Requests on Features and Functionalities
Hi. I own an SME - a real estate consultancy firm here in the Philippines. I have just recently required my people to use Zoho projects, and we are currently testing things out. Soon, we will be upgrading to the 20-project version (in a few days) and this early in the transition stage (on one project only), I have to say that the entire group is delighted with the ease of use and overall functionalities of Zoho Projects. The application feels like it was specifically designed to encourage first-time project management software users.
Truth to tell, I have been evaluating @task alongside Zoho projects. While the cost difference may be considerable, it was not the deciding factor in my choosing Zoho. What actually pushed me to go for Zoho was the fact that my people did not feel overwhelmed by the software -- they said @task (and Clarizen) had high learning curves and ultimately usage thereof might have led to either 1) no one using the software or 2) double the workload leading to less productivity. Even with some features lacking, Zoho proved to be the better choice for us. I therefore thank the developers for providing us with something we could easily sink our teeth in.
Given that, I feel there is still room for improvement (there always is, isn't there?). Some additional features that would be appreciated would be the following:
a. Project Baseline, for comparison purposes only.
b. Inputting tasks and dependencies could be made easier (i.e. in the same screen, or via drag and drop/one click)
c. More report formats and templates
d. In defining users --- a direct linkage between Zoho contacts and projects so that we need not retype the user emails.
Also, the help files could be vastly improved. When I took a look at Project Reports, for example .... what I saw was Project Timesheets instead.
Again, thanks and I look forward to seeing this program/software evolve over time. Most definitely, I will be recommending Zoho to many of my peers over here.