Project management software for a small team with shifting priorities

Question

We have a small team of developers (currently 3, possibly 4 soon) trying to run all the IT tasks for a retail/ecommerce company. We have a point-of-sale system we built in-house, as well as our main website, and all the various other data feeds and things that go into keeping the company running. Our priorities shift frequently and unpredictably, based on the overall direction of the company ("Are we working on improving our inventory management this week or trying to cut down on shipping costs?"), the dictates of all the various companies we integrate with ("Here's the new format, you need to support it by Friday."), and the needs of eCommerce ("I have this great new thing we need to integrate with!"). Some of the tasks are trivial and some take weeks of work (even when not interrupted). Then there's the things that rely on other things before they can be started...

To try and keep a handle on all this, I'm looking for some form of project management software. It would need to support numerous projects (ideally with some form of optional tasks or subprojects), a flexible priority system, and some form of scale (estimated hours, or even just Trivial/Day/Week/Longer). It has to support multiple users, but doesn't need to have much in the way of permissions or visibility settings. Time tracking isn't necessary, although we might use it if the software has it. The ability to link projects so that one is inactive until another is complete would be a plus.

Is there anything like this out there? I've looked at a few that were recommended in other questions, but nothing seemed to be both priority-based instead of timetable-based and have an easy to create top-level project/task which only optionally needed subtasks.

I know the process I'm trying to manage isn't ideal in the first place, but changing it isn't practical at this point.

Answer 1

Truthfully, I would look at getting a whiteboard and post it notes. Yes, I'm taking this from an Agile approach. You sound like you don't know what your process is. The real issue is going to be that you are going to add additional chaos on top of it. You're going to try learn software on top of taking this over. Your process isn't going to be perfect the first time you set it up, so you need to have something that's flexible. Having a white board for 4 people will allow you to set it up, and look at it daily (everyone can look at it that is). What you need is visibility to keep everyone on the same page. The whiteboard reminds people when they walk by that stuff is coming, and they have things to do. Daily stand ups are invaluable in this too.

If you really want a program. I use Trello for my tracking needs. It's easy to use, and it's free. That way at least you aren't out money if you decide switch later.

Answer 2

I also recommend the White board approach. Look into Scrum and putting your stories on the white board moving them along as you complete them. If you want a more product based Project Management tool I am using Mingle. It is free for up to 5 people, and you can make it look like a Whiteboard in some sense.

This question looks like it's going to easily turn into answers where everyone attempts to promote their tool of choice. Unless you really have to, adding process and tools into the mix will only slow things down and complicate them. Although, it sounds like you might be at the point where you need something to help with the management of projects and task.

Based on the short description of the way you work, Iterations and a straight forward implementation of Scrum might work out very well. If you really only have 3 people total, and they all come into the office every day, buy a bigger white board.

Answer 3

Pivotal Tracker works ok for this kind of situation. They'd like you to have a totally streamlined, highly refined agile process - but even if you don't, it provides a good structure and easy interface. If you start working on something then get pulled off it, just shove it back in the icebox.

Answer 4

agilezen is a simple kanban board. Its just like the agile whiteboard solution but only takes up space on your screen. It has a backlog where you don't lose all the small stuff that will eventually need to be worked, so you can focus on what is ready to work and change that as needed. The backlog is only visible when you choose to view it and does a wonderful job of reducing noise.

It also has some reports so that you can review velocity graphs to help identify problem areas and bottlenecks so that you can get things done more efficiently. Granted some of these are features inherent in agile development, but having a tool like this greatly simplifies an unwieldy whiteboard.

Answer 5

Look at liquid planner, it has some nice and unique features that may fit what you are wanting. We use it here, and like it's concept of using statistical analysis to provide a range of dates (dates that a 10%, 50% and 90% chance of being met). All you need to do is provide an upper and l.ower estimate of the time a task will need. It provides various high level graphs etc so it's easy to see where the project is headed, and if you are on track. It also uses time sheets to track progress, meaning that you can see how long each task took vs how long you estimated.

It's cloud based with a monthly subscription.

Answer 6

Try Sandglaz www.sandglaz.com

Disclaimer, I'm the Co-Founder, but this is a testimonial we got from an IT Manager:

It is the FIRST tool I have used that recognizes how people actually work. Namely, that

1) people work on many, many projects simultaneously;

2) schedules shift CONSTANTLY; and

3) checking and updating status needs to be stupid-simple or nobody will do it.

Answer 7

We have used FogBugz On Demand for a couple of years with great success. We are two teams with six developers each. FogBugz was state of the art three-four years ago, but is now showing its age. We are looking at Trello as a replacement. It is also developed by the same company.

Answer 8

Shifting priorities suggests an Agile approach.

In our company (7 people) we have similar requirements and after a long search we landed on Teamwork (http://www.twproject.com). This software manages task, resources, assignments (and all the stuff of a powerful PMS) but also issues.

We use it in this way: I create a project for each customer and then I collect user requirements as issues, than we organize issues dragging & dropping in order to prioritize and/or schedule. If an issues becomes bigger than estimated, with a click, I can transform it in a new sub-task. While closing issues (but not only in this way) we also record time spent on them. All time records are collected in the main task.

We started using only few features of Teamwork, but once we have seen that we had costs, work loads, and planning, under control we becomes addicted :-)

The only negative point is that is not free. It cost about 90€ per user, but it is a one-time fee, and it is worth!

Answer 9

Have a look at Cora Systems project management software called ProjectVision. Its a fully web-based portfolio and project management software tool, that gives you the control and visibility of your projects and programs.

It can support multiple users and projects.

If you're interested perhaps a personalized live demonstration could provide you with the in-depth features that ProjectVision has to offer.

Best of Luck with your selection process.

Marian

Answer 10

I manage a similar team and have two tools to recommend that we use on a daily basis:

As mentioned in a previous answer, Trello is a flexible (and free) application that can be used to capture and sort ideas. You could create one Trello board for each broad topic, and then use lists within that board either for sub-topics or for priority levels.

And then assuming you use an agile software methodology (which sounds appropriate for your situation), Pivotal Tracker is a powerful and focused tool for taking those ideas, breaking them down into manageable pieces, estimating them, and then executing the rest of the development process. The overall priorities have a habit of getting lost within Tracker, but you could make up for that by categorizing the pieces with "epics" and linking each epic back to a Trello card. (If, however, you don't use agile, the pre-defined Tracker workflow may get in the way of your processes.)

Answer 11

I know a tool that seems to meet all your requirements; you can visit their website. http://www.onepmo.com

OnePMO is not only a tool to manage projects but also a tool to schedule them. There is a scheduling engine that make priority shifting quite easier. Priority shifting only takes a few seconds and doesn't require any manual calculations.

Let me know if it helps :)

Answer 12

I used and recommend Proofhub . It is a web based project management software that helps me to discuss, communicate and manage projects with team members and clients at one central place. I would recommend it as it provides features like to-do's, milestones, file sharing, inbuilt browser chat, proofing tool etc.. I love this tool!!