As a kid, projects required Popsicle sticks, construction paper and maybe a little glue. That’s not going to cut it in the business world. Zoho Projects, a Web-based project management application, provides the grown-up with business-oriented tools to ensure projects are done right from the get-go. Zoho helps with planning, reporting and collaboration, and it even integrates with Microsoft Project.
Planning is one of the big to-dos when you’re working on a project. Zoho includes built-in tools for setting up tasks, due-dates, costs and possible milestones, making planning a bit easier. You can track time worked against the estimated timeframe you set up during the planning stage.
The developers at Zoho made sure that its project app was a good tool for the avid social butterfly. You can collaborate with your team at any phase of a project and save files in a central location for easy access to everyone. If you have something to say, you can do so in real time through Zoho's chat function. Discussion boards are also available so your team can share important information.
Zoho features a wiki whereby you can publish Web pages, embed videos and create a project intranet. The wiki allows you to create subject-specific Web sites so you can keep your projects organized. Zoho’s Project Stream feature keeps everyone in-the-know in case changes are made to the scope or expectations of a project. Spur of the moment meetings, deadlines and more can also be shared through the stream.
Overall, Zoho isn’t flashy, but it does provide the basics for thorough management of big and small projects alike.