Efficient task management system hindered with lackluster reporting/analytics
July 25, 2017
Efficient task management system hindered with lackluster reporting/analytics
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Workfront
- Project templates: Because we are a marketing company, we tend to have projects that are cookie cutters of each other. By being able to create a template and assign milestones, converting requests to projects is efficient.
- User Task Lists: This feature is outstanding. The ability to sort, search, and create a customized priority is awe inspiring. As an administrator, I can get away from sticky notes or daily standup meetings to determine what is being worked on by the team, and what will be worked on next. This is all in Workfront, and I don't have to interrupt the team to get status updates.
- User Interface for Project Status/Roadblocks: My account manager appreciates the ability to not only see the progress, as a % complete, of a project, but he likes that he can scroll down and see at what task the roadblock appears. Similarly, if a client asks where we are with the project, he has a quick and simple way to verify for himself. This self-service UI allows me to not be interrupted for quick questions.
- Ability to provide ideas for new functionality or improvements in Idea Exchange.
- Reporting Feature: I inherited Workfront from the previous project manager. It had only been used for 3 months up until this point. By that time, our set up hours were depleted, and I was up to my own devices to determine how to build and customize reports to get what I needed. Unfortunately, the former PM wasn't very experienced with reports and dashboards, so the reports that existed were broken or inadequate. This means, I had to fumble through the reports. I am not getting what I need from the reporting functionality, and the help / training sessions are very underwhelming.
- Updating tasks: I appreciate the template feature, but to update the tasks when you have more than 15 is cumbersome. Each cell is responsive, and I would very much welcome a spreadsheet type page where I can enter everything and press "Save" before changes commit to the system.
- Assigning tasks to a user where the date is already set: For example, I use a template, and one of tasks is graphic design, and the date was pre-populated to 10/31/2017. When I assign this task to the user (e.g. Bob Smith), the task automatically enters into their "My Work" as 10/31/2017, which is great. But, let's say I after I assign the task, I update the predecessor to take longer, which makes this task's due date 11/15/2017. This makes Bob's task still due on 10/31/2017. What a headache!!!
I wasn't with this company when the buying decision was made. However, Workfront replaced Mavenlink, and what I could gather is Mavenlink was liked by users, but the owners and administrators wanted more reporting and more automation.
For me, Workfront is far superior to MS Planner. Planner would make my life 10x more difficult than using sticky notes because there was no automation, no budgeting, no scheduling, and it was Kanban, where we are 50%/50% agile and waterfall.
Our account manager feels that Smartsheet is superior to Workfront, because the reporting and Gantts are significantly better. However, she is not experienced with workflows, task management, or automation.
MS Project is worse that Workfront, in that Workfront has a better UI for all users in the company. We are able to easily tell where we are in the process, and attach documents (including versioning) to tasks/the project, which is useful for a creative agency.
Trello is a Kanban tool, and lends itself to an agile shop, which we are not.
For me, Workfront is far superior to MS Planner. Planner would make my life 10x more difficult than using sticky notes because there was no automation, no budgeting, no scheduling, and it was Kanban, where we are 50%/50% agile and waterfall.
Our account manager feels that Smartsheet is superior to Workfront, because the reporting and Gantts are significantly better. However, she is not experienced with workflows, task management, or automation.
MS Project is worse that Workfront, in that Workfront has a better UI for all users in the company. We are able to easily tell where we are in the process, and attach documents (including versioning) to tasks/the project, which is useful for a creative agency.
Trello is a Kanban tool, and lends itself to an agile shop, which we are not.