Every other low cost project management system must have started with the spreadsheets, then the era of the MS project. This helped a lot until managers realized that they required something more batter. Looking at the project management systems, a well established procedure has to be there to be able to select the right one. They include the fact that they should be intuitive and flexible, they should also be web based. Online systems will provide managers with real time abilities of collaboration and the possibility of staying up to date with the progress of the project.
There are many free management systems, all that one need is to search for “free management system”. Although there are many low cost management systems, it is a bad idea to use online one system. This is due to the fact that they offer limited features. The system may seem perfect initially but as the number of projects increases the limitation of the system become completely obvious. It is important to stick to the best as it will be hard to switch to a more robust one. It will take too much time to transfer all the data from one old system to a new one.
It is highly advisable that every highly esteemed manager should conduct test before venturing into using any low cost project management systems. This will help in choosing the one that best suits them and help in reducing the possibility of suffering from a severe headache when transferring files from one system to another at the middle of projects. When choosing the right system, it is advisable to look at its efficiency in handling multiple projects and ensuring that the distributed members of the team are on the same page. It should allow the manager to go through many projects at the same time, seeing and analyzing projects on one screen is critical. It should also allow tracking of updates within the activity teams, adjusting of schedules of the teams and synchronizing individual team’s work as they consider their tasks and see their tasks updates in real time.
Managers spoil for choice when looking for a low cost project management systems. Some good examples of such systems include the DotProject which is a PHP or MySQL internet application that provide project management tools such as task tracking, and calendaring tools. Tutos works similarly as dotProject but has difficulty in installation but it has a more mature base of documentation.
Other example of low cost project management systems are the Ace Project and Zoho Project. They are some of the finest in the market having both online and many options to grow the company. Other examples are the Basecamp and the Huddle, neither of the two is perfect it all depends on the requirements of the user. Huddle allows only one user while Basecamp doesn’t allow online storage. However, when real world application is considered simplicity, configuration and maintenance should always be the determining factor when choosing a good system.