Planview PPM Pro vs. SpecFuse vs. Zoho Projects

PPMPro is well suited for tracking new product introduction projects, as well as process changes. It serves to reliably track ongoing action items, issues, resource allocations for projects. Areas where PPMPro is less appropriate for use: Project to project dependencies, automating action item notifications on multiple platforms, integrations of PPMPro into other platforms PMO typically uses (like MS Projects, Teams, ppt, etc)

My work involves projects of 5-15 people with numerous projects running simultaneously. Prior to Zoho, I did not have a central location from which to view all project statuses at once. Zoho looks to provide this and also looks like it will deliver. I am anxious to see how our organization's use of it develops. At this time, I feel I am likely to recommend Zoho Projects because my organization has made great software decisions in the past so I have a level of trust already that the research has been done that Zoho is the best solution for our line of work.

Incentivized

• New request workflow/kanban board helps visualize where new requests are in the process of the quote to cash/request to completion
• The time tracking tool is tied directly to project tasks for seamless integration of time tracking, estimates, and actuals
• The reporting capabilities and ease of use has allowed us visibility to data that we never had before
• The tool is easily configurable by Administrators. We can add fields, change reports, add new dashboards within hours vs. days of trying to track things manually

Incentivized

• We use it to manage our sales orders as there are lots of moving parts which are necessary to get client orders done properly.
• I use it anytime I have a new idea I want to put into motion. As I can create a list for brainstorming, feedback, specific actions necessary in order to test and or implement the idea.
• Unrelated to business, it's a great way to plan travel in order to make sure you don't forget those important things like passport, flight arrangement, client meeting confirmation, and meeting prep as far as what specific documents or things do you need to bring with you.
• And since everyone is on the go and expected to keep up with work, the mobile/tablet app makes it a breeze to keep up, work on, and create new projects.

Incentivized

• The base API is not a REST based interface and is difficult to use for integration with other systems in the enterprise.
• The UI for the maintenance of the task schedule for projects can be a bit cumbersome , although the spreadsheet style editor helps somewhat. The Gantt view is not interactive.
• The workflow engine is designed only for initial project intake, and does not allow for an integration of the work flow with the project from start to end, so it can't be used for routing artifacts like change requests, ancillary project approvals, etc.

Incentivized

• There is no ability to add custom fields in the "Bugs" module - for example, if we want to add fields such as Version Number.
• Reporting is not integrated - its a fairly expensive add-on.
• There is no easy way to track actual and completed dates for tasks - so historical variance analysis is not easy.

Because I never evaluated other tools, I would be open to considering others. Given our establishment with Innotas and the value it has provided us, separating from it would cause some organizational discomfort. However, if a tool existed with a more intuitive interface for manipulating the data and factors of projects and resources, I would be very interested.

Incentivized

I've reviewed about 8 other project management solutions and Zoho Projects is the best I've seen without being overly complicated. Zoho Projects keeps getting better! Recent new enhancements makes it even easier to navigate. There are new keyboard shortcuts that cut my time way down. The tools are very easy to use.

PPM Pro has very effective process capabilities around Project, Demand, and Resource Management as well as Reporting/Dashboards. Very stable platform, never any downtime. We now also have PPM Pro Sandbox which we have leveraged for any new major developments such as Request Management.

Incentivized

Zoho Project has been very user-friendly. As a small business, we have a diverse group of people with varying skill sets. This platform has been easy for our team to learn, implement, and succeed with. The mobile version is also very handy for our team.

Innotas is very rarely down if at all.

Has not been down to my knowledge.

No issues with overall response time and performance. There have been some occasions where a Report could take few minutes to render but this is vary rare. No integration issues...

Incentivized

Speed meets my expectations.

Their ability to assist and answer questions when needed is incredible. They create innovative ways to share information and help customers trouble shoot. I didn't give it a ten because I believe they could do a better job of personally reaching out to customers and providing improvement guidance based on where the customer is at and their needs at the time

Although it might lack intuitiveness, once you get a hang of how Zoho Projects works, you can do a LOT. The impact good project management has on profitability is huge, and it has helped not only improve communication and coordination when working on a project, but more importantly have adequate tracking of time, due dates and potential bottle necks

Incentivized

Tim Srjezter was an excellent trainer.

It's been since 2009. A lot has changed. We have not grown as much as we could have because of executive backing.

Incentivized

Microsoft Project does not integrate the data or provide meaningful dashboards. We needed a tool that could manage a portfolio of projects versus just a single project view. In addition we needed a tool to track financials and internal effort all integrated into one product. Planview PPM Pro addressed all of our needs

Zoho Projects provides a more limited set of functionality and customization options than other task/bug trackers on the market, but what it lacks in functionality it makes up for in ease of use. It probably has 80-90% of the features of its competitors but takes about a third of the time to get up and running and realizing value.

Incentivized

I have no issues with current licensing and renewal terms...

Incentivized

We have always used PPM Pro across multiple Business Units and Business Functions and have never encountered any scalability issues. PPM Pro offers flexibility in how the various Entities are configured across the Enterprise

Incentivized

Very effective and flexible - we obtained a pool of consulting hours that we can use at any time over 12 month period. Consulting topics can vary as we explore new functionalities in PPM Pro. Very easy to schedule ad-hoc time with PPM Pro consultant

Incentivized

• Planview PPM directs all the resources in the right channel, hence, credible performance.
• Planview PPM initiates proper time, and resource tracking and hence is friendly for company functions.
• Planview PPM is competent in managing diverse projects, and this offers highly sustainable business continuity.

Incentivized

• We needed a system to organize our growing business, so anything was better than what we had, which was nothing.
• Recording time spend is a huge reason for using project software. It has made me aware of the tasks that are taking too long and where we are not being profitable as a company.
• It has kept our team accountable for what needs to get completed and when projects are not in motion or completed timely. It's helpful to know in order to get billing out faster.

Incentivized