Comindware, one of the leading work project management software providers, has launched new project management software which caught my attention – and will catch yours, too, for many reasons. How so? Read on.
When we are considering project management and/or collaboration software, we always think of Google Apps for Business, Basecamp, Microsoft Office 365 – among many others.
I’ve tried many project management and collaboration software – including the three I mentioned above. Each of them has its own pros and cons, and I don’t personally fancy any of them. I end up using Trello, which is actually not a true project management app – it’s more like a to-do list app on a steroid.
A couple of years ago, I’ve signed up with yet another Comindware work management software, Comindware Tracker, to have a look-see on how it works. Back then, I liked it, but it’s not that intuitive, especially on the UX side.
However, Comindware has come a long way and their latest project management product, Comindware Project, is, by far, the most intuitive of all I’ve tried. Please allow me to guide you by hand through the product so you can make a well informed decision.
First off – features
Comindware Project has all the essential features many other project management/collaboration software offers: People management, time tracking, team communication, Gantt chart and so on.
However, I would like to highlight you these three unique features Comindware Project offer:
1. Automated Priority-based Planning
Project planning tool from Comindware Project lets you assign tasks and defining priorities are done via a drag-and-drop interface. Everything is calculated automatically, so you don’t have to worry about task linking, resource allocation and priority assigning.
2. Predictive Gantt chart
Many offer Gantt chart, but Comindware Project takes that one step further: Predictive Gantt chart. “Predictive” means that you are given real-time status on projects, and when the project is ahead of schedule or past due date, the system will automatically reschedule the remainder of the work – and will give you updated estimated milestones and project completion date.
3. Social collaboration
Discussions in Comindware Project are done in “rooms,” which function very much like discussion groups. You can make them public or private and can invite different team members on different rooms.
In a collaborative project management environment powered by Comindware Team Network, discussions are highly organized, arranged in such a way that they are accessible and actionable by any team members. Not only discussions, you can easily find people via a powerful social directory and visual organizational chart. To add cherries on top, you can gamify social interaction, so that you can motivate your team members and increase team productivity.
Easy setup and resource provisioning
You can choose to run Comindware Project in the cloud (web-based servers) or on-premise (on your own servers.) Both have the same features; what differs is the service pricing.
Price-wise, Comindware Project is very competitive, starting from $29,99/year/month for cloud-based project collaboration and starting from $360/user/one-time fee for on-premise solution.
You can always contact the sales department for custom plans and professional services.
Before you decide on anything, you can make use of the 30-day free trial. Signing up for a free trial is easy:
- Enter a few details – name, email, etc. – and start the free trial from the cloud.
- You will need to activate your account; when you have done so, your account will be provisioned shortly – if not instantly.
- Your first user will be automatically created using your registered email address.
- You will also need to confirm the account creation; when you have verified the account, you will be able to access the dashboard.
User interface and accessibility
I commend Comindware Project for their intuitive UX, responsive design and mobile access (Comindware Project is available in iOS and Android.)
Logging in, you will see a clean, minimalistic dashboard from which you can control every aspect of project management: You can complete your profile, manage your tasks and activities, add and manage projects, manage “rooms” for discussion, manage people, and get any project reports you wish.
Looking at the interface, you can’t help the sense of working with Apple’s interface. you’d normally see on an iPad. Everything is clean and well-organized.
Verdict
Many other project management and collaboration boast features. Office 365 is one of the few which boasts UX. But I personally enjoy Comindware Project more due to the crisp interface and ease of setup.
I also love the awards feature, which allows you to reward your team members based on their performance in projects. The badges add a fun aspect of collaboration, which is the whole idea of gamification; using game-like elements to increase participation and task completions.
With all of those being said, I recommend you to give Comindware Project a try. I’ve tried it and I honestly think the software will exceed your expectation.
When you have done so, please kindly share your experience with our readers!