Overview Presentation
iManageProject is a cost-efficient project management and team collaboration software. For teams that need to get organized without too many hassles, iManageProject does the trick with only a short learning curve involved.
Project Management... But not as you Would Expect
The way projects are managed in iManageProject is rather unusual. There are no tasks per se, which is a bit confusing at first. Actually, in a project, you create to-do lists, which contain "Items". These are what we can call tasks. Working with to-do lists is okay, but for complex jobs, it is limitative. That being said, an unusual way of managing projects and to-do lists are not showstoppers when other features make life easier. iManageProject brings a collaborative approach to project management and this is where their competitive edge is.
Project management wise, iManageProject lets you create, of course, projects as well as messages, to-do lists and milestones. Furthermore, users can track time, upload files and collaborate using writeboards.
A Standout Feature - Writeboards
In our opinion, the strongest feature in iManageProject is the Writeboard. Collaboration-wise, this feature is priceless, easy-to-use and extremely effective. For sharing ideas or interaction with others, this web 2.0 feature really gives iManageProject a pro that very few products have. Writeboards are sharable with anyone. In a social networking world, such a feature is spot-on and dramatically helps improve collaboration in any organization.
Uncluttered Interface
Generally speaking, iManageProject's interface is very minimalist, and so are several features (time tracking being a good example). For lots of small businesses, time tracking requires a date, a number of hours and a description only. However, for organizations with complex processes, time tracking in iManageProject lacks several things, including a time clock, a couple of time entry fields (such as time type) and integration with third-party accounting solutions. File management is also very minimalist but in this case, it is a plus.
Once we get used to the interface, iManageProject works like a charm. However, the first couple of times we use the software, one can get lost more than once. On some screens, it may be hard to find where to add this or that and even some features. This is a part of the learning curve, and probably the only one actually, with all the rest being dead simple.
The Bottom Line
For most small businesses and large organizations without complex internal processes, iManageProject deserves a chance. Once you get their project management approach, iManageProject delivers. The software is easy to learn, easy to use and affordable. See for yourself, sign up for free!