Online Cloud tools

Cloud Computing is a one of the modern technologies based on internet. It primarily uses the internet and central remote servers to maintain data and application, or we can also say, it uses the computer resources that are delivered as a service over the internet. Cloud Computing is also referred as the next stage in the evolution of internet. Cloud tools make use of internet technologies, to provided subscription based project management software.

The Project management services are online systems for both working and collaborating on projects. These real-time workspaces allows the team members and outside partners to keep a watch on every detail that brings a project to finish. It typically provides an overview of all the projects in the pipeline, as well as all the niche details about the daily work being done to move the projects forward. The apps for project management help teams to handle common problems, such as slipped deadlines, by automatically rescheduling tasks that are affected by them. Online cloud tools also help in generating reports that give managers an insight into which team members have too much or too little work. Many track time spent on projects and integrate with invoicing and billing systems. In the best-case, every milestone, task, and subtask is assigned to a specific person and given a deadline. Ideally, other team members can see who is responsible for what, whether that person is on track to complete it on time, and if there are any unanswered questions about the job. That level of insight is important because it alerts people who are further down the planned chain of events of possible delays before they occur.

It is very important to have visibility of the tasks list of every team member list which is also useful for understanding whether people are falling behind because they are overworked. When you can see that a colleague has six task assignments all due within the next 48 hours, it is easy to spot the problem and redistribute the work before deadlines slip. The Gantt chart, is a common feature in project management apps, since it allows a manager to clearly see when employees have too much work or not. It also assists everyone to use available resources more effectively.

Some of the popular cloud-based  or online project management softwares

1. Freshdesk by Freshworks Inc – Freshdesk is one of the latest in cloud based support tech that comes with everything you need to track and manage projects. Freshdesk offers an array of features like issue tracking, SLA management, smart automations, SEO ready FAQ section, Knowledge base and customizable Self Service Portals, which helps increase agent productivity and reduce burnout.
2. Zoho Projects by Zoho – Zoho Projects is the project management software from Zoho, a brand that enables 15 million users to work online. Businesses large and small, from every industry use the app to deliver great work on time. Plan your projects, assign tasks, communicate effectively, never miss an important update and view detailed reports on progress. We can also add unlimited users on all plans at no extra cost.
3. Teamwork Projects by Teamwork.com – The function-rich software gives you every advantage to stay on track and deliver on time. Teamwork Projects combines high-performance features that build smarter workflows and close communication gaps so you can focus on getting things done. Some of the features include task management, time tracking, milestones, Gantt charts, instant high-level reports and more. When all communication, documentation and task coordination is in one place, collaboration is exactly what it should be productive.
4. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus by ManageEngine – ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is a completely web-based Help Desk and Asset Management Software. It offers an integrated package with Incident management, Asset Tracking, Purchasing, Contract Management, Self-Service Portal, and Knowledge Base at an affordable price point. ServiceDesk Plus provides all that you need to have a full-fledged IT Help Desk and a productive Help Desk staff. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is available in both normal edition and also ITIL edition.
5. Confluence by Atlassian – Project management is easy with Atlassian’s Confluence as your single source of truth. It integrates with JIRA so you can easily add context to your projects in one central location. Create and track issues & product requirements, publish release reports, track release progress, and more when you connect Confluence and JIRA. Confluence also allows you to create, share, evolve, and capture your team’s project documentation so you can collaborate better, smarter, and as a team.
6. Wrike by Wrike – Wrike’s end-to-end solution takes your projects from initial request to tracking work progress and reporting results. Wrike allows, to create and delegate tasks, track deadlines, visualize your plans on the Gantt chart, and share reports. If needed, you can use advanced features like Custom Workflows, advanced security, restricted data access and more. Wrike is a very powerful yet user-friendly solution that helps you achieve your project goals

Collaboration Software

The Collaboration software consists of various kinds of apps and services that handles everything from video conference calls to letting two people type on a document at the same time. Modern project management services often roll communication and collaboration tools right into them. It may also allow you connect to the collaboration apps that your team already uses, such as Slack, HipChat, or even Google Docs.

Workflow Software

Workflow management is complicated to classify since at times it handles as a standalone issue and sometimes it is rolled into other apps. The Editors’ Choice Asana, for instance, handles workflow management pretty concretely, as do kanban board apps. But all-in-one work hubs, like Workfront and Podio, includes workflow management tools in case you add them to your account. The workflow software can also have full-scale project management applications inside them, too. But workflow management is not necessarily the core of the service, and neither is project management.

Kanban boards is another kind of workflow management software. Kanban can be described as a style of working. It comes from Japan, which was traditionally used in manufacturing for just-in-time delivery. These days, kanban apps are popular among software development teams. Kanban is a visually oriented system that is particularly good at controlling how much new work a team takes on before the current batch of work in progress is complete. Here the idea is to keep work flowing smoothly by not overloading workers with too many competing mandates.

Task Management Software

The task management software is a bit different from project management software. The Project management apps excludes task management features in them, but one can get standalone task management apps if that is the only piece you really need. One of the examples of a task management app is Asana, is also a very clear example of a workflow management app. With Asana, you can have tasks assigned to specific individuals, and those tasks can have descriptions, deadlines, and attached documents, which may not necessarily be a part of a larger project.

Microsoft Project Online

The Project Online Professional keeps your projects, resources, and teams organized and on track. Microsoft Project 2016 with an Office 365 subscription is the latest version of Project. Some of the  features of Microsoft Project Online are,

Robust portfolio management

1. Simplified ideation – It enables the teams to submit project ideas with Office apps like Outlook and SharePoint, so you can capture portfolio suggestions from all organization levels.
2. Strategic alignment – It compares the project ideas against business objectives to evaluate competing requests, eliminate misaligned initiatives, and streamline project initiation.
3. Portfolio optimization – It runs the optimization scenarios based on specific factors, like budget and resource requirements, to select a portfolio of projects that delivers the most value.
4. Powerful reporting – It helps to immediately gather insights about selected portfolios using point-and-click reporting capabilities and summary dashboards.

Enterprise resource management

1. Consolidated view – It helps to consolidate all your potential project resources into a single view so that resource managers can compare resources across standardized data to build best-fit teams.
2. Optimized resources – The feature of Resource Engagement lets a resource manager respond to resource requests depending on availability across the portfolio.

Smart design

1. Intuitive start screen – The visual tiles make it easy to navigate the Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management solution and identify the important steps in managing your project portfolio.
2. Familiar interface – It is delivered through Office 365, Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management includes familiar Office capabilities that teams will quickly recognize, reducing training time.
3. Anytime, anywhere access – In this case the teams can use their favorite devices and web browsers to view, edit, submit, and collaborate on project, portfolio, and everyday work.
4. Integrated workflows – The project teams can easily import workflows into Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management, helping improve governance and control.

Efficient project management

1. Mobile time and task entry – Improved time and task entry lets team members submit updates from most browsers. Project managers get instant visibility to make informed decisions faster.
2. Optimal resource use – Built-in resource management features let you systematically handle resource requests. Intuitive heat maps help you forecast and manage resource use.
3. Multiple timelines – Built-in multiple timelines help you effectively represent complex schedules and understand all aspects, or just specific slices, of a project.

Integrated collaboration

1. Real-time communications – Integrated communication tools like Skype for Business enable project team members to collaborate using voice, video, or chat from within Project.
2. Greater visibility – Use a SharePoint site to share project calendars and task updates. Teams can also send task notifications via email, and store project files in OneDrive for Business.
3. Collaborative social feeds – Dedicated Yammer newsfeeds in SharePoint are useful for communicating with colleagues in real-time on project details using enterprise social capabilities.

Better decision-making

1. Project reports – Use one of the built-in, customizable reports, like Burndown and Resource Overview, to gain insights, communicate information to stakeholders, and achieve results.
2. Powerful BI – Gain valuable insights into projects, programs, and portfolios using flexible, self-service business intelligence tools through Excel Services and Power BI.
3. LOB integration – Native OData lets you quickly aggregate project data from other line-of-business (LOB) systems for advanced reporting.

Office Store

1. Office add-ins – Visit the new Office Store to get Office add-ins that extend the functionality of Project to solve unique business and project problems.

Simplified IT

1. Always up to date – As an online service, Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management is always current with the latest tools, features, and updates, so IT won’t have to worry about costly upgrades.
2. Reliable service – Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, as well as continuous data back-up, best-in-class disaster recovery, and data centers around the world.
3. 24/7 support – With 24/7 IT support from Microsoft, Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management service helps you keep your business up and running and frees up IT to work on more important things.
4. Low-cost solution – Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management requires no upfront infrastructure costs and offers flexible subscription plans, helping you keep your technology costs low.
5. Multi-tenancy support – Run isolated instances of Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management independent of each other. Separate IT and PMO settings allow each side to manage its own settings.
6. Custom programmability – Your IT team can tap into robust application architecture and create custom functionality with a readily available software development kit (SDK).
7. World-class compliance – Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management complies with various industry-specific standards, including ISO 27001, EU Model Clauses, HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA), and FISMA.
8. Active Directory sync – Add resources quickly and reliably with enhanced Active Directory synchronization, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.