Collaboration:  

Aside from the desktop application, Project Insight runs the gamut on collaboration features, which is essential in keeping everyone involved in your project on the same page. The customizable dashboard lets each user view the features they deem most important in any given project. Email integration with Microsoft Outlook lets you use your already-established address book within the online project management program. Or for more involved communication between groups, the forum lets you post comments, responses and questions regarding projects, programs or any various subjects.

Resource Management:  

Keeping track of your human resources is essential to project success. Project Insight excels at this. The online project management program lets you not only keep track of your resources’ skills (with skill sets) and working hours (with timesheets), but you can group resources together by skills or department. Keep track of your resources through email integration with Microsoft Outlook and full detail sheets to determine which employee would work best for each task.

Project Management:  

Project Insight’s project management capabilities are excellent. Aside from its task management features (which includes progress tracking, goals and deadlines and task dependencies), this online project management program features many different views to see your project—from task lists and Gantt charts to a comprehensive team calendar. However, each view is a separate entity. Gantt charts are not interactive, and the task list is the only one that can be changed.

Managing your project is what makes your project a success. Project Insight gives you the functions you need to do so. Custom reports let you view budget options, workloads, statistics, documents involved in the project, and more. Both reports and projects come with templates to expedite the creation process. And to keep track of it all, automatic notifications update the project manager without him even logging onto the online management program.

Ease of Use:  

Project Insight is simple to use once you get the hang of the online project management program, but like most of its competitors, it has a learning curve. Logging onto the program brings up an email-like interface, similar to Microsoft Outlook with various file folders on the left and recent activity and updates in the center. A right-click option throughout the online project management program lets you view your option tools without searching for them around the screen. The only difficulty I had was adding tasks, which required a lot of moving around the screen with the mouse. This became tedious after a while and could be overcome if the product furnished a keyboard-based spreadsheet-like interface.

Help/Support:  

Project Insight has help and support accessible from a link on your interface. The comprehensive index answers general questions, while forums and email options will help you with more specific concerns.

Project Insight does what its name implies: gives you important insight into making your project a success. Though the learning curve was slightly longer than our higher-ranked online project management programs, its numerous features and ease of use (despite the tediousness) are what landed this program in our #4 slot. Between collaboration, resource and project management, Project Insight has what you need to make your projects a success every time. Be sure to check out our top three product reviews, @task, Daptiv PPM and Clarizen.