Seeking Recommendation on Project Management Software

Question

We are seeking recommendations for a project managmeent software package that meets our needs. I've reviewed what I view as a HUGE assortment of different vendors products (have a spreadsheet with 34).

here is what we have:

• have 5 developers (2 on contract), 2 support/config people, 1 PM, 2 managers. Developers each have their own specializations. Everyone is on-site or very local.
• we have two software products we support, both are similar but are for different market segments.
• projects are implementations of a customer onto one of the two products
• projects take between 6-9 weeks to complete, or more depending on outside factors
• projects consist of the following general components: Demo, meetings, configuration, Web Services integration, code to input and output files, custom report(s), testing, promotion.
• individual tasks are handled by one person. 1-3 people may be involved in a project though
• Releases are irregular at best.. not very "sprint" oriented I guess.

What we are looking to accomplish:

• Everyone knows what a developer/support person is working on at any given time
• Everyone knows what they should be working on now/next
• What is the status of each task
• know when to schedule new projects/set expectations for customers for timeline
• how much time is being spent on tasks.
• ability to estimate project hours

so our projects are timeline and capacity driven.

thanks in advance for any responses.

Answer 1

You should take a look at Eylean. From my experience it has everything you are looking for – multiple users, unlimited number of projects. Tasks are represented on the main task board, where they can be prioritized, assigned to a specific person and include all of the additional information, such as the status, attachments, comments, etc. Time tracking is allowed and the WIP reports give the overlook on how busy the team is and when the new projects should be scheduled. The whole project team can access and modify the board, which gives more clarity on the project. The tool is based on scrum and kanban boards, but you do not have to follow the methodology to use it.

Answer 2

I don't know if you have already tried it, but Twproject (I work there) (http://twproject.com) seems covering your needs.

Main features: web-based, run on your server (any OS and most common DB) or on the cloud, mobile, unlimited projects, issues, shared agenda, attached documents (full text indexed), time tracking, operator load, planning, fine grained security, event alert system, fully customizable and so on. Several features, but mainly Twproject adapts to your working-style.

In particular in you can use a simplified security (5 users only) giving all users high permission (1 click), so that everyone can see everything.

Then create your project roots and the project phases (demo, meeting, configuration etc.). Assign the responsible for the project so that assigned project will be more evident on its dashboard. You can choose to create a detailed WBS or, better, use issues as check list for "standard" passes. Issues introduces an Agile management, but is not necessary to adopt it for the whole project (or at all). Issues can be used for bug tracking and ticket management purpose too.

Then you can use any task as "template" for similar ones. Of course if you estimate the effort for each phase you can have a view of the work load for your team and refine project dates.

We have several "happy" customers on software product development business.