Third time is a charm – ProjectNet [Project.net]

“Project.net is a complete Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solution designed to capture, display, report on, and resolve the complex interrelationships organizations tackle when planning and executing major initiatives..”- Project.NET

According to the creators, Project.net was developed to resolve the major shortcoming of alternatives: weak adoption by teams, leading to minimal data entered into the system, resulting in a dearth of information for decision support at all levels. Project.net delivers a rich, high-quality project management record by assuring that the team – not just management – benefits through their active collaboration through Project.net.[i]

Project.Net is based on the Open Source model as well and delivers a enterprise-class, web-based project management solution without enterprise-class pricing.

Those who are inclined can download a free copy and deploy Project.net on their own. As with the Project Open they also offer fee-based support and deployment services for organizations in need of a customized solution.

The project.Net site has four different areas to explore depending on what you are looking for in the solution, which can help get to the information you are interested in faster:

• Team Members – http://www.project.net/team_members
• Project Managers – http://www.project.net/project_managers
• Project/Program/Portfolio Management Offices – http://www.project.net/pmos
• Senior Executives – http://www.project.net/senior_executives

The sites above give each constituent group the opportunity to explore the features and areas that are most relevant to their area of interest.

For those who are interested the solution and want to get a demo, here is the site: http://www.project.net/flash_tour

Here are some of the features and functionalities from the Project Net:

Empowers Teams
Project.net empowers team members and teams through a comprehensive project workspace where they log and manage their individual contributions while simultaneously seeing the “big picture” of the overall project.

• Personal Dashboards
• Team Assignments
• Notifications
• Time Management

Drives Collaboration
Project.net’s unified social media tools encourage extended information sharing throughout the project life cycle: the result is a rich and comprehensive project record, with all supporting and supplemental material easily accessible.

• Unified Blogs
• Project-based Wikis
• Built-in Document Management
• Integrated Discussion Groups

Maximizes Accountability, Visibility
Project.net’s unified social media tools encourage extended information sharing throughout the project life cycle: the result is a rich and comprehensive project record, with all supporting and supplemental material easily accessible.

• Project Dashboards
• Project Workplans
• Activity Logs
• Time Submittal Reports
• Workflow
• Forms
• Phase Review

Aligns Goals & Priorities
Project.net’s unified social media tools encourage extended information sharing throughout the project life cycle: the result is a rich and comprehensive project record, with all supporting and supplemental material easily accessible.

• Organization Dashboard
• Project Templates
• Resource Management
• Portfolio Scoring
• Extensive Reporting

Here are my ratings of the solution (0-10, 10 being best):

Cost: 10 (Majority of modules are free)

Functionalities & Features: 9 (iPhone app available)

Innovative solution: 8

Support & Updates: 8 (basic is free, consulting services are additional to help you on your way)

Ease of use: 8

Ease of installation: 6 (on your own) and 9 as SaaS

Overall Rating: 9