Going Virtual: Online Tools for Project Management

The ProjectSpaces homepage displays similar tabs as Central Desktop, as well as other key features including the most current files, tasks, and upcoming calendar meetings. Files are listed and sorted by date, followed by a list of tasks organized by due date.

One main difference between Central Desktop and ProjectSpaces is that ProjectSpaces provides more deliberate space for discussions and blogs, showing the latest blog posts right on the homepage. The ProjectSpaces homepage is a simple, one-page view to access all highlights of a project.

The "Files" tab provides access to all the files across all projects. You can access specific project files via a simple drop-down menu.

The file folder structure is similar to that of Microsoft Windows. A feature unique to ProjectSpaces is the file management document tagging. Tagging a file allows you to keep it in multiple folders, as appropriate. As changes are made in one location, changes will automatically carry over to copies in any other folder.

Similar to Central Desktop, you can subscribe to a document and automatically be alerted whenever a new version of the document is posted, or when changes or modifications have been made.

In ProjectSpaces, collaborative documents are called “shared documents.” This document type is ideal when several users need to access a single file from multiple locations. As with Central Desktop, ProjectSpaces allows you to “check out” a document so that only one person can edit it at a time.

One of the benefits of the document management feature in ProjectSpaces is that for any document, you can go back to an earlier version if a more recent version contains changes that are not to your liking. At the bottom of the page, you can also add comments that are date and time stamped.

ProjectSpaces is not free, but the prices are reasonable, and you are allowed more users and a greater amount of storage space for your money than with Central Desktop.

The security level of ProjectSpaces is rated as “high,” and the administrative and user skills are the same as that of Central Desktop. The key benefits of ProjectSpaces are also very similar to those of Central Desktop, with the added benefit of live helpdesk support. The only major drawback is that the ProjectSpaces interface is not as glossy as that of its competitors.

The comparison table shows that ProjectSpaces has many core features and functionalities that are not discussed in this lesson. For example, ProjectSpaces allows for an individualized, customized page. Some of the core features that ProjectSpaces does not have compared to its competitors include the ability to assign recurring tasks or filter to-do lists by the person responsible.

Access the ProjectSpaces website here.