What to look for in project management software?

Nowadays there is an abundance of different project management tools available. This makes it harder than ever to make a determined choice. Here are some guidelines to help you pick what is right for you: Gantt Charts Project management software is supposed to make your life easier. Make sure the tool automatically creates Gantt Charts that you can copy and paste and reuse for reports for the senior management and other project stakeholders. Web Based Collaboration The days of client based project management software are over. Software as a service (SaaS) has emerged as a trend that more and more people follow. The myriad communication and remote management capabilities of web based solutions have rendered client based enterprise systems obsolete and backward. Email Updates Make sure the tool keeps project stakeholders in the loop via email updates on task logs. This way everyone knows what they need to know, no matter where they are. Security Make sure the tool uses a trusted SSL certificate so all your information is tranferred securely. Real Support? Does the company's website say that they offer quality email support? How about you give it a try? Shoot them an email and see how quickly they respond. If they take more than 2 hours don't waste any more time waiting on them. There are lot's of one-man-companies out there founded based upon get rich quick schemes. They spend a lot of money on advertisement and marketing but lack what actually matters: quality and the esteem to support it. Feature Requests When you request an additional feature, how does the vendor react? Is he open to it or does he shun your request? There are actually really successfull tools out there whose owners constantly refuse to add the most basic features, like gantt charts and discussion forums! Server Performance Very important! Make sure the company hosting your solution uses a decent, fast, and secure high performance server. Lots of solution providers ignore this vital requirement. Without a decent server, a web based solution is not worth a dime. Tracking and Reporting Why do you need a project management tool in the first place? To track progess and to create reports about that progress. A solution without these feature need not call itself a project management software. Pricing There used to be a time when large companies enjoyed a monopoly on project management tools and charged amounts like $200 for one (!!) license. The web has enabled more companies to offer solutions at much more reasonable prices. But even solutions for more than $10 per license deserve to be looked askance upon. Make sure you don't overpay just because you need a quick decision. Free Trial The project management software you are considering to use should offer a free account type. You should be able to use this, albeit limited, account as long as you need to in order to evaluate the tool and have you colleagues and managers look into it. If the project management software provider does not offer a free trial he surely does not have a product that he expects you to like. Source : Project Centers