15-day trial.  Subscriptions range from $49 for up to 5 users/5GB, to $199 for up to 50 users/100GB.

Now that’s a lot of information to digest.  And this post is not the be-all and end-all of online project management options.  I hope I’ve given you a good start.  So go forth and prosper.  And play well with others…all you need is internet access and one of these..

Next week I’ll take a look at Arkli where you can create a “campaign” in which you have a choice to include a YouTube video post, link it to your Blog, tweet about it and even post it to your Facebook page. And it takes only minutes to do it!

–Joy Bolluyt, Owner, President Manageta.  GROW your business … and Take Back Your LIFE!!!

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Joy A. Bolluyt © Copyright 2011.  WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include:  Joy Bolluyt, owner of Manageta,  is a business consultant, certified online business manager and virtual teaming expert.  She works with highly motivated consultants, business owners, and solo entrepreneurs that want to GROW their business  and take back their LIFE!  to contact Joy got to http://manageta.com. to schedule a complimentary consult, go to https://my.timedriver.com/L4B6G

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