Seeking a good web based collaboration/project management solution

You may want to try web crm www.worketc.com, all those three requirements you mentioned are answered by this software since it is a fusion of various online tools such as Web CRM, contacts and projects management, document collaboration, timesheets and billing. For me, it is a single software solution running my entire business --helped me a lot in beating my deadlines and working with ease with both my team and clients. What's best for me is that Worketc helps me monitor my projects from leads opportunity to sale, to project implementation, all the way to customer support.

Brian, I've never worked on a project that's as complicated as the one you've described. We use BaseCamp, and I can guardedly recommend it. (I don't have experience with any other PM systems to compare it to.) BaseCamp is a great way to collect documentation, share data and comments, and track a timeline. Like any solution, it's only as good as the information that goes into it. One problem we have is that our users aren't particularly well trained (I count myself in that camp; pun intended). We also have had a tendency to use BaseCamp religiously at the beginning of a project but not so much as the project wraps up.

Good luck!

Personally, I use and recommend Liquid Planner http://liquidplanner.com for project management. However, if your primary use is the bulletin board and collaborative documents, then take a look at Huddle and Many Moon. Huddle is a grand-daddy in this space, but Many Moon has deep Google integration so would be the preferred choice if yours is a Google shop.

Liquid Planner shines in the area of project scheduling. In my opinion, it is the only web-based system that does true scheduling as opposed to simply creating a flat list of tasks and due dates. But that may be more than you need.

Good luck, and let us know what you choose.

Hi Eric,

I would recommend Mavenlink (http://mavenlink.com/). It is easy to break out every project with a News Feed that you can attach any type of document to and even link them to certain tasks/meetings/etc. It is very user friendly for multiple users and creating a "cloud" library. It is easily integrated with Google Apps so you can link everything with your Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Contacts. As I mentioned above, the Feed tool makes it easy to serve as a discussion board and you can send private Feed messages that only show up for certain users. In addition, with their connections with PayPal, you can get paid or pay people and they can get you a cheaper lifetime PayPal transaction percentage if you just email them.

Plus, whenever I have questions I get very quick feedback from their support, which is key. I have been using them for about two solid months now and they keep adding new features and are receptive to my suggestions.

Let me know if you have questions,

Casey

I recommend WordPress MU. It is tremendously user-friendly, easy to install and you can use it for collaboration and much more besides.

http://mu.wordpress.org/

"Developers and network admins will appreciate the long-awaited merge of MU and WordPress, creating the new multi-site functionality which makes it possible to run one blog or ten million from the same installation."

Hi Eric,

I know this is not strictly an answer, (in fact not an answer at all), but can you elaborate on the type of PM activities you are looking at vs the collaborative features? I looked at and have heard of Insight installed/used on a prospect's site and have viewed the worldpress link previously supplied which seems to miss the PM target a fair bit. I have no direct experience of either and am trying to understand the general feelings for PM and Portfolio mgmt systems at the moment. I am a consultant working as a reseller for PPM solutions, (neithet involved in the two previous answers), so could be viewed as biased, hence not mentioning my application expertise. It is just a question to try and focus my direction. If not appropriate to answer, no probs.

Colin: The project management capabilities I am looking for are what I would consider the standard offering: planning, scheduling, metrics, milestones, task lists, distribution lists, etc. For collaboration, I think I'd like to have the ability for teams, groups or individuals to read and edit documents, a place for forums or discussions about topics the team needs input or feedback on, a simple to use document library (am thinking something pretty much like a standard file management tree), a way for group members to comment or make suggestions on draft documents - things such as that. Does this help?

Cynthia: I have visited Project Insight and will spend more time reviewing its capabilities. Thank you for your suggestion.

Anne: I have visited WordPress MU. I think it's a bit light on project management capabilities as well as document management, but thank you for the idea.

It does help, thanks. I wish you luck in your investigations.

Joey and Arden:

Great suggestions. I have been looking more closely at Basecamp because it is well recognized, and, with the potential for as many as 100 unique users, I like their cost structure. I am struggling with most project management solutions to find the document library piece. While they do provide document libraries, they tend to be like the SharePoint libraries - not well suiteds to handle a lot of reference (not project) documents in an easy to use and navigate structure.

I have taken a preliminary look at Web CRM, Arden. I like its approach, and, you're right - it does contain the elemnts I am looking for. But the cost structure may not be effective for the potential size of the user community for this project. It's still on my list, tho.

Many thanks to both of you for taking the time to provide some valuable ideas to me.

Eric, I would recommend LiquidPlanner. LiquidPlanner has a robust scheduling engine & task management system, along with a full suite of collaboration tools. Your team will be able to collaborate on documents, have twitter-like chats, and record notes for all tasks in the project. You can also manage the tasks for all of your team members, and re-prioritize items when conditions change. LiquidPlanner has a pile of other useful features (including a free iphone app), you can check them out here: http://www.liquidplanner.com/tour

Good luck!

Stacey, Dina and Lisa: Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I have taken a preliminary look at LiquidPlanner, and it seems to fall in the category in which Lisa put it - it looks like a good project management tool, and I am definitely putting it on my PM apps list. I think I really must be looking for a hybrid between a collaborative workspace and a project management tool. I haven't looked at Huddle or Many Moon yet, Lisa. That's on my list for tomorrow. I'll keep you all posted. Many thanks again.

Eric. I've gathered sites for my clients. Here is the list I share on The Resource Queen. It's my list in case you've missed these.

Open Project OK for MACs, too.
Gant Project
Dot Project
Open Work Bench
PHP Projekt
Air Set

View Path
My Intervals
Smart Sheets
Wrike
Achievo

These were on my list to check into
http://www.CentralDesktop.com
http://www.huddle.net/
http://www.onstageportal.com
http://www.projectscenter.com
http://www.QualBridge.com
http://www.5pmweb.com
http://www.vertabase.com
http://www.Projjex.com

Lisa: I checked Huddle and like the robust file management tools. The dashboard is pretty much a PM-focused display (because that's what Huddle is designed for). The "What's New" element is a great function, too. I'm still looking for that hybrid. I think I may eventually need to use two applications, but the excellent suggestions I am getting from everyone keep me hoping, and, as time permits, checking out the possibilities.

ManyMoon is priced right :-), but it uses Google Apps, and I am trying not to introduce any more tools than necessary as I need to look at every possibility from the "weakest link" perspective.

I think Joey may have made the most poignant post. I'm beginning to think he's right - there isn't a single app that does what I am trying to do as well as I would like it to do it.

Again, I'd really like suggestions about specific apps from people that have used them. As Maria points out, the list of possibilities is virtually endless.

Basecamp is probably the best solution for the bulletin board, they have a great message system that syncs up with emails. Another option to consider for easy and straightforward task and time management is SantexQ - http://www.santexq.com

Good luck with your search!

HyperOffice is a great option. It is positioned as a "SharePoint alternative" for SMBs. It has all the features you mentioned - collaborative workspaces, discussion boards, document libraries, online project management. In addition you get a range of very useful features - wikis, calendars, address books, workflows, web forms, and access and sync from almost every mobile device around.

http://www.hyperoffice.com

To what you are looking for, I may recommend you Doolphy (http://www.doolphy.com ). We use it in our work and, because of what you mention, with its current options, it could fit you quite well. I hope it worths you. Good luck in your search! Regards

Alex, Pankaj, Jeff and Casey: My thanks to each of you, too, for your suggestions. I'm now preparing for a 10-day trip, so I am going to close out this question for now. Upon my return the week of July 12, I'll complete reviewing all of your suggestions (that's all of them all the way back to Cynthia's first one), and then I'll post where I think I'm headed. This has been quite an enlightening time for me. There are just so many apps. available that I'm still exploring. One issue that I think may very well be a factor is cost. Some of the apps charge a per-user fee, and this project will have lots of users. That may color the final analysis. Best to all of you and thank you again!