Thing 12 - Online Project Management Tools

As I continually race between spinning platters in the performance that is my job, I had interest in this thing. It certainly seems that the Web 2.0 flavor of this process is miles ahead of the old-fashioned way. That may be my naivete showing however. I have very little experience in project management.

What challenges do you face right now that could possibly be improved by using a project management tool?

Hmmm...tough question. I have a number of projects but I'm not really in charge of any of them. I don't feel like I'm in a position to ask others to use an unfamiliar program. I also struggle with the idea of spending time learning a new program.

Which two project management tools did you investigate? What were your impressions? Compare the two.

I looked at a few. Goplan, DeskAway, Central Desktop, OnStage. I chose the ones that had free plan options, since I'm one of those people that jumps on new technology quickly (often prematurely). I like DeskAway the most. I has an iPhone app (hopefully later an Android). Seems an easy-to-use interface as well. Central Desktop tour seemed to assume I understand project management (which I don't).

For tools/plans that are not free, do you think they are worth the cost?

For my personal uses, nope. Now if I was an actual manager, maybe. But it seems like many of the functions (wiki, etc.) can be done on programs that don't have fees.

Why did you choose this thing?

It was next in line.

How long did this thing take you?

about an hour