Wrike Adds New Features for Online Project Management
by Bill Ives
Wrike provides online project management. I have written about them before (see Wrike: Online Project Management for the Rest of Us). They are releasing several new features, including task discussions, Windows Mobile and Outlook add-ins, that are designed to better help manage multiple projects.
Wrike’s Intelligent E-mail Engine™ allows you to create and update tasks and projects, as well as upload files via e-mail. Wrike’s Outlook add-in provides a two-way sync for the user’s tasks in Wrike and in Outlook. The email-integrated task discussions allow teams to add comments to tasks and projects not only online but also via e-mail. Wrike automatically identifies the task by the e-mail subject, then extracts the user’s comment and adds it to the task discussions. Outlook add-in instantly synchronizes user’s tasks in Wrike and in Outlook so users have a complete picture of their to-dos in both applications.
Windows Mobile application allows synchronizing user’s tasks in Wrike with the built-in Tasks application on user’s Pocket PC or smartphone. Now, they are working on Wrike support for BlackBerry and iPhone.
Intraday tasks scheduling allow managers to build a precise project plan and streamline their resource allocation. Their Flexible Structures™ feature lets you create folders inside of existing folders and include one task or folder in several different folders. This allows you to get a picture of your projects from the perspective of every department, every client, etc.
Wrike accommodates three types of users with related pricing models: “Manager”, “Collaborator” and “Viewer”. A “manager” is a power user who can use all of Wrike’s advanced features, including creating templates, using Excel export and import, building task dependencies directly on the timeline, running reports, etc. “Collaborators” can create and modify tasks and projects, using Wrike’s interactive Web site or their favorite e-mail software. They can use Wrike’s unique timeline, share files in Wrike and discuss tasks. You can mix different user types with the same organization.
These all look like useful features, especially the ones for moblie devices.
