Top Project Management Google Apps in the Google Apps Marketplace

Top Project Management Google Apps in the Google Apps Marketplace
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What is Google Apps Marketplace?

Google Apps Marketplace is a solution provided for registered Google Apps users who wish to expand their online capabilities by adding specific applications that integrate fully with Google Apps. The applications and tools available are many, and correct selection can fulfill all of your project management requirements including such categories as accounting and finance, calendar and scheduling, customer management, document management, productivity, sales and marketing, security and compliance, work-flow management and of course, project management. Although many applications have project management features, or may be listed in multiple categories, for the purposes of this article, I will focus solely on the Project Management category as listed in the Google Apps Marketplace. Those who wish to review the standard applications provided by Google (Docs, Calendar, Sites, Groups) can check out my associated article.

Update 1 (August 2010): It has been three months since my last update and the volume of available applications has more than doubled during this period; clear evidence of the rise in popularity of cloud computing applications for project management and other areas. Please check this article regularly as new applications will be added once a month, going forward.

Selecting the Best Application

As every company has its own project management criteria, it is best to select an application or number of applications that meet your specific needs, is easy to configure and of course, allows local backup. In order to do this effectively it is best to outline your requirements in order of importance.

For example, your company may be a small one and the interaction you require is between a remote sales team; your primary objectives will be geared towards sales lead management, document management and schedule management. Payroll management may also be important but every company will be different and software selection will reflect this. The following section will identify the features and cost of each application as well as offer a brief review. Future review articles will provide detailed information with screen-shots and possible alternatives, whether free, open-source or commercial.

Currently Available Applications in the Project Management Category

The following listing reflects the currently available applications in the Project Management category of the Google Apps Marketplace and will be updated as new applications are added. I have selected what I believe are the most common criteria for selection requirements; future review articles will be comprehensive, this listing is a brief summary that will allow you to eliminate certain applications which do not contain required features.

The criteria selected for all listings is;

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? Many applications do not require this, and can be used independently of Google.

2. Features: This will give a brief overview of the features available.

3. Cost: This will indicate pricing, whether per user or site license, etc.

4. Ease of Use: Essentially, is the application user-friendly or not. Some applications may need server side installations that require knowledge of FTP, PHP or SQL.

5. Suitable for: A brief indication of whether the application is suitable for small, medium, or large companies. Some software may be more suitable for a specific company type or industry.

The list of available project management applications from the Google Apps Marketplace begins on the next page.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet

Smartsheet Project Management for Google Apps

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, since Google Apps integration is just one of the available features.

2. Features: Customizable sheet-based project management solution, allows complete flexibility for project task creation.

3. Cost: Depends on requirements and ranges from $10 to $150 dollars per month, depending on the number of document creators required. Basic package has limitations on number of projects per month.

4_. Ease of Use:_ Web-based, can be configured easily.

5. Suitable for: Can be used by all, from small to large companies, but cost may be prohibitive for consultants or small companies.

Manymoon

manymoon

<strong>Manymoon: Free Social Productivity, Project Management &amp; Task Management</strong>

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, since it is possible to logon using your Gmail account only.

2. Features: Manymoon can be accessed from within Google and offers full integration with Google Docs, Calendars, etc. Attach Google Docs or uploaded files to tasks and projects, view all projects and tasks, time tracking, micro-blogging, tagging, user profiles (with shared content), and scheduling project meetings.

3. Cost: Free (with limits on storage - 5Mb, time tracking, etc.), pricing for unlimited features ranges from $10 to $20 per month.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use, no technical skills necessary.

5. Suitable for: Can be used by all, from small to large companies. To evaluate properly, test the software on a small sample project and see if it suits your requirements.

Comindwork

<strong>Comindwork - free Gantt, workflows and to-dos; fully customizable.</strong>

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, since Google Apps integration is just one of the 250+ features available

2. Features: Full project management solution for knowledge management, project teams, integrates with MS Project and Salesforce, provides many types of project analysis tools, chart and plugins for social media. Permission levels can be set for all users.

3. Cost: Free trial available and use of demo site for evaluation purposes. Daily (1 dollar), monthly, annual and project based subscriptions are available.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, can be configured easily but range of features are somewhat intimidating. Ony use the ones you need.

5. Suitable for: Can be used by all, from small to large companies but is geared towards total project management, where team based collaboration and knowledge management is necessary. To evaluate properly, test the software on a small sample project and see if it suits your requirements. Experiment with all the features available.

The application listing continues on the next page.

Teambox

Teambox

<strong>Teambox Project Collaboration</strong>

Teambox is an inbox collaboration tool, with an interface similar to Twitter and can be used as a possible alternative to email communication.

1_. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software?_ No, since Google Apps integration is just one of the available features.

2. Features: Twitter-like dashboard allows project creation, task managment, contact management and document sharing.

3. Cost: Free accounts can contain three projects forever. Premium accounts offer a 15 day free trial, then cost from $12 to $299. Open source installation on your own server is possible but not recommended for Windows systems.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, very user-friendly.

5. Suitable for: Can be used by all, from small to large companies. To evaluate properly, test the software on a small sample project and see if it suits your requirements. Experiment with all the features available. If you will never deal with more than 3 projects at one time, then the free account may be sufficient for your needs, although it has a 50Mb limit.

JIRA Studio

Jira Studio

JIRA Studio is a hosted project management solution for software developers and offers a host of features geared to this specific area.

1_. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software?_ No, since Google Apps integration is just one of the available features.

2. Features: Project creation and development, Agile methods, source code control, social features and peer review. It also integrates with Microsoft Office.

3. Cost: Free one month trial. Subscription or user based pricing plans available ($25 per user).

4_. Ease of Use:_ Web-based, user-friendly.

5. Suitable for: Used by software development teams only.

Glasscubes

Glasscubes is a hosted solution, providing project managment solutions for small businesses who wish to have one Project Management package.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, since Google Calendar and Docs integration is just one of the available features.

2. Features: Project management, file and contact management. Documents can be edited online.

3. Cost: Free (for two internal users and workspaces with limitations on filesizes and storage). Additional pricing ranges from $20 to $145 per month with all limits removed (maximum 20Gb storage).

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, user-friendly.

5. Suitable for: All business types. Potential clients should note user and data storage requirements in advance of selection. Evaluate using the free trial.

The application listing continues on the next page.

Zoho Projects

Zoho

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is an online project managment tool that offers a full feature set, adequate for many company requirements and also has social features for online collaboration tasks.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, Google Apps integration is just one of the available features.

2. Features: Project management, file and contact management. Documents can be edited online. Group chat and other social features available. Integrates with the entire Zoho Office offerings and also allows for the import of Microsoft Project files.

3. Cost: Free for one project (with limitations such as 100Mb storage and no file-sharing). An assortmentment of price plans depending on users or addons required, ranging from $12 to $80 a month, with additional charges for addons.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, user-friendly.

5. Suitable for: All business types. Potential clients should note user and data storage requirements in advance of selection. Evaluate using the free trial.

Insightly for Google Apps

Insightly

Insightly is a project or task managment tool for small business that fully integrates with Google Apps.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? Yes, Insightly was specifically designed to integrate with Google Apps.

2. Features: Email integration, project management, CRM, lead tracking, file and contact management, and of course, all features of Google Docs. Permission levels are particularly easy to set up.

3. Cost: Completley free (but Google Apps subscription required).The standard edition allows 50 domain users, so perhaps an actual free solution is available if 50 users is sufficient for requirements.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, user-friendly.

5. Suitable for: All small businesses who do not require advanced features.

TrackMyHours.com

TrackMy Hours

TrackMyHours.com is a time management solution for consultants and small businesses and does exactly what its name implies – it tracks hours.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, just an available feature.

2. Features: Time tracking, invoice clients, analysis tools, online viewing of hours by employee and client, export to Quickbook and PDF conversion tools.

3. Cost: 30 day free trial is available and monthly subscription price is $8.95 (no limitations).

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, user-friendly.

5. Suitable for: All small businesses who require itemized tracking and billing features.

The application listing continues on the next page.

Strategic Frontend

Strategic Frontend is a management consulting tool allowing easy collaboration between managers and acceleration of company processes from product launch to key account management.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, just an available feature.

2. Features: Management performance improvement, business development, corporate analysis and market execution. Predefined processes and work structures can highlight existing problem areas in the company.

Full demo is available here .

3. Cost: 30 day free solution is available with 2 users and 20Mb storage space. Basic package is $29 dollars per month/user (with 100Mb storage). Custom solution requires contacting the company for a quote.

4_. Ease of Use:_ Web-based.

5. Suitable for: Companies with a corporate or multinational management structure. Consultants can also use this software.

PMP HQ

PMP HQ

PMP HQ is an online project management and collaboration tool that allows you to create and share project plans.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, just an available feature.

2. Features: Project planning, tracking and team management. Time Tracking, document sharing and reporting features are also available.

3. Cost: BASIC $19.00/month, 5 users,10 projects,1 GB disk space.

ADVANCED $49.00/month, 20 users, 100 projects,5 GB disk space.

ENTERPRISE $99.00/month, Unlimited users, Unlimited projects, 30 GB disk space.

20% discount available for yearly subscription. First month is free on all packages.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based.

5. Suitable for: Suitable for all size companies.

Update : PMP HQ is now known as Taskpoint and is shown on Page 13 of this article.

ProjectGoo

ProjectGoo

Projectgoo is a cloud-based, collaborative project management tool that utilizes Google Docs, Calendar and also Microsoft Project to allow teams and client users to update as tasks and milestones are reached.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No , just an available feature.

2. Features: Allows MS project files to be shared and adds the collaborative features of Google Docs.

  1. Cost: Totally free, registration is required to use the software. This entitles you to free email support.

4. Ease of Use: Fairly easy, a local installation is required for all users (2-3Mb) and the following requirements are mandatory.

  • Google Calendar Account
  • Google Documents Account
  • Microsoft Project 2007 Standard or Professional (for those who intend to create or edit documents) otherwise an MS Project viewer will suffice.
  • .NET 3.5 SP1(.NET 4.0 will not work)

5. Suitable for: Suitable for all size companies.

The application listing continues on the next page.

Flow.io

Flow

Flow is a project management tool based on the kanban system. Web-based, it allows creation, management, and hourly snapsnots of ongoing tasks.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, just an available feature.

2. Features: Private Messaging system, task management, visual workflow presentation with hourly snapshots, team and permissions management.

  1. Cost: Free for personal or open-source project use (with limitations),non-profits pay $3 per user per month and commercial companies are $5 per month per user.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Suitable for all size companies but especially useful for those involved in JIT (just in time) manufacturing where Kanban systems are in place.

Thymer

Thymer

Thymer is marketed on the basis that it is for &ldquo;Project management and task planning for people who hate project management and task planning&rdquo; and is geared towards those who dislike the whole PM process planning area and want to keep it simple.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? Yes, collaborative features such as calendar require it.

2. Features: One page real-time overview of projects, post-it feature, team and task managment, time and cost tracking (hourly rates can be defined) and reminders of deadlines, pending tasks.

  1. Cost: One month free trial is available and $25 dollars a month after that.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Suitable for all teams and small businesses. Consultants would find the time and cost tracking solution useful.

Wrike: Email-Integrated Online Project Management

Wrike

Wrike integrates fully with your email client and and Google apps, including Google Wave. Using this application allows easy organiation of multiple projects and updates are immediate highlighted to team members.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? Yes, collaborative features require it.

2. Features: One page real-time overview of projects, integration with email clients, project updates can be implemented by email, full document control, team and task managements and many more features such as Outlook and MS Project integration.

  1. Cost: One month free trial and a varied pricing structure per month depending on the number of users and their permission levels. Unlimited viewers is $9.95 per month, collaborators are $9.95 each per month, and managers are $19.95 each per month. Additional features such as Outlook sync and time tracking also cost extra.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Suitable companues with multiple ongoing projects.

The application listing continues on the next page.

5pm

5pm

5pm is another project management application with a well presented interface that is very easy to use. Video tutorials on the site show just how easy it is to use.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Project and task management, integration with Gmail and Google Docs, task and user managements, reports and many others.

  1. Cost: 14 day and a varied pricing structure based on users and storage requirements. These range from $18 to $175 per month.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Useful for all companies who require an easy to use PM solution with collaborative features.

EmForge Portal: Project Collaboration Platform

Emforge Portal is currently on beta release with some features pending.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Task, Bug and Time Tracking tool, Google Apps Integration, Forums, Wikis , Blogs.

  1. Cost: As it is beta release it is free during 2010 and open-source plan selection will allow you to assign the workspace to your own domain. Once fully released the expected cost is $5 per month.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who do not need advanced features. Worth a test drive to see if it meets your needs.

August 2010 - additions to the Google Apps Marketplace

Three months is a long time in the software industry as agendas and software companies can literally change overnight; some going out of business while others expand into other areas or rename their product offerings (as in the case of PMP HQ - now Taskpoint). As my application listing has not changed in months it is now necessary to provide an additional list of applications that were not present three months ago. This essentially doubles the amount of applications available.

Cloud computing is defintely here to stay and the aim of this article is to provide you with an overall sense of the pricing, advantages and possible limitations of each application. Most importantly , this article will save you time, time that you may have wasted researching each application, vendor websites etc.

Gantter Project

Gantter is a FREE web-based project management tool. You can think of it as a web-based Microsoft Project.

Gantter

Currently free during its development cycle, charges may well be incurred later but currently not indicated on vendor website.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, integrates fully with Google Docs.

2. Features: Full project management with project templates provided, full integration with Google Docs and web browser integration.

  1. Cost: Free

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use (especially if familiar with MS Project) with no software install required.

5. Suitable for: All who do not need advanced features. Worth a test drive to see if it meets your needs.

The application listing continues on the next page.

<img src="https://img.bhs4.com/83/9/8399e566490b0fd9550d14211f4bc2c5df906422_large.jpg" alt="MavenLink">

Mavenlink claims to efficiently manage your project communications, documents, schedules, budgets, and payments in one workspace and its range of features seem to accomplish this admirably with a single workspace, project management tracking tools and email integration.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Everything you need to track a project from concept to conclusion.

  1. Cost: 1 month free trial, $39 dollars per month for single-user plan (5Gb storage, unlimited workspaces and participant invites)

Business accounts are $79 dollars per month and allow 3 users with 20Gb of shared storage.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Will meet most requirements - test drive evaluation required to check if suitable for your needs.

Viewpath

<img src="https://img.bhs4.com/73/8/7381e638aad4cfb723438f024da5b930abaf4643_large.jpg" alt="Viewpath">

Viewpath is a web-based project management and collaboration solution that currently supports Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers. The express edition is free but is ad supported (printouts have watermarks)and the per user cost for the standard edition is quite low. The dashboard is user-friendly and easy to manage.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features:•drag/drop timelines & calendars •in-line editing & shortcut keys •dependency linking of activities •document management •collaboration permissions •project Import and Export •automated time tracking •time zone localization •multi-project viewing & editing •drag/drop column customizing •customizable search & reports •automated email assignments

  1. Cost: Express - available completely FREE and supported by display ads

Standard - has no ads, includes extra features such as Search and Cost Tracking, and priced at *$10.95 per/person/month

*Special rates available on group plans and multi-month plans

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who do not need advanced features. Worth a test drive to see if it meets your needs.

Harvest

Harvest

Harvest is a simple time tracking tool that will allow schedule updates from multiple devices such as the iPhone through the use of widgets.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Time tracking and invoicing, supports multiple billing rates and provides reminders, Excel and Quickbooks export features and Basecamp integration.

  1. Cost: $10 for single user/month ; Basic (5 users) $40 per month and Business (10 users) $90 per month.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Those who have difficulty managing their hours and billing (especially with multiple currencies and rates).

The application listing continues on the next page.

Gcamp

Google Apps

Gcamp connects Google Apps Gmail and 37signals Basecamp to allow you to add a to-do item, to-do list, or post a message to Basecamp directly from an email message.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? Yes, An API is installed on your Google Apps domain..

2. Features: allows GMail updates to Basecamp projects.

  1. Cost: Free

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Those who use Basecamp.

MeetingMix

MeetingMix

For those of us who are tired of attending unfocused, lengthy meetings MeetingMix may be the answer as it is a complete meeting organiser with comphrehensive features that will help to shorten those boring meetings.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Meeting preperation and improvement (templates, Add topics, subtopics, presenters, and time limits ,import topics from related meetings,Collect topic suggestions from attendees, Attach documents that need to be reviewed with the agenda, Send the agenda out , time tracking, decision making process flow.)

  1. Cost: Completely free if you sign up before October 15th 2010 according to Google Apps Page (but is in fact only 30 day trial as billing info is requested, quite annoying), normally $9.95 per month/per user, attendees are free.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Useful for all involved in meetings that tend to lose focus.

Gravity - Agile Project Management

Gravity is a simple but powerful tool to help you manage agile projects. Easy drag-n-drop scheduling of user stories, Full featured issue tracker and full project reports (burndown, cost, etc.).

Gravity

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No , signin with Google ID is possible.

2. Features: Agile Project Management, organise all ideas in one place,.

  1. Cost: Free for 3 projects with pricing plans for additional projects pending.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: those involved in Agile Projects (including Scrum and Extreme Programming).

The application listing continues on the next page.

Cube

Cube

Cube is perfect for businesses, contractors, consultants, developers and freelancers that need to track their time and expenses and keep tabs on project costs.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: time and expense tracking, multi currency is possible. Integration, with Google Docs, Calendar and Contacts.

  1. Cost: Free for 3 projects/users and $5 per month per user (unlimited projects)

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who have trouble managing expenses and time spent on projects.

Note: I was unable to connect to the vendor website but this may be due to maintenance at their side - will check again later. Trial downloads are available from many other sites including Download.com

BeeBole

BeeBole

Beebole is a time tracking solution that integrates with Google Docs and Calendar

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? Yes.

2. Features: Time Tracking tool, report generation is also possible, supports multiple devices, iPhone, Blackberry etc.

  1. Cost: As it is beta release it is currently free.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who need a free time tracking solution.

BIET - Business Idea Evaluation Tool

BIET

So you have a business idea and would like to give it some substance before looking for investors. This tool will allow you to organise your thoughts, invite feedback from others and highlight any shortcomings involved. Once flaws are identifed by your team then each can be resolved prior to business plan creation. BIET is a very useful tool in the conceptual stage.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Invite feedback from others and ensure your idea is feasible before investment.

  1. Cost: Free.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who wish to ensure their ideas are feasible before investing a dime.

The application listing continues on the next page.

Paymo.biz -Time Tracking, Invoicing & Project Management

Paymo

Paymo.biz eliminates the need to approximate time spent on project and has powerful invoicing and reporting features. All data can be exported to PDF,XML and other format and a daily backup is carried out for security purposes. A low-cost solution to many of your project needs!

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Time Tracking, Invoicing & Project Management, support multiple languages and one click invoices. Also supports the iPhone.

  1. Cost: free for 2 employees and $3.99 per employee/month.

Paymo2

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who need a simple solution for tracking time and generating invoices. Worth a test drive to see if it meets your needs.

DeskAway

DeskAway is a simple yet powerful web-based project collaboration tool that provides teams a central location to easily organize, manage and track their work from anywhere.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features:

  • Track multiple projects

  • Archive completed projects

  • Completely permission-based

  • View project activity as and when it happens

    DeskAway

  • Assign and track milestones, tasks, time and issues

  • Set personal email reminders

  • Reporting and analytics

  • Centralized project communication

  • Share files, documents, messages

  • Share calendar events and contacts

  • Maintain team blog

  • Export & back-up projects

  1. Cost: Plans range from $10 to $99 dollars per month. The basic personal plan does not have SSL security and comes with 250Mb Storage. Higher plans come with SSL and added storage/number of users.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: For those who need a user-friendly project management solution.

WorkforceTrack

<img src="https://images.brighthub.com/B9/A/B9A27C9BC0A5E86871D9391F4DFA8089E762BF18_small.jpg" alt="WorkforceTrack" title="WorkforceTrack">WorkforceTrack Projects web tool is an online collaboration, reporting, task, time tracking and billing solution with Google Apps integration; aimed at simplifying the overall management of your projects.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features:

  • Project Portfolio Management
  • Online Gantt Chart
  • Online Timesheet management
  • CRM
  • Reporting
  • Attendance tracking
  • Google/Blackberry/Outlook integration
  1. Cost: Maximum pricing is $5 per month/user but this decreases accordng to number of users and the number of months paid for. For example, A company with 50 users will have a per user cost of $3 but if a year is paid for, an additional 20% discount is possible.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who need a single solution for online project management.

The application listing continues on the next page.

AcuNote

AcuNote

AcuNote is an enterprise online project management and Scrum software. Manage projects, products and requirements, track project progress, accurately predict completion dates and analyze company productivity.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Project and Sprint Management:One central task list screen for most operations Burndown:Chart showing you when it will really be done, Wiki:Integrated project and task wiki with WYSIWYG editor and product management extensions, Timeline:Unified chronological view of all the activity in your organization. Project Access Control:Restrict user access on a project basis.

  1. Cost: Free plan is limited to 5 users. Unlimited plans available starting from $49/month and offer advanced collaboration, analytics, product and team management, role-based access control and more.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Those involved in software projects only.

StrategicFrontEnd.com (see page 5 of this article) - 2 gadgets added

Strategcfrontend.com

Free Gmail Contextual Gadget for Projects

This gadget is a project management solution built on Strategicfrontend.com. Now, this gadget allows project manager to run their projects from their Google Apps inbox.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an available feature.

2. Features: run Strategicfrontend.com from Google Apps inbox .

  1. Cost: free as it is an addon to Strategicfrontend.com.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Strategicfrontend.com users.

Strategicfrontend.com Channel: Free Gmail Contextual Gadget for Sourcing

Gmail

This gadget is a sourcing management solution built on Strategicfrontend.com. Now, this gadget allows the purchasing manager to run their sourcing events from their Google Apps inbox.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an available feature.

2. Features:

  • Savings from Intense Sourcing
  • Easy Management of Suppliers
  • Decide instantly with actionable information
  1. Cost: Free as it is an addon to Strategicfrontend.com.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: Strategicfrontend.com users

The application listing continues on the next page.

LumoFlow

LumoFlow

Lumo Research Ltd pitches their application in the following way: “Manage projects, share documents and keep connected. LumoFlow is a productive collaboration environment for enterprises. Easy to learn and simple to use.” Based on its user-friendly dashboard, it seems that this is indeed a true statement and it also provides a social networking environment.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: End to end basic project management for remote teams, document sharing and all standard PM features.

  1. Cost: free for 5 users with 75Mb of storage and plans ranging up to 450 euros per month(includes 60 users and 100Gb storage). Additional users cost 10 euros per month/user.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who need it, I guess but pricing may be prohibitive for small/medium companies.

TaskPoint - formerly PMP HQ

Taskpoint

TaskPoint (formerly PMP HQ) is easy to use web-based online project management and collaboration tool. TaskPoint integrates project management features and collaboration tools in one easy to use suite.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Project creation, management and tracking.Document sharing , wikis etc.

  1. Cost: BASIC $19.00/month 5 users, 10 projects 1 GB disk space

ADVANCED $49.00/month 20 users, 100 projects,5 GB disk space

ENTERPRISE $99.00/month Unlimited users, Unlimited projects, 30 GB disk space

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: All who do not need incredibly advanced features. Worth a test drive to see if it meets your needs.

Clarizen

Clarizen

Clarizen’s online project management tools facilitate team collaboration and project execution, ensuring data is always up-to-date and aligned with business objectives. It is possible to streamline all your activities to this one platform.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature.

2. Features: Core Project Management Features: Advanced Inter-Dependencies, Automatic Notifications,

* Budgeting

* Critical Path Method

* Project Baseline

* Gantt ChartsGantt View

* Project Hierarchy

* Project Portfolio Management

* Multi-Project Management

* Project Indicators

* Project RoadmapProject Roadmap View

* Project Templates

* Scheduling

* Task Management

* Time TrackingTime Tracking View

* Personal Calendars

Resource Management Task ManagementIssue ManagementTeam CollaborationBudget ManagementTime TrackingReports & DashboardsIntegrations * AutoCAD Integration * MS Outlook Integration * MS Project Integration * Solidworks Integration * Zendesk * GoogleDocs * iCal (online calendar app)

  1. Cost: Maximum 50 dollars per user/month but this can decrease to 25 dollars per user/month if two year licenses are purchased.

4. Ease of Use: Web-based, easy to use.

5. Suitable for: With all of the features included (and all are not listed above) it’s hard to ignore this one, check out the free trial and make your decision afterwards. If you need a comphrehensive solution this could be it. License costs for your business can be calculated on their website.

The application listing continues on the next page.

VeoProject

veoproject

VeoProject is the easy way to manage your projects online. Create project plans, track issues and centralize messages & shared files with our web-based project management application”. The dashboard looks good and is user-friendly. I believe that you will be able to start setting up projects within minutes of signup.

1. Is it necessary to be a Google Apps customer in order to use the software? No, an added feature

2. Features:

  • Dashboards help you track status across projects
  • Create project plans and manage issues online
  • Integrate with Google docs and calendars

3. Cost:

All plans include UNLIMITED user accounts Paid plans include a FREE, 30 DAY trial

The cost varies depending on requirements but is between free (for 5 projects, 100Mb Storage) to $195/month (for 1000 projects, 40Gb Storage, SSL Encryption and integegration with various apps such as Salesforce).

If you do not want a subscription then it is also possible to host this application on your own server by purchasing a server license. Again these have different pricing depending on your needs.

4. Ease of Use: Easy to use, 100% WEB-BASED so no software installation necessary

5. Suitable for: Small to large organisations can find some value in this application. Try it and see if it meets your needs!

Conclusion: How do I choose from the long list of applications?

confused -Flickr

As most viewers of this article will have an interest in project management, or at least a desire to put a team structure in place (in order to make their daily tasks a little easier), treat the selection process like any other project.

Define your Goals:

1. What are your minimum requirements?

2. Do you need to communicate with multiple team members?

3. Do you want to set permissions for each member and block client access to internal info?

4. What areas are required? Document management, time tracking, reporting, task management, video conferencing? Features available are many and some will not be needed?

5. Is security a concern? If so, then you require a solution hosted on your own servers.

6. If at a later stage you wish to change applications, can the change be accommodated easily? Full backup and restore of documents is necessary unless already managed locally.

Image Courtesy of Flickr user kristiand

What is your budget?

Many “free” applications are severely limited and unless you use an open-source solution, costs will be incurred. Per user or per month subscriptions can be high, depending on number of required users and storage space required. The only exceptions in this listing are Projectgoo and Gantter Project which are both currently offered free. If cost is an issue and you currently use MS Project then evaluate these applications first.

If the applications seem too comprehensive, or costs are prohibitive then please review the standard Google Apps offerings and how they can aid project management. Many can be used with your Google ID, without a Google Apps subscription.

Evaluate the free trials of your selected applications.

There is no point in this author recommending solutions as every company will have different requirements. This is a task for those who create review articles. The only point I will make is that the most expensive does not necessarily mean the best. The expensive solutions can be problematic to learn, and may add unforeseen delays in training staff or transferring data.

KISS (keep it simple stupid) is a motto I use in my own business activities, and my own preferred solution allows clients and internal users to access relevant project information hosted on my own domain.For basic tasks I use Google Products as outlined in this article and some open source applications also, I am not currently a Google Apps subscriber as I cannot afford the delays (typically 3-4 days as DNS settings are updated globally) caused when migrating to Google Apps. Based on the feedback on this article, another one dealing with possible open-source solutions will be created.